One Step at a Time Cleaning

Do not let the messies overwhelm you. Set small organizing goals. Make a list of everything you would like to accomplish as far as cleaning. Then set out to accomplish them. Do ONE task each day. Just one.

Before you know it, your list will become4 smaller and smaller until you are an organizing guru…(well at least fairly neat, lol)… Then it’s all maintenance baby!

Example of One Step at a Time Organizing

Let’s look at one example from “to do” list.

Clean Kitchen

Break it down in to one cleaning task at a time like this:

• Day One: counters
• Day Two: fridge
• Day Three: stove
• Day Four: pantry
• Day Five: appliances
• Day Six: floors

Success Tip: Remember, once you complete one task, you must maintain it if you want to keep the messies at bay. So, if you clean the counters on day one, make sure you wipe them down on days 2-6. Then when the whole kitchen is done, at the end of each day, your load will be much lighter. You will only be dealing with normal everyday messes…not major overhaul type cleaning.

As you may have already guessed, I am by no means an expert in the ways of organizing. I am an average Mother who is organizationally challenged trying to make life cleaner and less stressful. I am simply sharing what I am learning as I go and hope that there are people out there like me who need simple solutions for the average messy life!

Copyright © Lara Velez, All Rights Reserved

I have a corner desk and on it I have my computer, printer, fax, phone, etc. Beside my desk I have a two-drawer filing cabinet. This was possibly the greatest thing I’ve ever done to organize my business. In it I have my files and supplies that I use on a daily or regular basis. My clients’ stationery, clients’ files, file for my receipts, all personal correspondence, paper, folders, etc. Whenever these files get bulky with client documents, I simply empty them into the main filing cabinet. For example, my main clients that I’ve been working with for 15 years, their files in the main cabinet are quite large and it’s so nice to have the smaller file close by with just their recent correspondence. Plus, when I need a folder, an order slip for my books, a copy of my stationery, it’s all right there. AAAHHH, now that’s convenience.

Now for the receipts’ file. I keep it monthly. I simply at the beginning of the month, replace the file with the new month’s file. That way, at tax time, I don’t have to go through a whole year’s receipts and divide it up then. It’s all separated.

Here are some other organizational tips you might find beneficial:

Mail—We have a round basket by a small table by the front door. All incoming mail goes in there first. Then when I have the opportunity to sort through it, I get it and put it in its appropriate place. Always pitch anything you aren’t keeping All business-related mail is sorted and put away immediately. Anything that might need work done on it, is logged into my Day timer and then put in the To Do Bend.

Desk—Your desk should have on it only those items that you use on a regular basis. Look around. What haven’t you used in the last month or two. Start Dumping. Find another spot for it. But find the RIGHT space for it.

No Piling of Anything Allowed. This is one of those habits that can be so easy to get into. Definitely one of the ones that I catch myself doing a lot! But I stop myself now because I know it will just be brushed off to the side and forgotten. Too often I miss something important and regret the piling blunder again. You will be amazed how much more organized you will feel if you just don’t do this one thing.

Daytimer—Now this isn’t only for Time Management. Your Daytimer can have a space for all your business cards, appointment cards, etc. How great it is to have all these cards right in the same place. On the date of your appointment, you simply grab the card and off you go.

Start the beginning of the day and the end of the day with a clean-up. What a tremendous feeling that is. When you are done with a project. Away it goes. Everything. When you start the next project, out comes all the material you need.

There’s nothing like the feeling of sitting down in the morning to a nice clean organized desk and office. Once you feel this a couple of days, you want to experience this every day so you’ll take the appropriate steps to make it happen.

About the Author: Diana Ennen is the author of numerous books including Virtual Assistant: the Series, Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA and accompanying Workbook, Corel Word Perfect Office Ready, Virtual Assistant Solution Pack, and is president of Virtual Word Publishing www.virtualwordpublishing.com and www.virtualassistantstartups.com. Free to reprint article as long as the bio remains intact.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Kitchens are often the hub of a home and one of the busiest rooms in a house. It’s no wonder that it can also be one of the messiest rooms in the house, too. However, ridding your kitchen of grease spills and grime is as easy as following a few of the simple tips and technique listed below.

1.To start, you will need the following cleaning materials: buckets or other containers, brushes, rubber gloves, and cleansers.

2.Create your own kitchen cleaner and kitchen brighteners to clean up grease, grime, baked on stains and spills and to brighten counter tops and back splashes.

3. Use straight vinegar for shiny counter tops daily. For a nice, fresh smell, try cider vinegar.

4.Apply a baking soda and water paste to remove stains from laminate counter tops. Apply, allow to dry, then rub off and rinse.

5. With a paste of one part bleach and 3 parts baking soda, you can easily tackle tough stains.

6. Use a tile and grout cleaner and a toothbrush to remove dirt and mildew from tile grout.

7. Help your white appliances or enamel sinks that are starting to yellow with a little kitchen brightener.

8. Remove skid marks on linoleum floors with a spot of toothpaste just before mopping the floors

9. Remove hard water build-up in a teapot by pouring in 2 cups of vinegar and then bringing it to a boil. Let the vinegar simmer for 10 minutes and rinse the teapot thoroughly.

10. Use olive oil to clean stainless steel kitchen sinks.

About the Author: Kyna Woollery—Now that’s Organized, LLC™ Looking for more useful household cleaning and organizing tips? Visit www.nowthatsorganized.com to get your FREE “50 Solutions for Organizing Your World” idea-pak.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

OK, well, I really can NOT believe that I do this to myself…ROFL. I mean I MUST be nuts to share these pics!!!!!

Before and After Pictures of the Master Bedroom Cleaning Challenge:

OK, this is a picture of what is SUPPOSED to be my NEAT DH’s dresser. However, I am sure you can see I have hijaked it with the messies!

