Spring is here and you know what that means. It’s Spring Cleaning Time!  …time to check out the nooks and crannies of your home and make sure everything is in tip-top shape.

Don’t run around your house like a crazy person, unless you like how that feels. If you do, just grab a checklist while you’re at it. A checklist will help you keep track of what you need to work on AND you can hand it off to helpers (hint, hint, hint).

Here are a few you might like…

1. Martha Stewart Printable Checklist

• “Throughout the House” and “Room by Room” steps
• 8 steps on how to clean windows
• Basic window washing kit
• How to patch a screen

• Steps coded by expertise: Adult, Professional, Child
• Recommended tools and products
• “Assigned to” section for delegating
• Checklists for 6 indoor rooms: Bathroom, Bedroom, Home Office, Kitchen, Living Room, Utility Room

3. ePrintable Spring Cleaning Checklist

• Online checklist
• Pre-filled tasks
• Customizable – fill in additional tasks using the “Add” button before printing

 

Get More Information from Martha

I’m taking a bit of a break from writing. I’ll be re-sharing some of my favorite OTR articles and re-introducing you to some awesome OTR guest bloggers, like Lauren Brown. Check out her green cleaning tips and share a few of your own.

A common misconception about green cleaning is that if you can’t smell cleaning products then your home isn’t really clean. Artificial fragrance is a major contributor to poor indoor air quality.

Air fresheners and cleaning products that have fragrances in them have chemicals that actually suspend artificial odor in the air. These chemical additives can trigger asthma and allergy attacks. Even though there is little to no fragrance in green cleaning solutions, most are just as effective as traditional cleaning products.

The exception to having fragrance in cleaning solutions is when you make your own.  Using natural cleaning agents such as lemon juice or lavender oil give your rooms a light fresh scent with no artificial or harmful additives.  Check out these recipes to make your own everyday cleaning products!

• To clean the microwave, heat a bowl of water and lemon slices in your microwave for about 45 seconds, then wipe.  Stains will be easier to remove and old food odors will be neutralized.

• A teaspoon of lemon juice added to your dishwashing detergent can help boost grease cutting power.

• Hot lemon juice and baking soda makes a good drain cleaner that’s safe for septic systems.

• Rub lemon juice into your wooden chopping board, leave overnight and then rinse.  Wood chopping boards appear to have anti-bacterial properties anyway, but the lemon will help kill off any remaining germs plus neutralize odors.

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• Clean stainless steel sinks with a paste of baking soda and vinegar. Mix it up and apply with a sponge.  Don’t let the foaming scare you – it works great!

• Spray fresh lemon juice on hard water scale build-up around faucets, wait 10 minutes and rinse.

• Use a scrub paste made from baking soda and a tiny bit of water to scrub soap scum in tubs and showers.

•  Antibacterial spray can be made from water and pure essential lavender oil.  Mix 1 C. water and 1 tsp lavender oil in a spray bottle and shake to mix.  Spray and wait 15 minutes before wiping or don’t rinse at all.

NOTE: Label all home concoctions and date them so you can be sure of what you’re using. Vinegar and baking soda cannot be used on all surfaces. Do some research first!

Whether you’re making your own cleaning products or purchasing eco-friendly ones, enjoy a clean home with clean air!

About the Author

Lauren Brown is the Grass Roots Marketing Specialist with Maid Brigade.  Lauren has been with Maid Brigade for three years, educating the community on the importance of going green for the health of the environment and our families. She emphasizes the value of using safer alternatives and how easy and affordable it can be to go green! 

Maid Brigade is a residential cleaning service that uses only Green Seal certified cleaning solutions and green methods to clean homes. This ensures a safer work environment for their employees and a safer, healthier home for their clients.

Connect With Lauren:  Facebook | Twitter | E-Mail | 703.823.1726

Connect With Maid Brigade: Facebook (DC Metro) | Web

I’m on a mini-sabbatical but while I’m away, check out my tips on the Rubbermaid blog on how to stay on top of your cleaning routine. Here’s one to get you started…

Clean by Room

I tend to focus my primary cleaning activities on the rooms that I spend most of my time in, like the living room, kitchen, and master bedroom. That said, I’m also fanatic about having a clean bathroom. So, I mix my “clean all the time” method in each of those rooms often. That means that I’m not deep cleaning, but focusing on those areas first and regularly. Frequency: Daily or every other day

Read All Three Tips

What post holiday cleaning tips and suggestions do you have?

If you haven’t had a peek under your sink in a while, you might want to after reading today’s post by guest author, Lauren Brown, of Maid Brigade.

Over the years, we accumulate all sorts of cleaning products. You probably have the staples that your mother and grandmother used, with a few infomercial miracle solutions thrown in, and maybe you also grabbed the newest thing on the shelf.

