It’s a job most of us dread – bathroom cleaning! Check out these tips for quick, easy, effective ways that are budget and planet friendly to clean without buying expensive chemicals that damage the environment.
Replace shower curtains with shower screens
Shower curtains are much harder to clean than shower screens and can quickly gather mildew and mould.
By installing a shower screen, you can prevent water from splashing outside the shower area and protect your bathroom surrounds from water damage. Install a frameless shower screen and cleaning gets a whole lot easier again!
Squeegee glass shower doors after every shower
If you don’t already squeegee your shower, NOW is the perfect time to start. This is one of the cheapest, easiest and most effective ways to keep your bathroom sparkling – and you will need far less chemicals.
You won’t have to clean your bathroom often at all if you spend two minutes after every shower wiping down your tiles, tub, and screen with a squeegee. This removes water, stopping mould and soap scum from building up.
Clean shower heads and taps in vinegar – without removing them
Deep clean your shower head and taps the easy, hands-free way using earth-friendly vinegar. Fill a ziplock plastic bag with diluted white vinegar, then twist tie it around your shower head or tap and leave overnight. The vinegar will naturally break down and dissolve any grime or calcium buildup.
Clean crevices with a chopstick
Save the chopsticks from your next order of Asian-style take-out – they are ideal for getting gunk out of the nooks and crannies of your bathroom. Simply wrap a damp cloth around a chopstick to wipe vents, grouts, taps – in fact, any fixture or crevices that is otherwise difficult to clean.
Polish chrome and stainless-steel fixtures with shaving cream
Shaving cream contains surfactants and emulsifiers that work as gentle cleansing agents. Squeeze some on a clean rag or sponge to polish stainless steel and chrome fixtures without resorting to any harsh chemicals.
Use bi-carb and white vinegar instead of bleach
Use basic chemistry for an effective cleaning solution that is environmentally and budget friendly. Sprinkle bicarbonate of soda on all bathroom surfaces (except marble and wood) and spray with white vinegar. It will fizz – now sponge it off straight away, rinse with water and dry with a soft cloth. Magic!
Bathroom Cleaning
While some of these hacks help with cleaning, some are about reducing the need for cleaning – because haven’t we all got better things to do than spend time and effort cleaning the bathroom?!
Do you still hang your clothes out on the clothesline? Yes, same here but it seems to be a little old fashioned now and not many people have the time, opting to use the clothes drier to get the laundry dry.
There are many reasons why using the natural sun to dry your laundry is best but why are stainless steel clothes pegs the best? This is why I think they are.
Is your climate right for using clothes pegs
I’m extremely lucky that I happen to live in a sub-tropical climate here in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia so we have pretty much all year round sunny weather.
Except for a couple months a year when the temperature might drop to under 20oC (68oF) in winter, we have the perfect weather. Even in winter, the sun shines warm enough and long enough for us to get our laundry dry. (Maybe thick doonas and blankets need a dry, windy day in the middle of winter.)
For those who live in snowy conditions, hanging your laundry outside isn’t probably ideal but definitely worth it in the summer months.
Stainless Steel Pegs are environmentally friendly
Unlike plastic clothes pegs, stainless steel pegs are made from marine grade steel so are easily recyclable unlike plastic pegs.
Plastic pegs deteriorate from being in the sun, from wear and tear, age and those with a metal spring just give up over time.
Wooden pegs also contract mold and mildew if left out in the elements.
The stainless steel clothes pegs are made from marine grade 316 1.7mm stainless steel so they won’t rust. They have been constructed as one piece so the spring of the peg mechanism forms part of the entire peg.
They are also good for the environment in that they are fully recyclable.
Stainless steel pegs have many uses
Just as I am with food and anything else I buy, if a product has more than one use, I’m happy.
Stainless steel pegs have been great for many other uses in the home including:
paper clips
clips for using in sewing, quilting and other craft projects
use to guide creeping plants and vines
hanging children’s artwork
hanging Christmas cards
strong enough to hang washed shoes and toys on the clothesline
keeping packets closed in the pantry and freezer and I think a few have gone missing in the shed for my husband’s various home DIY projects.
Conclusion
For the price of the stainless steel clothes pegs compared to cheap plastic pegs, you’ll have the stainless steel pegs for a lifetime with the ability to use them in many ways in all areas of your home. They’d make a great practical housewarming or wedding gift for someone.
Supermarket air fresheners and candles can be cheaper than the handmade, boutique style you can buy but are they safe for your home and your family? Here are some ideas for air fresheners that are safe for your home.
Air Fresheners & Candles
How much do you spend on air fresheners and/or candles? Do you feel better that your house smells like the air freshener than if it didn’t?
This isn’t a criticism about how clean your house is or a lecture on the environment but just to raise your awareness to some facts and some alternatives.
I’m not a greenie but when I heard about how harmful the chemicals are in air fresheners for your home, I stopped buying them. If you’ve got a couple of toilets, you buy a can of air freshener for each or a scented candle for a few rooms of the house and it certainly adds up.
Air fresheners are harmful
Glen20 used to be one of my favourites, especially for killing germs. At $8.00 a can, it’s a hefty price but makes marvellous claims for killing germs in various situations in your home.
