Making time for cleaning in a busy life

Whether you are a mother with young or even older children or a grandmother who works full time, many people find that with their full lives, having time for housework is elusive. It is a matter of priorities. If it comes down to spending quality time with someone or washing the kitchen floor, the quality time wins out most of the time.

It isn't easy making time for cleaning in a busy life. When trying to make more time to clean, here are a few tips to help find a few minutes to add to your cleaning routine.

Get up earlier or go to bed later

It sounds obvious but if you set the alarm for 15 minutes or half hour earlier than normal, you will have extra time to yourself that you can turn into time to do that extra housework that always seems to allude you. The same holds true in the evening when everything is quiet, while vacuuming may not be the best thing to do, there are many chores like emptying the dishwasher or throwing in a load of laundry that you can get a jump on.

Multi-task 

These days, multitasking is a way of life for many people. The philosophy that works at the office, works at home. When you are taking a shower, bring the cleaner in with you and give it a wipe down at the same time. Combine your daily exercise routine with the housework, deep knee bends while folding laundry, or loading the dishwasher, you get the idea it can work with many tasks.

Have a schedule

Having a schedule makes for greater efficiency. Greater efficiency means more work in less time or more work in the same amount of time. By knowing what you have to do in addition in addition to the amount of time you have allocated for that task, you can make an educated guess about ways to add time to the schedule.

Be prepared

Once you have a schedule, being prepared with the necessary equipment or supplies saves you a lot of time. Having to look for your mop or furniture polish is a waste of time. Have a designated place for all your equipment and supplies and be sure that after each use, you bring it back to tip top condition. Nothing is worse than being ready to vacuum and finding out that your bag is full or the dirt holder wasn’t emptied on the bag-less model.

Use TV time wisely

There is a lot of extra time involved in watching TV. During the commercials, you can pop up and load and unload the washing machine, run a dust cloth around the room, strip and remake a bed, or if it isn’t late at night, run the vacuum. When you think about how many commercials there are during any show or movie that you are watching, you will see that you may be able to find more than 10 to 20 minutes in an hour.

According to Marketing Charts, the average show is 36 percent  commercial. While actually watching TV, you can fold laundry, do mending, or do pick-up and cleaning in the room where the TV actually is.

Today’s lives are filled with activities. Trying to find time to add to your cleaning routine doesn’t have to mean giving up any of your favorite activities. With a little adjustment and using some of these tips, you should be able to get more work done and still have time for all the important things that you prefer to do.

Creating a home of distinction

Coordinating architecture and interior design can take a house from a bland and cookie cutter look to a house of distinction. Today, many homes are part of a development where every other house shares architectural design and there is a lack of unique character. 

Creating a home of distinction takes effort. You need to take a good look at your home to see beyond the uninspiring looks to find what makes it special.

You don't need to have a historic home in order to have architectural detail. In a Mid-Century Modern, it may be the wood floors that are the focal point of a room. Choose the rest of the rooms design to highlight the strongest point. Place of the furniture so that it compliments what you want to highlight.

When it comes to surface materials it is also important to consider the character of the house. If you have a Victorian House it may not adapt well to ultramodern surfaces and colors. By the same token, it is wisest to not try to turn your Craftsman beauty into a country cabin.

Some exterior architecture adds great appeal to the interior design. Gables offer the opportunity for interior window seats. The steeply pitched roofs of Cape Cod homes make a good spot for built-ins and storage where it isn't possible to walk easily. When choosing your interior design, using the coordinating architecture can help to define your style as well as accentuate the architectural details of your home.

What are the architectural details? These days there are many details that can become the focal point of the interior design. One of the problems is that it is difficult to see the entire picture; you can only see one room at a time.

Look at the room and identify its architectural details. If it is the living room is there a fireplace with a mantle? Is there a window that draws your eyes to it immediately? Once you have identified what is significant about the architecture of each room it is important to look at the entire interior as a cohesive whole. You want to make sure that the mood or style you are trying to accomplish works within the framework of your home.

You may want to de-emphasize the fact that your ceiling is low. Make sure that the paint color of the ceiling is not dramatically different from the walls. It should always be lighter to accentuate the feeling of spaciousness. If you have twelve-foot ceilings and want to make your room feel warm paint the ceiling a darker shade of the walls.

Spaces in your home may run together such as your entrance way and your interior stairway. A staircase can be the main architectural feature not only in a room but of the whole house. You want it all to work well together. Choose furnishing and colors that highlight the mahogany handrail, newel post or the great spindles.

Finding the architectural details in your house is the most important thing you can do to help you choose the perfect interior design. If you are in the process of looking for a new home keep your personal design tastes in mind. You can always change the interior design of a room but changing the architecture is much harder.

Basic seasonal home decorating

The basics of seasonal home decorating begin at your front door. You can accomplish decorating several different ways. You can have one door decoration that can be changed with the seasons or you can have four different decorations. The best way to start your seasonal home decorating it to find one seasonal piece that you really love and build from there.

If you are a person who likes flowers, you can purchase one wreath, grapevine, straw or metal frames are good choices. You can then decorate it with the flowers of the season and a ribbon or bow in the correct color palette to match the season. Fall is obvious, orange, red, brown and gold. Winter can be seasonal with icy blue and white or more holiday inspired with red and green. Spring is a time of pastels like yellows, pink,s and light blues. Summer is colorful and bright with more reds, purples, and greens.

If you like flags, it is easy to change your flag seasonally either in the large or the garden size.

In the house, the dining room table cloth or table runner can reflect the season. If you are a crafter, you can make a runner that is reversible and this way you will only need two runners, one for winter and spring and one for summer and fall. It is easy to have a seasonal decoration anywhere in the house, all you need is a clear glass or crystal bowl and something seasonal to put in it. It can be any number of things, Christmas balls, seashells, pine cones or plastic Easter eggs. You can use a small bowl or a large bowl, pedestal or footed.

Another seasonal decoration, especially if there are children in the house is a glass pedestal compote filled with seasonal candy. M&M’s are particularly good for this purpose. They come in loads of seasonal colors and flavors.

If you have a fireplace with a mantle, this is a great place to have a focal seasonal decoration. Depending on the style of your home, you can consider adding a large vase filled with artificial flowers that you can change seasonally. The beauty of this is that you can then just store away the other seasons away when they are not in use.

When you are getting your basic seasonal decorations together pick up four storage containers at the same time. Keep all your decorations for the season in your container when they are not in use. If you use the Rubbermaid type container, your decorations will be safe from moisture and damage in the off season and you will always know just where the decorations are.

Start off with a few basics. As the years go by,  if you buy good quality items that will never go out of style, you can add a few new items every season until you have everything you need.

One last seasonal decoration is a candle. There is nothing quite as seasonal as the scent of pumpkin pie, evergreens, honeysuckle and blueberries just to mention a few.

So there you have it, a few basic ideas for decorating your home for any and every season.

Decorating with the color white

White is the color that most people consider a non-color. It does not clash with anything because it is neutral. It is the universal color. It is a great decorating option as long as you don’t overdo it. If you do too much white in your home, you end up with a sterile look. Nobody wants their house to look cold. Does that mean that you have to avoid white? Not at all, you just need to use it judiciously.

First, not all whites are created equal. You may be amazed to know that there are many shades of white, some are much crisper than other. There are antique whites, cream white, snow white, china white and many more. White is a very reflective color and it can help to create a feeling of light and space in a small space but at the same time, it can pull together the elements in a larger space.

White can really be used in any room in the home. In the kitchen, white is a popular color for cabinets, counter tops, appliances and even for floors. To create drama you can use a dark or a bright color with white. Black and white has always been a popular combination and the contrast is an amazing design statement. Other popular colors to mix with white in the kitchen are blue or red, especially in Europe.

In the living room, white is a brave and dramatic choice for furniture maybe not so practical if you have a family. Pottery Barn has a white slip covered sofa for those families who want that wow factor that a white sofa provides but also want to be able to wash the sofa cover. If you prefer to go the other direction you can place some white on the walls and put the color in the furniture.

If you are not quite ready for a big dose of white in the living area of your home using white as an accent color on the woodwork or an accent wall can help you to ease your way into the white world. White throw pillows, white photo frames or small white touches can be very effective.

Bathrooms are often almost entirely white. This is a great place to experiment with color combinations with white. White works well with bright colors as well as pastels in the bathroom. If you have subway tile then black and white is the way to go with maybe chrome as the accent color or red.

In the bedroom, white is a crisp and clean color for bedding. Jewel colors are especially pretty in the bedroom. If your room is small, you can do three walls white and use color on one accent wall. A creamy white goes well with fall colors of gold, orange, green and brown.

White offers a wide variety of design options in your house. You can start small and add different whites to your rooms from top to bottom or just in the accessories. White is one of the most versatile colors that you can use and in combination will give you a clean, upscale and warm look.

Quick winterizing tips for your home

When you are a homeowner, winter brings some special challenges. It is important that you do all the things that are necessary to get your home ready for winter. Here are some quick tips for things that are important to protect your investment.

