Spring Cleaning

 

This weekend I was finally home and had the urge to do some cleaning. The house has been a mess lately! I did get a lot of inspiration from the recent posts by I heart Organizing and her clean home challenge. All month Jen has been posting cleaning tasks in the goal of having a cleaner more organized home in less time. I love that her cleaning methods are green. I have personally found that the common toxic formulas like 409 and Windex really bother me. I have started using Seventh Generation disinfecting multi purpose spray and I also use the method glass cleaner. I am in the process of purging most of my other cleaning items. I love that Jen uses just a few basic things to create her cleaners, makes everything simple!

These were some of my favorite posts Jen put up: Make your own natural cleaners, cleaning oven, cleaning windows with DIY spray, vacuum mattress, and wipe down trims and doors. I made the super easy baking soda and essential oil mix for sprinkling on your mattress and vacuuming up and it smells so good! I have been using baking soda and vinegar for awhile as they are great multi purpose cleaning products that are cheap and natural! I have loved the results. Here you can see the many uses of vinegar and baking soda uses.

                         

                           Here are some of my environmentally friendly cleaning products

Of course I checked some things off my weekly cleaning checklist but I also did some other things.  I cleaned out my toaster oven which was really dirty! I could not get the stuck on gunk off the inside of the glass, until I did a google search and found to make a paste using baking soda and water, apply it and let it sit for a bit and wipe it off. It worked like magic! Sorry I don’t remember the specific link or I would share it.I attempted to get the toaster oven pan clean as well as the stove pans clean, but just could not get all the gunk off. Any tips?

I was disgusted when I saw all the crumbs, sprinkles, macaroni etc. hiding under the toaster oven and microwave! Eww. I took everything off the counter and gave it a deep clean. This area often gets neglected but it is a great hiding place for crumbs. I also took this opportunity to rearrange the counters a bit. I actually have a decent size kitchen for an apartment, but of course I still don’t have enough room for all my things!

Check out an old post I have for deep cleaning, showing how to clean the microwave, dish washer, washing machine and sink disposal. I try hard to be a better cleaner and have come along ways from my college days! I’m still learning! What are your favorite cleaning methods?

Swoon worthy closets

 

As spring is just around the corner, it’s time for many of us to switch out our wardrobes for the lighter and brighter pieces. That is unless you are luck enough to have one of these amazing closets below Oh I dream of the day of having a walk in closet. That sounds so heavenly. Currently my guy and I share a standard size closet and boy is that tough! Below these photos check out some of my tips on keeping your closet organized.

 

Apartment Therapy

 

Fresh Home

Style At Home

Alias Vaughn

 

Made by Girl

 

My House my Home

 

Decor Pad

 

Merricksart

 

Organization Tips

Buy a scarf hanger ( I have this one below)

Elle Decor

Use these super slim hangers (similar), I promise they have made a huge difference in how much I can fit in my closet and the velvety material on the hangers keeps your clothes from slipping off. I have bought packs of 50 at Costco and also packs at Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Home Goods type of discount stores for reasonable prices.

Inspired Wives

 

A system to organize your shoes according to the space you have, I use this shoe rack and we also have a shoe rack in our entrance. It’s still not enough though! I also have my flip flops and sandals contained in a basket.

Storables

 

A system to organize your bags and purses. Since I am so tight on space, I currently am using my Thirty One large utility bag and within that I hold all my purses, backpacks, and other bags. Nothing fancy but it works for the space I have.

 

The Home School Scientist

 

Invest in under the bed storage plastic containers to keep items you don’t use often or out of season items out of the way. You can also use these with the space storage bags, which really work to flatten out your items and make things smaller.

 

 

Get some skirt/pant hangers to help save space

 

A belt holder will keep all your belts organized and easy to get to

 

I hope these tips helped you to keep your closet as organized as possible. I have found that every closet is different and you have to figure out what works for you. You will notice many of the beautiful closets you see show a few shirts and a few pants hanging in the closet, but that isn’t reality. Most people have many more clothing items then that, so find what works for you and for your closet. I would love to hear your stories and photos on what you do to keep your closet organized.