Clutter Reduction/Organization

Today's tip:

The Laundry Room

Keeping a laundry room or laundry supplies organized is easy and involves very little effort.

If you have to go to a laundromat:
* Keep all of your laundry supplies together
* Buy large containers (cheaper) but pour part of the contents into smaller containers, so that you aren't carrying around any more pounds of powder or liquid than you have to
* Every week, after doing laundry, check the condition of whatever you use to carry the laundry. Do bags need to be repaired? Do plastic baskets have sharp edges? Are wicker hampers unraveling? Repair what you can, and consider replacement when they get really bad

If you have your own laundry room:
* Keep all of your laundry supplies together
* Buy large containers of supplies, as buying in bulk is far cheaper, and soap, fabric softener, etc. doesn't expire
* Keep one container of a supply that you're using, and one in reserve. Of course, if you just opened a huge container, you can wait a while before buying the reserve. But don't buy it any later than the time when the 'active container' is one-quarter full
* When one container is nearly empty, see about emptying it into the reserve container. For powders, this generally isn't a good practice, as you may spill more than you get into the reserve container. But for liquids, note that most unopened soap containers have a little bit of room at the top. So, pour and then dump the old container. Of course, you don't want to do this until you're done with the wash, as you may be able to just pour the last of the old container straight into the washing machine
* Keep used fabric softener sheets near the dryer. You're not going to throw them back into the dryer. Rather, you're going to use them to clean the lint trap
* Once per year, vacuum the inside of the dryer and the inside of the lint trap
* Once per year, open up the venting hose (the methodology varies by model) and clean it out. This will prevent fires and increase the dryer's efficiency. If you have a very bad problem with lint, consider doing this two to four times per year

Vacuuming

Today's tip:

Vacuuming is, of course, the only noisy chore on the list. Everything else is almost Zen-like in its quiet (other than the occasional slosh or squeak). But vacuuming is loud, and sometimes you just don't want to hear it (or, you may need to be quiet, e. g. the baby's sleeping).

Here's a quiet alternative to vacuuming, but it will only work for bare floors. For carpeting, I'm afraid you'll have to turn on the noise.

* Take your mop and make sure that the mop head is dry.
* Grab an electrostatic cleaning cloth and two rubber bands. Use a dry cloth. Do not use a cloth with cleaning solution on it (you're sweeping, not mopping).
* Using the rubber bands, attach the cloth to the mop head. You might not get a perfect fit, but a standard-sized cloth should fit over about 75% of a standard-sized flat mop head.
* 'Mop' by sweeping back and forth. You may need a dust pan but, if you don't have one, use a wet paper towel instead.
* Once done, discard the electrostatic cleaning cloth. You may need more than one cloth to clean a room or floor.

If you have a broom, by all means use it - I'm mainly trying to save you the expense and storage space of having to get a broom. Brooms are fine, but they get dirty and eventually the straws fall out, leaving you with more of a mess to clean up.

If you don't have any electrostatic cleaning cloths, you can use wet paper towels, but they won't hold up well, and you'll have to keep changing them.

Dusting

Today's tip:

In keeping with the theme of covering up what you don't often use, so that it doesn't get too dusty, how about parts of your PC? My printer is covered with an easy to obtain generic plastic cover. I believe I didn't even have to go to the computer store to get it (our local supermarket is all things to all people, and has a small office/computer department). The scanner is covered by an old pillowcase which is washed whenever it gets really dirty. The keyboard is generally not covered but, when we go away for a few days, it, too, is covered by an old pillowcase.

Don't cover the venting at the back of the PC, as you can create a fire hazard. However, do cover peripherals you're not using, particularly flatbed scanners and printers, as this will not only keep them cleaner but also extend their useful lives.

Bathrooms

Today's tip:

One area that you might not remember to clean, but gets rather germ-filled, is the spray can of air freshener. Be sure to wipe it down when cleaning the bathroom.

Trash day/Outdoor work

Today's tip:

Indoor plants, just like outdoor plants, have a certain amount of die-back. But unlike outdoor plants, the indoor variety create a mess by leaving dead leaves and flower petals in your home.

The trick is to do what's calling deadheading. Most plants will benefit from this treatment; don't worry that you're doing anything wrong.

Say you've got a geranium. Most of the leaves are green, but some are brown or tan. And, the flower itself is dried out, but still hanging on the plant. Gently pinch off the tan or brown leaves. If necessary, take a scissors and cut them off. Same goes for the dried out flower and its stalk. Don't cut or tear off anything that's still green. For leaves that are partly green, or are a light green that's in the process of turning tan, hold the leave and twist slightly. If the leaf doesn't come off readily, leave the leaf on, as there's life in it yet. Discard all old leaves and flowers that you've removed, or toss them outside as mulch. Don't keep them in the indoor plants, as they'll eventually rot.

This process works with every houseplant except for cacti. With cacti, check for brown stalks. If they are completely dried out and brittle, remove them (put on leather gloves or wrap your hands in paper towels to avoid the spines). Otherwise, leave the stalks on.