House Cleaning Tips

How to Organize Your Closets Just about everyone needs to organize their closet at some time or another. If you are the one that has to take on this de-cluttering task in your home, there are plenty of ways to do it easily, without worry that it will consume your day. Just about everyone has a closet that is packed full. Some may even be afraid to open the closet door in case the pile of clutter will collapse! Your goal is to work through each one of these closets in your home, without looking back or getting discouraged, and thoroughly de-clutter them. Sure, this is not an easy task but the benefits are numerous nonetheless- A clean and de-cluttered, organized closet! Start With One Closet Start with one closet, just one.Take a day for each closet so that you do not get overwhelmed with your organizing project. The more that you have to do; the easier it is to get overwhelmed. So it's better to take one day at a time, and tackle the project one closet at a time. You should pla...

Wintertime is just around the corner and it's time to prepare for those cold days and nights and winter snowfalls. For many people winter is a time spent in the warmth of your home gathering with family and friends and enjoying the holiday season . Winter cleaning is basically preparing for the cold weather and is holiday specific. Here is a winter cleaning checklist you can follow to make this upcoming season clean and organized. Cleaning the Chimney This type of home upkeep is just too challenging to be done by yourself, plus the dangers are great if not done correctly. A chimney fire can destroy your home and its entire contents. So before you light your first fire in the hearth, get a professional chimney sweep to inspect your chimney. An expert will check for such things as a buildup of dirt, grime, creosote, and other chemicals that can be a hazard. Don't rely on cleaning logs; they can't do the job a professional can do. If you have a wood stove in your home th...

Up to now, once-a-year cleaning chores had been carried out in the spring. Through the years, I have gradually shifted many of these to the fall. It simply makes more sense. For those who have family or friends over for Thanksgiving or winter holidays, fall is the ideal time to perform these things. It's going to ensure you have a cleaner home and don't wind up putting things off until the last minute. It makes all the holiday seasons a lot less nerve-racking! The Three Big Fall Jobs Clean The Carpets According to carpet industry experts, you should have the carpets professionally cleaned every 6-18 months depending on the traffic in your home. If you do it once a year, fall is the ideal time. Your carpets are going to be beautiful for holiday family get togethers and parties. The majority of carpet cleaning businesses offer a special deal in which they will come back and deal with any stain within so many months of cleaning. If you clean in the fall and one of the kids ...

Upholstered furniture can be very expensive. If you have a couch, chair, loveseat, or other furnishings that is in good condition but just a little dirty, these upholstery cleaning tips will save you time and money. Instead of going out looking for new furniture, you can clean an existing piece of furniture and be absolutely amazed at how incredible it looks. Even aged furniture can benefit from a good cleaning. The main thing with upholstered furniture is choosing the appropriate type of cleaning method. For example, if you have an antique that has hand embroidered upholstery then it would require a different cleaning method than a sofa that was purchased from a store. Here are a number of cleaning tips to make your job easy and get the dirt and stains out. Get the Upholstery Stains Out. Maintaining your furniture is just one aspect of having a clean and happy home. More families are moving away from the dinner table and eating on the sofa dropping bits of food and drinks that le...

Moving is stressful and it’s a crazy time in your life. When you’ve lived in your home for many years you accumulate a lot of things that are personal to you, your grandchildren and children. I have a friend who has been in their home for 13 years and they’re moving to a new state. Thankfully she started packing early because she had collections of cookware, china, stuff for the grandkids, a store worth of furniture, stored items in the shed, and so on. When you move to a new state and you’re starting somewhere fresh, do you really want to bring all that stuff with you? No. You want to go through it first and see what goes, what gets donated, and what goes to family members. Packing Tips The problem is – you really do accumulate too much and because of this you don’t want to start packing a week before you move, start early, and give yourself at least a month so you can work on a little here and a little there. Before you start packing and putting things in boxes ask yourself: What...

