parenting
How to Make Spring Cleaning Last All Year Long
Spring Cleaning doesn't have to be your worst nightmare. Instead, create a system that everyone in your house can maintain on a daily basis. Use the following tips and products to keep your house sparkling all year round.
How to Make Your House "Spring Clean" All Year
Clear Plastic Drawers
“The Little Black Dress of Organizing” - Use them in every room of the house!
- Take advantage of the space under the bathroom sink. Before I used these boxes, it was a lot of wasted space. Now, I maximize the space by storing infrequently used items (sunblock in the summer, travel sized cosmetics, and extra toothbrushes and toothpaste) in these boxes, which are stacked on either side of the pipes.
- Keep small toys together like plastic animals, flashcards and card games, miniature cars, and marbles.
- Organize work supplies, like post-it notes and small pads, ink cartridges for the printer, glue sticks and scotch tape, etc.
- Store belts, bathing suits, a lint brush, and a sewing kit (“clothing care”) in my closet.
- Group batteries, extension cords, and tools.
Brother P Touch Label Maker. PT 1290
Your home is guaranteed to stay neat and organized, if EVERYTHING is labelled. Here’s what you can label:
- The inside of drawers to differentiate long sleeve and short sleeve t-shirts.
- The bins that contain sports’ equipment and everyone’s hats, scarves, and gloves.
- The spices in the kitchen.
- The shelves of the playroom, so whoever cleans up knows where the games and puzzles belong.
- The chargers that accompany every electronic that enters my house. I want to know what each charger is and to whom it belongs.
- Every box of sentimental items I put on a high shelf.
A Decorative Tray
A genius way to store unrelated items
- Corral small items like loose change, eyeglasses, remote controls, and your lip gloss on a tray. Transforms what might otherwise look messy to a neat arrangement that’s sylish and chic.
Apothecary Jars
The stylish way to a cleaner/neater bathroom.
- I use them for Q-tips, cotton balls, tweezers and clippers, hair elastics, lip balms and glosses, make-up applicators and more.
- When grouped together, small items look pretty and purposeful. Also, the inside of the medicine cabinet looks spic and span.
Glass Jars, Assorted Sizes
Artfully display collections that would otherwise “just take up space.”
- Display collections that otherwise would languish in plastic ziplocs and clutter drawers and shelves.
- Use these to house a cork collection, a matchbox collection, shells, sea glass, rocks, and jellybeans!
Black & Decker CHV1510 Dustbuster 15.6-Volt Cordless Cyclonic Hand Vacuum
For all the times you just don’t feel like using the heavy vacuum cleaner.
- Who wants to drag out a heavy vacuum cleaner for every little spill or pile of dust bunnies? Just grab your dustbuster and watch the mess disappear!
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
A must have in any household.
- This is the perfect fix for marks that appear on hard wood, tile floors, or walls. The Magic Eraser is safe to use on most surfaces, and also removes built up grease on stoves and soap scum in sinks. It also works wonders on leather sneakers. When my children come home with dirt on the toe of their Converse sneakers or get their fingerprints on the wall, a quick rub with the Magic Erase, and everything looks brand new!
Downy Wrinkle Releaser
A huge time saver when you don’t have time to iron.
- It can be used on clothing, or even wrinkled sheets and bedding. Just spray on the wrinkled area, tug, and smooth. Not only does Downy Wrinkle Releaser smooth wrinkles, but it has a great scent.
What is the first thing you are going to tackle with your spring cleaning?
Featured picture from flickr
*Barbara Reich is not paid to endorse or associated with any of the products mentioned above. She personally uses these products in her own home and with her clients.
Barbara Reich is a professional organizer based in New York, NY. Her tough love approach turns organization and clutter from chore to lifestyle. To find more tips from Barbara, please visit www.facebook.com/ResourcefulConsultants or www.resourcefulconsultants.com
Latest posts by BarbaraReich (see all)
- Summer: How to Select and Organize Your Beach Bag - May 28, 2019
- Transitioning From a School to Summer Routine - May 25, 2019
- Summer: How to Transition from School to Summer Routines - May 8, 2019