Ethanol is dangerous: The following should be worn whenever using ethanol: Respirator, Boots, Long rubber gloves, Industrial aprons, Overalls, Chemical safety goggles, Face shield. It’s really dangerous to breathe in Ethanol and Glen 20 is mostly Ethanol. The other major ingredients are at least as dangerous Propane up to 30% and Butane up to10%.
At anywhere from $5 to $20 from the supermarket, they are always going to leave a big dent in the grocery budget. Not only that, if they are made from paraffin wax which is derived from petroleum, coal or shale oil they are very toxic.
When it’s burnt, paraffin wax releases toxic compounds into the air, including acetone, benzene, and toluene – all known carcinogens.
Paraffin candles also produce a fair bit of soot – the black stuff caused from flickering flames – and when the soot is airborne it can be inhaled.
When scented candles are burned, they give off tiny particles, so small that you could fit a thousand of them across a single human hair. The problem with particles this small is that they can get into the bloodstream, and they have been associated with both short- and long-term health problems, including asthma and cardiovascular disease.
What to do instead to make your home smell nice
I don’t know about you but I have wonderful memories of my grandmothers and mum’s houses smelling nice naturally. Freshly baked goods coming out of the oven, fresh fruit (my nanna’s house always smelled like pineapple) and a fresh, clean smell because they (or we as kids) cleaned the house.
Here are some tips:
Dust smells. If you keep on top of the dust in your house, there’ll be less musty odours and a cleaner fresh smell. Sweep or vacuum floors regularly, wipe feet at the door on mats and wash the mats regularly, wash curtains, clean blinds and windows and dust furniture, light fittings and fans etc.
Open your windows and let the fresh air in.
Think of using odour neutralisers instead of artificially scenting your home. Plain bicarb soda is an excellent absorber of unwanted odours.
Fresh scented flowers like roses, jasmine, jonquil and lavender are highly scented. Fresh or dried as pot pourri are a great natural scent.
Essential oils mix with water (or alcohol) make an excellent room deodoriser, linen spray, air freshener, fabric furniture refresher.
Diffusing essential oils are a natural way to not only add a fresh scent to your home but depending on the oil you diffuse, can set a calm relaxing tone in the house (lavender), or an energised tone (housework or homework) with peppermint.
Make a stove top air freshener with citrus peel, cinnamon bark, cloves, peppercorns, rosemary, eucalyptus etc. Heat until boiling and then lower to a simmer for approx 30 mins.
If you do use candles check very carefully that they are made from natural wax like beeswax and only essential oils added.
Keep it natural, keep on top of the dust and dirt in your home and open the windows in your home and your home will smell naturally fresh and you’ll not avoid harmful chemicals coming into your home, you’ll save a lot of money buying air fresheners and candles from the supermarket.
Rubbish at home can easily accumulate even for just a few days. For this reason, it’s imperative to have a solid waste-management system at home. By doing so, you’ll have a healthier and cleaner place to live. Here’s how to efficiently handle rubbish at home.
You may not be sure how to effectively do this, but there are practical steps you can take to remove them, which will be discussed below.
Clear Away Unnecessary Items
It’s very important to remove all the items from storage, especially if you have stored items for long periods of time. This can often result in a lot of excess rubbish that needs to be removed. It’s also vital to clear away any unused or expired items and ensure that the garage or yard is free from all kinds of garbage.
If you have a bulk of rubbish, it pays off contacting a rubbish removal company in your area. You can find the best professionals to help clear away your rubbish online, like this web site.
Store Items Properly
Once all the items have been collected, they should be arranged into baskets or boxes. This will allow easy access as you can clearly label them. This will ensure that you know where each one belongs. It is also important to label these items, so that they can be easily located when you need to find the item again.
Another good way to store items at home is in a cupboard or wardrobe, which are ideal for keeping items such as old newspapers and magazines. As they are also a place to keep towels and other articles, they will keep them neatly organized. If they’re not used for a long period of time, then it’s advisable to throw away these items.
Buy Garbage Bins
A good idea when dealing with waste disposal at home is to purchase a garbage bin. Garbage bins are designed to safely handle all kinds of waste. They will not only help you deal with waste effectively, but it will also make it easier for you to dispose of the items at home.
There are bins available for different types of waste, such as paper, glassware, and even plastics. These bins can be made from various materials, including plastic, wood or cardboard. They can be bought in supermarkets and department stores. They’re great for those who wish to use their home as a waste-management facility.
Recycle Items In The Home
Improve your home life by recycling. Some people wonder if they can recycle items in the home instead of throwing them away. The answer is yes. What’s meant by recycling in the home is that items are being put back into good use through sorting out and reusing them.
The way to do this is to put items in a recycling container. Make sure you keep the container in a safe location so that no animals will be able to access it. When sorting and reusing items, you can take them to recycling centers so that they can be classified properly.
Here are the advantages of recycling items at home:
Minimize waste that need to go to landfills.
Save money buying new things because you can use recyclable items to do their function.
Make your home clean and organized.
Compost Food Waste At Home
If you haven’t started collecting your food scraps for your compost piles yet, you should start now. It’s much more expensive to throw away food waste every week than it is to dig a hole and put it into the ground for six months.
If you dump it in the trash every week, you might be throwing a lot of money down the drain. If you start collecting your food scraps for your compost at home, you will only be paying a small amount of money each month. That money you will be saving can go towards purchasing fertilizer and other materials that you need to help grow your plants and vegetables.