What makes it easier for you to clean? What are some of the reasons why you clean? Here’s why I and others in my circle of friends and family clean. This one’s pretty obvious, it just looks better. Dirty dishes piled in the sink look bad and make me tired. Giving the bedroom a quick clean before bed eliminates tripping on the way to the bathroom It’s esthetically pleasing. A clean home smells fresh. I feel more efficient when the house is clean. If friends stop by unexpectedly. I don’t want them knowing my dirty little secrets. If I clean a little every day, and keep on top of it, I don’t have to do a major cleaning very often. (maybe until the holidays roll around.) I don’t like coming home to a messy house. If it’s clean and put away, I can’t break it. Therefore I don’t have to buy it again! I sleep better on clean sheets. I don’t feel stressed out. Company is coming. I've got energy or I'm bored and I don’t want to watch TV. I don't wear shoes in the house. I like knowin...

I have a few grandkids, but with the birth of the last one – cutest granddaughter ever by the way, but then aren’t they all? – it really hit me how important it is I help teach her about cleanliness. Especially now that she’s two, going to daycare, and coming home sick. I’m not a germaphobe but I am more cautious and I do notice how much I’ve stopped putting my hands on my face. I’m one of those when absorbed in working, I lean on an elbow and my face rests in my hand(s), near my mouth (Ick!). When you think about it, who knows what germs are on the surface of the computers keyboard, your cell phone, the loofah you shower with, the razor you shave with, etcetera and so on. Now that its summer (and where I’m at the temperatures have been soaring); I’m sure there are plenty of kids pleading for some pool time, outdoor activities, and other fun stuff. And who are we to spoil their fun and disappoint them? Spoiling the fun or not, here are some things you should be aware of. Its good i...

This post isn’t about cleaning or organizing; it’s more about how I’ve been spending some of my time over the past weekends. Something different to write about but none-the-less – it was fun and enjoyable! Over the past couple of weekends I have been spending some time with a friend making over her daughter’s (I’ll call her Dee) bedroom. The three of us have been putting our heads together to make this a special room, we want it to be something that can grow with her yet easily be changed as she gets older. There were some requests Dee made. She wanted her favorite colors incorporated into the room - a light aqua blue, grey, and pink. She also wants a bright and cheery bedroom to match her personality. Our Plan for Brightening up the Bedroom After much discussion, we decided we would paint the walls, trim, and window sill white. White is a color that will brighten up a room bright. The majority of the color used would be the light blue. We bought blue curtains for the windows that had ...

We’ve talked quite a bit about getting rid of smells around the house. I have a touchy nose – it picks up the slightest of smells. If you have a nose like mine, you know what I’m talking about and if you’re like me, you keep a clean house so where do those disturbing little smells come from? Below are some common and not-so-common things around the house that cause bad smells and natural ways to send them to the bye bye world. Bring in the Fresh Air! This is one of the first things I do when weather permits. I open the windows and doors (with screens so my cats don’t get out) and let the fresh air in while I’m cleaning. Keep the Vacuum Cleaner Clean! OK, we all know the importance of vacuuming on a regular basis and changing the bag regularly (if you have one) but some things a lot of us don’t think about doing are: Keep the bag compartment or dirt container (for bagless machines) clean. Clean the filter on occasion how the manufacturer recommends. Keep the beater bar and the area ...

There are many different types of paints and paint brushes that are made to use with the different types of paints that may require a certain kind of brush fiber to be used. Because of this, when cleaning your brush, there is more than one way that is required to remove the paint from the brush. Let’s look at the different types of paints, brushes, and bristles used. Paint Acrylic, Acoustic, Gloss, Latex, Matte, Oil Based, Primer, Resin, Rubber-based, Semi-Gloss, Textured, and Water Based Brushes Angular, Angle Flat, Bright, Chinese Bristle Brush, Chisel Blender, Filbert, Flat, Flathead, Oval Wash, Pointed Round, and Round Bristles Natural hair bristles from animals: badgers, camel, hogs, and sable. Synthetic hair bristles are made from polyester and nylon. Flagged synthetic bristles are typically made from nylon with split bristle ends. This helps to hold paint on the brush. These types of brushes are usually used with a Latex based paint. Now let’s take a look at some of the clea...

