Cynthia Ewer's Blog, page 43
March 23, 2016
New Year Cleaning Challenge: Declutter Summer Toys
Summer toys, like the summer season, are ephemeral: they're not made to last forever.
When spring arrives, it's easy to spot the weary survivors of the previous year. Deflated beach balls and leaking air mattresses. Faded pool noodles pocked with crumbling craters. Stopper-less squirt guns and dried-out bubble solution. A solitary swim fin, mourning for its lost mate.
Time for a swift declutter session!
March 22, 2016
New Year Cleaning Challenge: Brainstorm Garage Storage Ideas
While kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms usually include built-in storage options, your average garage is just a big white box.
Where will you stow your stuff?
There's no "one size fits all" solution to garage storage, but the good news? Clever storage solutions abound!
Today, review your list of garage centers, then hit a big box store (or the organizer's darling, Pinterest!) to brainstorm storage ideas for your organized garage.
March 21, 2016
New Year Cleaning Challenge: Identify Garage Activity Centers
Looking at your garage, what do you see? Chances are, it's a mess.
When it comes to the garage, all bets are off, even in the most organized home. An open space but out of sight, it's easy for the garage to become choked and cluttered to the point that it can no longer support its intended purpose: to house automobiles.
March 16, 2016
New Year Cleaning Challenge: Identify Storage Locations
Planning storage in your organized home? Choice locations for stored objects are everywhere ... if you'll only look.
Today in the Cleaning Challenge, it's time to circle the house and identify potential storage areas.
Think outside the box, so to speak, to find unexpected homes for stored items. Look high: kitchen soffit areas are a good match for seldom-used small appliances. Stoop low: kneehole spaces in a desk can house burnable CD-ROM disks, software or printer cartridges.
March 15, 2016
New Year Cleaning Challenge: Craft a Storage Plan
Household storage spaces are too often "out of site, out of mind" ... until we need to find those tax records from 2012, and fast. Help!
Because they're not in daily view, storage spaces can become overwhelmed with clutter. A tower of electronics packaging teeters atop overstuffed bins of holiday decorations. File boxes are buried under limp piles of last summer's blow-up beach toys, swim goggles and sand chairs. Crammed and cluttered, finding stored items becomes a fruitless, frustrating tas...
March 14, 2016
New Year Cleaning Challenge: Power Up Your Storage Tools
Diving into storage areas this week, it'll be a week devoted to boxes and labels and oh! those garbage bags.
How to make this big job a bit easier? Check your tools! Having the items you need to bring order to storage areas on hand will make the job fly.
Better still, you won't need to bankrupt yourself at those pricey "organizer" stores to create an organized home. Simple tools and inexpensive products are mainstays when getting organized ... because it's all in how you use them!
March 13, 2016
New Year Cleaning Challenge: Attic/Basement Storage Week
Spring weather puts storage areas into new prominence, as we search for outdoor equipment and seasonal clothing.
Time to head to attic and basement storage areas in the New Year Cleaning Challenge!
This week, we'll plan, declutter and organize storage areas in attic or basement.
Ready? We're sorting storage this week in the Cleaning Grand Plan!
Printables:
Attic/Basement Cleaning Checklist
March 12, 2016
New Year Cleaning Challenge: Kids' Room Week Wrap-Up
It's been all things kid this week in the New Year Cleaning Challenge, as we've decluttered, cleaned and organized children's rooms.
Today, take the last steps to bring children's rooms to a state of clean and orderly..
Tomorrow, the New Year Cleaning Challenge moves storage areas in attic and basement. Are you ready to clean out stored stuff to welcome Spring?
March 10, 2016
New Year Cleaning Challenge: Kid Clutter Solution? Toy Jail!
Tired of waking each morning to a sea of toys left out after yesterday's play?
Try a toy jail!
This simple concept helps train children to the put-away habit and brings an end to early-morning stumbles over Lego creations.
Designate a toy jail in today's New Year Cleaning Challenge assignment.
March 9, 2016
New Year Cleaning Challenge: Chill the Chore Wars
Kids being kids, keeping a clean house is a struggle on a good day--and getting them to pitch in with household chores can rise to the level of a battle.
How do you chill the chore wars?
Today in the New Year Cleaning Challenge, we'll consider ways to build teamwork and teach important life skills when it comes to cleaning house.
Try these ideas to bring the family onboard.