Get the furnace cleaned

No matter what type of furnace you are using to heat your home it is importance that you do regular maintenance on it. This involves calling your oil or gas company and getting a service man out there to do a cleaning. It is important to know how efficient your furnace is and this is part of the service. Filters need to be changed and adjustments made. The amount that you pay for this service call will be paid back to you in fuel savings over the course of the winter.

Put in storm windows

If you have storm windows, this is the time to put them in or lower them down. You want your house to be as snug as possible and not putting in storm windows may result in drafts and loss of heat. With the price of all types of fuel, no one can afford to be wasteful. While you are taking care of your windows, check the caulking to make sure that everything is in place and you won’t be letting the cold in and your heat escape out. If your windows are old or leaky, you may want to add a plastic film over them. This can be done with a hairdryer. This makes the film fit very tight, like a second skin and it can make a big difference in the temperature and drafts in a room.

Storm doors

It is time to take the screens out of your storm doors and to place the glass windows in. Some storm doors have the windows built in; you just lower the screen inside the door. Other doors have screens that are totally removed and stored.

Turn off the exterior faucets

Before the freezing weather arrives, bleed the pipes leading to the faucet and turn them off inside so that you won’t end up with frozen or even worse burst pipes. While you are at it, bring any of your hoses inside and store them for the winter.

Supplies

Before you need it, be sure that your snow shovel is in good condition and you know where it is. If you use a snow blower get it ready for its first use. Pick up a bag of sand and one of salt, it is better to be prepared than to be running around right before the first snow.

Get the chimney cleaned

If you are going to be using your fireplace, get the chimney cleaned and serviced. Dirty chimneys s can cause home fires so this is a very important tip.

Change the battery in your carbon monoxide monitor

This is the time of year when you need to change the battery in your carbon monoxide monitor. Every year people die from carbon monoxide poisoning, you don’t want to be one of them. This is such a simple thing to do and it can save your life.

These are just a few quick things that you can do to winterize your house. You can do it all of these on one day of your weekend and then relax and enjoy the fall.

Halloween home safety tips

Halloween is a very popular celebration in the United States. It takes place on October 31st when the time has already changed back to standard time and the darkness comes early. When it gets dark early and you have a lot of older children roaming around in neighborhoods, chances are someone will come up with the thought of doing some mischief. Generations of children have participated in the Halloween tricks and if you won’t be home, you are an easy target.

How you handle being away for Halloween depends on how long you are planning to be away. If you are going to be away for just that evening then you may want to leave a bowl filled with candy on your front porch and trust in the honesty of the children who will be visiting. This happens in neighborhoods all over the country. You do of course want to make sure that it is well lit and that it is quite obvious where the goodies are located.

If however, you are going to be away for the week and no one will be around to put out a bowl of candy for the trick or treaters it is a totally different issue. Vandalism can be a big problem on Halloween whether you are home or not. It is after all “trick” or treats and sometimes that is misinterpreted as “trick and treat”.

Halloween is a night when pumpkins to get smashed, cars and houses get egged and general mischief is common. If this happens in your neighborhood, and it happens even in the best neighborhoods, then you will want to let the local police department know that you will not be at home on Halloween. Even if you think it doesn’t happen in your neighborhood, it is a good idea to let the police know you will be away.

Remove anything from your yard that may tempt any mischief makers. If you are leaving a vehicle at home, put it in the garage if you have one. Don’t leave any pumpkins unattended on your stoop or steps. Take in any decorations that could be vandalized. You can’t take away all the temptation but make sure there is nothing obviously easy to damage left out.

Your home should be locked and the alarm set. Notify the alarm company that you will away. Don’t leave any pets outside or in the house. It is always a good idea to have lights set in the house to go on at odd times so that it is less obvious that you are not at home. Make sure the newspaper is canceled and the mail is being held at the post office.

Good exterior lights that either stay on all night or are motion sensitive are a good deterrent. If someone is trying to sneak up close to your house, the last thing they want is a spotlight shining directly on them.

It is always a good idea if you have close neighbors to let them know that you will be away so that they can notify the police if they see anything suspicious. More mischief happens on Halloween than at any other time of the year. It is a good night to be at home if at all possible. If you must be away, taking all these precautions will lessen the chance that you will be a victim of some sort of vandalism or even better get a house sitter and your house will not be unattended.

Controlling clutter in your home

Clutter seems to have a life of its own. It starts with one small piece and then it multiplies. It can happen slowly or it can take months or even years but suddenly one morning you wake up and realize that you are buried under mounds of clutter. It can be quite an overwhelming task to control the clutter in your home but once you have, the most important thing to learn is how to avoid the clutter in the future.

