| Shortcuts for cleaning the house. Some of them are | | | | their basket. |
| hardly conventional, but sometimes you just have to | | | | Decorative Baskets |
| get creative, especially when you're in a hurry. | | | | Decorative baskets are a great way to hide clutter. |
| Fast Window Cleaning | | | | Take a trip to your local dollar store and invest in |
| Got a big window that needs to be cleaned super | | | | some fancy baskets of all sizes. Use them to |
| quick? Try only pulling the blinds up halfway, and only | | | | organize. Here are some things you can use them for: |
| cleaning the bottom half of the window. Vinegar and | | | | Mail |
| newspaper work well in a pinch. | | | | Magazines |
| Carpet Sweeping | | | | Couch pillows |
| It helps to have a carpet sweeper or a cordless hand | | | | Remotes |
| vacuum handy. This way you don't need to drag the | | | | Go Paper |
| big vacuum out every time your floor needs a quick | | | | Don't be afraid to use paper plates and plastic |
| clean-up. | | | | utensils. This reduces the clean-up time to almost |
| Pet Hair | | | | nothing. You can even dress up paper plates with |
| Pet hair can be hard to control, especially on furniture. | | | | wicker holders, and utensils with colorful ribbon. |
| Here are a couple of ideas for fast clean up: | | | | Spray Dust Mop |
| Ball up an old pair of pantyhose and rub them all over | | | | No time for a full mopping? Try giving your floor a |
| your furniture - they're really great at picking up pet | | | | good spraying with your favorite cleaner, then go |
| hair. | | | | over it with a mop. Depending on the cleaner, you |
| Buy a cheap lint roller (the kind with sticky tape) and | | | | may need to then spray your floor again with just |
| roll it over the furniture. | | | | water, and mop again to remove any residue. |
| Do the Towel Shuffle | | | | Music |
| Who would have thought a house-cleaning tip would | | | | Every grueling task is easier when music is involved. |
| mean doing a dance? If your floor needs a good | | | | Find yourself some good music to clean to, and you'll |
| mopping but you don't have time, simply wet two | | | | find that time goes by much faster. In no time, the |
| towels, put one under each foot, and shuffle them | | | | CD is over, and your house is clean. |
| across the room. You'll find this quite effective as | | | | Good Smells |
| well as fun. | | | | A clean house may be the first thing people see as |
| Cleaner Alternatives | | | | they come to visit, but what are they smelling? An |
| Out of cleaners? Here are some things that you can | | | | inviting smell in your home is just as important as |
| use to clean instead of store bought cleaners: | | | | keeping it clean. Here are some things you can use: |
| Vinegar | | | | Spray air fresheners |
| Baking soda | | | | Candles |
| Lemon juice | | | | Plug-in air fresheners |
| Laundry Baskets | | | | Scented pine cones |
| Laundry baskets aren't just for laundry anymore. You | | | | Scented oil lamps |
| can get them at almost any dollar store, and they | | | | Potpourri |
| can really speed up housework. Here are some ideas: | | | | Make a Plan |
| When cleaning a room, put all the things that don't | | | | Housework is a lot less overwhelming if you have a |
| belong in that room in a basket. Then put the | | | | plan. If you divide chores up into specific time blocks, |
| baskets in the rooms that they go in. | | | | or even days, they will be a lot easier to tackle. Don't |
| Use a basket to carry dishes from the dining area to | | | | forget to make fun chore charts for the kids. |
| the sink. | | | | Know When to Quit |
| Use baskets to separate magazines. | | | | With housework, there will always be something else |
| Give each household member a basket. When | | | | to clean and organize. It's important to know when |
| cleaning, line up the basket in the room you're | | | | to quit. When wiping down a cupboard door, resist |
| cleaning and put belongings in corresponding baskets. | | | | the temptation to pull everything out of that |
| Have each family member put away the things in | | | | cupboard and reorganize; save that for another day. |