Segregate Wastes
Sort out the rubbish you generate at home into biodegradable and non-biodegradable. Also, determine recyclable and reusable items. You can use your creativity to put plastics, caps, and other rubbish into another use. For instance, you can use empty plastic water bottles as hanging planters.
Conclusion
By following these simple steps, you will be able to create an efficient way of disposing of your waste and ensure that it does not accumulate in your garage or yard. By recycling, segregating, storing items properly, composting, and buying garbage bins, you can efficiently handle your rubbish at home.
An essential component of any home’s HVAC system, air filters are lightweight barriers positioned within your air conditioning vents. They trap particulates to keep them from circulating through your vents and, ultimately, your house. Here are 4 reasons why air filters are necessary.
Hidden within your AC system, air filters are easy to forget, and most people only think to replace them twice a year, in the spring and the fall. But the importance of air filters should not be overlooked, especially in households with pets or individuals with sensitive respiratory systems.
The reality is that these trusty but silent heroes should be replaced at least once every two months. That’s because they’re important for keeping your house and family happy and healthy. Individuals with seasonal allergies often see the indoors as a safe haven from air pollution and pollen that can exacerbate respiratory conditions.
But without good indoor air quality, a house can be just as bad as polluted city streets. The following key advantages make air filters a necessary part of every home.
They Filter Out Allergens
An air filter’s number one role is filtering harmful particulates out of the air that you breathe. Most air filters have the capacity to filter out dust, dirt, pollen, pet hair, dandruff, mold and mold spores, wood and plastic particles as well as allergens from pests such as cockroaches or rats.
Higher quality filters can even trap microbes like bacteria and viruses. These particles can all trigger sneezing, coughing, runny noses, headaches, and even allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.
The quality of air filters is measured by its assigned MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) rating. The rating, developed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), falls between a 1 and a 20.
Most households can do with a filter rated at a 6 or an 8. However, more sensitive individuals or homeowners with larger or older houses should opt for merv 11 air filters or higher.
Air Filters Reduce Utility Costs
Unsurprisingly, air vents clogged with dust and other particulates won’t operate at peak performance. This can result in inconsistent temperatures in your home, with your HVAC system overcompensating to make up for lost energy efficiency.
This will eventually drive up your utility bills far beyond the negligible cost of a good air filter. Air filters, if kept consistently clean, can reduce your energy bill by up to 15 percent!
If you still suffer from elevated utility costs, even after installing a high-quality air filter, an expert should take a closer look at your HVAC system.
Air Filters Increase the Lifetime of Your HVAC systems
One major benefit of having a high-functioning air filter is that it ultimately reduces the stress placed on your HVAC system. Dust can collect on old filters or within vents and clog them, causing your system to work harder to bring air into your home.
This can eventually put a strain on the motors of the fans that your home’s HVAC system utilizes and cause them to malfunction. Installing quality filters and replacing them regularly will keep your heating and cooling systems running longer and reduce the chance of a breakdown.
Even when problems do occur, air filters will help keep important components of the system clean, which will lower the cost of repairs.
Save Yourself a Trip to the Doctor
If you or a member of your family are particularly sensitive to allergens or have asthma or other respiratory conditions, having a high-quality air filter is more than a matter of saving on energy bills—it may help reduce your medical bills as well.
It’s not uncommon, considering the rising pollen counts recorded throughout the US. More and more people end up at the doctor because of severe allergy symptoms each year.
Air filters are a low-cost preventative measure that will help you breathe easier and may play a role in diminishing the frequency of asthma attacks or allergy flare-ups in more sensitive individuals.
Conclusion
Now, more than ever, people are spending more and more time inside. To ensure good health, we need to make sure that the air quality in our homes is as good as it can be.
By utilizing high-quality air filters and replacing them regularly, we can ensure that the air circulating through our homes is breathable and allergen-free.
Healthy air makes the house more livable and reduces our medical bills. Therefore, with one simple purchase, we can save money and keep our house’s HVAC system—and our lungs—working as they should be!
I will never forget the time I got up close and far too personal … with a cockroach.
There I was lying on my bed, trying to sleep on a hot and sticky summer night, when all of a sudden something landed on my arm. It was a great big ugly cockroach – and despite my best efforts, the tiny little hooks on its legs kept it clinging stubbornly to my nightie.
It could easily have been a scene from a horror movie!
Are You Sharing Your Home with Cockroaches?
Having only recently left home, I was living in an old run-down block of flats with a bit of a cockroach problem. (Massive understatement right there.)
It was the last straw. First thing next morning found me hammering on my landlord’s door, demanding a professional pest control treatment as soon as possible – and with good reason.
Cockroaches aren’t just enough to make your skin crawl. They harbour germs and bacteria, and can cause allergies and asthma in some people.
Cockroaches love dark, warm and humid conditions like pipes and drains in laundries, kitchens and bathrooms, and sure enough, my resident roaches were coming and going as they pleased through a tiny hole in my bathroom wall.
Being young and pretty clueless back then, I’d stuffed it with toilet paper. I can only imagine my resident cockroaches rolling around in laughter, at my sad attempt to keep them out.
Essential Oils to Keep Roaches Away
In hindsight I would have been better off filling the hole with cotton wool balls soaked in an essential oil like peppermint or citrus.
Yes, you read that right – you can use essential oils to keep roaches away!
According to research, the following plant essential oils are deterrents or even toxic to some breeds of cockroach:
citrus;
rosemary;
mint / peppermint;
eucalyptus / tea tree;
clove;
vetiver; and
oregano.
What a lovely way to deal with an ugly problem: cockroaches. I’ve always liked burning essential oils in a diffuser to create a calm and relaxed atmosphere in my home. Now I will be even more relaxed, knowing that it’s helping to prevent any more nocturnal encounters of the creepy kind!
The functionality of your home depends on the appliances you decide to put in it. Having a spacious and expensive home will be useless if you can’t cook any meals, wash your clothes, or enjoy a good movie when you’re inside it. Investing in major appliances can improve the functionality of your home and increase its value in the market. Here’s how to maintain your major appliances at home.
Just like your home, major appliances also cost a lot of money, which is why you should exert time and effort in taking care of it. Neglecting this responsibility can become the reason why you will often see yourself stressed and out of money.
Appliances are essential to your comfort and productivity at home, and having ones that are damaged will prompt you to buy brand new.
If you don’t want any of this to happen, maintain all of your major appliances at home by adding these tips to your home preventive maintenance checklist:
Thoroughly Clean Your Refrigerator Coils
Buying a refrigerator is a cost-effective investment as this can prevent food spoilage and keep your fruits and vegetables fresh. However, you won’t be able to get your money’s worth if you neglect cleaning your refrigerator coils. The ability of your refrigerator to chill perishable goods depends on the quality and condition of its coils.
Dirty refrigerator coils can cause your appliance to work harder and consume more electricity. In worse cases, this can even become the reason why your refrigerator will suddenly stop working.
Generally, you can clean your refrigerator coils by removing them from the front grill and then using a coil cleaning brush (available in most home centers) to get to the coils.
Do Not Overload Your Washer
Your washer and dryer can make your life easy as a homeowner. This appliance can help you wash and dry a lot of clothes simultaneously without wasting time. You can simply put your clothes in your washer and let it do its job while you continue working on other household chores.
Regardless of how tempting it is to overload your washer and dryer, make sure that you don’t do it.
Overloading your appliances will cause severe damage to its engines and motor parts, making it hard for the appliance to function properly. This kind of damage can be very expensive to repair that you’ll be better off buying a brand new appliance.
Don’t Slam The Doors
Most of your appliances come with doors. Your washer, dryer, and refrigerators all have doors – and you can continue to enjoy this feature if you do not drop or slam the lid.
Slamming the doors of your appliances can cause damage to its door or lid switch. Having this problem repaired can cause around $100. Save yourself from paying this amount by closing all of the doors of your appliances in a gentle manner.
Clean Window Air Conditioners During Spring
For people who want to enjoy a cool home all year long, an air conditioner is always a must. Depending on the size and power capacity, this appliance can be very expensive to buy and install. So if you already have one in your home, extend the lifespan of your air conditioner by cleaning its window during the spring.
Your air conditioner will likely store dust, dead bugs, molds, and even animal droppings during the winter. Before you turn it in after the cold season, vacuum all of its surfaces, especially the exterior face of the unit.
Remove the cover panel of your air conditioner and thoroughly vacuum the foam filter. This is a simple process that can significantly improve the performance and efficiency of your air conditioning unit.
Clean Up Stove Spills
Your kitchen – and everything in it – can influence the value of your home and the health of the family. Your kitchen is where you prepare your meals and socialize with guests, which is why it’s important to keep in its tip-top condition.
For you to achieve that goal, regularly clean your kitchen stove. This is one of the most used appliances in the kitchen, and neglecting its cleanliness can put your family’s health at risk.
Use an old toothbrush to remove spilled food around your stove. Make sure that you also clean the igniter of the stove as food spills can cause a blockage that can prevent the stove from heating.
Work With Pros
The tips mentioned in this article can become your ticket to increasing the lifespan of your major appliances. However, as a homeowner, you can only do so much.
If you notice that any of your major appliances are broken, call experienced contractors who can help you out. Attempting to repair major appliances on your own can worsen the problem and put your safety at risk.
Problems that a lot of pet owners regularly struggle with include droppings, urine stains in the carpet, balls of pet hair and feathers that get into the most unusual places of the house. Here’s how to maintain cleanliness in your home even with pets..
Yes, pets can really be fantastic company, but you can’t deny the fact that they can also be dirty and smelly. Some of them even carry parasites, such as germs and fleas
Don’t let these things put you off taking care of a pet at home though. The truth is you can be a pet-loving homeowner without your house smelling and looking bad.
Read on for eight tips on how to maintain cleanliness in your home, even with pets.
Invest In A Quality Vacuum Cleaner
If you’ve got a shedder at home, you’ll definitely need to vacuum every day. That’ why it’s important to look for the best vacuum cleaner for pet hair. If your pet loves to go on your furniture, look for one that’s capable of tackling upholstery. You should also consider your home’s flooring type.
Don’t forget to clean the filter out regularly to not only pick up pesky hairs but also banish odors. A filter that’s clogged with hair and dirt will only spread pet hair’s smell wherever you vacuum.
Groom Your Pet
Regular grooming is so important, especially if your pet is a shedding breed. Grooming keeps your pet shedding less frequently and, of course, smelling good.
Also, regularly trimming your pet’s nails ensures that your dog or cat won’t scratch up your wood floors. Indeed, one of the best ways to stop your pet’s hair from making your life difficult is making sure that there’s less of it.