You will need to assess what your particular weaknesses are. Everyone has them, what is important is to identify the areas that tend to overwhelm you with clutter. Look at each of your rooms, are some more cluttered than others? What is the source of the clutter? Now you need to come up with a plan to contain the clutter.

Contain is the perfect word for dealing with clutter because often containers can help to minimize the amount of clutter that is visible in your home and also help you to find a permanent solution.

Kitchen Clutter

Kitchen clutter can come from many sources; it can be the mail which accumulates on the counter or the table. It can be children’s school papers which come home in huge amounts on a daily basis; it can be food items that area not replaced in the pantry. A good policy for the entire house is that everything has a home and when not in actual use, it needs to be in its home. If the children make a bowl of cereal, they replace the cereal in the pantry immediately. If you use a utensil, it goes into the dishwasher then back into its home.

Mail is a huge issue and needs to be dealt with immediately. As soon as it comes in the door, divide it into keep and throw out piles  and shred any throw outs that might have sensitive information. Be very selective about what you keep. If at all possible go paperless on your bills and that will cut down immensely on the mail clutter. You can also sign up to opt out of most junk mail.

Entrance

Have a place for all items entering the home. A closet or coat rack near the entrance can take care of outer garments and footwear. If you have children with backpacks etc., t is a good idea to have a place near the door to deposit these items. They can be brought into the home when the items inside need to be dealt with but stored near the door so in the morning everyone knows exactly where their stuff is.

Clothes

Clothes, both clean and dirty are a major source of clutter in many homes. It isn’t just the teens who have piles of clothing littering their floors. Every bedroom should have a place to store clean clothing and a hamper of some sort for dirty laundry. It may require some retraining but it is not a good idea to live out of a laundry basket. Put things away, it will make your life much less cluttered.

Toys

When you have children, toy clutter can be a big issue. The only cure for this is to confine the clutter and this can mean that there is a no toys rule in certain rooms. If this seems too harsh then it is necessary to enforce a play and pickup rule and to have a container for the toys in any room where the children will be using them. It may be necessary to confiscate some toys until the children learn that when they are through with a toy it needs to be put away but most kids are fast learners and will get with the program if they know you are serious.

Controlling clutter in your home is a huge undertaking but it can be done and life will be much less stressful once it is accomplished not to mention, that your house will be a lot neater.

Removing pet urine smell without chemicals

Every pet owner knows, that one of the hardest things to get rid of in the home is the smell of pet urine. It is nearly impossible to remove the odor once it has permeated a carpet. This is a very strong smell and difficult to remove, especially if your pet is a cat. Removing  pet urine smell without chemicals will not be easy but it is possible.

The quicker the smell is noticed and attacked, the better the results. If the surface is a hard one, wipe it down with a mop and hot water as quickly as possible. If it is tile or linoleum, adding some bleach to the water will disinfect the area. This treatment is not appropriate for all surfaces and of course, bleach is not very green but sometimes is necessary.

Be sure to wash the mop immediately because the smell is so strong that it can linger on the mophead. If you have a steam floor cleaner, it is a good idea after wiping the area to go over it with the steam cleaner.

Where the smell really gets to be an issue is when the accident happens on carpeting or a rug. If it happens to be a throw rug, get it into the washing machine with some baking soda or white vinegar as quickly as possible. The longer the urine stays on the rug, the harder it will be to remove the odor.

If the urine is on carpeting and you smell it right away, get some paper towel and mop up the wet spot. Take a bowl and fill it with equal parts warm water and white vinegar. With a rag, soaked in the water and vinegar, wet the spot with the solution. Let it sit for a few minutes if possible and then using a dry towel, absorb the water and vinegar.

Don't worry about the vinegar smell. You are not replacing one smell with another. The vinegar odor will go away within a short time. This works pretty well if you catch it right away. If, however, it has dried or is a repeat offense, it is more difficult.

Using a carpet steam cleaner is the next step if the odor still lingers. You can use one of the commercial pet odor cleaners in your machine or use baking soda in your water. Baking soda can be quite effective against pet urine smells, sometimes.

After the carpet has dried, try sprinkling it with baking soda, allow it to sit for a while and then vacuum it up. If the urine smell is on furniture, you can use most of these methods as long as the material is strong enough to take the treatment.

There is really no guarantee any of these methods will work. In some extreme cases, the only cure is to remove the carpet and in really bad cases, the sub-flooring. When it comes to pet urine, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Cleaning the exterior of your home

Curb appeal is a term that has worked its way into every American’s vocabulary. Entire shows are devoted to this subject on the Home and Garden Network. Part of curb appeal is having a clean, well-groomed house and yard. But where to begin?

