Spring Cleaning?

Every year those of us who are very particular about our environments, will look around and say, "Time to start doing some spring cleaning!"  This may consist of sorting old clothing, appliances, shoes, book, videos, and more.  Items are bagged and ready for a local donation center.  Others will clean house from top to bottom.  Some will just do a little light housekeeping and hope one day that the other stuff will just work itself out!

If you are interested in spring cleaning, there are many blog entries on this site that will help you organize one room at a time.  The key to a successful spring cleaning is to work one room at a time.  Don't try to do everything all on one day.  That kind of cleaning is overwhelming!  It makes you and those living with you resent spring cleaning; rather than embrace it!  If you want others to help you, consider giving them something in exchange for their service.  Don't expect people to just want to do something just because.  People living with you may not consider cleaning the house from top to bottom all that important.  Besides, if you maintain your cleaning all year round, you won't feel pressed to complete the majority of your tasks exclusively during the spring.

Now for those who are new to all this organizing and cleaning, this is the time of year that those 30 plus moms and dads just might be putting many things out for yard sales, online auctions, and flea markets.  The best thing about spring cleaning are those treasures you might find that people simply don't need or want.  The holiday season wasn't that long ago and chances are many households inherited things that they really didn't need or want.  So make plans to bargain shop!

When you are ready to clean and organize your home, do remember to list all of the supplies you will need to get your tasks done ie.) cleaning supplies, bucket, organizer, boxes, garbage bags, etc.  Save some money so that you aren't going into funds at the last minute reserved for something else like bills.  It can be frustrating to start cleaning a room only to realize you don't have anything to effectively completely your tasks.

Spring cleaning is a great time of year, but what is better is when you know that your house is clean and organized enough that this time of year can come and go and you wouldn't miss it!

Nicholl McGuire

Storage Containers

If you are seeking ideas on hiding your clutter in plain site, these containers just might help you achieve your goals. If you are budget conscious, you can always find similar things at local discount stores or yard sales. Click here.

On the To Do List: Organizing Papers Quickly, Simply

Everywhere you look you see paper! From bills piling up to the children's school work. Let's make this clean up real simple today, shall we?

School Work

Start by getting a large, flat plastic container, you know the kind you would slide under a bed. Now you say, "Well that is too big!" Not if you have children in school it isn't. This is where all the kids schoolwork and every other paper school related will go. Let's not worry about any sophisticated filing system or some album or large three ring binder to store everything. The kids will be getting something from school everyday and it will be hard for them to decide what they will want to keep and what they will want to throw away. Therefore, let the plastic container be the one stop that all things school related goes. Now if you have more than one child, it would make since to get separate containers for each.

Receipts

Now on to the next task of paper to tackle. Organizing receipts from your shopping sprees can be real easy if you have one of those plastic expanding file folders. Organize it by month. Every time you shop, just store away your receipts in it.

Circulars & Magazines

So you have a pile up of mail. Take all your circulars and throw them away if you know you don't have any more money to buy anything else this pay period. Why tease yourself by saving them? Next, shelf those magazines even if you haven't got around to reading them. Sometimes we tell ourselves we will do something if we leave it out in the open, but if it has been some days that have gone by and you still haven't made the time to read them, then shelf them or take them to work and read them during lunch daily.

Bills & Other Letters

Now bills must be left out in the open if you plan on paying them; therefore, make a pile exclusively for them. You can use a pretty box, a plastic sorting bin, or something else that looks nice with your other decor. Place all bills in that spot every time you get them. As for everything else, pitch it, give it away, or shelf it until you have the time to do something with it.

Organizing paper doesn't have to be a challenging task. What makes this task a big deal for some people is they have know clue what to do with their mess. Define a space and then discipline yourself to keep with your system. Before long, you won't have to look at piles of paper going nowhere. Also, if paper sits for too long, you will find yourself with some itchy skin and weird bumps showing up on your hands and possibly your legs and feet every time you move paper. If so, you may have a problem with paper fleas which means you will need to throw all the paper out and get yourself one of those insect bombs. Unfortunately, I learned about this the hard way after taking a job with a company. It turns out the previous manager didn't believe in throwing away anything and the place was filled with literally years of paper. Needless to say, there were these tiny bugs that were having a party with all that paper he left behind.

Nicholl McGuire

How to Organize Any Room Quickly for Guests You Want to Impress

Expecting visitors to your home or apartment soon? Meanwhile, your rooms could use a little sprucing up? Well, it doesn't have to be a daunting task if you know how to get rid of things fast1 Some of the most popular eye sores that make visitors think twice about entering a room is as follows.

Paper

There are all kinds of paper piles in one's home. There is the paper you need, the paper you might use, and the paper you already looked through but just didn't bother throwing it away. Begin, by throwing away papers you know you will not need. File paper you believe you will need to mail or use to support future documents. Then neatly pile paper you plan on getting around to. Store all paper out of site of all your guests. Utilize drawers, a laptop bag, filing cabinet, bin, or box to place paper. Now if you forget about the pile, then that's a clear indication you never needed the paper pile in the first place.

If you have piles and piles of paper sitting in your apartment or home for a very long time almost to the point of yellowing, chances are there are paper fleas in those piles. Don't put those piles near clothes. You will know if you have paper fleas, if you should start noticing itchy skin and small bites on your hands and arms every time you move paper, card-boxes and other paper products around. Consider getting a bug fume which will require that you place it in the center of a room, close up windows and doors and vacate the environment for a few hours. The last thing you want is to be responsible for your guests being bit by bugs while visiting your home.

Shoes

Piles of shoes in doorways and in other walkways are nothing more than hazards. Then there are the shoes in corners and everywhere else, but where they need be-- like in a closet. So find a box, get an under-the-bed bag or bin, or a shoe rack and start organizing. Local drug stores carry these items if you have no time to run to a department store.

Clothes

Clothes anywhere strewn throughout the home is not a good impression even if they are clean. So pile the clothes you know you won't be wearing and put them in a box if you have no time to hang them up. However, if you do have time to hang them, be sure you are getting maximum use of your closet. There are space saving hangers you can also get sometimes in the As Seen on TV household section of your local department and drug store.

Stains

Who wants to sit on a stain or look at one on a wall? So check for unsightly stains on furniture, floors and walls and wipe clean with a mild cleanser. Dish-washing liquid or laundry detergent works for some markings when you don't have upholstery, bathroom or kitchen cleaners. Don't forget to lift up that toilet seat when you start cleaning the bathroom!

Odors

There are so many products for odors, but if you don't have air freshner readily available, you can always use baby powder or a perfume or cologne. Sprinkle baby powder on the floor lightly and vacuum. Spray the air with a fragrance. If furniture smells strange, spray fragrance above the item(s) and let droplets fall. Don't spray directly or the fragrance may stain the material. Use a bleach to kill bathroom smells, but if you don't have that use a bubble bath or body wash and scrub away odors.

Dirt and Dust

Look for dirt and dust on things like lamps, desks, television and computer screens, picture frames, and book shelves. Who wants to be snacking on a sandwich only to look up to see a spider web dangling from the chandelier? Also, check window sills. Although you might not think your guest will be going to the windows or looking that closely at the mirrors, they might. So give it all a quick wipe down.
Check your floor and vacuum. Most people walk into a home and look around then down. Don't get caught with the crumbs and the unsightly messes!

A person who sincerely wants to impress his or her guest(s) will not overlook the obvious. He or she will be sure that everything looks well-organized, clean and smells fresh. So in your haste to make that first lasting impression, don't forget the most important rooms: the bathroom, kitchen and living-room. Be sure there is nothing in view that would make your guest(s) turn around and walk out or think of you as a lazy slob. Always remember people do judge a book by its cover.

By Nicholl McGuire

6 Uses for Plastic Bags When Moving

1. Double or triple plastic bags. Use them to cover valuables protecting them from scratches.

2. Use bags to wrap dishware. When layered, they form a nice cushion to protect items.

3. Use to collect trash, loose items and other things that you don't want in a box.

4. Bawl plastic bags and stuff between spaces in box to keep from items shifting around.

5. Place small items in plastic bags and label then stick in box. This way loose items won't shift around in boxes and you will be able to unpack items easily.

6. Use them to tie large items. Connect bags together to form one large twist tie.

Written by Nicholl McGuire