Make Sure The Stain Remover Is Easily Accessible
Always keep a cleaner or a stain remover that’s designed for tackling pet odors and stains close by. Follow package directions and use it to remove stains immediately as you see one. Doing so increases your chance for removal.
Even the most healthy dog or cat can have an issue, especially when they ate something they shouldn’t have eaten.
Upgrade Your Sofa
The wrong material on a couch can act as a magnet for your pet’s hair, hold undesirable odors, and quickly show up even the slightest stain. If you can’t bare pushing your beloved dog or cat off the couch, consider upgrading your current sofa.
Woman relaxing on the sofa at home and cuddling her beautiful long hair cat
When looking for one, look for tightly woven materials or leather. You can also try to look for a sofa that has the same color as your pet. Another option you can take, though, if you don’t have the budget for a new sofa, is adding a pet-friendly throw that you can quickly throw in the washing machine when needed.
Use An Old Towel For Your Pet’s Spot
Try putting down a pet blanket or an old towel in your pet’s favourite resting spot in your home. Pick a towel that matches your decor. It’ll probably encourage your dog or cat to go to that same spot to rest during the day. More importantly, though, it’ll keep your sofa or carpet clear from pet hair and cleaner.
Clean Your Pet’s Dishes Everyday
If you’re not cleaning your pet’s dishes regularly, you’ll surely be surprised by how much cleaner your pet’s eating area in your home feels once you start doing it.
The truth is that you should really be cleaning the dishes of your beloved dog or cat every single day. Rinse them, at least, and wipe them down regularly if you’re one of those busy parents who feel that deep cleaning and organizing are too heavy of a task. Also, don’t forget to wipe the walls and floors and trim around the eating area.
Keep On Top of Laundry
Washing your pet’s items regularly, whether it’s the bedding they use to sleep on or the throw blanket you placed on the couch, goes a long way in keeping your home smelling good all the time.
Keep in mind that anytime your cat or dog lounges on the blanket, they actually transfer their hair to that item.
Air Out Your House
A blast of fresh air, even for just 10 minutes, works wonders at deodorizing your home even on cold days. Persistent pet smells can affect your home’s energy, so open your windows to let some fresh air from time to time.
Final Thoughts
There will be times when you’ll be left with little surprises from your pet. They can be around the house and you, of course, have to deal with them. It’s true even how much you stay proactive in keeping your home clean.
Do yourself a huge favor and prepare a system on how to deal with these things. That way, you could have the mess cleaned up right away, preventing it from becoming too big of a hassle. Strike a balance between entertaining your pet and keeping your home looking and smelling clean.
Spring is in full force, and the flowers are blooming. It is time to switch out the winter clothes for some fun spring and summer clothes. With the switch of clothes, it is also the time to do some spring cleaning of items that are no longer needed. Here are some speedy Spring cleaning and organizing you can do in a day.
Closets and Bedrooms First
Its best to start with the closets, cleaning them out and organizing them. Yes, that means you can also put away any winter boots and heavy coats to save them for next year. It’s time to pull out some sandals, shorts, and t-shirts to enjoy fun in the great outdoors.
Pack away the winter bedding and store if for the chilly fall and winter months. Put away the flannel sheets and any other heavy blankets.
Spring Cleaning Tips
Now let’s get down to the dirty and dreaded things. I dread scrubbing the bathrooms, but that has become a weekly task that I cannot wait to outsource to a child.
My boys are currently a little to young yet, but since they are small, they can still match socks and wipe down baseboards. Now that one of my sons is 4-years old he has been learning how to fold clothes too.
Let the light in by wiping down all the windows inside and out as well as any doors that have glass. It amazing how much natural light can do to lift your spirits.
Kitchen & Pantry Organizing Tips
Next, the kitchen, pantry, fridge, cabinets, and more! I love kitchen gadgets so much that I must store the overflow in the basement. I just needed that ice cream maker and snow cone machine. This year I will use them again though.
So more about the cabinets, if you haven’t used it in a year and you have a basement or attic, you can put it there for entertaining later or sell it.
It is time to check the expiration dates on items in your kitchen pantry and fridge. Getting rid of the old and expired items will make room for any fresh items for your family to enjoy. Some say that canned goods stay fresh for years after their expiration date, but I will not take the chance.
Kitchen Cabinets
Finally, it’s time to tackle the kitchen cabinets. The Tupperware cabinet becomes a mess with mismatching lids. Sometimes the plastic in the Tupperware containers breakdown and it is time to toss them. You can replace them if needed.
Also, if you have a junk drawer, it is time to organize it and get rid of some of the junk. Next, any chipped plates or cups you will want to discard as they harbor bacteria.
That is, it! I hope these speedy spring cleaning and organizing tips in a day will help you. Once it’s done, it’s done for a while.
It doesn’t stop you from having to do your other weekly and monthly cleaning, but it does make your home cleaner and more organized which in turn will allow you to be more productive and have less clutter.
This post was written by Ashley Havecker from The Irish Twins Momma. Ashley is a coffee loving mom of “Irish twins” boys who works full-time but loves to share parenting tips and tricks, delicious recipes, fun crafts, DIY and more with her readers. You can also find Ashley on Instagram and Pinterest.
I want to get real here for a moment and talk about the amount of stuff that people have in their homes. I don’t want to sound too critical because everyone can do what ever they want in their own homes with their money but I feel empathy for the people who are so easily influenced by these people and think they need to have the same to have a happy, harmonious and peaceful home. So, how much is too much stuff in your home?
Too much stuff
I was actually prompted to write this post when I saw one of our morning TV programs featuring an Australian blogger and her well organised home.
It was a real credit to this woman. I don’t know much about her, how many children she has, if she works, her income, her situation in life etc etc but what I did notice was that she had so much stuff.
And like I said above, she can choose to have 3 houses full of stuff. I don’t care. But what did worry me was all the comments on the TV program’s Facebook post from people, especially women, who were saying “I wish I could be this organised”.
And people, I’m here to tell you, you can! You just don’t need all that stuff!
The definition of being organised
Here’s all you really need to know about being organised. It doesn’t matter how much stuff you have nor how much storage you have for all that stuff.
You need to be able to find what you need when you need it.
You don’t want to be spending too much of your valuable time organising.
You need to keep on top of it. It’s nota ‘done once’ job. You need to maintain that and that’s a lot of work.
How much do you need
I swear, I have more than enough in my home.
Just to compare (from what I can remember), I think this woman had 5 sets of sheets for each of her 5 beds. I have 2 sets each for my 3 beds. One set is on the bed and when that’s being washed, the other set goes on the bed.
This woman’s walk-in linen closet (yes, a walk-in linen closet), was filled with shelves from top to bottom. So many towels, sheets, and who knows what. And yes, it was well organised and labelled and good on her for going to all that trouble, but really, if you don’t have the time or space, don’t worry about it. Don’t think this has to be your definition of being organised.
Seriously, ask yourself, do you really want to be organised like heror do you want to be organised enough so that you get the laundry washed, dried and returned to where you store your linen ASAP? Hell yes!
The more you have, the more you need to organise
This woman’s pantry was immaculate. Yes, but so is mine. It suits my needs. The only things I have labelled are my flour and sugar plastic containers and I write on them with a Sharpie.
Everything is stored, like with like. The products I use the most are on an easily accessible shelf. The products I use the least are lower down. I only keep the amount of food I need for my family for a month or so. There’s no waste and I only spend $150 per fortnight for all of my groceries.
That’s all you need. Are you the same as me? When you get home from doing the grocery shopping and lugging it into the kitchen to pack away, are you looking forward to opening all of those packets and dispensing them into an immaculately labelled, matching container that probably cost you $500 to set up, just so you can have an immaculate looking pantry?
Do your own thing
Honestly, do your own thing but please don’t be influenced by the appearance of someone else’s organising habits just because it looks nice.
Organising is an ongoing job just like washing the dishes or sweeping the floor. It’s not a done once job that you set and forget. It needs to be kept on top of every day.
You have to do what works for you, within your time and budget constraints.
How much do you need
The world has gone a little bit cray-cray in my opinion when it comes to how much stuff you think you need in your home.
It’s all about consumerism, copying what everyone else is doing and buying and buying products as a way to make you feel better about your life.
If you’ve not heard of JOMO, I highly recommend reading this post I wrote about it. There is real joy in missing out on what everyone else is doing.
I grocery shop once a fortnight and some months, I don’t go to the shops except to grocery shop. Sure, I like to buy things for myself, my home and my family but as far as retail therapy goes, the only therapy I need is knowing I am happy in my home and with my life, just the way it is.
Is it too much stuff?
Personally, I think what this woman had in her home is way too much stuff.
Some people have been caught up in a whirlwind of consumerism and not knowing just when to stop. They then have to buy all the storage to keep it in. Are their homes like this because they have too much money, that they buy whatever they see then make a space for it in their homes? Or is it a status symbol to show people how well they’re doing?
I don’t know and I don’t really care but it really makes me feel sad when I hear people say “I wish my home was that organised” but it doesn’t need to be. You don’t need too much stuff in your home. What you do have just needs a home and you need to put it back there after you’ve used it. Simple.
Homes are being built bigger (and costing more because of that) and I think people have forgotten how to be happy with less. Too much excess of everything.
You don’t need all this stuff nor do you need all the stuff to keep it organised. Don’t be influenced by what you see on social or mainstream media. Do what you can with what you have. I am ever so grateful that I learnt from my mother and grandmothers that all I need in my home to live a rich, well organised life is the bare minimum and enough to see you get by.
Doing the laundry is another one of those chores that we need to do. Same as cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, making beds etc. Unless we learn to love some of these mundane chores we have to do, we’re always going to hate doing them and it becomes more of a burden. Here are 7 ways to learn to love doing the laundry.
Be grateful and love the laundry
I can’t stress this enough. Focusing on being grateful for what we do have in our lives has been scientifically proven to have a positive effect on our lives.
Be grateful that you do have clothes to wear and wash.
Be grateful that you have running water to wash your clothes.
Be grateful that you have electricity to run your washing machine.
Be grateful that you have a washing machine. Many women before us had to wash clothes by hand and no running water.
Be grateful that you have children whose clothes need washing. Sometimes being able to fall pregnant and give birth to a child is a privilege denied to many.
Be grateful that you have natural resources like sunshine and wind to naturally dry your laundry.
So many more examples but this is just an idea. (We practice daily gratitude in the Domestic Goddesses in Training Facebook group by being grateful for at least one thing everyday. Are you a member? Join here.)