Can you say power washer? This has to be the greatest invention since sliced bread. Your husband can become the Superman of house cleaning with his trusty power washer in hand. We all know that men like gadgets, this one will get him out there cleaning in no time at all.

The way to tackle exterior house cleaning is from top to bottom. The first task that has to be done are the gutters. While these can be cleaned on the exterior with the power washer, the interior is better served with hand removal of any heavy debris followed by rinsing with a hose. This is one of the most important jobs because clogged gutters can cause serious damage to your home.

While you are up there, take a good look at your roof and if necessary, the flashing to make sure everything is in good repair.

If the spring has had especially heavy pollen, you may need to power wash the roof as well. There are some years when the yellow pollen is so thick, you can barely see the tiles. The next step will be the siding. If you have vinyl or aluminum this is very easy to power wash. The beauty of power washing is that you can use water without having to use any harsh chemicals.

If you have heavy growth near or climbing up the house, this is the time to trim or cut it totally back. If there is any mold growing on the house or foundation, you should treat that with an organic anti-fungal and a steam cleaner if you own one.

Decks and fences are always one of the biggest jobs every spring. Now your husband can get the power washer out and takes all that darkness right off the wood. While you are taking care of the dirt, this is also a good time to check for any nails or screws that may need replacing or any wood that is showing wear. If needed, you may apply a new coat of protective sealant or paint.

Cleaning isn’t confined just to the physical structure of the house, it also involves the pavement, driveway and the flower beds and foliage. After all the pollen has subsided and the helicopters have all fallen, it is time to sweep and wash your driveway and sidewalks. Trim back any grass that has started to come up through the cracks and along the edges.

There are some organic weed killers that can be applied to keep the weeds from returning. If your driveway is in good condition, that is all that is necessary. If it needs a new coat of tar then that needs several days of dry weather and a lot of work.

Cleaning the debris out of flower beds and along the house can be a back breaking job but needs to be done annually so that new plants can be added and all weeds and old dead plants can be removed. The author likes to wait until the tulips and daffodils have passed to go in for the big cleanup. Be sure to keep in mind that there may be some other annuals in your beds.

You don’t want to inadvertently pull them out. You can clean out your beds first with the leaf blower. It does a pretty good job of getting anything out that has blown in over the winter. You then put on your gloves and remove the rest by hand. You are now ready to fill your planters with your new perennials and get set to enjoy them.

Windows are a big part of spring cleaning both interior and exterior. For the ones that are high up, you can wash them with window cleaner which attaches to the hose. This takes off the majority of the dirt and grim. If you have the kind of windows that pop in, you can finish up all the exterior windows with vinegar, water, and newspaper.

This year why not finish up by painting your doors and shutters a new color. This isn’t really a cleaning task but it adds the finishing touch to your house. Now it is time to sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor, at least until the fall that is.

Cleaning the fridge

The best way to clean your refrigerator is the way that works best for you. There isn’t one way that's better than another, if it works for you, use it.

Are you one of the people who put off cleaning their refrigerator until it is a big job? Ideally, if you keep up with every spill and dispose of every leftover, each week ,you will never need to worry much about the big cleaning. 

As everyone knows, life isn’t ideal and while you may have good intentions, every day events interfere. The time has come to deal with cleaning your fridge. Where to begin is the issue.

• The first step is to open that door and start to remove any food that has mold growing on it. Let’s face it, most people have those unidentified leftovers. Have your garbage pail nearby to empty the “food” into. If you can’t remember what it is or when you served it, it’s time to dispose of it. In some cases, it may be best to just throw away the whole container, opening it will release some smells that you may not want to have to deal with. If you must, dumping the content into a zip top storage bag will keep the odor from spreading throughout your entire house.
• Moving on to step two, check the dates on anything else that is in the fridge. You may have three-month-old sour cream, four-month-old cream cheese, condiments way beyond their expiration date. Dump the contents and then recycle the containers.
• By now you probably need to take a coffee break and get ready for step three. It is helpful if you have a cooler or a thermal bag to store any of the items which could spoil, especially of if it is warm out.
• Clear off the top shelf and place the items in the cooler. Remove the shelf and place it in your kitchen sink and wash it well with a sponge and your favorite cleaning solution. You may need a plastic scrapper  for dried-on spots and spills. While it is soaking, wipe down the sides and back walls of the fridge above the level of this shelf. You can use most any cleaner that you like. If you want to be greener just vinegar and water will work or something antibacterial like Lysol kitchen cleaner is a favorite. 
• Dry the shelf and place it back in the fridge. Wipe down any jars or containers you are replacing. Repeat this with every shelf and then move on to any drawers that you have. This is the time to get rid of the wrinkled veggies and fruit that seem to have a life of their own going on in your produce drawer.
• The next step is the door. Remove the shelves as well and wipe down. Before you finish up the inside it is a good idea to place a freshly opened box of baking soda inside. This will help to absorb and strong odors that may arise.
• The freezer can be cleaned at the same time or saved for another time. This is when you will really need your cooler. Make some fresh ice cubes if you still use trays and if you have ones made by the freezer, empty your basin, rinse and start fresh.
• The top of the fridge is a great place for dust, dirt, and grease to accumulate. You will need to use a grease-cutting cleanser to make sure that it sparkles. Spray down the exterior and dry with a lint-free towel or paper towels.

