• More Storage may be answer if you find that you have things spilling out of cupboards, cabinets and cases. You need some more tools of organization to assist you. More shelves, perhaps a chest of drawers, crates, desk organizers, shoe racks (they can be useful for a whole lot of other stuff apart from shoes), display cabinets can all come in handy. Specific items such as book cases or CD racks will make sure that everything has a place for itself.



• Get a grip on the clothes. It is a common scenario that you have more clothes than you know what to do with. This requires thorough decisions to be made: get rid of the things that you don’t fit into (and have no hope of fitting into), if you haven’t worn something for over a year, chances are you will probably never get around to wearing it; so go ahead and get rid of all those things; you will be amazed at how much bigger your closet suddenly seems!

With a little bit of determined effort there is no reason why your home will transform into a well organized, neat and inviting space.

Photo Credit: bonbon bebe

• If the task seems rather daunting to begin with, start with just one room. Work it one room at a time; if you do manage to reduce clutter in one room it will act as inspiration to do the other rooms as well. And you don’t have to do all of the rooms in one day, a room a day is good to be going on with!
• Segregate items in each room as you start the organization process: get several large bags and segregate the stuff that you are not currently using: you can throw away things, give them away (think friends, relative or charities), sell them, store some of them for use later, or actually start using or displaying some of them to good advantage! Make that every item is sorted in this manner.
• After the sorting is done, the throw away pile can go immediately. Then set targets in terms of things to sell and give away. You may find that you took all the trouble to sort things but that they are still lying around.

Photo Credit: newyork808

Over the years houses become filled with possessions that we feel we should keep but they simply end up taking up space, so relaxation goes out of the window.

Although it can be hard to let go of certain things if you are strong you will quite literally get your home back to enjoy.

You can even hold a yard sale and use the proceeds to buy something new for your newly discovered home. Once you’re clutter free make sure to stay organized and ensure that you have enough storage to suit your needs.

If you are an avid reader, put up plenty of book shelves, for hobbyist maybe built in hidden storage could work well to keep everything in its place. For parents of young children, provide lots of boxes so that they can clear up after the end of play time.

The key is to have a place for things to be stored, which ultimately means you will question whether you need to keep something or you should let it go.

Garage spaces can be much more effective if they are well organized, a little effort will start you on the path of successful household storage.

Often rooms really only need to be freshened up and the easiest and cheapest way to achieve this is by painting the walls.

If you are unsure about how to use color, go for neutral tones such as cream and introduce strong color schemes with accents like cushions or rugs. Be sure to dust down any favorite pictures, discovered during your clear out, to personalize your space.

These chemicals can be very harmful to pets and children in your home.

In addition, for those who have allergies or asthma, these chemicals can be irritating to the lungs.

However, cleaning your home does not require the use of harmful chemicals.

There are many homemade natural cleaning products you can make from safe substances that will work as good as, or better, than commercial cleaners.

Most of these cleaners can be mixed in bulk, and stored in the same way commercial cleaners are. Consider the following options to clean your home without chemicals.

Green Floor Cleaners

The type of floor cleaner you use in your home will be based on the material used to make up your floor. You don’t want to use the same thing to clean hard wood floors, that you use for laminate or tile floors.

• Laminate and Tile Floors – Laminate and tile floors should be cleaned with a mixture of equal parts white vinegar and water. This mixture can be placed in a spray bottle or mixed in your mop bucket for easy use.
• Wood Floors – To clean a wooden floor you will want to start by removing scuffs and shoe marks. The best natural solution is baking soda on a damp sponge. Rub the area gently until the mark is gone. Next wash the floor with equal parts vinegar and water. To finish the process and leave a natural shine, buff the floor with a soft rag that has been dipped in a mixture of ½ cup of olive oil and ¼ a cup of lemon juice.

Chemical Free Glass Cleaner

For cleaning windows or mirrors the best product is club soda. It does not need to be diluted and can be used while bubbly, or after it has gone flat.

Fill any spray container with club soda and spray it directly onto the glass you wish to clean. For lint free cleaning, use old newspapers rather than paper towels, for wiping.

Bathroom Cleaning Without Toxins

For the bathroom you will want to use a disinfectant spray. This mixture can be made by combining 16 ounces of water, 3 tablespoons of castile soap, and 15-20 of natural tea tree oil.

Mix these ingredients by shaking the bottle vigorously. This natural disinfectant can then be used to spray the shower, toilet bowl, or bathroom counters.

For areas covered in soap scum or tough dirt, it may be best to first sprinkle the area with baking soda. Wet the area first, and then sprinkle on dry baking soda. Let the mixture sit for about thirty minutes, and then scrub with a soft bristled brush.

All of these natural cleaners can be mixed with a natural essential oil for a better smell. Most health food stores have essential oils that smell like orange, pine, or lemon. You can enjoy natural cleaners that leave your house smelling wonderful without using any chemicals.

Your grandmother had to use tried and true methods passed down from one generation to the next in order to stay ahead of the dirt and grime.

Their homes were no less clean than a home from modern day. Here are some tips to clean home the old fashioned way.

• Bathtub Stains: With a toothbrush, use a mix of cream of tartar and hydrogen peroxide to scrub away stubborn bathtub stains. Be sure to rinse thoroughly when through.
• Spot Remover: Club soda or seltzer has long been used to remove stains or spots almost immediately. Pour some on the stain and after a few seconds blot the spot with a sponge that is damp.
• Disinfectant: Fill a spray bottle with water and add one tbsp of bleach. You can use it as a disinfectant for the kitchen or spray your shower and tub with it after someone bathes and you will never have mold or mildew stains in your tub or shower again.
• Wood Cleaner: Blend 2 tbsp of oil, preferably vegetable with 4 tbsp of white vinegar and add to a quart of water that is warm. You can clean all types of woodwork using this solution. Once you have cleaned the woodwork, take a soft, clean cloth and buff to a shine. [Clean wood floors]
• A scuffmark on Your Floors: A pencil eraser is the ideal tool to clean up black scuffmarks made by shoes on your floors.
• Carpet Stains: Try using a mix of 2 cups water boiled with ½ Cup of dishwashing liquid. With a damp sponge, apply the mix to clean the carpet.
• Unclogging a Drain: You can pour a cup of salt along with a cup of baking soda down the drain followed by pouring a large amount of boiling water. This will help to dissolve grease and clear the clog.
• Dull Stainless Steel: A rag that is moistened with either vinegar or club soda can help to bring back the shine to dull stainless steel appliances.
• Water Spots on Furniture: Use a mix of baking soda and toothpaste with a damp cloth to get rid of water spots and rings on your wood furniture.

Try these cleaning methods and save yourself a ton of change when you no longer have to buy expensive cleaning solutions.

If you tackle them on a monthly basis, you will find that when it is time for spring cleaning it won’t be so overwhelming.

• Washing the Windows

This is a task that no homemaker wants to tackle, especially when it comes to cleaning the windows on the outside. If your windows are high up be sure you have a ladder and a partner so that an emergency situation can be avoided. Use a soft chamois cloth and if windows are not really dirty, just wipe them down with cool water. If they are grimy and full of marks from wandering little fingers, your best bet is to use commercial spray cleaners for glass.

• Wash the Area in and Around Your Trash Bin

You may not realize it but the trash bin and its surrounding areas are a hot bed of dirt, grease, food specks and a whole lot of germs. Cleaning the trash pail as well as the areas around it will ensure that no one in your family will become ill from any germs that are hiding in the cracks and crevices.

• Ugh, the Stove!

Grease spots, baked on grime and food are what most kitchens sport before a thorough cleaning. Clean the cook top of the stove once it is cool. Lift the drip pans and give them a nice long soak in warm water and soap.  To clean the surface of the stove you might use a cleaner specifically manufactured for that purpose or you might want to make your own cleaning solution from vinegar and water.

• Cleaning the Fridge

It’s never a task that anyone relishes, but one that must be done at least on a monthly basis. Take everything out of the fridge and wipe down the shelves with water that is warm and soapy. Before you return the items to the fridge, get rid of old, moldy and unidentifiable food and while you are in there, practice a little organization so you don’t have to go searching for something you are craving.