Before you know it, you have quite the collection of products that you may or may not use or know the harmful effects of! “Going green” isn’t just a cool T-shirt slogan anymore; it is about protecting your family.

Some of the most important toxins to avoid are:

• Endocrine Disruptors: These toxins imitate human hormones, which confuses your body and can lead to a disturbing number of health problems such as reproductive, developmental, and behavioral problems, premature puberty, miscarriage, challenged immune systems, certain cancers, and many more.

• Neurotoxins:  These affect your brain activity and can cause headaches, memory loss, and even loss of intellect.

• Carcinogens: These cause cancer and can promote cancer’s growth.

If you are unsure about the presence of these toxins in your products and don’t know what to dispose of or keep, use these tips:

Take a look under the sink…

• Take out all of your cleaning products and separate them into groups based on their purpose (sanitizing, glass/windows, grease, etc). Do this when no children or pets are around.

• Do you need multiples of products that have the same purpose? Probably not. So which ones do you keep and which ones are harmful to you and your family’s health?

A guide to harmful cleaning products:

• Household products are required to have a “signal word” indicating the level of toxicity.

• NOTE: These levels are based on a 180-pound male, so imagine the effects on more vulnerable bodies such as children or pets!

• Given these toxicity signal words, try to eliminate any product stronger than a Caution! from your home.
• Use up the products that you have (with the exception of the very dangerous ones) and then replace them with healthier choices for the long-term.

About The Author

Lauren Brown is the Grass Roots Marketing Specialist with Maid Brigade.  Lauren has been with Maid Brigade for three years, educating the community on the importance of going green for the health of the environment and our families.  She emphasizes the value of using safer alternatives and how easy and affordable it can be to go green!  Maid Brigade is a residential cleaning service that uses only Green Seal certified cleaning solutions and green methods to clean homes.  This ensures a safer work environment for their employees and a safer, healthier home for their clients.

Connect With Lauren:  Facebook | Twitter | E-Mail | 703.823.1726

Connect With Maid Brigade: Facebook (DC Metro) | Web

“Women still do more housework and child care than men — it takes 27 percent of mothers’ time and 18 percent of fathers’. Women in turn spend 11 percent of their time on leisure while men spend 23 percent.” [Cluttered Fridge Doors, Cluttered Lives · Lisa Belkin · NYTimes.com · May 24, 2010]

How much time do you spend on housework?  Think it’s more than your mate?

So, you know I’ve been on the green bandwagon, or at least, I’ve been trying to get on board.  I mentioned to another organizer on Twitter that I was having a bit of trouble finding green products that cleaned as well as the harsh chemical stuff.   It turns out that not only does she know a thing or two about green cleaning, but she’s also written a book about it.  Of course, what was I to do but ask her to share, share, share!  I hope you’ll enjoy the green tid bits from our guest blogger, Candita Clayton.  Check it out…

Unlike like my blog hostess Deb, cleaning is not really one of my favorite things to do. So you may be wondering why  I would write a book about green cleaning.  Well, I wrote Clean Your Home Healthy: Green Cleaning Made Easy (Morgan James Publishing, April 2008) to help people make educated decisions about the cleaning products they use in their homes.   I am truly a green loving girl and my quest to support eco-conscious companies who use naturally derived ingredients and safe manufacturing practices is a personal passion.   In my career as a professional home organizer, I have discovered time and time again that an organized and clean living space can reduce stress, and help every daily routine run smoothly.   So with spring cleaning on everyone’s mind, let’s consider greening  up your cleaning routine.

Some things you need in your green cleaning arsenal:

•  All Purpose Cleaner – I love a product from Better Life called “What-ever!” It works on every surface and really works! Find it at www.cleanhappens.com.

•  You can whip up your own all purpose cleaner by filling a spray bottle 1/2 white vinegar, ½  with water and  a few drops of nice smelling essential oil like Lemongrass and Tea Tree (found in natural food stores).

•  Hydrostatic and Microfiber Cleaning Cloths – These babies are a god send! They can be used to dust with no chemicals at all, and can also be used over and over for surface cleaning. They can be found in Target and other big box stores.

•   Bonami – This natural cleanser contains no harsh chemicals and has been around for years! Works like a charm when you need to clean your sink, tile and anything that requires a little abrasive action.

If you are having trouble letting go of your traditional cleaners…baby steps! You can start by implementing some green cleaning products and slowly let go of your traditional cleaners.

Why do it?

You will feel better.  Harsh chemicals like bleach and ammonia which are found in most traditional cleaning products can cause respiratory distress and pollute your indoor air.  Protect  yourself, your family and your pets by making the switch.

For a complete list of companies, products and ideas about cleaning your home healthy, check out www.cleanyourhomehealthy.com and www.yourlifeorganized.com/blog for monthly giveaways.

About the Author

Candita Clayton founded her company, Your Life Organized LLC, in 2001, after the birth of her second child. Since then, she has been dedicated to helping people improve their home environments and their lives through the power of organization.

