Tag Archives: cleaning

Oct20

Why Finding The Time To Clean Your Home Properly Isn’t Really That Hard

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Why Finding The Time To Clean Your Home Properly Isn’t Really That Hard

Do you ever feel like no matter what you do, nothing will ever be perfectly clean in your home? Or how about not having enough time to get everything nice and sparkly? If so, here are some tips to help you tidy up!

Why Finding The Time To Clean Your Home Properly Isn’t Really That Hard:

Cleaning is one of those jobs that never seem finished. It doesn’t matter how many times you do it, there is always something else that could be done. It can be hard to find the time in our lives to clean up to our own standards. But a clean and tidy environment is something everyone needs for a healthy and happy home. So how can we find time to clean even when we are busy working, raising our families, and having a life? Read on to find out:

10 Minutes: If there is a cleaning or organizational job that is getting to you and you just keep putting it off, why not try the 10-minute approach. It is so surprising how much you can get done in 10 minutes if you focus totally on the task in hand. You might even finish that job that looked like it could have taken you the better part of half an hour! But even if you don’t, once you have got started it is much more likely that you will keep on with the job. This is because you can see the progress that you made.

Even if you just can’t bear to do any more at that time, don’t worry. You have had a go and you can come back and do another 10 minutes later when you are feeling ready. This works particularly well if you have a large space to clean or if you have a cupboard full of junk that you need to clear out.

Automate: An important time-saving trick when cleaning is to automate as many jobs as possible. Using a dishwasher is an easy way to get those dishes from last night’s dinner party clean. Picking a certain time to load the dishwasher during the day is also a great idea, so you are not constantly washing up as you go along. Another clever way of automating a part of the cleaning is to get a robot hoover. They whizz around your home in the day when you are at work, hoovering up any dust and debris. Then your floors are kept clean and clear daily, all without you having to lift a finger. You can click here for info on robot hoovers.

Assign & Reward: Something that can help families of all shapes and sizes find enough time to keep the house clean is to assign some chores to the kids. Not only does this teach them a sense of responsibility but it also helps them feel that they are doing their part to contribute to the family.You may decide that they have to complete a certain number of chores to receive their weekly allowance. This will help them organize their own time and also show them the value of money as they have to earn it, instead of just being given it.

Routine: An additional time-saving tip for busy parents is to have a cleaning routine like this one here. Routines are used by professional cleaners to ensure that every aspect of the room that they are working on is clean and tidy to a sparkling standard. It can also help you keep focused and organized when doing the cleaning as you won’t get distracted by other tasks that are not on the list.

What is your least favorite chore to do? How about your favorite? (Mine is Swiffering!!) I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Oct18

Major Mistakes Everyone Makes With The Exterior Of Their Home

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Major Mistakes Everyone Makes With The Exterior Of Their Home

There are so many articles on the internet about interior design. Tips on things like what colors to use, what fabrics are on trend, and the type of furniture to pick. It’s no wonder that sometimes we forget all about the outside of our homes.

It is easy to think that the architect and builders had responsibility for that part and now that we live there, we just don’t have to worry about it. Of course, this is completely untrue! We need to think about the exterior just as much as the interior. Read on to make sure that you don’t make the common mistakes that most people do when looking after the outside of their homes.

What Counts as Outside? Okay, this seems like a silly question, but some people just think of the outside of the home as the exterior walls. But that isn’t the case. The exterior is everything that you own that is on the outside, so walls, gardens, drives, and roofs are all included in this category.

Don’t Forget to Paint the Outer Walls: Having said that, let’s look at the walls first. If they are in poor state, it is going to make your home seem run down. That is why it’s important to regularly check the aesthetic appearance and condition of all of the outer walls. If they are structurally sound but looking a bit grim, then you can give them a fresh coat of paint. Refreshing the paint is a fabulous way of looking after the exterior of your home. Not only does it look nice but it also protects the walls from weather damage, too.

If painting isn’t an option and you want to retain the natural stone or bricks of your home, then you can have the walls cleaned. This is usually done with high-pressure steam jets and can be expensive. But it does have the marvelous result of making your old home seem brand new, without losing any of it’s character.

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 Pixabay Image

Don’t Ignore Regular Roof Maintenance: It’s also vital that you keep on top of any roofing services that needs to be done. Loose slates and tiles can be dangerous for your family and visitors. A shabby roof can make the whole property look a mess, not to mention they can let in water and cause dampness in the interior of the house. Speak to your local roofing services specialist to see if your roof needs some urgent TLC. A search for “Roofing contractor in Clinton Twp, MI” or your local area will help you find a professional to come and take a look.

Make the Windows Sparkle: One thing that few people love to do is clean the windows, especially when they have to do this outside as well as this inside. But think about it. The outsides windows are what come into contact with the must debris, dust, and rain so they are much more likely to be dirty. If you simply can’t bring yourself to do both sets, inquire about a local window cleaner with a reasonable rate. Then they can help you keep the outside of your home as attractive as possible.

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Nov14

Letgo App

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Letgo App

Heyy everyone and happy Saturday! Usually I’m not big on “apps” or technology in general (ha!) but I found a handy little download for smartphones or iPods that has proven to be very beneficial in my effort to clear up some closet clutter. I decided to give the app, Letgo, a try after my semi annual closet clean out. The app is basically like an online garage sale where you can post pictures of your items, a brief description, and price, then whomever is interested in buying it can message you to make an offer.

I’m not really keen to going to resale shops like Plato’s Closet because I feel like you never get enough money for your items and they often pass on some really nice pieces. I also felt like I wanted to give making some money off of my more used items a shot because despite their wear they were still in fairly good condition. I like that this app lets you control how much you would like for each product you list and gives your not so “next to new” pieces a chance at going to another owner.

Thanks to the Letgo app, I was able to get rid of five pairs of shoes yesterday that have been sitting in my closet for months waiting to go to a new home. I had a brief meeting with my customer in Starbucks where she looked at the shoes that she was interested in from my listings, picked the ones that she wanted, and paid me the price that I determined. I made some quick cash (much more than I would ever get if I brought them to Plato’s), eliminated some clutter, and met someone who wanted to meet up again to look at more of my items. Score!

I’ve always toyed around with the idea of selling items online but I never knew how to go about doing it. Letgo makes the selling process so simple because your listings are shown to people who are within a 15 or so mile radius from you so it’s easy to find a good public meeting spot that is within a short driving distance for the seller and customer. I drove about seven minutes to meet with the darling lady and her daughter that I sold to yesterday and made enough money that the trip was worthwhile twenty fold. You can’t beat that!

I can’t recommend Letgo enough and you can download the app on their website at: http://us.letgo.com/en !

^^^ It seemed appropriate!

I hope all of you are having a great start to your weekend so far! Has anyone used the Letgo app or anything similar? What was your best purchase or sale story from a resale shop or app? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah