Who has the time to scrub and clean all day? If you are like so many of us busy moms, then you didn’t raise your hand. Cleaning your kitchen should be fast and easy, giving you time for other things…like enjoying your family. Granted, there will be times when you will have to give your kitchen a good scrubbing and deep cleaning to get it sparkling clean, but in general, once that initial deep cleaning is done, your future cleaning should be maintenance only.

 

Kitchens are often the hub of a home and one of the busiest rooms in a house. It’s no wonder that it can also be one of the messiest rooms in the house, too. However, ridding your kitchen of grease spills and grime is as easy as following a few of the simple tips and technique listed below.

 

1. To start, you will need the following cleaning materials: buckets or other containers, brushes, rubber gloves, and cleansers.
2. Create your own kitchen cleaner and kitchen brighteners to clean up grease, grime, baked on stains and spills and to brighten countertops and back splashes.
3. Use straight vinegar for shiny countertops daily. For a nice, fresh smell, try cider vinegar.
4. Apply a baking soda and water paste to remove stains from laminate countertops. Apply, allow to dry, then rub off and rinse.
5. With a paste of one part bleach and 3 parts baking soda, you can easily tackle tough stains.
6. Use a tile and grout cleaner and a toothbrush to remove dirt and mildew from tile grout.
7. Help your white appliances or enamel sinks that are starting to yellow with a little kitchen brightener.
8. Remove skid marks on linoleum floors with a spot of toothpaste just before mopping the floors
9. Remove hard water build-up in a teapot by pouring in 2 cups of vinegar and then bringing it to a boil. Let the vinegar simmer for 10 minutes and rinse the teapot thoroughly.
10. Use olive oil to clean stainless steel kitchen sinks.

 

 

 

Looking for more useful household cleaning and organizing tips? Visit http://www.nowthatsorganized.com to get your FREE “50 Solutions for Organizing Your World” idea-pak.

 

 

 

Copyright © 2008 Kyna Woollery—Now that’s Organized, LLC™

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daily Kitchen Cleaner

Materials:

5 drops peppermint oil or any other essential oil fragrance

¼ cup vinegar

1 squirt dish washing liquid

Water

32 oz. spray bottle

 

1.      Add oil, vinegar, and dish soap to bottle, then fill rest of the bottle with water

2.      Shake well before each use. Spray cleaner on countertops and appliances, and then wipe off with damp cloth or sponge.

3.      Be sure to keep cleaner clearly labeled and out of reach of children and pets.

 

 

All Surface Kitchen Cleaner

Materials:

1 tsp borax

½ tsp baking soda

2 tsp vinegar

1 squirt of dish washing liquid

2 cups hot water

5 drops of peppermint oil or other essential oil fragrance

32 oz spray bottle

 

1.      Mix ingredients in spray bottle.

2.      Shake well before each use.

3.      Be sure to keep cleaner clearly labeled and out of reach of children and pets.

 

Use on virtually any surface. This cleaner is especially good for cleaning stovetops and ovens. For caked on stains, spray on mixture and let sit for 15 minutes. It can be sprayed and left in oven overnight.

 

Additional Uses: Bathroom counters

 

Grease Remover (Degreaser)

Materials:

3 cups baking soda

2 cups white vinegar

1 cup ammonia

1 gallon hot water

Bucket

 

Mix in bucket or other container and apply to surfaces as needed.

 

 

Kitchen Brightener

Materials:

¼ cup baking soda

½ cup bleach

1 quart warm water

Bucket

 

Mix in bucket or other container and apply to surfaces as needed.

This brightener is especially good for white appliances and enamel sinks that are yellowing.

 

Tile & Grout Cleaner

Materials:

½ cup vinegar

1 cup clear ammonia

¼ cup baking soda

1 gallon warm water

Bucket

 

Mix in bucket. Use cleaning mixture with an old toothbrush to clean tile and grout.

 

 

GET ORGANIZED FOR THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR

 by Kyna Woollery

With the end of summer break fast approaching, students and parents alike may be feeling overwhelmed by the seemingly daunting task of preparing for the new school year. Here are some tips to help parents and students get the new school year off to a smooth and organized start!

 Shopping for School Supplies

• First, be sure to check supplies stored at home before heading out to shop for school supplies. You don’t want to re-purchase what you already have.
• Next, to avoid impulse buys make a list of school supplies you need before starting your shopping, or look for a list of recommended supplies at your local office supply store. (Many schools are now providing supply lists and local stores already have shopping lists posted for you!)

 Organizing School Supplies and Homework

• A great way to keep kids organized is to assign a place to store everything they will need and use. To keep clutter and misplaced items to a minimum, organize supplies in a designated area in your home and in their backpacks.
• Misplaced homework can be a thing of the past with good organization. Keeping the principle “a place for everything, and everything in its place” in mind, assign a place for school items to go during out-of-school hours. Choose a central, easily accessible area for homework, projects, assignments, etc. that need to be completed. Then, create another area for these same items to go when they are finished. For example, have a folder for “homework to complete” and a separate folder for “homework completed”. A simple, easy-to-use, kid-friendly system is all that’s needed to kiss “lost” homework goodbye!

