So . . . let's revisit this whole cleaning blog thing.

I love, love, love blogging!  But sometimes it can get a little hard to keep up on.  Especially when life is so crazy, as I know it is for everyone.  So . . . I know that I need to be better about keeping up this little blog.  I started it as a way to give little tips here and there for our customers (and hopefully soon to be customers) of our carpet cleaning business.  Brick House Carpet Cleaning - you should call us!  We are amazing!  ;) 

BUT it became a great way for me to try to improve on my own cleaning and organizing.  And basically a way to keep track of the things I know that WORK.  I've never put anything on here that I haven't tried myself.  And I just get so dang passionate about all things clean and organized. 

I am hoping to be much better this year with this little ol' blog.  Of course I want to be cleaner and more organized in the new year.  Isn't that on pretty much everyone's lists? 

So . . . here is a little tidbit that my sister sent me on GOAL SETTING.  Perfect timing for this time of year.  I thought I would share it here as a reminder to write it down . . . make a plan . . . and just do better.  I know I can do it!   Starting with being a better blogger.  Of course since this is written by Dave Ramsay, it is more money minded than cleaning, but I think the tips work for just about any goal setting you are doing. 

Top 8 Reasons to Make Goals (and Stick to Them)
from daveramsey.com on 13 Jan 2010


It’s just plain fun to accomplish a goal. When you make a plan to do something and are focused, it’s enjoyable to know that you’ll actually get it done. It’s not just idle talk. You’re getting somewhere. You're aiming toward something. But those aren't the only reasons why you should set goals. Here are a few more:

Goals Are A Compass
People who don’t make goals usually don’t get anywhere, because they don’t know where they are going.

Makes You Unique
A Harvard study found that the 3% of students who write down goals for their life accomplish more than the 97% who do not. Which group would you rather be in?

Fun Times
If you have debt, it’s more fun to have a plan to get out of it than it is to have no plan and end up in more debt.

Keeps You Focused
Just like in hockey, the person who keeps an eye on their goal wins.

Accountability
Goals on paper stare you in the face until you do them. Without goals on paper, all you have is something you maybe kinda said you’d do a few weeks ago, er, something.

Carry-over
When you excel in one area of life (which goals help you to do), that excellence spills over to other areas. You can actually lose weight because you have the discipline to stick to a budget. Imagine that!

Make The Call
With focus, you earn the right to call Dave’s radio show and scream that you are debt-free! Sweet deal, if you can get it. And with a goal of being out of debt, you can.

Be The Leader
Throw a rock out the window. You’ll hit someone who only made a promise to exercise and lose weight, and it didn’t last a month. With a goal, you can stand out from that group and encourage others to do the same.

I can't wait for my new found sucess at New Year's Resolutions AND my little ol' cleaning blog.  Yay!

Because, I know without a shadow of a doubt that CLEAN FEELS GOOD!

Labeling! Part 1

Labeling.  It is oh so important!  That is why there is going to be a Labeling Part 2, and maybe even more labeling posts in the future.  It is that important. 

Today's labeling lesson is ALWAYS label the stuff you let people borrow.  Always.  Here is why:

1.  You might want your stuff back.  And chances are, if your name is on it, it will actually get back to you.  Why?  Because every time your friend sees your name it is a big reminder that they should return your item to you.  Right? 

2.  It makes it so much easier on the person that did the borrowing, especially if they borrowed more that one person's stuff.  Example:  I just helped plan a 40th birthday extravaganza for my friend (birthday shout out to Michele!).  We had to borrow a lot of chairs, and I mean a lot.  And THEN when it came time to return the chairs, we weren't exactly sure who to return them too.  It was so confusing!  And a little annoying.  Just grab a Sharpie and write your name on the bottom of chairs (or any such items) before you hand them off.  It just makes life easier.  And you are ensured that you will get your stuff back. 

SIDE NOTE:  Sharpies are your best friend when it comes to labeling. Repeat it with me please, SHARPIES ARE MY BEST FRIEND. They really are the best for labeling big things like chairs and banquet tables.

3.  I am a scrapbooker.  And I have seen non-labelers lose stuff.  It happens.  You THINK you are the only person with a hot pink handled Crop-a-dile (yes, people, that is a real scrapbooking tool), but you are not.  And when everyone whips out their Crop-a-dile at a Crop, bad things can happen - like you never see your beloved Crop-a-dile again.  BUT, if your name is on it, and someone asks to borrow YOUR Crop-a-dile, chances are that you will have it back in your bag again when it is time to go home.  I've witnessed it may a time. 

4. Books and movies are a fine thing to lend out, but chances are, you may not see them again if you don't label them.  The perfect label for these smaller items are an address label.  You know you have TONS of them that you get free in the mail from charities wanting a donation if you accept their free gift of a sheet of address labels.  Well, whether or not you decided to donate (hey, I'm not here to judge) peel off one of those little labels and add it to your book before you give it to your friend.  That is ONLY if you want your book back.  Or your movie.  I may have loaned out my copy of Dr. Laura's The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands with no intention of getting it back.  I'm just sayin'.   And I could see Robb lending out my Anne of Green Gable movies just so he doesn't have to worry about ever having to watch them with me. 

5.  Tools want labels too.  They really do.  Tools are just one of those things that if you lend, you sort of plan on never seeing again.  BUT if your name is etched into the metal with an engraver (yes, I really have an engraver) your next door neighbor will have no choice but to remember whose thingamajig they borrowed. 

SO, my challenge for you is to label your stuff before it walks out the door . . . forever.  And trust me on this, you are not going to look all crazy possessive about your stuff if you name is on it.  You are going to look smart.  Like you care about your investments.  And you should!  It is seriously annoying to have to replace something you loaned out.  Seriously.

Because, there is no question, clean feels good!

the DO JUST ONE THING Challenge

My list to do seems to be a mile long.  Is that a summer thing?  It seems like everyone I know is doing project after project right now. 

SO, I gave myself a little challenge.  I've been doing it for two weeks now (I wanted to see if I could really do it before I blogged about it) and it seems to be working GREAT!  I call it (drum roll please) . . .

THE DO JUST ONE THING CHALLENGE

I have an ongoing list of things I need to do, but never seem to get to.  The lovely list has chores listed both big and small.  So on the super busy days, I pick a small job (like clean a bathroom drawer) . . . and on those rare days when I have a huge chunk of time (huh?  like, when does that ever happen?), I pick a big job (like empty out the storage unit). 

Side note:  Yes, we emptied out our storage unit yesterday!  Which will save us a whopping $100 a month on ridulousness.  It feels oh so great!  Although, now my GARAGE is full of crap that I now need to sell or donate, but at least that gets me one step closer to getting rid of junk we don't even use!  Victory!

So, if you have a bunch of annoying little (and big) jobs that just nag at you, and you never seem to find the time for them. . .  try the DO JUST ONE THING CHALLENGE!  If it works for me, it will work for anyone.  Trust me on this.  And it feels sooooooo great to chip away and my crazy list of things to do. 

Because, you know, clean and being organized feels good! 

From Top to Bottom

Just a quick tip I picked up on a while back, which may or may not be obvious to the rest of the world . . . because it wasn't to me! 

It is always best to clean from TOP to BOTTOM.   Gravity is your friend but can also be your enemy when it comes to cleaning.  Think about it.  You've finished mopping the floors, and you then wipe off the counters.  It is inevitable, some of that crud is totally going to fall on your newly mopped floor.  Yuk!

This is an especially helpful when you are dusting something like the ceiling fan (dang! those things can collect SERIOUS dust) and dust falls all over the floor.  Then when you vacuum, you can just take care of the dust with the vacuum.  Easy peasy! 

SO, if you already knew this, I guess you could teach me a thing or two about cleaning.  :)

Oh, and did you know?  Clean feels good!

The Ever So Fabulous Clothes Hanger Trick

Have you heard the clothes hanger trick when it comes to purging clothes you never wear?  Well, it is oh so simple . . . and it totally works!   I have applied this to my closet R E L I G I O U S L Y, and my closet (and tendency for collecting clutter) have loved me for it. 

It is as simple as this.  Turn your hangers backwards in your closet.  That way, after a month or two, or when you do the Seasonal Clothes Switch Out, you will know what clothes you haven't been wearing and you can just get rid of them.  I do this --  no. matter. what.  Even if I think that shirt is super cute - there is some reason I never wear it. . . and that means it is time to go!

Ok. This obviously isn't MY forest green Girbaud jeans.  Use your imagination, please.  And I'm pretty sure I didn't look at all like Katie Holmes wearing them.  But I DID peg them, like Miss Katie.  :)   Lovely.

Try this out.  Really, it works wonderfully!   It helped me finally get rid of the forest green Girbaud jeans I was holding on to from back in the 90's.  Which also didn't even fit anymore.  But knowing I had spent $80 on those babies (and that was a lot for a pair of jeans in the 90's!) made me want to hold on to them forever.  I hope their new owner cherishes them like I did.  I haven't missed them a bit. 

Oh, by the way, clean feels good!

Snapware Containers = organizational happiness

This lovely photo was from Becky Higgins' blog.  Her pantry just looks so much nicer than mine. 

Recently one of my favorite bloggers, Becky Higgins, did a post on her pantry organization.  Becky is Little Miss Perfect when it comes to, well, everything!  And I only mean that in the kindest way.  I am a huge fan of Becky Higgins.  Not only is she one of the most talented scrapbookers ever, but she is an Organization Queen too.  Love that combination!

Anyway, Becky recently organized her pantry and you can read all about it here. 

The thing that got me oh so excited was that I have been using her new container of choice, Snapware Containers, for years in my pantry.  I love, love, love them!  Mostly because I like to buy things in bulk - like bagged cereal, giant bags of pretzels from Costco, and Goldfish crackers.  I also love to make homemade granola, which stays nice and fresh in Snapware, and it looks lovely too.  This is why I have such a love affair with Snapware.

When you pour your cereal (or whatever) the lid stays open.  It is genius, I'm telling you!

And it makes your pantry look so clean!  And organized!  Pure love.

I should mention that these little babies are NOT dishwasher safe.  That is the only drawback.  I feel like a pioneer when I have to scrub them out myself.  But I really think they are worth it!   And that is obviously saying a lot if I am willing to hand wash them. 

So try them out, if you are in a pantry revamping spring cleaning kind of mood!  They are a little pricey, so you may want to just try out a few to see if they work for you.  But they will last a good long time.  Especially if you don't accidentally leave one close to the stove and then turn it on.  I am sorry to say I know this from experience.  And I am also sorry to say that I am to cheap frugal to throw it away.  I still use the dang melted thing!   I just stick it in the back.  No one knows.  It is in the pantry, for hecks sake.   

You'll have to let me know if you love Snapware as much as I do! 

Because it is just the best thing to feel organized, because clean feels good!

The DREADED seasonal clothes switch out.

Do you hate the seasonal clothes switch out as much as I do?  This chore seems to last a full week for me for some unknown reason.  And it drives. me. crazy!!!   So, this year I decided to try things a little differently.  I enlisted the troops.  And let me tell you, they were not a bit happy about having their Saturday taken up by such a lame-o chore!  But it really did make my life so much happier and easier not dragging the winter clothes switch out f o r e v e r. 

So here is what I did.  Prepare to be amazed. 

1.  I had each boy (since that is what we have around our house.  except for me, of course) pull all the clothes out of their closet that are winter-ish.  I had them hold on to a few pairs of favorite jeans, but for the most part anything with "long" in the title - long sleeved shirts, long pants, long underwear (I'm kidding on the last one) were pulled out of the closet.

2.  I then had them remove the hangers.  And put in a tidy pile.  I can't handle a tangle of hangers.

3.  I folded the winter-ish clothes and put them in clear plastic Sterlite containers that are my fav for this sort of thing.  I have been using them for years, and I have a real love affair with them!  I buy them at Target . . . and sometimes they even go on sale!   Yay!  Anyway . . . you should know that I have to fold the clothes.  They have to look a little bit orderly since you can see into the containers.  I am quirky like that.  BUT if that doesn't bother you, this is another thing you should have your kids do.  I probably should teach my boys how to fold . . . but I am so not there yet.   Oh, and don't forget to label the outside of the containers with something brilliant like "Kade, winter."  Or the size would be good too.

BUT, I digress. 

4.  I then had them sort through their spring/summer clothes and pick the ones they still like and think they will wear.  We always seem to have closet overload - you know,the kind of closet squishiness that doesn't allow you to hang even one more t-shirt, and it is one of my New Year's Resolutions to stop that insanity.  SO, I told them they could have 15 shirts and 10 pairs of shorts and/or pants.  We will store the rest and see how we do.  If they aren't missed or needed (it is nice to have a back up plan in case I get seriously behind on the laundry.  Hey!  It happens!) they will be taking a trip to the local DI.  Or maybe I will even try to sell them. Who knows!  I also made them try on the keepers - just in case their sedentary winter lifestyle packed on a few extra pounds (I am probably talking about me here).  Or just in case they grew a little taller. 

And that is it!  I knew you would be blown away.  Getting the kids involved took my week long terrible, horrible, no good, very bad project and made it into a much easier task.  Love it!

Obvious rewards?  My kids learned a new skill (how to untangle hangers), our clothes are organized, and there was more time left over for me.  AND there might have been a little Cold Stone thrown in too.   Cold Stone is my favorite kind of reward.  Cheesecake ice cream with raspberries and almonds.  Pure bliss.  I think I've mentioned this before. 

Yes, that's right. That is SNOW you are seeing.  I took this photo from my window, just today.  Yikes!  It is April 29th!

OH, and I should mention that Mother Nature also rewarded me by bringing back cold and freezing weather.  Nice.  And there is NO WAY my kids are pulling back out their winter clothes.  They are just going to have to toughen up.

But that is ok, because now we are READY!   Ready for spring!

And it is the honest to gosh truth . . . clean feels good!