Tidy Tips Archives FOR HOME Quick fix for your cupboard
The golden rule of organising your cupboard is "if you haven't worn it in a year - toss it". SO, first things first - you have to toss all those clothes that are collecting dust. BUT in the event that you really aren't sure if you should toss an item of clothing, then 'flag' the hanger. During the next 6 weeks, if you wear a 'flagged' item, it is in the clear but after the 6 weeks, toss what is still 'flagged'.
Pack of linen Make that garage work for you Whether
you have one garage or two, it needs to be organised otherwise it risks
becoming the dumping ground for all manner of household items. So, if
your garage isn't working for you, resulting in you parking one of your
largest assets outside, then you need to make a plan! Start,
as usual, by taking everything out so you can see what you have and
what you don't need. It is a process, but the best tip, once you have
sorted through everything, is to group your items by category: garden
with garden, tools with tools, sports with sports. Then, the trick is
getting everyone to put it back in the ZONE!!! Purge and breathe! It
has been said over and over and yet we don't seem to hear it. STUFF can
make it hard to breathe because it just takes up space so it makes
perfect sense that getting rid of things will make life easier. But
it seems that we don't like hearing this so we dig our heels in and
will not give anything away. I challenge you therefore to do this
slowly. Choose a room that is frustrating you beyond belief and start
purging. Decide beforehand how you will get rid of that PESKY STUFF so
you don't give up on your task at hand. You will be amazed at how much
breathing space you have! Bathroom cleaning in a snap If you have the space available in your bathroom, you can save a lot of time off cleaning it by creating a
bathroom cleaning kit that you store in the room. Fill a cleaning caddy
with everything you need to clean - not having to search for these things will make cleaning more efficient. Organising your groceries If
your groceries are driving you insane because you don't know where to
put them and you keep buying more because you can't see what you have,
then these tips are for you. Remove all grocery items from where you are currently keeping them. You need to see the space you have available. Clean the space you will be using and purge what has expired or you know you aren't going to use (remembering to donate where you can). Now group items together:
tins, baking supplies, pasta, rice, spices, oils, cereal, delicious
chocs... etc etc. You do this so that you know when something is
running low and you find all similar items in the same place. Replace the items
in the space you have identified, using slide out baskets where
possible, spice racks on the inside of the door and clear containers
for small packets of soup, pasta and sauces. We
all have those 'things' that we can't bear to part with. That adorable
blankie that our child had, or that lovely scarf that once belonged to
our grandmother. There
isn't anything wrong with this unless of course you start to hoard
everything - even those you don't want to keep. BUT, no matter your
outlook, you need to organise your things, so why not start organising
the things you don't use every day but want to hand down to your
children or significant others? Archive
old letters, wrap and box the trinkets in the house that aren't your
style but you want your children to have, box up clothes (with moth
balls and tissue paper), and if you have an attic/garage with space,
store the items in labeled boxes. p.s. to avoid high drama, make sure you have written down somewhere who is getting what! I
have often read the recommendation of professional organisers to use a
timer when tidying up. Although I understood the philosophy behind the
suggestion, I wanted to put it to the test so I used it with my kids
this week-end. I
told them before I even began, that I wanted to set the timer to ONLY 5
minutes to tidy up their desk and throw away used paper and 'stuff'
lying around collecting dust. So
we duly set the timer and off we went with the tic-tic-tic in the
background a constant reminder of the task at hand. AND IT WORKED! Normally
they roll their eyes at me but because it was only a 5 minute period
that required their attention, they didn't fight the suggestion, they
just got on with it. I also think it was key that I didn't push them
beyond the 5 minutes I had requested. Give it a try for you or your kids and the principle applies to any space - remember those baby steps!