You now have a sparkling clean fridge and if no one uses it, it will stay that way. In the real world, you will need to keep a very close watch to keep it looking clean and fresh. This is a great time to invite your mom or mother-in-law over for a visit and make sure you cook so you can open your fridge!

Making fall leaf raking less of a chore

The colors of fall have a universal appeal. People jump into their cars to drive to areas where the color is vibrant. Have you ever noticed how fast the gorgeous fall foliage turns into backbreaking leaf raking? It seems that you just barely have time to enjoy the wonderful color when a heavy rain or wind storm comes along and sends all those leaves flying through the air and onto the ground.

When the first leaves fall, it is easy to get the kids involved in the chore of raking them up and getting them bagged. Jumping into a huge pile of leaves is great fun for kids of all ages. However, after the initial novelty has worn off, the kids scatter like the wind when any talk of raking takes place and it becomes a burden that can go on for weeks.

There are two schools of thought on raking leaves. Some people like to rake every day to keep up with the leaves as they are falling. The other school of thought is that it is better to wait until all the leaves have fallen from the trees, and if the snow just happens to come before the end of the fall season, well then the leaves will still be there when spring comes around.

The benefit of keeping up with the leaves is that they are much easier to rake when they are dry. At the end of the day, the leaves will fall down and need to be raked whether it is now or later. Here are a few tips for raking fall leaves.

Blower  

If you have a leaf blower, this is one method to move the leaves relatively quickly and easily. They also make a leaf blower that is a vacuum as well so that you can grab all those hard to reach leaves that are underneath bushes or in your flower beds. They come with a bag that while it is not large, is big enough to help move the leaves from the ground to the disposal area.

Mower attachment

With a tractor style lawn mower, you can attach a raking cart that grabs up the leaves and throws them into the cart as you drive around the yard. This is a great option for the larger lawns with wide open spaces; it can save an immense amount of time.

Rake

Nothing will ever totally take the place of your rake. You probably have a metal rake, a plastic rake and maybe even a bamboo rake. A bamboo rake is a greener option but it is less durable and much less likely to last more than one season. If you have young children, you may even want to get them their own scaled to size rake. If you are raking, be sure to wear work gloves, blisters are a common result of not wearing them.

Once the leaves have been raked into piles, the obligatory jumping has been done and the re-raking accomplished, what then? Check to see if your town, county or township has a leaf collection policy. There are some that will pick up bagged leaves on certain days. If you are new to the area, check with your neighbors. In some areas you need to buy large paper bags, other will except standard plastic leave bags. If there is no pickup you will need to dispose of the leaves at your local dump or land fill.

Depending on the weather in your area, the time of year for raking leaves can extend from early October through early December. Raking the leaves is a major chore every year. When the majority of the leaves have been raked, if you have a mulching lawn mower, the last ones can be chopped to mulch the lawn and help guarantee a greener lawn in the spring. You can now sit back and wait for the first snow confident that you have done that chore of raking leaves for one more fall season.

Cleaning kitchen cabinets

Some house cleaning jobs are harder than others. One of the biggest is cleaning the kitchen cabinets. The reason that the job is so big is that cooking produces grease. This grease sticks to all the surfaces in your kitchen. The grease, in turn, attracts dust particles and now we have a really big greasy, dusty mess.

How you go about cleaning this greasy, dusty mess is in a large part determined by the material that your cabinets are made out of. Wooden cabinets have to be treated differently than Formica ones. You need to treat your wood as you would any wooden piece of furniture. That doesn’t mean that you can just give them a spray of furniture polish and be done with it, however.

Depending on how green you are being, you will either place a kitchen cleaning cleaner or white vinegar into a pail of warm water. You can use a sponge or a soft rag to wash first the inside of your cabinet. This will allow you to test whether or not washing them will damage the wood in any way. There are special cleaners like Murphy’s Wood Soap which is made especially for wooden furniture and floors.

