Cleaning Up Christmas

The twinkling light displays, the holiday spirit all around (except at a particular mass retailer that shall remain nameless), the ringing bells and family feasts! Now that the the celebrations have come to an end....It's time to put all those beautiful decorations away until next year.  This is the part I tend to procrastinate. Not this year!  With my small townhome, I started to feel overwhelmed by all the space that my decorations, especially my tree, consume! AHHH!  Plus, I got a little excited this season and had the house decorated two weeks before Thanksgiving. The decorations had to go!

 But.... I've picked up a couple of  tricks this year that make my holiday clean up a snap, plus they will make decorating so much easier next year! If I haven't perked your interest already, the best part is that the supplies are super cheap.  I even got my Christmas cleaned up for FREE!

 

 

Christmas décor

 We all know that plastic totes are an organizational God send, but when not used properly, they can become an organizational disaster! When the plastic totes powers not harvested for good, they become an evil hiding spot for unneeded items.  Now that you're beginning to repack those holiday boxes,  it's time to do a quick survey. Are there any items still pack away and went unused this season?  This is a great place to start! If these items didn't make it out this year, and you don't think they will next year, it maybe a good idea to think about getting them out of the house. Many seasonal items have a lot of family sentiment, so I know this can be difficult. Donating unused items to the needy is a great way to unclutter and feel good about getting rid of these unused seasonal items. You may also want to "re-gift" these to family members. This is a great way to clean up but keep these sentiments in the family!   

 

Ornaments  

Now that our holiday totes have been cleared out, it's time to repack them! I like to save the most of the packages my ornaments came in. They usually stack easily, and the boxes provide protection from breakage. That being said, some of my ornaments are hand-made, didn't come in a package, or the packages where lost or broken. For these decorations, I use egg cartons. This is an absolutely FREE way to store Christmas ornaments. Empty egg cartons stack up beautifullly in storage totes. They also provided excellent protection for more delicate items. Just place the ornaments in the open slots and, voila! Another added bonus is that the cartons can be trimmed to fit awkwardly shaped ornaments and decorations. 

Lights & Garland 

This tip is one of my favorite new tricks! I actually got this idea from one of the clients I have been doing organizational projects for.  All that's needed for tangle-free lights and garland next year is some old magazines and/or empty paper towel or wrapping paper tubes. If you go the magazine route, just roll up the magazine into a tube shape. That's what I did in the picture to the right of this section. I stuck one of the ends of the lights in the tube and just started rolling until I reached the end. Same with the garland. I used the same rolling technique to wrap up my garland. I just threw them into my Christmas tote after I finished rolling them up. Next year, they will just roll off the tube like toilet paper. No fighting involved!!!  I also saw another great Christmas light storage idea on an episode of Racheal Ray. You can probably find this at:
 www.rachealray.com

This organizational expert used one of those contraptions that are used to wrap up an outdoor water hose to wrap a lot of outdoor lights. I don't have that many lights but another excellent, tangle-free way to store all those outdoor Christmas lights! 

The Tree

For those of you out there that purchase real trees, I got nothin'! I enjoy the convenience of an artificial tree.  If I ever crave a piny-fresh scent(that has yet to happen), I can always buy a pine tree car air freshener to hang on my tree! For the last 3 years I have stored my artificial tree in the long, awkward box I purchased it in. This made for difficult organization of my storage closet. It was a game of Tetris everytime I attempted to organize, so eventually I gave up! This year, I decided to purchase one of those special tree storage totes.  When I started looking around I was shocked at the prices!  Perhaps it was the fact that I was looking right after Christmas and they jacked the prices up, but there was no way I was going to spend that much money on plastic.  As I continued to stroll down the storage isles, it dawned on me that I didn't need a special, red and green Christmas Tree storage totes.  All I needed was a larger storage tote!  It worked beautifully, the disassembled tree fit perfectly and the lid snapped shut.  Now I can stack and organized my seasonal decorations without the hassle.  Plus, I saved myself about $20!!! Yay!

Do you have any organizational or storage tips that will make the next holiday season a little more joyous and a little less "ahhh"?  Please share! I love the feedback.

 

 

Stinky House Fixes

With all the hussle and bussle of the holiday season and an amazing Disney vacation, I have neglected my blog. Hopefully you haven't forgotten your friendly neighborhood cleaning lady, 'cause I'm BACK!

I love this time of year! My home is always open for friends and family, and I never know when someone may pop in.  I love to keeping my home inviting, but there is nothing more uninviting than a stinky house!!

An overfilled garbage can, bathroom odors, stinky shoes, or lingering food odors. These smelly smells seems to go hand in hand with entertaining. Fear not, I've got some excellent ideas to treat these everyday odors. 

Microwave Odors

I first learned of this sweet little trick after my daughter and her Ramen Noodles had a disagreement with the microwave. By the way, after the incident, we read the package and Ramen is NOT to be cooked in the microwave! Ramen noodles WILL catch fire in the microwave when water is not added first. I thought my microwave was done for. It was not affected by the flame shooting out of the noodles, but the smell was awful! I actually had a neighbor ask if my house was on fire.  The smell effect the adjoining townhomes!   

My mom suggested I fill a microwave safe bowl with 1/2 water & 1/2 vinegar. Microwave this mixture on high for 2 to 3 minutes. Then allow the bowl to sit inside the microwave for another 15-20 minutes without opening the door. After this time, the steam will have loosened the food residue and you should be able to wipe the microwave clean with a few simple wipes. The vinegar will neutralize the left over odors. My microwave required more than one shot of this routine, but only because of the strong odor left behind from the smoke.

Trash Can Odors
With all the cooking and company this time of year, there is no doubt trash can odors will become an issue.  The first way to handle this type of smell is to remove the offender!  Take that stinky trash out to the dumpster.  If this is not possible or the bag isn't completely full yet, sprinkle a little baking soda over the trash to help absorb some of the odors.  You may also want to clean out the trash can.  The plastic use in trash bins can absorb smells too.  Just use a little soap and water to wipe down the inside and outside of the trash can, then let it dry before adding a bag.

I am ashamed to say this is my trash that has not been taken to the dumpster...
But it's just sooooo COLD! 
I guess I have a hard time "practicing what I preach"!

Bathroom Odors

Giving the bathroom a good cleaning is a great start to distroying bathroom odors. This will take care of the smell of mildew and dampness. While cleaning, keep in mind that plastics absorb odors. Also, don't forget to change out your bath towels, hand towels, decorative towels, and wash rags. You wouldn't believe the smells that get trapped in your towels, besides, it's just good hygiene! 

Another idea for getting rid of bathroom odors is baking soda. I like to add lavender, orange peels, or other aromatics to baking soda. I then display it in a decorative jar in the bathroom. The baking soda absorbs odors, while the aromatics leave a light, refreshing smell. One more thing, lighting a fragrant candle before guests come over is a nice touch! 

General Home Odors

There are a number of different things that cause a stinky home. The first step to taming these smells is identifing the source of and removing any malodorous items.  If you have any family and friends that smoke, set them up with a butt can outside.  This will not only prevent the lingering smoke smell, but it will keep all your loved one more comfortable (and healthy)!  I also keep a shoe basket by the front door for folks to slip their wet shoes in upon entering ( I HATE wet socks)!  I slip a couple of dryer sheets in the basket to mask stinky foot odor.  Not everyone has feet that smell like roses, such as myself! Keeping up with general cleaning is the best way to prevent odors in the first place.  Check out one of my previous to help you stay on top of some of those neglected cleaning tasks!
http://cristencleansomaha.blogspot.com/2013/08/cleaning-check-list.html

In conclusion , a clean house is a fresh house! But even the cleanest of homes develop funky smells.  These tips will help keep your home smelling its very best.  Do you have any tricks or tips for household odors?  I would love to hear some of your feed back!