Household Cleaning Tips for Christmas

Since Christmas is just around the corner....who doesn't need a tip on tidying the house throughout the holidays? Here's a few suggestions from English media personality Anthea Turner, best known for her role in Perfect Housewife, where she taught disorganized housewomen and men how to clean and run their houses.

Anthea's Christmas Cleaning Tips for a Pristine Home

De-clutter

If it is not beautiful, useful or seriously sentimental – get rid of it! Invited a friend who can be ruthless and rid you of things you do not need.

Recycle old magazines, use a lever-arch file to store recipes and magazine articles you want to keep. Tear them out and recycle the rest.

Get rid of the piles of papers and junk sitting on your dining table to let you actually use it for meals with the family.

Clean

Do not let the little jobs build up such as cleaning under the bed, tackling the shower curtain, and cleaning the grouting - old toothbrushes are perfect for scrubbing at those stubborn marks between tiles.

Have cleaning wipes to hand for last-minute clean ups. From the telephone to the bathroom sink, a quick swipe will do the trick.

Wipe dirty marks off the painted walls and skirting boards by gently wiping with a damp cloth and a little all-purpose cleaner.

Ensure your oven is prepared to deal with the Christmas turkey and all the trimmings. Tackle stubborn marks on the grill.

Stainless steel can often look dull with watermarks and sticky fingerprints. Create a Christmas sparkle on your appliances by using a special stainless steel cleaner, which will clean away the sticky finger marks whilst still being gentle on the surface.

Try to do a little cleaning every day up towards Christmas to ensure it does not turn into a mammoth task that you have to tackle the night before.

Organize

Organize yourself by putting systems in place that will help things run more efficiently so you can keep your home looking sparkling clean.

Have filing trays for post coming in and shred all confidential statements that are not needed but taking up space.

Invest in clear storage boxes so items can be filed away but easily located. Anthea’s Christmas Cleaning Crack-down tips

Anyone else have a holiday cleaning tip?


Marin
A Cowboy Christmas *in stores now!*
http://www.marinthomas.com/

Household Cleaning Tip

Twenty Minutes to Tidy

I found this household tip at http://www.stayathomemoms.about.com/

Of course my teenagers refused to help in the experiment but I thought what the heck--I'll
give it try by myself. I confess it took me thirty-five minutes not twenty--mostly because the high traffic area in my house includes the stairs and those take the most time to vacuum.

1. Start a Load of Laundry
Save time by letting your kids sort the laundry while you work on a different chore.
After the laundry is sorted, throw a load of messy kid clothes into the washing machine.
If you don't have a washing machine, have the kids sort the clothes and bag them for your next trip to the laundromat.
Time Limit for You: 3 Minutes
Tip: Spray stain remover on the clothes needing extra attention first. While it's working, move on to another chore so you don't have to wait.

2. Straighten Up the Family Room
Have your children arrange the magazines and books.
Kids can dust with socks on their hands.
Time Limit for You: 0 Minutes. No time investment for you. The children are doing the work.
Tip: Your family room touch up can be left to the kids so you can focus on other areas of the house. Give them age appropriate chores to keep them safe.

3. Pick Up the Toys
Have your children pick up their toys as fast as they can.
Hold a contest to see who can put away the most toys.
No losers in this game. Choose a prize everyone can enjoy when time's up.
Time Limit for You: 0 Minutes. No time investment for you. The children are doing the work while learning how to pick up after themselves.
Tip: Baskets and bins make toy pick up easier and more fun for children.

4. Make the Beds
Start with your own bed. You deserve a made bed to crawl into at the end of the day.
Pull the top sheet and comforter back in place. Straighten up the pillows.
Older kids can make their own beds to help save time.
Time Limit for You: 4 Minutes
Tip: Wrinkle-resistant sheets make your bedroom look cleaner than crumpled up sheets.

5. Vacuum Daily
Vacuum high-traffic areas every day.
Alternate vacuum days between the kitchen and bathroom.
Time Limit for You: 5 Minutes
Tip: Use a handheld vacuum cleaner for spot cleaning without having to drag out the big vacuum cleaner.

6. Wipe Down the Kitchen
Use a disinfectant wipe to clean the counters, fixtures and sink.
Don't forget to wipe the refrigerator handles little hands have been touching.
Take a quick swipe inside the microwave with a damp cloth.
Time Limit for You: 2 Minutes
Tip: If you have a lot of counter space, only clean the counter areas where you prepared your children's food for the day.

7. Disinfect the Bathroom
Clean all bathroom fixtures with a disinfectant wipe.
Wipe the bathroom counters
Time Limit for You: 2 Minutes
Tip: Add an automatic toilet bowl cleaner to keep the inside of the toilet clean for 2-3 months.

8. Load the Dishwasher
Put the day's dirty dishes into the dishwasher.
Start the dishwasher at the end of the night.
Time Limit for You: 3 Minutes
Tip: Use downtime while you're cooking to put the dishes away.

9. Freshen Up Your House
Use air freshener throughout your house.
Spray fabric refresher on your furniture, especially those areas where the kids hang out.
Time Limit for You: 1 Minute
Tip: Open windows on a sunny day to remove odors with fresh air.

