Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Sadly, It's That Time Again
Sadly its that time again were our lease is coming to an end and we must be on our way. Ben and I found a nice inexpensive apartment that we are hoping and praying we are able to get. A split level home that is located on the South Hills side of town and in town. Sadly we won't have our beautiful view or as much space but then again saving around $200 a month will surely be a plus to the down side. I am so stressed out at this point though. We have four days to be out and we don't have a place to go. Praying, praying, praying this works out for us!
Sunday, September 4, 2011
How to Organize Your Junk Drawer in 5 Simple Steps
By Elizabeth Larkin
Organizing your junk drawer is a quick and easy organizational project in five steps.
You may call it your "catch all," your "coupon drawer" or your "multi-use drawer" but let's be honest, it's a junk drawer. This is the place you store all the items you either rarely use or don't know where else to stow.
Step 1: Edit & Purge
Take everything out and be realistic about its use. And then purge, purge, purge. Do you really need a stockpile of soy sauce packets and chopsticks from your last take out meal? Or old business cards you collected two years ago and never used? It may seem wasteful to throw these things out-and you should of course recycle when possible--but you are never, ever going to use them so right now they're wasting space.
TIP: Once your drawer is empty, take the opportunity to give it a good dusting.
Step 2: Arrange in Piles
Once you've purged, begin by arranging everything in piles by size and function. You will find some items that don't belong in the junk drawer. Put those aside and continue to stack the remaining contents. The beauty of the junk drawer is that everyone has their own unique junk, but there are a few essentials items that can make your junk drawer more user-friendly so keep these items in mind:
Kitchen Drawer:
Measure the width and height of your drawer and decide which hardware you will use to divide your items. I like to use small trays in varying sizes. They can be bought on the cheap at any drug store or market, but keep these creative and unexpected junk drawer dividers in mind:
Here comes the good part! Arrange the items in their new dividers. Even if the contents of your drawer remain mishmashed, the key to an organized drawer is to be able to see what's in there quickly rather than rifling through looking for the old coupons amongst newspaper articles you've clipped.
Step 5: Up Keep
Go through your junk drawer on a regular basis. Upkeep is crucial. If you do this regularly, you will always have a general idea of its contents; if you don't you run the risk of needing a crowbar to pry the thing open. Through your upkeep you will end up recycling most of the contents. Remember: If you haven't used it in a few months, it's just wasting space.
Do you need some suggestions for when to edit your junk drawer? My preferred ritual is Saturday mornings with a cup of coffee in my hand. Here are some other great times to organize your junk drawer:
Organizing your junk drawer is a quick and easy organizational project in five steps.
You may call it your "catch all," your "coupon drawer" or your "multi-use drawer" but let's be honest, it's a junk drawer. This is the place you store all the items you either rarely use or don't know where else to stow.
Step 1: Edit & Purge
Take everything out and be realistic about its use. And then purge, purge, purge. Do you really need a stockpile of soy sauce packets and chopsticks from your last take out meal? Or old business cards you collected two years ago and never used? It may seem wasteful to throw these things out-and you should of course recycle when possible--but you are never, ever going to use them so right now they're wasting space.
TIP: Once your drawer is empty, take the opportunity to give it a good dusting.
Step 2: Arrange in Piles
Once you've purged, begin by arranging everything in piles by size and function. You will find some items that don't belong in the junk drawer. Put those aside and continue to stack the remaining contents. The beauty of the junk drawer is that everyone has their own unique junk, but there are a few essentials items that can make your junk drawer more user-friendly so keep these items in mind:
Kitchen Drawer:
- Coupon holder
- Recipe sorter
- Pens and pencils
- Scissors
- Label maker
- Stapler, scissors, tape dispenser
- Advil, band aids, antibacterial ointment
- Loose change
- Hand sanitizer
Measure the width and height of your drawer and decide which hardware you will use to divide your items. I like to use small trays in varying sizes. They can be bought on the cheap at any drug store or market, but keep these creative and unexpected junk drawer dividers in mind:
- Muffin tins
- Ice cube trays
- Makeup trays
Here comes the good part! Arrange the items in their new dividers. Even if the contents of your drawer remain mishmashed, the key to an organized drawer is to be able to see what's in there quickly rather than rifling through looking for the old coupons amongst newspaper articles you've clipped.
Step 5: Up Keep
Go through your junk drawer on a regular basis. Upkeep is crucial. If you do this regularly, you will always have a general idea of its contents; if you don't you run the risk of needing a crowbar to pry the thing open. Through your upkeep you will end up recycling most of the contents. Remember: If you haven't used it in a few months, it's just wasting space.
Do you need some suggestions for when to edit your junk drawer? My preferred ritual is Saturday mornings with a cup of coffee in my hand. Here are some other great times to organize your junk drawer:
- Monthly bill paying night.
