![]() |
Interior Decorating Information |
|
|
Top Tips for Keeping Your Home Tidy
You've got so much tidying to do, so little time. So what's a person to do? You can either lower your standards and just ignore the mess, or you can think smart and keep your house tidy with little effort. Unfortunately there is no way to avoid housework. But you can keep your house clean and sparkling in less than 30 minutes a day, if you just get organized. The very first thing you need to do is gather all your cleaning supplies and place them in one spot, organized neatly. I do mean "all" your cleaning supplies, the glass cleaner, the furniture polish, the wax, the cleaner, the dusting cloth - all of it! Next organize it in groups that make sense as to how you would use it. So if you're going to do the windows you just have to grab all your window supplies, or if your cleaning the bathroom, you'd grab all the bathroom supplies. Use the old KISS formula - "Keep It Simple Stupid." Don't make extra work for yourself. Next place a clothes basket in every room where dirty clothes might land. Then train your household members to drop their dirty clothes in the hamper, and not on the floor. If it's in their room, it should be as easy to use as the floor. If you've got kids, get creative, with a hamper that's their favorite cartoon character or action figure. Make it fun! Assign duties to other members of your house. Kids, even younger ones, can be good helpers. Give them tasks that they are capable of completing. As an incentive you can reward them. You can take them to a matinee or give them a treat if they complete their chores. If they get an allowance make them work for it. No kids, then you're on your own, unless you have a modern day husband who participates in the household chores. Be logical in your cleaning. There are two strategies that work well. With the first, you do a thorough cleaning once or twice a week. You choose a task, then start at one end of the house and move completely through the house until that task is done. Then start your next task. You'll save valuable time by not jumping from one task to the other. The second strategy is favored by working woman and men, because it takes less than 30 minutes every day, and you don't have to look forward to cleaning house on your days off. With this strategy you do one room at a time, and set time limits as to how much time you'll spend in each room.. So lets say the kitchen gets 8 minutes, Bathroom gets 5, bedrooms get 5 each, and on and on, depending on how many rooms you have. You can adjust the 30 minutes up or down, but it should never be more than 45 minutes. In the kitchen, wipe down the stove, fridge and dispose of any food that needs to be tossed. Wipe down the counter tops and the sink. Empty the dishwasher. Sweep the floor and give it a quick mopping. In the bathroom pick up dirty laundry and toss in the hamper, wipe down the tub, shower, and sink. Clean the toilet last. Mop the floor if it needs it. Bedrooms just need the beds made, dirty laundry picked up, and clothes put away. A quick dusting and vacuuming every third day is sufficient. Tidy the living room, pickup books and "stuff" that are lying around. Wipe off tables. Dusting and vacuuming every second or third day is sufficient. By doing laundry amongst other activities, you'll save yourself more time. Throw a load in while you're watching TV or making super. Fit it into other activities, so you're not faced with ten loads at the end of the week. Getting organized and cleaning your house will become a breeze. You'll have less stress worrying about it and more free time to enjoy the things you like to do! Keith Kingston is a former Kirby Vacuum Salesman. Find out more about his reviews on Dyson Vacuum Cleaners and Kirby Vacuum Cleaners
MORE RESOURCES:
Interior-Decorating - Google News |
RELATED ARTICLES
Unique Tin Can Candle Holders Ah yes the good old Tin Can. The tin can has been around for years, providing many different projects to be made from tin cans. A Look at Plantation Shutters When potential buyers are looking at a home, many upgrades get their attention. Floor tile, fireplace, and tile backsplash are some popular additions to a home. Candle Holders Add Flair To Your Home Decor! Candle holders are an essential accessory for candles. The first candle holders, made of clay, date back as far as fourth century BC Egypt. A Review of Popular Wood Stove Manufacturers There are several world renowned wood stove manufacturers that make a wide range of quality products. Some companies specialize in making traditional wood stoves while other make cutting edge stoves with new and technologically