Time's up! You and your family just tidied up the house in twenty minutes.

I see only one drawback to this method of cleaning for those of us who really despise housework--the temptation to substitute the 20-Minute pickup for a thorough housecleaning once a month!

Happy Cleaning

Marin
A Cowboy Christmas Dec 09
http://www.marinthomas.com/

The Ten-Minute Pick Up

The Ten-Minute Pick Up

There's nothing that starts out the day worse than to wake up to a house in disarray. It seems to put the whole day into catch-up mode. To solve this, try this time-saving small tip.

Each evening, before calling it a day, spend 10 minutes picking up and straightening the major rooms in the house. Don't make this a major clean-up time, and don't worry about the bedrooms---except maybe your own. Simply look over the areas for items out of place, straighten the cushions, put the day's newspaper where it belongs, and wake up the next morning to a tidy home and a smile on your face.

Anyone care to share their secret quick pick-up tip?

Roxann Delaney
http://roxanndelaney.com

Houshold Cleaning Tips

Household Tip

To keep a tissue box high and dry on a bathroom counter, insert four push pins into the bottom to serve as legs. Re-use them each time you bring out a new box.

Jacqueline Diamond
www.jacquelinediamond.com
Next book: Doctor Daddy, HAR, September

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*The Easiest Microwave Cleaner Ever*

**Stick a bowl of water into your microwave for five minutes. Remove. Wipe interior with a soft cloth or paper towel.

It’s super easy, doesn’t cost a thing, and it really works!

Laura Bradford
www.laurabradford.cm

Let the Sun Shine in!

August's Household Cleaning Tip

Looking for an inexpensive alternative to store-bought window cleaners?

2 cups water
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dishwashing liquid

Gently stir these three ingredients and pour the mixture into a squirt bottle. It does a great job of cleaning glass and mirrors, dries quickly, and costs a fraction of what you'd pay at the supermarket. And because it doesn't contain ammonia or alcohol, its a safer alternative for families that have small children and pets.

Lee McKenzie
http://thewritersideoflife.blogspot.com/

Household Cleaning Tip for Boats

For our readers out there who own a boat, you'll find Lisa Ruff's boat-cleaning tip helpful this summer--Happy Sailing!


An eco-friendly cleaning tip for people with boats:

Use baking soda, boiling water and vinegar to clean your sink drains. First close the sea-cock, then put 2 tablespoons of baking soda into the drain. Fill the drain pipe with boiling water to just below the "cross-hairs" of the drain. Let sit for ten minutes, then pour a cup of vinegar into the drain. When the acid contacts the base, there's lots of foaming action--it smells awful, but the fumes are non-toxic. After ten minutes, open the sea-cock and let it all drain away. Flush with clean water and you're done. Sweet-smelling again!

Lisa Ruff
www.lisaruff.net

Cleaning Dried Flower Arrangements

How many times have you walked past a dried flower arrangement in your house and cringed at the dust on it? I love dried flowers but they're a lot of trouble to clean. Before I found this shortcut I would spend way too long picking out the dust clumps and strands of dog fur (who knows how those floated up in the air and landed on the arrangements) and then I'd take a damp paper towel or rag and wipe each petal of the flower clean. If it was a silk-flower arrangement I'd take it apart and soak the flowers and greens in a tub of soapy water--but when I tried to put the arrangement back together I could never get it to look like it did before.

A friend passed along this incredible tip for cleaning silk or dried-flower arrangements. Take the arrangement out to the garage--make sure the garage door is up or if your back porch or patio has an outlet take the flowers out there. Check which way the wind is blowing ( I learned this the hard way after I got a face full of dust) Use the medium /cool setting and blow dry the arrangement. Most of the dust will fly right off and be carried away by the wind. Next use a silk-plant cleaner (Hobby Lobby sells a silk flower spray--sign up for their internet e-mails and you'll receive a 40% off coupon once in awhile) The spray will clean the rest of the dust off and make the flowers smell nice.

Marin Thomas
Samantha's Cowboy (August 2009)
www.marinthomas.com

Household Cleaning Tip

I know very few women who enjoy housework. We all love the smell of a clean house and the look of a clean house--but the actual cleaning…ugh! Some of us may be fortunate to have a cleaning lady or service spruce up our homes but for those who don't--like Moi--each month we'll post a household cleaning tip from one of our American Romance authors. We hope you'll find these bits of advice helpful. And we encourage you to share your cleaning secrets and shortcuts with the rest of us!


Household Cleaning Tip from Trish Milburn

1. Break tasks down into 15-minute segments, and set a kitchen timer to keep track. This helps keep housecleaning from seeming overwhelming, and if you're a writer it gets you up from your computer for those 15 minutes every hour. The housework gets done, and you get a physical and mental break from your work.

2. Save painting interiors for a pleasant day when you can open the windows. This keeps the fumes from bothering you as you paint and lets them escape the indoors so you don't have to sleep with that paint smell.


Trish
Heartbreak River (as Tricia Mills), Razorbill (4/09)
Her Very Own Family, Harlequin American (5/09)
http://www.trishmilburn.com/