Clutter Reduction/Organization

Today's tip:

Shoes

We've already organized winter clothes (and, truth be told, organizing summer clothing is virtually an identical task). Now let's look at shoes.

* Take all of the shoes out of your closet and create pairs. Even take the shoes off your feet. You want to look at everything.
* Assess the following - Are any shoes damaged above (the uppers)? Are any damaged where the shoe meets the pavement (soles and heels)? By damaged, I mean holes, tears in the leather or other material, or major cracks. Are any stained? Scuffed? Hopelessly out of style? You just don't like them anymore?
* Make piles of pairs of shoes, based upon the answers to the above questions. If you have shoes which have two or more characteristics, then these characteristics should prevail: out of style and/or damaged uppers. That is, if you have shoes that are both stained and have damaged uppers, put them in the pile of shoes with damaged uppers.
* Grab a couple of garbage bags. Label one get rid of and the other repair shop.
* Toss the following shoes into the get rid of bag: you don't like them anymore, they're hopelessly out of style, or the uppers are damaged. The last category should be deep-sixed because repairing damaged uppers is often nearly as expensive as a new pair of shoes. Make a list of what you're discarding, except for stuff you no longer like or is hopelessly out of style.
* Assess the damage on the remaining shoes. Stained shoes (these are usually canvas shoes, like espadrilles) can sometimes be cleaned. You may need to try both your dry cleaner and your shoe repair place, if you cannot get the stains out yourself. But determine whether you want to go through the trouble. If not, then toss those shoes into the get rid of bag, and put them on the list.
* Damaged soles and heels can be easily and cheaply repaired. My rule is usually three strikes. E. g. no more than three heel and/or sole repairs, and the pair of shoes is tossed. This tends to work out extremely well, as usually a pair of shoes, by the time it becomes ready for a fourth round of new soles and/or heels, has hopelessly damaged uppers, or is out of style. Put shoes needing soles and/or heels into the repair shop bag.
* Scuffed shoes can usually be restored using polish. Many colors of polish are available. Basic colors such as black, white, bone, navy and brown are usually available in a drug store or supermarket. Rarer colors are generally available wherever you get your shoes repaired, so shop there when you take in the other shoes to be repaired. Keep in mind that polish will be more expensive at the shoe repair place, so don't buy basic colors there.
* Now look at your list. Determine whether you really need the items on it. After all, if you already have three pairs of black shoes for work, what's the sense in buying a fourth? But if you have no brown shoes for work, and you have outfits that will go with brown shoes, then by all means keep them on the list.
* Storage: there are several ways to go. One possibility is a rack or trunk that sits on the floor of your closet, which is a somewhat neat method of storage. I've found these tend to be major dust collectors, and an added disadvantage of a trunk is that the pairs don't stay together. Another possibility is a bag hanging from the closet wall or the the closet hanging rod, so that they're off the floor. The disadvantage to this method is that it can take up space you'd rather use for clothing, plus it gets the shoe openings right up there next to the necklines and waistbands of your clothes. No matter how hard you try, shoes don't always smell like daisies, so you may want to rethink this method of storage. You can also keep shoes in their original boxes. The advantage is that the pairs stay clean and together, but the disadvantage is that this can mean a lot of boxes. The fact is that there is no perfect way of doing this. You'll need to assess your personal situation and determine which method(s) are best for you, and which disadvantages are best tolerated.

The kitchen

Today's tip:

Paradoxically, while the refrigerator is designed to keep food fresher longer so that you don't get sick, many people leave stuff in it so long that the expired food is itself a health risk.

In short, it's time to clean out the refrigerator.

The best day to do this is the day you go food shopping, but (obviously) before the shopping is done. If you've been cooking at home for most of the week, the fridge should be fairly bare.

* Take everything out. If the weather is particularly hot, pile everything on the top shelf in the fridge, and only take out whatever doesn't fit. If you have a second refrigerator, pile everything in there and then move everything to the first fridge once you're done with it, so that you can clean the second one.
* Clean the door, drawers, shelves, walls, etc. with a bleach- or ammonia-based solution.
* Review all of the contents of the fridge. If anything smells off, discard it and put it on your shopping list, but shop for a smaller amount of whatever it is (E. g. say it's a 24-oz. jar of pickles. Next time, buy a 16-oz. jar and you'll be more likely to finish it before it goes bad).
* Pay special attention to condiments. It's very, very easy to let these sit in the fridge forever. Ask yourself: do we really use this? Are the condiments crowded together? Could we buy a smaller amount next time? How old is this condiment? Is there an expiration date and, if so, has it passed?
* Discard anything past its expiration date, or two days or more after its "sell by" date. Put it on your shopping list, but shop for a smaller amount of whatever it is.
* For items without expiration dates (such as condiments), label them with the date you cleaned out the fridge. Mark on your calendar the date three months from that date (E. g. if you clean the fridge on September 1, then the date you want to mark is December 1) with the phrase "Discard old condiments and clean fridge". Then, when that date comes up, you'll know to discard anything that remains (and, of course, to assess whether you can get by with buying less of it next time) and you'll be reminded to clean the refrigerator again.
* Mystery leftovers should be kept no later than three days after the original meal. And, of course, if you can't figure out what it is, toss it.

Glass surfaces/Mopping

Today's tip:

I would say that mopping is my least favorite activity (yes, I prefer cleaning the bathroom), since it seems to be a task wherein the work is never done thoroughly the first time. In particular, the kitchen floor needs to be mopped repeatedly.

Here's one quick solution to the repetitive mopping problem.

Every day, grab either a paper towel or rag with cleanser on it, or a special cleaning cloth which has been presoaked with cleaning solution. Wipe trouble spots on the floor, which is mainly going to be around the trash can and in front of the stove, microwave oven and toaster oven. Discard cleaning implement or put into laundry, depending upon what it is.

The entire operation should take perhaps three to five minutes of your time. The idea is not to add a large task; just to try to cut down on the Thursday task.

Vacuuming

Today's tip:

Motivation is in short supply when it's hot out. And that's okay, as, if you're vacuuming fairly regularly, you can take a week off here and there, so long as you try not to bunch the days off all together.

Dusting

Today's tip:

The kitchen (which I realize is done on a different day, but bear with me here, please) can get awfully dusty, even through constant use. This is because of the accumulation of grease and grime. And that's even if you clean it every week. But recognize that grease may travel to rooms that interconnect with the kitchen. It can also fly up wherever you eat, be it the formal dining room or the den in front of the TV or even in front of the computer.

To that end, make sure that anywhere that a family member eats (even if all they do is eat crackers or other non-greasy foods) is cleaned with a grease-cutting cleaner. Garden-variety dishwashing liquid is fine for this purpose, although it is very, very slippery, so it needs to be thoroughly rinsed and dried if applied to the floor.

Bathrooms

Today's tip:

Perhaps two to four times per year, wipe down the inside of the toilet tank. This may sound like a messy job, but it's not so bad if you shut off the water (the valve is usually at the bottom of the bowl, but sometimes it's behind the tank itself). Flush once and most of the water will go away.

Don't forget to turn the water back on when you're done.

Trash day/Outdoor work

Today's tip:

Phew! The outdoor garbage really stinks when it gets hot out! Here's a suggestion: try sprinkling carpet cleaner powder at the bottom of both the can and inside the bottom of the bag, the next time you change the bag. Keep in mind that the bottom of the bag will be powdery when you next change the bag. If you can live with that, then this is one way to tame the odors. Baking soda also works, for a greener solution, but it doesn't have an aroma, so it won't mask older odors.