If you practice a little monthly maintenance, you may never have to do a major clean up ever again. Keeping up with dirt and grime is easier than letting it go so you don’t want to deal with it at all.

However, if you really feel house cleaning as a monstrous and tedious job, here are few quick tips that can hopefully help you to keep your house clean always.

1. Eliminate things that you don’t use

Get rid of stuff that you don’t use often, particularly if you have small living space. Unused items can occupy extra space in your home and adds extra work in cleaning process. So, eliminate all unused items in house. This helps you to make your house attractive and also clean always.

2. Clean regularly

If you try to clean your house once in a while, it definitely involves lot of hard work and effort to clean clutter in your house. So, keep a schedule and spend at least 20 minutes every day to clean your house.

3. Hire a helper

Cleaning alone can be extremely tedious process, so you can hire a helper. This will be extremely important if you are cleaning your home once or twice in a week.

4. Assign duties to every member of family

You can involve your kids and other members in your family to keep your house clean and tidy all the time. Assign every day chores to every individual in your home which makes cleaning process much easy for every one.

There are many things in your kitchen that can be used for housecleaning purpose. Check out some of those natural and homemade cleaning products.

Baking soda

Baking soda is simple yet effective way to clean tough stains on surfaces of your home. You can use it directly or mix it with water for cleaning stains. Leave baking soda on sites of stain for 15-20 minutes and then wipe it off with water.

White vinegar

White vinegar is all purpose cleaning agent that has been used by many households for cleaning their homes. It is an excellent stain remover on floors, sinks, counter tops and stovetops.

If you have sensitive skin, add half cup of vinegar to rinse cycle along with laundry detergent. This will act as natural fabric softener for your clothes.

Lemon juice

Lemon juice is another natural ingredient that you can use to clean your home. Mix lemon juice and vinegar to baking soda for making cleaning paste.

Salt

Salt is best alternative for scouring powder and works effective for eliminating stains of rust. Add few drops of lime to salt and then use it for removing stains. This combination of salt and lime can work great in eliminating rust stains.

Instead of taking rest after working for long hours, having to pick up trash everywhere in the house or doing the dishes is very problematic for everyone. With all these things, you just can’t enjoy your dinner time with your family.

In this situation you can go for quick house cleaning methods or house cleaning services. House cleaning services give a great convenience to working or busy individuals.

Start house cleaning with a positive attitude so that you can enjoy while doing things. It not only makes your home shine like fresh and more sterile, but also offers you with enough physical exercise to stay healthy and fit.

House cleaning gives you an organized, hygienic and tidy environment and makes living place as safe and healthy for you and also for your family. Getting the help from your family members and from children will help you spend quality time with them.

Participating children in house cleaning chores will make them learn the needs to keep things in place and keep their room clean. Your children will come to know the importance of keeping things ordered and well-organized.

First create a house cleaning checklist. Preparing the checklist may save your time in thinking about the arrangements that you need to be made for your house cleaning. If you are preparing the checklist for the first time, it is better to note the tasks which consume greater amount of time in doing.

Confused with where to begin!

Better to start with the bathroom first. It is the most dreadful place of your home. So, it is the first place that you need to clean. A sanitary bathroom is not only tidy, but also looks attractive. It helps to refresh you every morning and you will feel the desire to soak a bit more.

Next go on to kitchen. It is the second most annoying place that requires cleaning at everywhere. In the entire house cleaning process, kitchen cleaning requires lots of attention, because it is the place where the food is.

First keep all the cleaning supplies that you need to clean the kitchen. While using cleaning supplies, wear rubber gloves to protect your hands from harmful chemicals.

Once you complete these two places, you will feel very much relaxed as you did most of the entire house cleaning process. After that move on to the laundry task and next go for cleaning the floors and so on.

Cleaning floors depends on the type of floor. If your floor is made of hardwood, it can be cleaned with oil soap. Concrete floors need to be swiped more often and use detergents to clean them. Clean rubber tiled floors with detergent and water.

To clean windows, glasses and mirrors use paper towels. Don’t use wet cloth to clean as it leaves stains on glass panes.

Take little gaps between house cleaning processes. In this time you can take coffee, watch television or listen to some good music, so that you don’t feel tired.