House Cleaning Tips

Spring is one of my favorite times of the year. I work from my home and I love it when I can open my office window, let the fresh air in, listen to the birds and watch them as they eat from the bird feeders (yes, I do manage to get work done). Spring is also one of the larger cleanings we do around our house. I want my house as fresh on the inside as it is smells on the outside. Spring Cleaning 101 Here are some of the basics of any large cleaning. These will help you keep track of all you are doing, what’s already been done, and so forth. 1.    Make a list of all the areas in the house you want to tackle and what you hope to accomplish. I type everything on the computer in columns with checkmarks. This makes it so much easier to cross things off the list, and I have a copy for my next spring cleaning that I can easily add to if needed. Here’s a sample of what a section of your list could consist of, let’s use the kitchen as our example: Cleaning the Kitchen Dust a...

We all know that cleaning the house is a chore we wish we could skip. But how many of us can stand to look at or sit in a home where dust is accumulating in thick layers, carpets look dingy, clothes are piling up, or use a bathroom with dirty sinks, showers and toilets? Yuck! If you're anything like me then I know you won't stand for all the dirtiness! Make an easier time of cleaning by following our suggestions listed below. These house cleaning tips will make your cleaning day more effective and more efficient. Have all Cleaning Supplies Together Before you start to clean, make sure you have all your supplies together. This really does help in the amount of time it takes to clean when you don’t have to go back and forth fetching cleaning supplies. My cleaning tote has everything in it I’ll need so I won’t have to stop and possibly get sidetracked. Your cleaning supplies should consist of things like: Cleaning cloths (for wet and dry) Cleaners Window cleaner Vacuum cleaner ...

Are you one of those people stuck in the house on Saturday morning cleaning before you can get out and enjoy the day? Maybe its summer and you want to take a trip to the zoo, farmers market, or the movies, but first you feel compelled to get the house picked up and cleaned. I can’t say I blame you—I absolutely hate coming home to a dirty house. On the other hand, who wants to clean their house first thing in the morning? There have been times when we’ve left a messy house to go enjoy our day, then walked back into that same messy house hours later. Then, it’s like all that great adrenaline and giddiness from all the fun we just had has been taken away in one fell swoop! Darn. We have to clean! When I come home from an outing, all I want to do is kick back, relax and talk about what we did. But no, if I didn’t get the house clean earlier - I gotta get it clean or the mess will drive me nuts. Is this the way you feel too? Why not consider hiring a house cleaning service? It can defin...

No matter where you are in life—college, the business world, divorced, just getting out on your own, etc.—you may have reason to share your living space with a roommate or two. A roommate offers many benefits. Aside from the financial freedom you can gain, having a roommate means that you don’t have to come home to an empty house, someone will be there if you go out of town on business or for a vacation, and there is someone to share the household chores. But what happens if you’ve got a roommate that’s sloppy? You didn’t see that coming: she said she was a doer, liked it neat, and was willing to pitch in. When the relationship was new, the place was clean, dishes and food were put away, and her room and bathroom were tidy! Then one day, you start to notice you’re doing more than your fair share of the chores. It started with a dish or two and a few towels in the hallway. Then it progressed to food not put away, fruit flies, and—What is that smell? Ewww. Well, maybe it’s not that b...

Stainless steel, sleek and beautiful but hardly ever stain-less or fingerprint proof. Right? How many of you have followed right behind the kids with a kitchen towel wiping off the fingerprints? I know I’ve been guilty of that and my kids look at me and say “Mom – It’s just a refrigerator.” Well, maybe it is just a refrigerator, but keeping it clean really adds a pop of shine to the room, don’t you think? That’s why I clean mine on a regular basis. Regular Cleanings For regular cleaning, all you need to do is take a damp cloth, wet it with warm water, wipe down the appliance then dry and polish with a clean dry lint free rag. Personally, I like to use white vinegar. I’m disinfecting as I’m cleaning and when I dry whatever appliance I’m cleaning, it dries faster. I put the white vinegar in a spray bottle and spray my cleaning rag rather than the appliance. Then I wipe it down with a microfiber cloth. Here’s a little tip for larger appliances: Work in sections. Clean and dry a sectio...