Connect With Candita: Web | Twitter

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• Marvin the Martian May Not Think Green is The New Black, But I Do (dallisonlee.com/blog)
• Spring Cleaning – Green Style (lightbulbs.org)
• Tips, Tricks and Tools: AT Cleans It All Best of 2008 (apartmenttherapy.com)

With a great weekend behind me, what better way to start my week than by being interviewed by my friend and WUSA9 journalist, Lindsey Mastis! Today, Lindsey featured me in a story about women who love to clean. Now, cleaning is not organizing but they do go hand in hand…and guess who likes to clean? Remember my post on a few months back about my cleaning frenzy?

Click Here to See the WUSA9 Interview

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Related Articles

• Domestic Delight! (organizetorevitalize.com)
• Domestic Delight, Part II – Can You Be Too Clean? (organizetorevitalize.com)
• 8 Ways to Kill Clutter in 5 Minutes (lifehack.org)

Want to know what I did last night? I cleaned every surface in my bedroom. It’s spotless and I can even eat off the carpet…except it’s beige and I would make a mess and have to clean again. Yes, I’m still in clean mode! A few days ago, I attacked my living and dining rooms. I’m not sure why I’m so focused on ridding my home of every speck of dust, but I love, love how great it feels!

I’m not alone with my current obsession with being clean. I recently read an article in Psychology Today (October 2008), titled Cult of Clean: America’s Dangerous Obsession with Germs. The article had an interesting take on the reasons why we clean:

“Because we never seem clean enough, all our scrubbing and scouring only stokes the anxiety it is meant to allay. But it may be sabotaging our physical health as well.”

Does that mean that I spent a good 30 minutes of quality cleaning time in my bedroom because I’m feeling anxious? Hmmmm…I feel fine and not particularly stressed out. The economy, perhaps?

But the bigger question is: am I putting my health at risk with my new “hobby?” According to the article, the human body has about 100 trillion cells but only 10% of them belong to us. You guessed it, the rest are germs, most of which live in our digestive tract. They help us to break down food and protect us from bugs that cause disease. If we got rid of all the germs in bodies, we would die within two weeks. Maybe those germs aren’t so bad afterall.

So, back to my original question: Am I putting my health at risk by being super zealous about cleaning? The answer is yes, if I’m using harsh and non-eco-friendly chemicals and if I’m trying to be completely germ free. Then, what’s a girl (or boy) have to do to stay clean AND healthy?

First, try not to get preoccupied with germs and then follow some basic cleaning tips. You won’t believe how easy some of these are to follow, especially tip #1.

1. Wash Your Hands. Use warm soap and water and wash your hands for 20 seconds, especially after using the restroom. See, I told you it was easy.

2. Try Not to Touch Your Face. Those bad-guy germs can enter your body through you eyes, nose, and mouth. Ok, this one’s not so easy. I touch my face all the time.

3. Know Where Bad Germs Like to Hang Out & Break Up The Party. Some of the most common hang out spots for the germs that make us sick are:

• Kitchen sponge. Change your sponge every week or sanitize.

• Vacuum bag. Replace once a month.

• Toothbrush. Disinfect regularly.

• Trash can. Disinfect each time the bag is changed.

There are a few more places that germs can lurk (like the remote control), but if I listed them all then I’d probably get the urge to clean again. Now, I just have to figure out what could be making me feel anxious.

Do you clean when you feel anxious or stressed out?

Related Articles

• Cult of Clean
  
• Simple Clean: Pay Attention to Just One Item In Every Room
• The Quick Clean Up

Today, I was the “Queen of Clean” and basked in domestic delight! I started my day determined to clean everything in my house and even sent out this tweet…

“I am in clean mode today. Everything in my path is getting dusted, washed, or rinsed…except the dog. It feels like spring in November!“

I was motivated to attack every nook and cranny AND I also had the greatest desire to rearrange my living room. It must have been the conversation I had with a new friend yesterday about her quest to get her space just right. There really was nothing wrong with my living room the way it was. I just wanted a change.

Does it seem strange that someone who loves structure and routine also loves change? Some of you might remember from my recent profile on Rubbermaid that I started rearranging rooms at a very young age.

My new plant stand.
Today’s room redesign was just as fun as it was back then. There was even a little bit of creativity – a stack of books became a plant stand for one of my orchids.

I’m sure I’m not the first person to come up with this idea, but I was particularly proud of myself. I also put my ladybug pot feet under the books to keep the plant theme going. I’m pretty tickled that Dean Koontz, James Patterson, my orchid, and the ladybug trio are all living nicely with each other. Perhaps a bit odd (like me), but it works.

I love these pot feet!

Have you ever gotten so caught up in domestic delight that you created a whole new way to use something you already had? I’d love to know, so leave a comment about your own creative re-creations.