 Staying Organized at School

• Keeping supplies, books, and notebooks organized throughout the school day doesn’t have to be a challenge. An organized locker is all that is need to keep the day running smoothly. Organize your locker according to your day. Items needed in the morning can be placed in one section and items needed for the afternoon in another. There are also neat little gadgets available for organizing items stored in your locker as well.

 

by Kyna Woollery—Now That’s Organized, LLC

Get more FREE home organizing tips! Visit http://www.nowthatsorganized.com for great tips to organize your home and your office.

 

 

 

 

 

 

____ August 1 Start the month off clean and fresh. Toss any old food from your refrigerator and cabinets.____ August 2 If you have a fireplace, consider calling a chimney sweep and scheduling your annual cleaning. Some places will offer a discount to have it done in the summer rather than the busy winter months.

____ August 3 Time to flip your mattress! Get some help the next time you strip the bed and both flip and also rotate the mattress head to toe. This will help it wear more evenly.

____ August 4 Treat yourself to some ME time. Pour yourself a cold drink and sneak off with a good book or watch your favorite TV show for a little while. The world will wait.

____ August 5 Gently remove and dust all of your lamp shades and light fixture covers. It’s easy to forget these in your day to day cleaning.

____ August 6 Make a special trip to your local roadside produce stand or farmer’s market. There’s no better time of the year to sample fresh fruits and vegetables.

____ August 7 Go to your local library or bookstore and find a book about something you’ve never thought of reading before. Step outside your usual habits and you might learn something fascinating.

____ August 8 Tackle one junk drawer. See how many things you can toss in 10 minutes. Then pull out 10 things that belong elsewhere in the house and return them to their proper homes.

____ August 9 Clean out the trunk of your car. You’ll be happy the next time you go to the grocery store and there’s room for your new purchases.

____ August 10 Check and make sure that your pets are up-to-date on their check ups and shots. If not, schedule an appointment for them.

Want tons of great ideas for getting organized at home and in the office? Check out my new books,

 

Finally Organized, Finally Free for the Home and Finally Organized, Finally Free for the Office. Now available in both print and digital PDF format.
____ August 11 Even if you don’t have kids, this is a perfect time to stock up on back-to-school supplies like tape, pens, paper, highlighters, etc. There are some fantastic sales out there now!

____ August 12 Take 30 minutes, walk around your house and jot down a note about anything that needs to be fixed or tended to. If you have time, sit down and make a plan to take care of some of them.

____ August 13 Call a friend you haven’t talked to for a while–just to say hi!

____ August 14 If you garden a lot, take all of your pruning shears to be sharpened.

____ August 15 Check the filters in your house – A/C unit, furnace, etc. Replace if needed.

____ August 16 If you keep baking soda in the fridge and freezer, change them out with fresh ones and pour the old one down the sink drain to freshen it.

____ August 17 Check to make sure that all of your regular bills are paid for the month.

____ August 18 Changed the oil in your car lately? 3000 miles goes by quickly. If it’s been that long, make an appointment to have it done.

____ August 19 Take all of your houseplants out to the backyard (or tub) and spritz gently with water to clean off the leaves. A lot of dust on the leaves keeps the plant from breathing properly.

____ August 20 Look through your pantry for any boxes that have impending expiration dates. Things like Bisquick, cake mixes and muffin mixes don’t last much past their use-by dates. Make a plan to use them up.

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____ August 21 Haven’t balanced your checkbook in a while? Now is an excellent time to catch up.

____ August 22 Check your wallet to see if you have any unused gift cards. A large number of them are paid for but never redeemed. Don’t let them go to waste!

____ August 23 Have a cheap movie night. Pop some popcorn and watch a movie on TV!

____ August 24 Check the due date on your library books and make sure they get back on time.

____ August 25 Pull out 3 pairs of shoes and give them a quick spiff and shine.

____ August 26 Grab the window cleaner and clean all of the mirrors and TVs in the house.

____ August 27 Check your flashlights to see if the batteries are working. Make sure you have enough so that each family member has one easily accessible in case of a power outage.

____ August 28 Check your digital camera to see if the battery is charged and there is room on the memory chip before the holiday weekend.

____ August 29 If you have an emergency supply kit, check everything and replenish your food supplies. If you don’t have one, do some research on how to make one. Natural disasters can hit anytime, anywhere.

____ August 30 Make plans for a fun Labor Day!

____ August 31 Look over all of your summer clothes and pull out the things you never wore this season. Evaluate if it’s time to donate those items rather than pack them away for another year.

 

by Maria Gracia - Get Organized Now!™
Want to get organized? Get your FREE Get Organized Now!™ Idea-Pak, filled with tips and ideas to help you organize your home, your office and your life, at the Get Organized Now!™ Web site
http://www.getorganizednow.com