I was sitting down getting ready to write a post for you all about cleaning tips but the sun is beckoning and felt I had to say a little something about how the warm weather makes me feel. It’s the end of April in my neck of the woods and we have been having some wonderfully warm sunny days. It won’t be the end of the rainy days but Oh! How we Are loving it! Some of my flowers are blooming, leaves are green, the butterflies are out, windows are open; the fresh, warm air is like being wrapped in a blanket. Isn’t it amazing how a beautiful day can do so much to lift your spirits and help you see things in a whole new light? The sun feels so good; I’ve started wearing my shorts and tank tops, even if only for a short time I know summer will be here soon and it will be part of my daily attire. I love the simplicity of summer, the slower pace in which my life moves and that I have the time to “stop and smell the roses”. Being outdoors more often, tending my gardens, and walking with my came...

There are many reasons why you should consider hiring a professional cleaning company to come in and clean your home. Your home is being cleaned by a professional company. That’s right. A professionally trained team of typically two or three will come in and clean your home. Instead of you spending the day making your home spotless, you’re letting the pro’s do it for you while you get to relax. An established company provides stability, has the necessary insurance and bonds in place, and will send out qualified, trusted and background checked employees. It’s important you hire a cleaning service that complies with all state and federal laws. It’s your Choice, What do you Want? When you hire a professional cleaning company, you have the freedom to pick the time that works best for you and the day. You also choose the type of service you would like to have done; one that fits your budget. You can get on a regular cleaning schedule, a one-time only cleaning, or just have a cleaning do...

I like a clean and tidy house and I like coming home to a clean house, not a whirlwind of disorganized stuff. It wasn't always like that though, I mean I kept a clean house but there were days that would get away from us. We'd get busy with kids, school, work and Wham! the mess was there. I'd come home and there'd be stuff covering the counters or the desk was messy and I didn't want to sit and pay bills. My thoughts felt as scattered as the contents in my home. That's about the time we incorporated "Dump Baskets". What is a Dump Basket? A dump basket is a tool to help keep the house clean and organized. You place them in areas of the house where things tend to get dumped. Then one day (or days) you put the contents from the dump basket where they belong. This saves you time and energy during the week to relax and not worry so much about picking up after everyone. A dump basket can be of any size, rectangular, square, circular, and design to fit i...

I have a daughter that has extremely sensitive skin. She would break out with random skin rashes, hives, and other breakouts. We weren’t really sure what the cause was. We did the usual: went to the dermatologist tried specialty skin care products eliminating foods and fabrics changing our laundry products and on and on When we went to the dermatologist, he prescribed a high strength corto steroid cream. It actually breaks down collagen and can only be used for 10 days at a time. Why would you want to put that on your skin? It finally struck me (as I was folding laundry) and noticed a heavy fabric softener residue on the towels that my daughter was adding excessive amounts to the laundry. Because fabric softeners are loaded with chemicals , we wondered if that couldn’t be the problem she was having with her skin. I mean its common sense that using these chemical ridden products; they can leave a residue on your skin and cause a reaction! This is especially true for those who alread...

Free Kids Chore List Here is a free and handy chore list for young children around the ages of 4 and 5. These are easy chores to help your kids get started with responsibilities. And at this age they are motivated and still think it's fun to help you out around the house. How the Chore Chart Works The chores are listed in rows and the days are in columns. Mark an X   in the row under the day it should be finished or if you have more than one child, write their name in a square. All your kids have to do is look at the chart to know what they have to do and on what day. Many kids by the age of four are learning or know the days of the week so they may not need anymore help than you showing them how the chore should be done. When the chore is complete, your child can put a Sticker where chores have been completed. Your kids will feel a sense of accomplishment when they've done something without being told to do it! Notes:  Clean Room: picking up and putting away toys, clothe...

Do you have a garage that has so much stuff in it you can’t park your car there? Isn’t it amazing how quickly stuff can take over a space if not maintained on a regular basis? My daughter is going through this problem right now. They have so much stuff on one side of the garage; you can barely walk to the spare fridge. They have gone through and organized the inside of the house. They’ve packed up stuff for the thrift store, piled stuff that goes to the dump, and created more piles for the things they want to store in the shed – all this put (or dumped) into the garage. Part of the problem – they are piling on top of piles from the last time they cleaned out the house. Now my daughter isn’t a messy person, her home is clean, she’s compulsively clean. But now she is so overwhelmed she’s stressing out, having anxiety issues because of the mess, and she just hasn’t had the time (with work, two kids - one of them actively in sports – and hubby working all the time) to do much about it....