- Your seasonal cleaning - although I would recommend cleaning your junk drawer on a monthly basis, it's a great place to start when embarking on your major housecleaning days.
- Monday nights - it's a good idea to start the week on an organized note.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Eco Friendly Cleaners
My mission of this post is to show you all the great possibilities of economically friendly cleaning. With having a 1 year old who will soon be walking I do not want my home full of chemicals that he can get into. Nor is it safe to work with chemicals at the same time. Not only that but cleaning supplies can become expensive as well. Here are some great ways to clean and sanitize your home without all the chemicals and high prices.
The most popular ingredients I found to have on hand is white distilled vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, and dawn dish soap. Just look at all those ingredients, you could eat all but the dish soap (well you could if you wanted but it won't taste great)
The Recipes:
Homemade All Purpose Cleaner:
Use a spray bottle for any of these combination's.
Lemon Juice - Use 1/2 part lemon juice to 1/2 part cool water.
Vinegar - Add 1/2 part vinegar to 1/2 part cool water.
Tea Tree Oil - Add 15 drops of tea tree oil to your spray bottle of water.
You can even combine all of the above to make a homemade all purpose cleaner:
1/2 vinegar to 1/2 water
3 tablespoons lemon juice
15 drops tea tree oil
Lemon Juice - Use 1/2 part lemon juice to 1/2 part cool water.
Vinegar - Add 1/2 part vinegar to 1/2 part cool water.
Tea Tree Oil - Add 15 drops of tea tree oil to your spray bottle of water.
You can even combine all of the above to make a homemade all purpose cleaner:
1/2 vinegar to 1/2 water
3 tablespoons lemon juice
15 drops tea tree oil
Shower Cleaners
Weekly Shower Cleaning Scrub
Pour 1 to 2 cups of baking soda into a bowl, and slowly stir in drops of liquid dish detergent until you reach the desired consistency. You want a firm cream with a little baking soda grit left behind. Using a sponge or scrubber, smear this over shower walls, doors and crevices. Wipe clean with wet cloth.
Daily Shower Spray
A simple vinegar and water combination will break up soap scum and kill bacteria. Combine equal parts of vinegar and water in a spray bottle (2 cups of each will last a long time), and shake lightly to mix ingredients. Spray this mixture on the walls, cracks and crevices of your shower once daily or after
Oven cleaner:
6 Tablespoons baking soda
4 Drops dish soap
4 Tablespoons white vinegar
Mix all ingredients to form a paste. Scrub with mixture as needed. Wipe clean with wet cloth.
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 tsp mild liquid detergent
2 cups very hot tap water
Combine all ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake well. Spray onto tiles and glass surfaces, rinse with a sponge. Label the bottle. Keeps indefinitely.
Recipes come from:
Farmers Market Means Lots of Fresh Veggies
Friday, September 2, 2011
Mission 1 = Failed
My first mission is to clean the kitchen, my goal was to have it completed yesterday but that did not turn out to be the case with my son sleeping and the amount of fruit flies buzzing around (never leave fruit out in the summer) I just did not get it completed. On the bright side I made a much larger dent in the project then it had been at previously. I will be trying my hardest to get everything completed by tomorrow Saturday. Then move onto a new mission Sunday. Hope this works!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Now on Facebook!
Join us on facebook! We will have great tips for cleaning ideas and we will be the motivation you are looking for. facebook.com/thecleanhomeproject
Mission 1 The Kitchen
I have always struggled with keeping my kitchen clean, which stinks because I LOVE to cook. So my mission today is to thoroughly clean the kitchen. My first mission of this project because everything has built up for way to long was to fill the bathtub with water and soap and soak every dirty dish. (Pretty hilarious and strange, yep but does it work, of course!). The second portion of that while the dishes are soaking is to clean the counter tops and sink out. White distilled vinegar is a great, economical, and safe way to sanitize. After scrubbing down the counters my second mission is to organize the food and dish cupboards wipe them down and organize things to their proper locations.Also during this time clean out the fridge empty the whole entire fridge and toss things as needed. Next put on some music and just relax a little. Another tip I have found to work for being more comfortable is to get one of the foamy type bath mats and stand on that so much softer and it causes less back pain. Dishes are done, hooray! Put dishes away as they become clean. Now onto the floors. Sweep and mop the floors. You are done!
Tips that work!
Get a foam bath mat to help relax your back
Music is a great motivator.
Best cleaning solutions are vinegar and baking soda!
My motivation pictures! Great way to get some motivation is to see pictures of your room clean!
Tips that work!
Get a foam bath mat to help relax your back
Music is a great motivator.
Best cleaning solutions are vinegar and baking soda!
My motivation pictures! Great way to get some motivation is to see pictures of your room clean!
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