Are your summer jeans and white tops looking a bit yellowed or dingy? This is a good time to use a non-chlorine, oxygen-based bleach detergent on your summer whites. Remember to wash your whites only with other white clothing to keep them looking dazzling. Remember to donate things you no longer need to us!
Tag: cleaning up the clutter
Beach Bags
By mid-summer, your beach bag has seen better days. Did you know you can reshape your bag? Fill a spray bottle with water and give your bag a good spritz. You’ll be able to shape it before you set it aside to dry.
Summer Shoes
Your summer gear can take a beating, and your favorite shoes are no exception. To keep leather sandals looking good after each wear, clean with a damp sponge to remove dirt and build-up. This will help prevent discoloration. And what would summer be without flip-flops? Use a soft-bristle nail brush and gentle dish soap to scrub your favorite flips under warm water.
Keeping Up With The Clutter
Face it – busy lives lead to clutter. The bigger your family, the more pets, the more visitors, the bigger the mess. It’s not all bad. An active family is a happy family—those visitors, events, and flurries of activity all create memories that will last for lifetimes. The flip side, of course, is that sometimes things just get out of hand. What to do? Get your arms around the clutter by establishing some simple steps to help your home stay clutter-free, even in the midst of a myriad of family and friends.
For example:
- Family rules. Set up rules for your family and require everyone to follow them. For instance, when you use a glass, plate or utensils, you rinse them and put them in the dishwasher as soon as you’re done with them. No leaving these things lying around the house on tables in various rooms.
- Clean as you go. If you take care of cleaning up on a regular basis, the clutter won’t pile up. Make it easy by storing cleaning cloths and products near where messes are made—e.g. in the bathroom.
- A place for everything and everything in its place. It’s an old saying, but a practical one. When you use something put it away where it belongs. Not only will this relieve clutter, but it can help you avoid lost items as well.
- Don’t need/want an item anymore? Donate it to us! Keep boxes and bins handy (and tucked away in closets) where you can put items you no longer need or want. When the box is filled, contact us and we’ll come and take it off your hands. Your donations go to help our veterans!
Still feeling like you just can’t keep up with the clutter that seems to magically emerge around you? Here’s some advice from Real Simple about how to avoid “The Top 6 Excuses for Clutter.” Which of these do you fall prey to?
Do you have additional tips that have helped you and your family keep your active home clutter-free? Share them here!
Make Room for New Mother’s Day Gifts
Mother’s Day is behind us now, but we hope that all of the mothers out there had a great day celebrating the special work they do every day in raising their kids. We especially want to extend happy Mother’s Day wishes to all of the military moms who are serving overseas and weren’t able to be with their children — and to the moms who are raising their children while their husbands serve.
If you’re a mom with young children, you probably received homemade gifts that your children made while at school. Whether it’s an art project, handmade card, or other thoughtful, adorable gift, you’ll want to show it off for the next few weeks. Looking around your home, though, you might realize that you don’t have the surface space to properly show your gift off.
It might be time for you to tackle some spring cleaning, or take inventory of your home decor. Do you have picture frames that are better at collecting dust than preserving memories? Is that painting above your mantel carrying sentimental value, or is it a placeholder? Go through the rooms in your home where you have knick-knacks, paintings, lamps and other home decor items that may no longer be needed or wanted.
If they’re covered in dust or you’ve actually forgotten that they’re there, it’s probably time to get rid of them. Don’t think they’ll sell in your annual garage sale? Donate them to us! Along with clothes and kitchenware, we can collect decor donations. All you have to do is visit our website, schedule a donation pickup time, and place your items in a bag or box marked “for donation.” We’ll take care of the rest while to admire your Mother’s Day gifts! Your donation helps fund our veterans programs, so donate today!
(And don’t worry dads—your day is coming up soon!)