advanced features. Freestyle with Metal and Format: The Milan FuoriSalone 2005 event. This Italian lifestyle project, underlined by the aroma of espresso coffee, is divided into three thematic areas showing different ways of rendering the multifaceted personality of today's ceramic tiles, an irreplaceable part of home decor.The setting is decidedly unusual: the space, occupied by a mechanical workshop for the rest of the year, features a barrel-vaulted gallery facing the entrance courtyard. How To Measure For Window Treatments Like a Pro When measuring for custom window treatments be sure to always use a steel tape measure, never use rulers, yardsticks or cloth tapes.? Always measure to the nearest eighth of an inch, never round up or down to the next whole inch. Book Shelf Decorating Idea & Tip If you have book shelves in your home, and lots of books, you've probably discovered that bookends don't always keep everything in order. Sometimes your collection of books on the shelf are just too much for the bookend to hold. How to Make Roman Shades Roman shades are a simple and elegant window treatment to block the sun or prying neighbors. Nicer than plain plastic shades, but less expensive than ornate window shades, Roman shades provide the perfect start to a beginning home decorator. Dont Hire Someone to Steal Your Joy: Decorate Your Home Yourself! In researching what makes people happy, I discovered that "Planning" makes us happy. Therefore, why should a homemaker turn over planning to an interior designer who creates homes to make money and impress others? Furthermore, most designers ignore the important outcome of creating a home, which is to support the emotional well-being of the residents. Kitchen Island Sizes Kitchen island sizes vary considerably from moveable cutting and serving tables to installed free-standing cabinets with a full complement of storage and workspace options.Nearly 80% of all home buyers consider a kitchen island essential, according to one survey, but knowing which kitchen islands sizes are best is another matter. Choosing Candles & Scents Part 1 - Candles for July Deciding on just a few candles is rarely easy. With so much to choose from now (possibly even thousands of scents), it's next to impossible to choose just one. Choosing Bathroom Vanity Lights The basic bathroom vanity includes a mirror or medicine cabinet above, a sink or basin and counter or 'top' below, and a cabinet beneath. In some cases the sink and top are one unit. Protecting Your Down Comforter A down comforter is a luxury item that can be enjoyed year after year -- if it is properly cared for. Frequent washings can damage a down comforter. Faux Wood Mini Blinds Though wood blinds and shutters are the most popular window coverings sold in America, these two products are among the most expensive. Faux wood Blinds offer nature's rich, subtle colors and unique textures at a fraction of the cost of real wood shutters. Granite Countertops: An Overview Home remodelers and builders have experienced a boom in the demand for granite countertops in kitchens and bathrooms. The beauty and warmth of granite makes it an ideal material for aesthetic appeal in home design, and the durability and easy care of granite countertops keeps them a favorite for homeowners who are looking into the future. Black Forest Cuckoo Clocks Known for its harsh winters, its many local artisans, and an abundance of hard woods unique to the area, Triberg in the Black Forest is the prime location for the production of cuckoo clocks. Even today, most of the world's supply of cuckoo clocks still comes from Germany, mostly from the Black Forest area. Home Decorating For Smaller Spaces "Big Things Come In Small Packages" We're all familiar with this quote, it's normally associated with gifts not home decorating, but it should be.A one or two bedroom house, apartment, condo or townhouse can be just as impressive and grand as something with fifteen bathrooms, Wow, imaging having to clean all those, I have enough trouble with two. The Benefits of Wood Cook Stoves Wood cook stoves have been used for hundreds of years. Before the advent of electricity, people cooked all of their food in wood cook stoves. Want a Beautiful Limestone Floor but Worried About The Maintenance? Read On Limestone is a type of sedimentary rock. It is chemically made up of the mineral calcite (calcium carbonate). Where to Buy Discount Down Comforters Many people love the look and feel of down comforters, but can't afford the high price tag. Luxury down comforters can cost in excess of $5000, more than some people's cars. |
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |