Getting Clean and Organized

I'm getting the paint to finish the shelves this weekend so in the meantime, here are some tips for quick, efficient cleaning.

First things first, Pick up all the clutter! I can't start cleaning until everything is up off the floor. I do everything in sections as well. First, I pick up all my sons toys and put them away. Then I pick up all the clothes, blankets, or whatever else may be on the floor.

Now, you need to choose where you want to start. I usually pick the smallest mess to begin with. This is encouraging for me because, I hate cleaning! lol So, if I start small it's like a little victory that pushes me to do the rest.

Now that you have chosen where you want to begin, divide the work into sections. For instance, pick up all the clutter, than clean up the floor, then the tabletops or entertainment center, then the furniture whether it be putting the pillows back on your couch or making your bed. Don't stop cleaning until you've finished the section you're working on.

When it comes to the bathroom, I only do the deep cleaning (cleaning the toilet and tubs, etc.) once a month. During the other weeks I just clean the countertop and mirror about once a week, more if needed. I use the Clorox Green Works all purpose cleaner for everything. I love that it doesn't have those nasty smells and it really does work.

Organization is key when it comes to cleaning. The more organized you are the easier you can clean. Here are some affordable ways of getting organized by room.

Living Room

On our entertainment center we have some storage boxes we got from Ikea. You get two in a set and they're only about $5-$10. They have different sizes and colors. Here is the link to them:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00115459
They have cd, dvd, magazine, and clothes boxes. These are a great way of organizing and hiding your dvds, cds, and magazines in your living room. You can also use the clothes boxes in your bedroom and keep them in your closet or under your bed.

I don't know about you but we have lots of extra blankets! They usually just take up the whole rack in our living room closet. With these vaccuum bags you can save tons of space and keep your blankets organized and clean. You can get them just about anywhere. Here's a link for them at Target.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=2626229

Office
One way to keep your desk organized is to use desk shelves, pen cups, files, drawers, etc. lol You can get any of these at Walmart, Target, or any office store.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?cat=650979&fromPageCatId=90828&catNavId=90828
These things are especially useful if your desk is like mine and doesn't have any drawers. I actually bought a drawer unit on wheels and put it under my desk. It has a space for labels on the front of all the drawers to help you stay even more organized.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20107873

When it comes to keeping track of all your dates and important notes, I love post its! They're convenient and you can put them anywhere. My desk has a shelf built onto it so I put my sticky notes there. You can never go wrong with a desktop calendar or a date book though.

Bathroom
The main problem we have with our bathroom is keeping the counter clutter free. To help keep it neat we use a plastic box. I'm sure you've seen them. I have two different ones that came from bath gift sets people have given me. This isn't the one I have but this is an example so you know what I mean.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5652138
This is a really good way to turn those gifts into something you'll actually use! We keep the things we use everyday in it. Toothbrushes, toothpaste, eye drops, cologne and perfume, lotion, things like that.

Bedroom
The organization problems we face in our bedroom is the closet. We live in an apartment and have a king size bed so we sacrificed having a dresser to make room for our bed. So, to keep our clothes organized and out in the open in our closet we do a few things. We have all of our T shirts hanging from our top rack. Then for all our pants and shorts we have a hanging organizer. We hang it from the top rack. I got ours from Ikea for $7.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50116499
We also have another organizer hanging from the bottom rack. We put all our socks and underoos in it. It's also from Ikea and it's $5. You can also zip them together to hang them in a smaller area.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10116509

You can also use small storage boxes to organize your jewelry or ties or anything else that fits.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70081291 These are also from Ikea. They also have different styles and colors.

Kitchen

Ikea is a great place to get kitchen storage. You can get them anywhere really but, Ikea is really affordable and stylish.
For the kitchen, it's all about keeping the counters clean and the drawers organized. Instead of naming all the things you already know about the kitchen, I'm just going to give you the link for the kitchen storage stuff at Ikea. Just click which area you're looking for on the left.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/range/10366/11470/

The only room left is the room I don't have yet, a Laundry room. Technically I have one but we don't have a washer and dryer yet so for now it makes a nice closet. lol
I advise using shelves for the laundry room. Just make sure they're sturdy to hold up your detergent.
If you don't have much space on the floor for hampers you can get some that hang.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90116510
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10116509

Well, it's 3:30am here and my tips are getting more and more random! lol Tomorrow, I'll show you what I have so far on the shelves. My big project that's going to take a couple of weeks is still a secret though! lol