Tag Archives: cleaning tips

Home Week in Review: September 17 – 23

It’s officially fall (or autumn depending on the term you prefer). Kids are back in school, the weather is changing along with the leaves, and holidays are on the way. Our focus has turned from summer fun and gardening to home and family and preparing for events to come. We’re already thinking about special occasions that will arrive soon, and there’s no better time to start preparing. Begin by getting all those Weekly Cleaning Chores and Monthly Cleaning Chores out of the way. Then you can move on to something a bit more fun such as decorating and adding some … Continue reading →

Tip for Cleaning Blinds

I’ve mentioned before that my mom owns a cleaning service. She does an impeccable job of cleaning. We’re talking white glove inspection clean. So, whenever she finds a fantastic new cleaning product or discovers new cleaning tips, she shares them with me. She was recently cleaning vinyl blinds, carefully wiping each slat, yet they weren’t coming clean like she wanted them to. The dust had built up and it was taking forever. As any business owner knows, time is money. She remembered something my cousin (who owns rental homes) had once told her and decided to give it a try. … Continue reading →

Home Week in Review: August 20 – 26

More Dining Room Ideas Last week, in Start Decorating the Dining Room, we talked about getting design plans together for fall decorating and beyond. With the holidays approaching, now is a good time to start planning and even picking up a few things here and there to change the look and feel of your dining room. This week, there were some ideas including layering rich color, flooring options, and new dinnerware. Easy Ways with Artwork Artwork can make a dramatic difference in any space, giving it more sparkle, color, and texture, and making the room feel more finished. Give pop … Continue reading →

Where Dirt Hides

If you’re short like me, you may not notice dust and dirt above eye level unless you’re in cleaning mode and actively looking for it. The latter actually applies to dirt at any level. There are many places where dirt can hide that we don’t readily notice. “Nooks and crannies” are notorious hiding places for dirt, dust, and debris and every home has it’s share of these tiny crevices. Have you looked in the tiny spaces between appliances and cabinets lately? The area along the sides of the stove can become a catchall for crumbs. Shine a flashlight in that … Continue reading →

Home Week in Review: July 23 – 29

Well, once again the Home Blog started and ended the week on similar topics. Three Tips for Staging your Home offered some tips for preparing a home for sale and linked to other articles on staging tricks and techniques. Rounding out the week was “Can You Flip a House?” an article that discussed purchasing property to renovate for re-sale. Rehabbing used to be a popular term for this process but “flipping” seems to be the common description today for buying, fixing, and selling quickly to maximize profit. Staging is a good idea when flipping a home too. Moving on to … Continue reading →

Tips for Last Minute, Quick Cleaning

Someone calls to say he or she is going to drop by or perhaps your spouse or child is bringing home a last minute guest. Maybe your house isn’t exactly as neat as you’d like when company is coming but you don’t really have time for a thorough cleaning. Straightening can make a big difference. Start with the main areas such as the living room or family room, where your guest will likely spend the most time. Collect Clutter Walk through the house quickly with a trash bag and a basket or bin. Throw away any unecessary papers or trash … Continue reading →

More Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Garage

Don’t let the size of the mess overwhelm you, just get started! Open the overhead door to let in the fresh air, and get busy. Try some of these tips to make the job more do-able: Piles for Miles Making separate piles and sorting stuff into piles is the best way to jump right in. Start making piles (or filling boxes) with items to keep, donate, store, or move to another location. When you’re done sorting, move the items in each pile to their appropriate locations or they may end up right back in the garage at the end of … Continue reading →

Spring Cleaning: Cleaning and Organizing the Garage

Okay, clutterbugs, you’ve been stashing stuff in the garage all winter long. It’s the easiest way to hide clutter and “stuff” when you’re getting ready for guests to stay or preparing to entertain for the holidays. The problem is it accumulates quickly and now that you want to get in the garage to get the mower or weed-cutter out, or drag out some patio furniture, you find that everything is hidden behind clutter. Perhaps this isn’t your problem at all but your garage could simply use some TLC. It’s a big job to straighten out the garage enough so that … Continue reading →

Two Words You Don’t Want to Hear: Spring Cleaning!

It’s Spring! Yes, that means Easter and flowers and warm afternoons, but it also means time to rub and scrub, shine and design, and dust, fuss, and straighten. Time to get rid of clutter and cobwebs and to make your home sparkle and smell as fresh as the great outdoors. So, are you ready? I have to admit, I’m not. I can handle opening windows and airing out the months of cooped-up-ness but I hate the actual cleaning part. I don’t like having dirt under my nails. I don’t like dusting ceilings or washing walls or moving furniture to scrub … Continue reading →

Attack of the Dust Bunnies!

If you have a home that is so immaculate that you can run a white glove over any object at any given time and it comes out clean, this article is not for you. If this describes you –and your house is that way on your own efforts and you do not employ a cleaning service or housekeeper- then this article really isn’t for you. The rest of you, come on and admit it, your home has had at least a few dust bunnies at some point in time. I know I’m not the only one. I just never realized … Continue reading →