Many newer homes today don’t have the kind of attic spaces as the homes our grandparents or great-grandparents had. Maybe you're thinking of making your attic space into a bedroom? Cool! If you have a home with an attic, and you know you have to get up there and clean, why not clean with the intention of making a little money too? While you’re cleaning, think about the stuff laying around you don’t want. Wouldn’t you like to make some extra money off your old junk? I would! And if you’re like me and like to make an extra buck or two, here are some ideas for you to make some easy cash! Cleaning out the Attic We’ve all been to that place where we have been in need of a little extra cash. Having a garage sale is one such place to bring in the cash. Have a Garage Sale While you’re cleaning the attic, take a look with a critical eye as you go at what you might be able to contribute to a garage sale. Your attic could very well contain a treasure trove of old junk, but it could also ...

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...

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 ...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

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....

We had a great Christmas holiday. I hope you all did too. Some of you may keep your decorations up until after the New Year and some of you might jump right in – right after the holiday. (Hmm, I’ve heard of that.) This may not be one of the most exciting times, but you’ll feel relieved and refreshed for the beginning of a new year with a clutter free home. Ideas for Storing Holiday Decorations Christmas Lights Recycle a piece of recycled cardboard out of the recycle bin. The size will depend on the amount of lights you have. If you have many, you may want to use a couple. Carefully take the lights down and wrap around the cardboard to keep them from getting tangled. Store in storage container until next year. If you use tons of lights, you might want to think about purchasing Christmas light storage reels. Storing Small Extension Cords Use old toilet paper tubes to store your extension cords. Bundle the cord and slide it in the paper roll. This works for one extension cord each. St...

I love clothes. What girl doesn’t? I have clothes that have never seen the light of day with the tags still on. Maybe that’s a sign I should find the receipt, take them back, and buy something new? It’s not that I shop frivolously but there are times when I just can’t pass up a good deal. You know when they have stores like TJ Maxx and Ross just about everywhere, it’s easy to do. As another point of fact – I will most often return the clothes; new, still in the bag, price tags still on, because I need to clean the closet and get some serious organizing go on. If you’re like me, read on and see if our suggestions help you out of a pile of clothes or two. Ready, Set, Time to Go Alright then, one of the first things is to have a go time. Pick a day when you don’t have anything going on. A not so perfect day always works best for me, this help me from getting side tracked. Plan on the afternoon or possibly longer, depending how badly in need of organizing and cleaning needs to be done....

Some of the small spaces I’m thinking of are studio apartments, small condos, small eco-friendly homes – those kind of small spaces. Spaces where you might need to get a little creative in how you think about what you buy and how it can be used. Here is a list of items you may find useful in your small space. The more creative you get, the more original and unique your space will be. Storage Ideas Shelving Units Shelves can be bought with three, six, nine, and twelve cubbies. Storage can be used for shoes, books, photos, knick knacks (if you must), dishware, clothes, purses, keys, food, and you can even add small hooks and use one for jewelry. Re-purposing Items for Shelves If you are someone, like me, that likes to recycle and re-purpose items, look to apple crates. I love these especially if you can find the old ones in good condition. Stack them as high as you need them and connect them with brackets. These can be used anywhere in the home and are great for getting your things ...

Time fly’s, doesn’t it? Where I live summer came late, it almost seems like fall never left. And now it’s here again. It’s also the beginning of the flu season. Our kids will go off to school and some will bring the flu home with them. We go off to work and bring the germs home with us. It’s a cycle that happens no matter how healthy you try and keep your family. There are things you can do in an effort to keep the germs at bay and your home or office clean and sanitized. Wash Your Hands This is something we learn at a young age. Wash your hands regularly. This is especially true when you come in contact with someone who is not feeling well, or you are coughing and sneezing. If you are not somewhere where you can wash your hands, keep hand sanitizer handy. My daughter keeps a small container in her sons backpack as well as some sani-hand wipes. Wipe Down Surfaces Whether you are at home or at the office, keep those high traffic surface areas wiped down. • Light switches • Doorknobs...

So you’re tired of washing your money down the drain with all those expensive cleaning supplies. And maybe you have become more environmentally conscious along the way and you want to incorporate a better way to clean into your daily or weekly cleaning. I don’t blame you; I encourage you to make the change. Among other things, we use baking soda. It's a natural deodorizer, slightly abrasive and can be used for cleaning many surfaces – including your skin, and can be added to the laundry to kick your detergent up a notch. Here are 10 great uses for baking soda. I know you’re going to like them as much as we do. And for those of you that already use baking soda, maybe there is something here you haven’t tried. 1. Laundry We do a couple of loads of laundry each day. I add 1/ 2 cup baking soda to each load of laundry to help clean and whiten clothes. At least once every two months, I also add a couple of cups to a hot water wash cycle (no cloths) for deodorizing. 2. Quartz Counte...