A Checklist of What You Might Want to Do Before Spring

The weather will get better one day soon and you will want to get out more during that time.  This is why it is always best to get indoor chores done before you get outdoors more frequently.  So here is a To-Do list that will help some of you who have yet to get started.

1.  Take a walk through your home and note messy areas, unorganized areas, and other places that haven't been touched in a long time.

2.  List what needs to go, then set up an appointment with the local thrift store to come and take away those bagged and boxed items.  You will need to share the list with the store, so they know what they are coming to get.  Be sure you get a receipt for your donations because these will come in handy when you start itemizing your taxes (under charitable donations) for next year.

3. Look for ways to organize things better.  If you have many little things, get necessary items to organize them.  Search "how to organize..." include what you need to organize.

4.  Enlist help only if you know the individuals will not try to get you to keep stuff.

5.  Visit Ebay, the local pawn shop, a children's boutique, bookstores, take out an ad, and sell some of the things you don't use.

6.  Remove large furniture away from walls, move boxes and shelves and examine your walls, baseboards and flooring.  Those of you who receive much snow and rain might have a problem festering that you don't know about.

7.  Check under cabinets?  Is it well organized or could items be better managed.  Also, check for signs of mold.

8.  Clean rugs, wipe walls, inside of windows, and remove any trace of molds using bleach.

9.  Dust off items especially things that hang from walls, vents, and items that sit low.

10.  Remove any food products and medicines that are expired.

Taking the time to get your household organized while making some money and helping others will make you feel good.  You will be so glad to have fun outdoors without the worry of how your residence might look or smell.  Be sure to check appliances like water heaters, furnaces, air conditioners, refrigerators and more. You can search the Internet on troubleshooting these items and how what sounds mean trouble for your home.  One other thing, be sure to get those indoor odors under control too--check for things online that might help.  Periodically, open windows and shut off heat.  

Nicholl McGuire shares wise tips about spiritually related issues on YouTube channel: nmenterprise7

Things Look Messy? 6 Things You Can Do Right Now to Get Organized, Feel Good About Your Living Space

Does sitting at your workspace or at home get you down sometimes?  Do you feel disorganized, messy, or hate the way things smell?  If you just take a moment to do some things to tidy up your area, you just might feel better about it.  There are those times when we all get a little too comfortable in our environments to the point that we make ourselves sick!  We might even complain about what we see, how we feel, what our area looks like, and the way it smells. 


Giving your living space a little tender loving care will bring the life back into it and it doesn't have to cost a fortune doing it!


1.  Throw useless paper away.  Give away magazines and books.  Paper collects and it makes an environment look messy.  It also comes with its share of smells, dust, and allergens.


2.  Create places to put things or put what you have taken out back in its proper place.


Sometimes the old way of organizing things just doesn't work anymore, so you might need to upgrade (check around this blog for ideas on what to buy).  Other times it is simply laziness that keeps one from putting things back where they go.


3.  Note what you need to do each day to get your environment in good shape. 


Use your cell phone to help you keep up with your tasks or create your To Do List and place it somewhere so that you can see it everyday.  Very messy environments will need to be broken down in simple tasks, this way you won't be overwhelmed about cleaning and organizing.


4.  Avoid distractions that take up unnecessary time while you get organized i.e.) Internet surfing.


How many times have we started doing something and then got side-tracked because of people, places and things?  Be determined to get things done!  Stay focus and don't be afraid to tell others, "I'm busy right now!"


5.  Spruce up your environment by wiping things off, vacuuming, and decorating. 


You will feel better about your living space if you do.  Sometimes people will organize, but won't bother to clean.  Meanwhile, there are those dust webs and balls in corners, markings on walls, ugly spots, and more.  It will be only a matter of time, when you feel like you didn't do much and begin to dislike your environment again.  Get rid of things that put you in a bad mood like the spoils of war, you know those things from a previous relationship.


6.  Get a nice smelling air freshener or diffuser and open window.  Dry air?  Get a humidifier. 


Clean air always makes you feel and breathe better!


When you are often busy, it doesn't take long before one's environment becomes a wreck, so before you get really busy again, show your place some love--your guests will appreciate it if you have any.


Nicholl McGuire, author of When Mothers Cry

7 Things You Need to Do Often to Keep Residence Clean, Organized

There are many things that need to be done daily in order to maintain a clean and organized environment.  As much as many of us don't like doing certain chores, we must make ourselves do them so as not to have problems in the future.  There will be those moments in your life where you may have to sit awhile, lie down in a bed, or do other things that might cause you to fall behind, but if you are staying on top of your environment, it won't be so bad.

People feel overwhelmed with cleaning and organizing because they oftentimes let things go.  They don't bother to put anything back and they don't break long enough from fun activities to get things done.  So here are some tasks that if you stay on top of them often, they won't burden you later.

1.  Remove clutter around your work areas ie.) kitchen counter, dining room table, office desk

2.  Take out trash (just not in cans, but on counter tops, corners, shelves, cabinets, refrigerator, etc.)

3.  Do laundry (if it sits around long enough, now you have a problem with air quality at home).

4.  Clean the bathroom.

5.  Keep children's toys and crafts in their proper places. (If you don't have any consistent place to return items, make up one and show the children where to put their things.)

6.  Vacuum which also includes taking the hose off and grabbing dust in hard to reach areas.

7.  Wash dishes. (Simple enough, but if you don't tackle this task without thinking too deeply about them, they too will pile up).

When we take a moment each day to focus on our personal environment and tidy it up, it helps with our thinking.  We don't feel as much stress, because we have freed ourselves from having to do just one more thing.  We are then better able to concentrate on other responsibilities.

Nicholl McGuire

Getting & Keeping Your Home Clean and Organized!