As
many other parents out there, I would arrive home late and then would
still have to worry about food. So I quickly got into the habit of
cooking more than I needed for any particular meal and then freezing
the leftovers into small portions. I would stick a piece of masking
tape on the outside of the tupperware to mark what was in it and the
date that it was cooked. Then, I would simply defrost the night before
and either use it for my kids' dinner, or send it to school for
aftercare. This saved me lots of stress, time and probably money. (A
variant of the same tip is to liquidize the food for your baby and
freeze these into ice trays, giving you smaller portions of pureed
food. You can also cook large quantities of food for the family and freeze into separate meals as well.) The kitchen is where we go to 'nourish' our bodies and families and is often a space that is bulging with things. So many different mugs, and pots, and bowls... we have more dishes, more utensils then we have space to house. We think we need all these lovely things but actually, what we really need is to sort through all our things, keep what we really use, give away what we don't and organise ourselves into work zones. Basically, you need to access what you do in the kitchen over and over, for example, perhaps baking. And you know that you do this in the same space and with the same utensils. So group these together so that you know exactly where the items you need are and where to put them when you're done. This way you're keeping the guesswork out of nourishing yourself and your loved ones. Donate old sheets and towels to a local animal shelter. These can be used to line the cages, clean up messes, dry off wet dogs, or provide warm bedding. Tips to keep allergies at bay.. I received a mail from a mom wanting general tidy tips that may help lessen her child's allergies. My son is also allergic to dust so here are a few tips to help keep allergies at bay in your home. * Keep the bedroom well ventilated to keep the humidity down. *Air the bed daily and wash the bedding frequently at temperatures over 55 degrees. I have also heard that placing the mattress in the sun regularly helps to kill the dust mites. *Vacuum and clean the room and bed regularly. Consider purchasing a water-based machine – this way the dust goes into the water and doesn’t go back into the atmosphere/room if you don’t have a clean filter. * Place thick plastic with tape over the vents in the room, especially if the area directly outside the room is dusty. (This trick has made a big difference in my son's room.) * Keep the room tidy, yet do not over dust or vacuum. Once or twice a week is fine. *
Keep soft toys off the bed as much as possible. However, since my son
loves his, placing them in a plastic bag and then putting them in the
freezer for over 12hours is said to kill the dust mites. I have made labels for years on my computer - thus being dubbed the 'label queen'. My family jokes that if they stand in one place long enough they'll be labeled. What is the big deal you may ask? Well if you label something you know where things are and where they belong. Labels will 'jump' out at you and remind you to put things back where you found them. SO, if you haven't got one yet, do yourself a favour and get one! Having a label maker makes a world of difference when you are tidying up a space and organising it. When you are moving house... Each person in the family should have their own storage box which they can fill with those things they simply cannot pack away and want as soon as they reach their new home. These could be a favourite teddy bear, a notebook, towels and sheets or that awesome straightening iron! Whatever you'll need as soon as you get there, is what you should put in the box AND each person should be responsible for their box (it isn't mom's fault if it doesn't get to the other side). Using lists to stay organised I have taken to making lists as a result of my constant 'porridge brain' (you know that syndrome that makes an appearance when you're pregnant and doesn't leave?). There is the priority to-do list in my diary, the work-around-the-house list on the white board, and the shopping list in the kitchen. I try to place these strategically on the way to the car or the office so that I see them and therefore remember to do what is on them. I know writing lists doesn't work for everyone, but at least it's a start and it is wonderful to cross an item off as DONE! Keep gift tags & wrapping handy Doesn't the cost of wrapping paper and birthday cards annoy you? I know I dislike spending money on this so I decided to get creative. I made up some basic square cards using clipart from Word, and printed these out in colour on thick paper. When I need one, I cut it out, punch a hole in the top and add some thin ribbon (colour depending on the gender of child). I use the ribbon to tie the card onto the birthday present. Quick, easy and it will save you a penny or two for that decadent chocolate you've been eyeing! Keeping the underwear draw in check When I decided that enough was enough and that I simply had to acquire nicer underwear, I also realised that I needed a better system to keep the matching items together. So I've placed old shoe boxes in my lingerie draw with panty and bra neatly tucked together (panty in the cup of the bra). Now when I reach for that lovely number I don't have to go in search of the parts that make up the sum... |
