Search Results for: blog cleaning starts with decluttering

Fireplace Cleaning Tips

Home guru Sabrina Soto’s trick of cleaning the exterior portion of a fireplace with spray-on oven cleaner has served me well. However, I wouldn’t suggest spraying the interior enclosures with Easy-Off or Mr. Muscle. Fireplace enclosures need to be cleaned with non-abrasive cleaning materials, given their relatively delicate surfaces. Most fireplace enclosures feature glass or metal, which can easily scratch if they are cleaned with abrasive sponges and brushes. Still, for safety reason, you will want to clean your fireplace’s enclosure, so you won’t be breathing in dust, soot and dirt, and be forced to stare at unsightly burns and … Continue reading →

Seasonal Shoe Cleaning and Organizing

Tis the season for shoe purging in our home. Snow is in the forecast for the weekend, which means I have been frantically trying to dig out winter boots and put away summer sandals. Since our front entry closet doubles as a shoe and coat catch-all, I am very cognizant of my need to be as organized as possible, as one false placement could mean the unleashing of a flood of outwear. Before I store shoes for a given season I do a quick spot cleaning on the ones that need attention. For example, on my daughter’s summer canvas shoes … Continue reading →

Fall Closet Cleaning

I love cleaning closets. I just hate how long it takes. Last week I spent five hours cleaning out my young daughter’s closet. Granted, I hadn’t been in there to thoroughly clean and organize since late spring when I packed away her winter gear and got out her summer outfits. Still, five hours was much longer than I had anticipated the job would take, and it gave me incentive to tackle the chore on a regular basis rather than reserve it for fall and spring only. There are many advantages to cleaning and organizing a closet regularly. For starters, it … Continue reading →

Cleaning Starts with Decluttering

Sabrina Soto is the queen of decluttering. Seriously, every time I watch the HGTV star work her magic on “Get It Sold” or “Real Estate Intervention,” I want to purge my home of all its contents, save for the couch, the beds and a tiny desk and chair set. According to Soto, clutter is a bad thing. If you’ve ever seen the TLC show “Hoarding: Buried Alive,” then you know she’s got a point. Excessive TV references aside, experts say clutter is a sign of bad habits: lack of organization, overspending, and attachment issues, just to name a few. Fortunately, … Continue reading →

New Year, New Closet: Three Steps to Declutter

The turn of the year from the old to the new is a great time for new starts and for cleaning out the old to make way for the new. Release bad memories and even worse fashion by decluttering your closet. Whose idea was that awful sweater, anyway? Make the best use of your closet space with this three-step plan. Figure out what you need Maybe you have a good sense of what it is that you always where, but more likely there are items that you think you might be wearing but you aren’t. A good trick to try … Continue reading →

Cathedrals of Trash

They say one man’s trash is another’s treasure and that seems to be the case for two men who are making cathedrals out of trash. Justo Martinez of Madrid, Spain (who goes by Don Justo) has spent the last 50 years building a cathedral made of junk. He salvaged local materials and the cathedral now stands an impressive 131 feet tall, despite his having no formal drawings for the structure. Don Justo was a Benedictine monk, but had to leave the monastery years ago when he contracted tuberculosis – 50 years ago to be exact. Since leaving, Don Justo has … Continue reading →

Seasonal Home Maintenance

Tis the season to thoroughly clean your entire house. While some homeowners reserve major cleaning projects for the springtime, fall is actually one of the best times of the year to purge and reorganize your living space. It’s a good idea to decontaminate your home when the weather is still decent and before you have to close it up for the winter. Fall is also an ideal time to complete major cleaning projects because typically the holiday season brings a litany of guests to your home and it’s nice to have a decluttered space to show off. With that said, … Continue reading →