Home Organizing & Cleaning Tips, Hints

I love hints and tips that help me to make life easier and for me to get projects finished faster, I am lazy by nature. Besides that, I hate cleaning!

I hate to waste time when I know there is an easier, faster and just-as-effective way of doing things. These small little hints are ones that are a no-brainer, but we tend to overlook because they are so obvious.

1. Rub a screwdriver with chalk before inserting into a screw and the screwdriver won't slip. (Offered from a neighborhood handy man with 30 years experience).
2. Hang pictures right the first time. Just use a piece of paper and make an outline of the picture frame, hang on the wall at various positions until you find the one that suits you, add the picture hanger to the wall and you have a perfect picture grouping.
3. Don't use 'white' when grouting; it will show every stain that comes its way. Use off white, beige, grey or a light color.
4. Clean grout stains with hydrogen peroxide to get deep dark stains out.
5. To fix a sticky drawer; first dry the drawer using a hair dryer. After the drawer is dry, (moisture is eliminated) rub the runners with paste wax.
6. Prevent brass from tarnishing by spraying a light coat of lacquer over the top. This should be recoated once a year for things kept outside.
7. Store your sheets by inserting the fitted sheet and pillowcases inside the flat sheet and fold together. You will always pull out the matched set.
8. If you have a chair rung, that is loose; insert a little glue and a toothpick (the depth of the hole), let dry and redrill the hole for the spindle.
9. Run a cycle of vinegar through the dishwasher to keep it clean and help the mechanism run smoothly. Once every change of seasons is a good schedule to keep.
10. Make disinfectant handiwipes: cut a tube of paper towel in half, remove the cardboard insert, put the paper toweling in a zip Lock freezer bag that has 1 cup of Lysol mixed with 1 ¼ cup of water. Mix until the toweling is completely wet, pour out remaining liquid. Pull the toweling from the 'center' of the paper toweling to use. This may also be done with glass cleaner.

Jan Hayner includes more tips and hints on home organizing and cleaning shortcuts on her website at http://www.organizingyourlifetheeasyway.com. Take the stress out of life and have more time to do the fun things life has to offer. Get her free Organizing and Cleaning pamphlets and get organized now.