If your cabinets are Formica, metal or another material, you may find that streaks are more of an issue than they are with wood. You will need to wipe them dry with a straight even stroke a lot like when you are cleaning your windows.

You will need to use a ladder to clean the upper cabinets. After you have determined that your cleaner is safe for your cabinet you can start from the top and wipe down the cabinets. You may have to rinse your rag or sponge and wipe more than once to get all the grease and dust off. Use a clean dry rag or chamois to wipe the cabinets dry. If the wood is untreated you may want to use a cream wood treatment to make your cabinets shine and resist the grease and dust for a little longer.

If the grease is very tough to get off you may have to resort to a little more than just a quick wipe. Using a non-abrasive plastic scrubber may help to get into groves and the hardest hit areas around the handles. Be very careful not to damage the finish on your cabinets.

The handles of your cabinets need to be cleaned separately. Wash the surface around them carefully and then you can treat them with a metal cleaner depending on what they are made of. This can be brass or chrome or many other finishes.

Cleaning your cabinets is a big job. If you want to cut down on the amount of work all at one time you can make wiping down one or two part of your regular weekly cleaning.

Cheap ways to organize your kitchen

 It is very easy for a kitchen to get out of control. No one has enough storage space no matter how much of it there is in the kitchen. Finding kitchen storage ideas will help to maximize the space available and allow it to be used efficiently. In today’s economy, it is also necessary to find it at an affordable price.

One of the best ways to use every bit of space in the cupboards is to install a Lazy Susan. While this isn’t the easiest storage unit to install since the center pole needs to be perfectly straight, it does allow for a lot of extra storage. Lazy Susan units are available at the local Home Depot or Lowes for under $50 depending on the size of your cupboard. This is an especially good choice for a deep corner cupboard where usually the things that you store get pushed into the back corner and you can’t see what you have.

For kitchen drawers, there are storage units that can help organize whether it is the silverware,  cooking utensils or junk and in spite of everything,  a junk drawer just seems to happen in most kitchens. These storage units can be made of lightweight materials and Rubbermaid has a selection of dividers and storage units that can be interchanged to fit a variety  of drawer sizes.

For easy access to all the items on shelves or under the sink, consider adding pull out drawers and trays. These bring all the things that are stored, right out into the room and allow access to all the cleaning supplies under the sink or all the cans on the shelves.

Storage containers are the best investment in the kitchen. Not only can they save a lot of space but they can keep food fresher longer. Get rid of large bulky boxes and put  cereal, dog food and pasta in clear plastic locking containers. These can be purchased in large sets and help to get  baking supplies, pantry and counters totally organized and under control. Make sure that to get clear plastic so that what is in the containers is visible.

The lids for pots and pans can take  up a lot of space in cupboards.  Adding racks that can hold all the lids and make them available when needed are a good storage and organizational option.

A great way to store sharp knives is with a magnetic knife rack. This can be placed on the wall behind the stove.  It assures that knives are in a safe place away from inquiring little hands and easily available when needed for any kitchen task.

Valuable floor space can be saved with the use of a cupboard to hold garbage and recycling bins. It contains clutter and keeps unsightly bins out of sight.

These are just a few inexpensive storage ideas for the kitchen.  An organized kitchen makes everyday tasks easier and cleanup quicker.

Quick and Easy Fall Yard Clean Up Tips

As the year starts to wind down, it is time to start fall cleanup in your yard. How much work will be required is determined to a large extent by where you live, the size of your yard and the amount of landscaping you have. Here are a few tips to make the fall yard clean up as easy as possible.

The obvious way to make fall clean up easy is to hire someone to do it for you. In these tough economic times, there are many people looking for work. If you can afford to do it, you can sit back and feel good about giving someone a job while having your fall yard clean up done for you.

If this is not possible then it is time to recruit the entire family. Designate a weekend as fall yard cleanup and make it a fun time. Have plenty of gloves, rakes, a leaf blower, a wheelbarrow and leaf bags. Give out assignments; this is the best way to be efficient. Allowing children or teens to decide what they would like to do is most likely not going to result in much work getting done. Have realistic expectations and offer a reward for assignments completed.

Begin by doing an inventory of the yard. Are there items that need to be stored away for the coming winter? These items need to be moved to the basement, a shed or garage. Be sure to remove any water and to remove any dirt before storing away.

Look for dead annuals, it is time to get them out of the ground and throw the remains away. Any perennials can be cut back and prepared for the hibernation that takes place over the winter. Look for broken or damaged limbs and remove, better to take them down now than to have them fall over the winter. This is the time for pruning as well if you have roses in your yard.