Once you look at doing the laundry (and other chores for that matter) with gratitude for what you do have, you’ll soon see it’s not that much of a chore after all.
Are you doing too much laundry?
When I was a child back in the 1960s and 1970s, we wore one set of clothes after school for the whole week. (Unless it was covered in mud which happened a fair bit.)
Other than our school uniforms, my mother didn’t have a lot of clothes to wash. She was fastidious with her laundry and always seemed to be washing but she never grumbled. She never had an automatic washing machine either.
My mother swore by the twin tub washing machine and had one up until she passed away in 2012. My grandmother swore by the old wringer style washing machine up until she passed away in her 90s back in 1999.
Save time on doing the laundry by doing less. Wear your clothes more than once. Get the children out of their school clothes straight after school so they’re still clean to wear another day and get them into the routine of wearing one set of play clothes after school.
Take pride in your clothes and linen
We’ve become such a throw away society. As soon as something wears or breaks, we are quick to throw it away and get a new one.
Washing your clothes less actually keeps them in better condition. Mend and repair any holes, frayed hems or lost buttons etc.
Wash woolens in special wool only detergent and lay flat to dry.
Hand wash any delicate items or wash on a delicate cycle.
Hang clothes on clothes hangers to dry to reduce ironing. I hang all of the adult tshirts, dresses, jumpers etc on hangers so they get packed away into the closet straight away after being dried. Same applies to the school uniforms. No ironing either.
Treat stains as soon as they appear. Remember the better you clean your laundry, the longer it will last. Having a sense of pride in your clothes and linen might encourage you to love doing it more.
Love the smell of clean laundry
I don’t know about you but I just love the smell of clean laundry. Not the strong smell of chemically enhanced laundry powders and liquids but the smell of sun dried washing. (I use a homebrand laundry powder that doesn’t have any smell.)
When it smells nice you look forward to folding it and packing it away and wearing it, nice and clean.
It doesn’t really take long
When you think about it, laundry doesn’t take that long.
What I love about it is that you put the washing machine on and walk away. A typical cycle on my washing machine takes 56 minutes. I can do so much in that time.
I can relax, do other chores, work in my business, watch TV or go out. I can even put it on at night and hang it out first thing in the morning.
How long does it take you to hang it out? Me? Realistically about 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the load. That’s not too much time out of your day. Even quicker if you use the clothes dryer.
Folding and packing away is part of the process
I like to look at doing the laundry from the moment it goes into the washing machine until the moment it’s folded and packed away.
That’s why I try and do the laundry on just one day. I know that’s different for people with big families (and babies or toddlers who have more dirty clothes) but I look at devoting just one day out of my week for the whole process.
I don’t plan too much else on my laundry days because I know I want it folded and packed away on the same day.
It can be hard to look at that big basket of laundry to be folded but again, realistically how long does it take to fold and pack away? For me, again 10 to 15 minutes.
My teenagers are getting better at doing their own. I put their things in a basket to fold and pack away on their own or sometimes I just get stuck in and do it.
Learn to love doing the laundry
Often the time we think it’s going to take us to do mundane chores like the laundry is longer than it actually does take to do it.
Don’t look at laundry with disdain. Look at it as just another important part of living and looking after yourself and your family. Clean clothes worn with pride makes you feel great as does having fresh sheets on the bed and clean, fluffy towels ready to dry yourself out of the shower.
Probably one of the most hard things to do when you feel like giving up is to keep going but I swear, if you keep going you’ll achieve amazing results especially as it relates to homemaking and organising. Here’s how.
If your plan is to declutter your whole home, break it down. Break it down room by room and then break it down even further. One shelf, one drawer, under the bed, hanging clothes, accessories etc if you were to start in your bedroom.
Write it down in your plan. This also gives you a good measure of how well you’re doing in achieving your goals and you can see how far you’ve got to go.
Set yourself a small goal
If you’ve been wanting to declutter and get your home organised, it’s so hard to make a start. If you set yourself a smaller goal instead of saying “I want my whole house decluttered”, you are more likely to see results immediately and keep going.
The smaller the goal, the easier it is to get it done and see a result. I find setting a timer for 15 to 30 minutes at a time is a great way to achieve a lot in a short amount of time.
Often our minds stop us from achieving our goals because of the time we think it’s going to take to achieve them. In reality, it doesn’t take that long, especially when your goals are broken down into smaller, more achievable tasks.
There will be setbacks
If I had a dollar for every time I said I was going to wake early and go for a walk first thing in the morning and by the time morning came around, I would be struck down with a cold overnight and not feel like going.
That’s okay. A cold only takes a week at most then you can start again. Don’t ever give up just because of a small setback.
I know what it’s like with children too. You can have all the expectations in the world to start your housework or decluttering and the kids will be sick or be temperamental on that day. Spend the time with the children. They’re small for only a short time. A few things on the floor will never replace that time you get to spend with your children.
Be grateful and remain positive
Something that I’ve noticed for many years and that is the more that I can be grateful for the small things in my life, the more good comes my way.
” Many more studies have examined possible connections between gratitude and various elements of psychological well-being. In general, more grateful people are happier, more satisfied with their lives, less materialistic, and less likely to suffer from burnout. Additionally, some studies have found that gratitude practices, like keeping a “gratitude journal” or writing a letter of gratitude, can increase people’s happiness and overall positive mood. “
Just when you feel like giving up, be grateful. Show gratitude for what you do have. If you’re feeling down about the clutter in your home and you can’t find the motivation to start addressing it, express gratitude for what you can.
