Soak!

 

Spray any tough job with either water or your favorite cleaner, work on something else for the next 10-20 minutes and then make your attack! The water will do most of the work for you. No need to scrub back and forth- just wipe clean without breaking a sweat :)

I have an idea...

or maybe a few ideas!

Stay tuned for a biweekly update on new tips to make your home a more enjoyable place to be.

JPG Magazine: Photos: "A Light Bulb Moment" by Paul Roberts robertsconsultancy.com

Random Cleaning Tip 102

Have you ever moved before?
Have you ever been REALLY overwhelmed with cleaning in the midst of your move?
Have you ever been frustrated by the fact that your house is cleaner than it's ever been and you don't get to enjoy it?

Most people will answer "yes" to all of the above.

I put together a Moving Checklist to enjoy the fruits of your cleaning labor!

The idea behind it is so that you can do the things that will need to be done when you're not way stressed out and can enjoy the clean for the months leading up to the move.

You can rearrange and recreate this list to your liking, but here's what I hope to conquer with my move coming up-

6 months before:

• Go through your closets and make a generous D.I. run

5 months before:

• Organize "The Junk Drawer" in the kitchen. (Everyone has one of those, right?)

4 months before:

• Go through all paper stashes in the house and file the necessary stuff and throw away as much as possible.
•  Make any repairs to the house that you'll need to do when you move anyway. (holes in the wall, blinds, etc)

3 months before:

• Get a list from your landlord (or just make your own) of what needs to be cleaned. Pick up any items you could use like the packing boxes, tape, etc.
• Clean out and dejunk the bathroom cabinets. Pack anything you can.
• Go through the storage room and pack anything you know you won't use til the next house, and get rid of stuff you probably won't use again.

2 months before:

• Clean under the kitchen sink. Clean anything you can in the pantry. (packing, and dejunking along the way.)
• Dust all blinds and windowsills.
• Dust baseboards.

1 month before:

• Deep clean the oven and refrigerator (fridge is best done when you're low on groceries!)
• Do a good wipe on the outside of the kitchen cabinets

The month of:

• delegate specific jobs for people to help with driving, loading, last minute cleaning.
• Handle all the million other jobs that'll need to be done this month!

As you create your own check-list remember to put the things you'll enjoy the results of most, first. Also remember to put things that wont get completely 'undone' by the move first on the list.