This is what it SHOULD look like! DH is going to be SOOOOOO happy!! The little box on the white dresser are things I found that are his…ROFLMBO!

This is a picture of our tall dresser/chest and what lurks beside it. Also, note the arrow. That is wrapping paper from LAST Christmas!!!!

My DH LOVES uncluttered flat surfaces! I had to add SOME stuff…but tried to keep them as clear as possible. Note how clean the side of the dresser is! I hope he likes them!!

Just LOOK at the MASS of clothes!!! No wonder I can never FIND anything to wear!! ACK!!!!

Ahhh, I am STUNNED at how NEAT it looks! And look at the nice bed through the mirror!!! WHOO HOO! And, my clothes are NEATLY placed in their drawers!!

These are before pictures of what you can see of the floor. I wonder what my cat is thinking??? I know I am like…AHHHHHHHHHHHH! (The after pics of floor can be seen in all after pics.)

These are on and around my bed before cleaning. I do not know how we even found the bed each night!

My side of the bed. CLEAN floor! No junk. And, NO MORE Christmas wrapping paper!

DH’s side of bed. Note the arrows. Those items will be put in the closet. However, THAT is a WHOLE other challenge! ROFL! So, DH, said thy can stay their temporarily!

Ahhh…is all I have to say.

ROFLMBO! Do you SEE the DUST??? YUCK! I am SO ashamed!

Ahhh…clean lungs again!

OK, there you go…I hope this helps YOU realize that if you are a messie, you are NOT the only one and there ARE worse messies out there! AND…that you CAN get it clean!!!

Copyright © Lara Velez, All Rights Reserved

I will post the next cleaning challenge soon…..

But…

WHERE do you start?????

It can be extremely overwhelming. Unfortuately, it’s like weightloss…LOL…REALLY easy to get fat messy and VERY hard to lose the weight messies! To get your home in order will require time, patience and diligence.

It is also important to make a plan on how you will get your house organized. Take a walk through the house and make notes of what needs to be done in each room. Once you have made the list, determine priorities (what to do first). I also recommend that you break each area into sections. For example; the bedroom…do not expect to get your whole room done in a day. You will be overwhelmed and if you are a true wannabe, you will give up! Trust me…LOL…I KNOW! So, take your room and divide it into tasks…one day pick up all the items on the floor. The next day clear and organize the dressers. Then closets. And so on.

Starting with the smaller goals will help you see the improvements quickly. This will help you continue the process. Also, as you make more room in your home, think about ways to maximize your storage space. You can add shelves, baskets, organizers, etc.

Finally, make it a goal to clean at least ONE thing each day. Remember, the tortoise beat the hare because he was slow and steady. Slow and steady mixed with a little old fashioned determination WILL help you win the messies to clean race!

While you are cleaning, it is very important to KEEP what you have accomplished organized. So…you will need to MAINTAIN! If you have something that is not in its “home,” take the time to either put it there as soon as you notice it out of place! Or, have a designated area on each floor, like a basket, to put things that need to go to another floor. Then at the end of the day, everything in the box gets put away.

Another idea to help keep the house organized is to have a schedule where each room of the house gets a thorough cleaning one day each week. (If you have children…this is where you can get the kids involved and assign them age appropriate tasks to help you!) It may take awhile to get in the new routine, but if the family works together, it will be MUCH easier. If everyone learns to remember that they need to put their own things away, that will also help. You can have special rewards to encourage the kids. You will be helping them be neater grown ups in the process!

Keep in MInd…

It will take time and a bit of effort to get your home in order. However, it will be well worth it once the house is clean, neat and organized!

Copyright © Thou Shalt Clean!

Well, if you are organizationally challenged then getting your home organized is a chore all in itself. However, for a wannabe keeping it organized can be the biggest challenge!

I have some good news for the determined…with some work and forced cooperation from the rest of the family, it will be easier. It takes time to get used to new habits, but with nagging gentle reminders, everyone will be on their was to the cleaning zone.

One thing that will help keep things running smoothly is to create some daily routines. Even though in a perfect world everything should have a place, it takes a lot of effort to get it there. So staying on top of things is crucial to your new system working.

Here are some creative ways you can keep the whole family involved:

Charts are Us - Create a chart showing all the rooms in your house and all the family members (even the little ones). Each family member can be responsible for making sure a specific area is clutter free each day at a pre-established time. You can provide a basket for each person. They will go through their area with it and throw anything in it that isn’t supposed to be there. Once they have filled their basket, they can start putting things away…and start again if there is a big mess.

The Gathering Place - If you have more than one story, running up and down stairs all day to put things away can get old pretty fast. One way to help is to keep a box at the top and bottom of the stairs where people can put things they find that belong on another floor. At the end of the day, or when the box is full, the things can all be put back where they belong.

Little People Can Organize Too - Even the youngest members of the family can help. Labeling things, at least at first, will help your little people remember where things go. If they are too young to read, try a picture. You can save it from the original package or find one similar in a magazine. At the younger ages, they actually LIKE to help in most cases, so this should be “fun” for them.

Make a Mole Hill out of a Mountain - Yeah, you read it right. LOL! Clothes pile up real fast no matter how much laundry you do, the pile just keeps growing. It has a mind of its own. One way to help is to designate a place for all the dirty clothes. You can label the laundry baskets for white, darks and colors. Everyone can then put their own clothes in the baskets. When a basket is full, it’s time to wash. This is also a great way to teach the little ones colors and organization skills.

Remember, consistency is the key to successfully keeping your home clean. It also requires team effort! So, think of creative ways to get the whole family involved and then not only will you have less of a load to carry…you will help break the cycle of the wannabes!

Copyright © Thou Shalt Clean