Project Clean Up 2017, Week 8: Powder Room

If you have a powder room that takes the place of one bathroom, you are lucky....no shower/bath to clean! It is week 8 and that means, time to clean the Powder Room! If you do not have a powder room to clean, you get the week off! Relax! The regular bathroom cleaning will come at a later date. 

The powder room is usually a room that your guests always see, so you want to be prepared at all times! One of the smallest rooms in the house, but a room that has a lot of time spent in! 

This week's goals:

___  Remove everything from the counter top. Clean then replace only necessity items such as soap, facial tissues and a candle.

___  Find a home for everything that will no longer sit on the counter top. Try to group like things together (makeup and hair care items together; lotions, deodorants and perfumes together; soaps, extra toilet paper and facial tissues together). If you have children, medicines should be stored securely away from items your children use.

___ Sort through items under your sink, in the vanity drawers, in your medicine cabinet, on shelves and in cupboards. Toss:

1. All sunscreen more than 2 years old

2. Expired medications.

3. Hair dryers, curling irons, straightening tools, etc..that you never use or are broken.

4. Dull tweezers.

5. All makeup more than a year old. 

6. Extra applicators and old makeup sponges.

7. Leftover hotel samples you will never use.

8. Towels that are ripped or worn out.

___ If you do not have enough storage space under your bathroom sink, buy some organizers. There are a variety of choices on the market. Some favorites are clear, stackable drawers.

**Tips**

___ If you do not have enough shelf space, roll up your towels and washcloths and keep them in a pretty basket on the floor.

___ Need more space under the sink? Try stackable plastic drawers. This is an inexpensive way to gain more room.

___ Keep soap in a pump rather than a bar on the sink. This looks better and is less mess to clean up.

___ Keep makeup in a bag instead of loose in a drawer. This will make it easier to put it away and take it with you. 

___Learn to consolidate: night/day cream, hand/foot cream, face/body self-tanner, base/topcoat nail polish. Save room by using one product for both areas when possible.

___ Don't store extra, unopened products such as toilet paper, toothpaste and hairspray with products that are already opened. 

Stay Organized! 

Once a month! 

___ Replace all worn out toothbrushes in your bathroom.

Once a Year

___Sort through your makeup and throw away any any products you haven't used in the last year.

___ Toss any worn-out bath towels or cut them into rags if you need them. 

Will be checking in with you soon!

 

Project Clean Up 2017, Week 7: Bermuda Triangle and Coat Closet

How is your cleaning going? This past week was week 7 and that is the cleaning of my coat closet and what we call "The Bermuda Triangle"...everyone has that area. In our house, this is the area between our foyer, dining room, den and powder room...the area that I sort and fold laundry, sort things into baskets that need carried up or down. We are always find spare items in this area that do not have a home. Do you have this area? It's that time to clean it up, purge it out....get it done! 

Coat Closet

__ Sort the clothing items. Remove all coats, shoes and hats that you and your family members no longer wear for whatever reason (wrong size, don't like it, no longer needed). Donate or sell these items. If the closet is still too full, you need to find new homes for items, put things in seasonal storage or toss and donate more.

__ Teach family to hang up their own items; coats, backpacks, bags, etc...

__ Place a Toss/Donate box, bin or hamper in the hallway closet if you have room. 

**Tips**

If your coat closet is so full you have trouble putting your coats away, you have too much in it and need to cut down. Try storing out-of-season coats and jackets in a storage bin or another closet if you have the room. 

Stay Organized

Every 3-6 months

___ Empty your Toss/Donate box

Once a Year

__ Sort the coats in your hall closet. Donate any coats that no longer fit or have been replaced by a new coat. Do the same with hats and scarves. 

Don't forget to tackle the Bermuda Triangle! 

Grab a bin and toss in what has wandered into that area. Could be items with no home, spare socks, etc....grab it up!

Project Clean Up 2017, Week 6: Foyer

Are you still keeping up with your cleaning? We are into week 6! 

Project Clean Up 2017, Week 6: Foyer

The entrance to your home is a very important area to organize. Forget that fancy smancy entryway with a gorgeous chandelier, this is the "real" entrance to your home. Where the kids kick off the shows, lay down the backpacks (you may call it a mudroom) Lots of people make their way in and out of this area so it always needs to be in top notch condition.

You may have a coat closet in this area or nearby. Are you using it to hang coats for yourself and guests or is it a dumping ground for what you are unsure of what to do with? You need to make a decision of what to do with these items as well!

Here is what you need to do this week:

___Gather up everything that does not belong in this area and sort items by family member. Make those family members responsible for their own items.

__Wash the throw rugs or replace them if they are too far gone.

___Place a wicker basket next to the door to collect shoes.

___ Sort non-clothing items in your hall closet. As you sort, decide if there is a better place for folding tables in chairs...basement maybe? Board games to the family room or toy area? Cleaning supplies to another closet? Put items where they will be most used and easily accessible. If there are items you don't use, sell, donate or toss them.

___ Now sort the clothing in the closet. Remove all coats, shoes and hats that you and your family members no longer wear for whatever reason (wrong size, don't like, no longer need) Donate or sell these items. If closet is still too full, you need to find new home for items, put things in seasonal storage or toss and donate more.

___ Install hooks or cubbies for each family member's coats and backpacks/bags and teach them to hang them in their own personal sport when they come in the door. Label the areas with each family member's name if necessary. Hang an umbrella or two on one of the hooks.

___ Place a Toss/Donate box, bin or hamper in the hallway closet if you have room.

___ If possible, place a bench or chair in your entryway for family members and guests to sit while they put on their shoes. As always when purchasing furniture, try to find something that includes storage so it multi-functions.

___ Stand in the middle of your mudroom and look around to see if every bit of wall space is being efficiently used. Do you have available wall space to add coat hooks. Could you fit in a storage unit to house school supplies, shoes and coats? Do it!

** Tips **

If your hall closet is so full you have trouble putting your coats away, you have too much and need to cut down. Try storing out-of-season coats and jackets in a storage bin or another closet if you have the room.

Keep a shelf clear in the hall closet for gifts you have on hand.

In the summer, keep a large tote near the door filled with sunscreen, beach towels, bug repellent, hats and swimming gear.

Add storage for umbrellas so that wet umbrellas are not dragged into the house. Decorative pails are a nice addition.
Use those corners! Corners are the most under used areas in a room.

Attach clothespins to a hanger to hang mittens and gloves to dry.

~Stay Organized~

Once a Month

___ Clean the windows on the entryway door.

___ Empty out the "shoe basket." Make each family member put away his or her own shoes. Shake out all loose dirt.

Every 3-6 Months

___ Empty your Toss/Donate box

Once a Year

___ Sort the coats in your hall closet. Donate any coats that no longer fit or have been replaced by a new coat. Do the same with hats and scarves. Toss gloves that are missing a mate or have holes.

Project Clean-Up 2017, Week 5, Part 1...Great Room

This week has been a long one. Trying to pull your 15 foot Christmas tree and decor to get packed and get the room cleaned top to bottom, edge to edge is tough!

Here are the "Top 10" things I have learned while cleaning this room...

1. Stink bugs leave way too many poo tracks...

2. I have a child that thinks that our air conditioning vents are a trash can.

3. I fear for my life every time I climb my ladder...may be time to get one that doesn't wobble.

4. My kids have turned my vintage lingerie factory desk drawer into gaming storage.

5. Since my screens roll up into the window, no one would really notice if they weren't exactly clean, would they?

6. My 3 year old, without a doubt, loves to touch our TV screen...over and over and over....

7. My kids are rough on pillows....4 of 7 need sewn.

8. Somehow, though we do our crafts in the dining room, we always end up with a ton of glitter in the cracks of our hardwood plank floor.

9. Walking out of the room for 5 minutes to grab a roll of paper towels apparently, is permission for children to destroy what has already been done.

10. No matter how many times I dump the shades, this is what hot/cold/hot/cold weather does to my lamps all year!

Y-I-K-E-S

Project Clean Up 2017, Week 4 Results, Part 2: Greeting Cards

The second half of Week 4 of  "Project Clean Up 2017" required me to get my Greeting Card box in order and boy, did it need it!!

These cards, for the past 12 years, have been filed in an old Avon cardboard box. At one time, they were filed neatly and separated, but over time, they have made their way everywhere! The lid was beat up a long time ago which mean that anything and everything in the air of a garage can get to these cards. Sigh....

I sorted through them, tossing any bent up envelopes or cards and began making stacks of categories.

Time for my "go to"..... that Sterilite plastic container with snap on lid!

I wanted something nice and colorful to separate the occasions so I went with these great file folders...

The only thing I didn't figure in were the measurements of the folders. It was either that I put them in the container width wise which would have been way too short causing them to fall or put them in deep wise, in which case, I had to cut them smaller. So, I went with the deep. Since I have to grab things quickly with a life like mine, I chose to write in deep marker so I wouldn't make in mistakes when grabbing a file.

I had quite a few files, just making sure each had a correct home. I am very pleased with it! Snap the lid on and it is ready to be put back up on the shelf....more organized this time!