The biggest task that must be dealt with in the yard every fall is the leaves that fall from the trees. While this shedding of leaves does not happen everywhere, it happens in enough areas to be something that is dreaded.

Several ways come to mind to attack this task, which is the easier is debatable. Leaves do not fall all at once, they trickle down a few at a time until there is some sort of major rain or wind storm. Some people prefer to rake and bag the leaves as they fall and others prefer to wait until the inevitable storm when all the leaves will finally come down to deal with the issue.

The main thing that is important is to rake or blow the leaves when they are dry. This makes them much lighter and easier to deal with. Wet leaves stick to the ground, bushes, and to tree trunks making their removal difficult.

Fall yard cleanup is something that anyone with a yard has to deal with. It doesn’t have to be a hard job if you follow these few tips for getting the job done.

Enhancing decor with natural light

Natural lighting is one of the best decorating options available. Most homes have windows and if at all possible, skylights are perfect for getting the natural light in. The beauty of using natural light to enhance decor is that it is free and all you need to do is to take advantage of it.

The first thing you need to do in any room is to access how much natural light you have available. This requires removing all window coverings and seeing how you can get the light into the room and still maintain the level of privacy that you want.

You can increase the natural lighting in your home many ways. The first is to add skylights. f Of course, this is not free but can turn a dark and closed-in room into one that is filled with light. Not all rooms are conducive to adding skylights however if you have an attic above a first-floor room, skylights can go through both floors.

Solar tubes are another way to add a lot of natural light to your rooms. We have them in our Florida home and it is wonderful. We keep trying to turn off the lights during the day, and of course, they are not on, it is the solar tubes. 

Windows can have a lot of wood on them, this blocks some of the natural light, and you may want to replace your windows with ones that are full glass.  Replacing a single door with sliding glass doors can also bring a lot of natural light into a room. Another option that is not as expensive is to replace solid interior doors with French doors thus letting in a lot more light.

Once you have let all the  natural light possible, it is time to use that light. White is the most reflective color when it comes to light. Using white for the walls of a room will reflect the light that you have to the best advantage. Another natural way to use light in a room is with mirrors. Strategically placed they will reflect the sunlight that comes into the room. If white is too much for you most light colors will work almost as well.

When it comes to window coverings that allow for the most natural light, you will need to leave the windows uncovered during the day or use the sheerest of window coverings. To maintain your privacy you can use drapes that can be drawn back in the day time and pulled closed at night.

Shades also work well as long as they don’t block out the light when you want it but provide privacy when you want it. There are shades which allow light to come through but from the exterior cannot be seen through. These are pricey but are a perfect solution.

Natural light is a wonderful addition to a room. It is softer than artificial light and can add the warmth you are looking for. When it comes to home decor, natural light is a very good thing.

Landscaping a small yard

Landscaping a small yard in no way limits the options that are available to you. What you need to do is to keep scale in mind when choosing how to landscape.

Take stock of your yard. Where is the outdoor space that you do have? Is it to the front, to the back or to the side? Do you have a porch or a deck? Don’t forget that even though the yard may be small if you have a porch or a deck you have an additional area that you can add your personal touch to.

How much maintenance do you want? If you are the type who loves to spend hours in the yard planting, weeding and enjoying your garden then that will be a determining factor in what you chose to plant in your yard. If you want a low or no maintenance yard, don’t despair you can still have a warm and welcoming space.

You need to access the space and decide what you want your main feature to be. Even the smallest yard can have a water feature. You may choose a small fountain or a birdbath, either one will add a lot of visual interest.

If you want low maintenance, consider putting down paving stones and use tall grasses to decorate the area near your house or in the beds. Low lying plants like heather require very little care and give nice color for a good part of the year.

In a small yard container-gardening may be the optimal choice. It takes up very little space and allows you to grow annuals, perennials, and even vegetables. Remember, even though you don’t have a lot of ground space you can always go up. You can use hanging plants or bird feeders that attach to your house and let you still use the ground space for other more practical things like a table and chairs or a bench.

The most important thing to keep in mind no matter what you chose for your design is to plan it to scale. There is nothing that is out of the question but it must fit the scope of your yard. You don’t want to choose plants or trees that will overwhelm your space.

Choose colors that will enlarge your space. Cool colors such as blues and lavenders are the perfect way to add color and make your yard seem less claustrophobic or overcrowded.

If your yard space is on the front of your house always keep the curb appeal in mind. You don’t want to take away from the overall appearance of your home. Whatever you choose, make sure that your house looks balanced, don’t put all the features on one side.

Just because your yard is small doesn’t mean that you can’t have gorgeous landscaping. Think of it as a positive, less grass to mow.