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5 Unique Ways to Clean Up Your House
Have I ever told you that I have five sisters? No brothers. Mom and Dad had 6 girls and one bathroom, which made getting ready a little difficult at times, but we all managed to figure it out. I was the youngest, and so a lot of my housekeeping tips I’ve gotten from watching, and learning, and listening to what’s worked for them. With that said, I want to share 5 unique and fun ways to clean up your house that I’ve gleaned from the girls over time. 1. The Never-Waste-a-Step Method This one’s not so much a deep-cleaning method as it is a fun way to tidy up and…
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Deep Clean Your Kitchen in 5 Days
Any number of the following steps can be done once per week on kitchen day, but if you are looking to get it all done at once and are willing to put in the extra hours, you can do them in five consecutive days for an overall deep clean. Once the kitchen is deep cleaned, use your judgement (according to your lifestyle) to decide how often you’ll repeat the steps. Day 1 – The Cupboards Empty out your cupboards (one section at a time if you’re low on counter space) and put all items onto the countertop or kitchen table, just like you would on moving day. Give each cupboard a…
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How to Clean Sweep a Room in 5 Steps
When my kids were younger they were strangely addicted to “Clean Sweep.” Come to mention it, so was I! “Clean Sweep” was a weekly television show that helped families organize their home. They didn’t simply do a surface clean like you might expect from a maid service–they did a top to bottom cleaning of the room including every cupboard and drawer. Maybe that’s where my love for organization comes from, I don’t know. But I do know that I love the look and feel of an organized little house. I’ve come to learn a few rules over time. Some I picked from the show, and others I’ve gleaned through experience.…
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The Scoop on Welcome Mats
I got a note from a reader the other day who asked, I have the hardest time with my welcome mat. It always looks terrible. I try to vacuum it and it doesn’t appear any better. Is this an item that I should be replacing regularly? Is there a way to keep it from looking grungy? The fact is, we all have trouble with doormats. Either they fade too fast or they just look so dirty that you want to replace it. That’s to be expected with something that’s sitting out in the sun, rain, and snow 24/7, but there are a few things we can do to help them look better.…
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53 Steps to a Deep-Cleaned Bathroom
When I head into the bathroom to clean it, I’m usually expecting to have the job done within 10 to 15 minutes. And I do. After all, how long does it take to clean a room that’s 8′ x 12‘? Not long if you’ve been keeping it up week after week. But if your bathroom has been neglected for sometime, you might want to consider going in for a deep-clean, and getting into those dirty little corners that you’d rather ignore. I remember when I came home from the hospital with my youngest child. My sister Betty came over to do some housekeeping for me, while I recouped from a…
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Toss Out 25 Things – 4 Guidelines for Living With Less
I wrote this article a while ago, so keep that in mind when you read so you don’t get confused. My daughter has kids of her own now, but I hope she’s still clearing the clutter! Today I’m talking about living with less, or for some of you—much less. There are things that we all have stuffed behind closed doors, hidden inside our drawers, laying under our beds, thrown onto our shelves, stacked up in our cupboards, crowding our counters, expiring in our freezers, hiding on top of our fridges, and squeezed into our jam-packed closets. In other words, we have an excess of junk. Cleaning out my daughter’s room,…
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29 Steps to a Deep-Cleaned Bedroom
Bedrooms tend to accumulate stuff, whether it be clothing, jewelry, magazines, or leotards most of us have too much of it cluttering our drawers and our table tops. It shouldn’t be this way. The bedroom should be the most relaxing room in the house—a place where you can retreat to when you want to stretch out, or snuggle with your husband when he took on a cool winter’s night. But there’s nothing relaxing or romantic about a room that’s cluttered and disorganized, is there? I’m going to offer you 29 steps that will get your bedroom into the shape that it should be. Depending on the current state of your…
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Daily Housekeeping Schedule
There’s nothing quite like walking into a house that smells as good as it looks. But good housekeeping starts with a good cleaning schedule. When floors are washed, beds are made and dishes are put away, families gain a sense of comfort in knowing that their surroundings are under control. Being clean and organized saves you both time and money. When your belongings are put in their designated place, you don’t have to spend minutes or hours looking for lost items. When supplies are carefully organized, you can easily find them instead of replenishing stock. That’s where a schedule like this comes in handy! This schedule focuses on house cleaning.…