Will be checking in with some Week 5 results this week. See you then!

Project Clean Up 2017...Week 5 Living Room/Great Room/Family Room

We are into Week 5 of "Project Clean Up 2017" How is your organizing and cleaning going? 

Whichever you have in your home, whether it be a Living Room, Great Room or Family Room, this is the room you will be cleaning this week! This room should be a place where you can read, relax, watch TV, spend time with your family and friends. It is very important that everything in this room has a designated home so that if company is unexpectedly coming over, you can have this room all ready to go in 15 minutes or less.

We still have our Christmas decorations up (my husband says Christmas is all through the winter months) so my Great Room clean up will begin with the removal of our tree and decor, then the real clean up begins! Are you ready for your list of things to do this week? Here you go!

This week's goals:

___ Decide the functions for this room. List all the things you do in this room. A place to gather, a play area for the kids, a work area for you, a place to watch TV or read, a place to exercise. Use it the way you see fit.

___ Remove everything that does not serve the functions of the living room. Return items to their rightful place or simply find new places for them. Find the right storage spot after you have finished organizing your living room...remember never to get distracted from what you set out to do.

___ Bread the room down into zones of the functions of the room. These zones become "home" for the things you use in the room. Toys and games go in one area, books in another, movies in another, work in another. Each area should have it's own shelving or furniture with built in storage to hold or hide the items, however you choose to store.

___ Clean off the coffee and end tables. Never leave any more than a few books or magazines, coasters and maybe a decoration on the tables.

___ Figure out one place to keep the TV remotes so you are never searching for them. Use a basket, drawer or a pocket organizer that you can hang over the arm of the chair.

___ Hang your photos on the wall instead of taking up space on end tables and other table spaces. Forming a collage in a hall or up a staircase may help with finding a home for these items.

___Keep one basket for magazines and newspapers. Keep only the current issues and recycle the rest.

___Clean off the mantle if you have one. This is most likely a focal point so clean it off and only replace a few favorite items.

___Toss all half-dead houseplants, old remote controls, broken CD cases, dusty fake plants and excessive knick knacks. Keep only items that you really cherish.

___Replace dirty or non-matching lamp shades. This improves the lighting and the appearance in the room.

__ Unclutter the walls. Take down everything and then only put back your favorite items.


**Tips**

Try to find coffee tables and end tables with drawers.

Ottomans that have built in storage provide a place to put up your fit and hide toys, blankets, magazines, etc...

Keep wires and cords organized by binding them together with a twist tie.

Keep any craft or sewing projects you are working for in a basket or storage container so it kept in it's own place and does not create a mess in the room.

If you are limited on space, do not use an end table unless they are providing storage. If an end table is just used to hold a lamp, consider switching to a floor style lamp and get that bulky table out of there.

Never keep more than 3 items on your coffee table. Otherwise, it will turn into a clutter table.


Staying Organized!!

Once a Month:

__ Vacuum the upholstery on all of your furniture.

__ Clear this room of any items that belong elsewhere.

Every 3-6 Months:

___ Throw out old magazines.

___ Clean the switch plates, doorknobs and doorjambs.

___ Clean and disinfect the telephone.

___ Vacuum the heating and air conditioning vents.

___Dust the window blinds

___Wash overhead lighting fixtures and clean fan blades.

Once a Year:

___ Wash the insides of the windows.

___ Wash the curtains.

___Move large pieces of furniture and vacuum or mop underneath.

___ Consider rearranging the room to help reduce wear patterns on the floor.

Project Clean Up 2017, Week 4 Results, Part 1: Prize Box

    The first half of my Week 4 project is finished. I kind of went backwards than how I had it posted. I began with the prize box, as it wouldn't take nearly as long and I still had some items to purchase for the greeting card box. Here is what I began with, an old diaper box. 

    There are a ton of various toys, pencils, play jewelry and such down in this box that have been through the mill due to the fact that it doesn't close and is very hard to store. 

My solution:

   It is just a plastic Sterilite container with a snap on lid. Simple, but a huge improvement! It is amazing what had gotten tossed in over the years. I dumped the whole box and went through it thoroughly. Tossed broken crayons, faded tattoos, mini bubble bottles that had dried, little empty plastic ziplocs, broken bracelets....lots can happen with 14 years worth of children's hands rummaging through it! A Walmart plastic bag of garbage thrown away and it was all ready for it's new home! 

One more added touch to get the kiddos excited....

It is finally ready to store on my garage shelf, neatly and ready for its next use! 

Next up to get finished, my greeting card box. Only 1 day to get it finished before the new week starts! Will check in when I am done.