Showing posts with label spring cleaning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spring cleaning. Show all posts

May 8, 2011

Giving our bathrooms some TLC!







I hope that by now you are already enjoying closets that are more functional, practical and that have room to welcome those nice summer dresses you have been flirting with.

Today we’ll tackle the bathrooms! Those spaces many times overlooked, that get as much action as our beloved kitchens. And it will fast and easy!

Make yourself comfortable in front of your cabinets and pull out everything that is stored in there.
Take a look at each of your products and check for the expiration date. If you find something that you haven’t used in the last year, most likely you won’t use it in the next one, so be honest and throw it away. Also discard all products that have expired and put aside medication that are not in use anymore as well as past due date.

Now that you have been through all your products, look for what you have and see if you could organize it in small containers, creating groups like: face, body, hair, make-up, first-aid, hair accessories and anything else you find that can help you organize your products.

If you have girls, you know the amount of hair accessories you have there. Great containers for these items are the Snapware, stackable ones, with snaps on the sides and one lid on the top. You can organize them by type, by color or by owner and they will always stay neat inside, without spill overs in the cabinets.

In the past we were told to flush all expired or unused drugs in the toilet and down the drain; however contamination in the water supplies have changed the guidelines issued by the EPA, Dept. of Health and Human Services and other agencies for the procedures on how to discard these items. In this case:
-       Don’t flush drugs in the toilet unless the information that came with it advises to do so.
-       When discarding both prescription and non-prescription medication first crush pills and dilute liquid medication, then mix them with coffee ground, dirt, kitty litter and place it in closed plastic bag before discarding it.
-       Make sure to remove all the personal information from the containers.
-       Look for places in your community that would collect the expired medications. From time to time, large pharmacy chains hold campaigns for that purpose.
-       Your pharmacist is a great source of information, in case you still unsure about what to do with your expired medication

Now, off to the towels! Do the same with your towels and check for the ones that have spots, holes or that are just so old that you can see through it. Set them aside and if they are in “dignity condition”, put them in your car for donation, if they are just too old, use them as rags for cleaning.

Look around your bathrooms and see if you need to remove anything, like a painting which frame got damaged, a mirror that is broken, and a curtain that has seen better days and clean up.

Give yourself a treat and make your bathroom look like a spa. Put a glass jar filled with your favorite soaps on you counter or a candle with your favorite scent and your space is now clean and organized, your self-care time will be so much pleasant!

And remember, when it comes to counter tops, less is more!

April 25, 2011

A Time of Renovation & Generosity.




 

 

It’s warmer and it feels like Spring is officially here. We are back from Spring break; life is taking a new rhythm.

After so many months indoors, it finally comes the time of the year when I feel most motivated to go through every single room of the house and do a top-to-bottom, good clean up, making it ready to open the doors to let this new time come in.

So, let’s embrace this moment of renovation, when Nature is generously providing for us and set on a journey for a great soul cleansing experience. We’ll go on small steps and next thing you know, your house will be de-cluttered, organized and you’ll be so proud of yourself.

Closets
-    Bring out your sweaters, heavy pants, and jackets and make an inspection to see what needs to be washed or dry cleaned before you put it away until Fall comes around again. Don’t feel tempted to skip this part and you won’t regret the small investment of time or money taking care of your winter favorites. Storing them without care is the easiest way to invite moths to ruin your clothes.
-    Store your coats in garment bags. Moths can’t make through them and it will protect your toasty ones for years to come.
-    If you store your winter items out of your closet, make sure the drawers, chest, containers they’ll be in for the next months are clean and dry.
-    Avoid using mothballs. They smell terribly and are unhealthy for you and unsafe for kids. Instead, use cedar balls or herbal sachets.
-    Now that you made some room, give your closet a cleanup! After months of use, dust is sure to settle. So, if you don’t do it on a regular basis, this is a great time to start. Dust and vacuum every corner and your clothes will be happier!

-    Shoes & Boots – Clean these hard working friends from all the salt, dirt and mud, and they will be ready for you when your feet start begging for some higher indoor temperatures again.

-    They kept you warm and pretty during winter; now put your gloves, scarves and hats to rest. Clean and store them in plastic bags, containers and you’ll have new room in the closet again.

-    Linen – Get your heavy comforters and favorite blankets and take them to the dry-cleaner. It is a small investment when compared to the price of a new one.

I hope you enjoy these little tasks this week and now that you are at it, go through your kids closets and do the same there. I'll help you through the next rooms in our next blog.

If your youngest child has outgrown his/her shoes & clothes, it’s a great opportunity to recycle them, giving it to someone who can make good use of it or hold a great garage sales with your kids.

And if you have shoes to spare, donate or that you don’t care for anymore, please, contact me.  NAPO has partnered with Soles4Souls® and Professional Organizer around the country are working together to bring shoes to those in need.

Soles4Souls® is a shoe charity that collects gently worn shoes and monies to provide shoes to those in need. The donation of shoes gives someone the hope for a better tomorrow. Donating shoes to Soles4Souls shoe charity is a great way to recycle shoes. Donate shoes today.

Want an even easier way to help? Just go to the link below and "like" the Northside USA Facebook page and they will donate one pair of shoes to Soles4Souls! Can't get easier than that! 

Always grateful and wishing you a wonderful day!

Helena
A Personal Organizer.