That could be a roof over your head, food on your table and family to love. If you continue to express gratitude daily, you will rewire your thought processes to be more positive and it will be easier to make a start and to keep going on your goals.
” When you run a marathon, you run against the distance, not against the other runners and not against the time.” What might seem like an distant goal, remember that it will take as long as it takes but by breaking it down into small manageable tasks is going to help you get over the finish line.
Keep going
Finishing the race will always give you a better result than if you didn’t make a start at all.
Uggghh, I hear you say. Everyone hates housework. (I don’t for the record.) It’s just one of those things that need doing and I do it for the people in my home but here’s the thing. I try to do as little as possible. Here’s how to do housework in no time with this one hack.
Housework is just one of those things that needs doing. There’s no escaping it if you live in a house, apartment or even a tent. You need to keep your living spaces clean and organised. There are so many benefits for doing this.
You can find things when you need to and it makes your home feel like a home.
If I was to tell you that you could basically do NO housework with this one hack, would you believe me? I call this the CAYG Method – Clean As You Go. Here’s what I mean.
The CAYG Method means that while you’re going about your normal day, you clean as you go. You don’t leave a mess after you’re finished. Pick up after yourself. Wipe up a spill immediately. Complete the task from start to finish. Here are a few examples.
Doing the dishes
Whether you have a dishwasher or do the dishes by hand, the CAYG Method involves doing a few extra little chores which completes the whole washing the dishes task.
After you’ve washed the dishes (or loaded the dishwasher), you can either wipe them or leave them to drain but you get into the habit of doing these chores as part of the whole process:
wipe down the counter tops
clean the stove top
wipe out any spills in the microwave and wipe down the front of the microwave
wipe any dirty finger marks from the fridge
sweep the floor
And that’s it! You don’t have to do those things if they don’t need doing but it alleviates the problem of having to do them at another time when you’d rather be relaxing.
Doing the laundry
Some of us have big families so doing a few loads of laundry on a daily basis might be the norm for you. I’m lucky in that I don’t have a big family and can keep on top of my laundry in just 2 days (if not 1 some weeks).
But doing the laundry for me isn’t just throwing it into the washing machine. I look at the whole process and here’s what I do:
hang out the washing or put into the clothes dryer
wipe out and wipe down the washing machine and laundry tub after the last load
wipe up any spills on laundry floor and/or sweep, wipe down other areas
hang good shirts and collared shirts on clothes hangers so they can be hung straight into the closet once dry
fold and pack away the laundry that same day (so important to be able to keep on top of it)
TIP: Folding the laundry really doesn’t take any time at all. You might only think it does. Fold it while dinner is cooking or while you’re watching TV. Fold it straight from the clothesline or the drier if you like.
Cleaning the bathroom
Cleaning the bathroom is one of those chores people feel needs to be done a lot. If you’ve got children, you’ll know it’s one of those rooms in the house that can get so messy so easily. Here’s how I stay on top of it with a simple microfibre cloth and just water.
Wipe out the vanity basin after brushing my teeth (I try to be the last one in the morning and at night that does this but am trying to teach the children to do the same)
Wipe down the shower after each use
If water spills out of the bath tub, use an old towel or mop to wipe it up, cleaning the rest of the floor while you’re at it.
Scrub the toilet bowl as required (you really only need a good stiff toilet bowl brush and the water in the bowl)
After you’ve wiped out the vanity basin at the end of the day, give the outside of the toilet a wipe over and put that cloth in the dirty wash basket.
Kid’s bedrooms and the toy room
I honestly think my children were better at this when they were younger but now as teenagers it’s like they’ve lost any memory they had of keeping their rooms clean. I try to turn a blind eye to it and can handle it being a bit messy during the week but Saturdays are ‘tidy up day’ and they need to give it a good clean and tidy up then.
But in the meantime, I try to get them to do these things. You’ll have better luck when they’re younger (trust me):
Pick up all toys at the end of the day, just before the evening bath. (I tried to get them to tidy up after each play time but that’s exhausting for everyone. It worked well enough to do it just once at the end of the day.)
Keep a dirty laundry basket in their rooms to put dirty laundry in as soon as they take their clothes off.
Keep good storage options for toys, books, Lego etc
Mark shelves with pictures or words of what needs to go where, eg shirts, shorts, jeans, socks, underwear, swimmers etc.
Main bedroom
I make the bed every day but every couple of days I make the bed with a dust mitt and wipe down the bed head and bedside tables as I go from side to side plus any other furniture in the bedroom.
This isn’t a big deal because I know it’s going to get done in my regular Saturday morning clean but as long as the bed is made each day, I’m happy.
It’s all about creating habits instead of strict and rigid cleaning schedules. You’re better off spending an extra 5 to 10 minutes on a designated chore and complete the whole process as the one chore. You’ll find that in your regular weekly or fortnightly whole house clean you won’t have too much to do other than vacuum/sweep and wash the floors plus doing any dusting that needs doing.
This method works for me which allows me to have all the time in the world do be doing other things I’d rather be doing than housework and my house is cosy, comfortable, clean and tidy.
What chores are you going to turn into the CAYG Method?
