10 Easy Steps to Organizing Your Garage

The weekend is here and now you can dedicate the time that you want to organize the garage. You've even enlisted the aid of your entire family to help you. You and your husband gather the children, open the garage door and are pleasantly surprised. It's actually in pretty good shape...at least one of the cars still fits. Here are some quick garage organizing tips which may help you fit that other one in there!

What you'll need:
Large boxes
Large garbage bags
Duct tape
Cord or twine
Hooks and shelving

Steps:
1. Take everything out of the garage (including the car)!

2. Set up three areas in your driveway
a. items to keep
b. items to throw away (or give away to charity)
c. items to sell

3. As you remove each item from the garage, place it in one of the three areas.

4. After you have decided what to keep, place the items back in the garage using the hooks for hanging and the shelves for storing.

5. Clean the inside of the garage as much as possible - clearing away debris, dirt and dust.

6. For those items you wish to sell, pack them neatly in the boxes and tie them with cord. Mark the box or boxes "For Sale."

7. Put all of the items you are throwing away into the garbage bags. Be sure to double up on the bags, and separate the items according to your local Sanitation Department's recycling policies.

8. If you have any clothes in the throw-away pile, put them in the garbage bags and call your local Goodwill center or church for pick-up.

9. Place the "For Sale" boxes back in the garage off to the side. Prepare to hold a garage sale the following weekend if you can.

10. Pull the other car back in - after all...it IS a 2 car garage!
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What you have just read is an excerpt from the new book "Organize Your Home...Organize Your Life!" from MomsNiche.com. You'll find helpful tips on how to organize every room in your house...AND you'll get a special bonus with cleaning tips too! This book will bring a new meaning to SPRING CLEANING!

The book is set to be released in March. I'll keep you posted!

Stainless Steel - Low Maintenance?

I think not!

We purchased some new appliances in 2006. The stove was about 6 months ago and then the refrigerator, dishwasher and microwave followed shortly thereafter. I love them! They work great, they fit in with the decor we're trying to accomplish in the kitchen...and they're stainless steel.

Stainless steel is beautiful...when it's clean. However, little sticky hands all over the refrigerator make it really tough to KEEP clean! There is help, though. I ran across this information and thought I would share it with those of you who find yourselves in the same predicament that I'm in :)

Today, most all large and small appliances, cookware, utensils and sinks are stainless steel. Along with the easy to clean convenience, however, they can become stained and dull looking. To ensure they are kept clean and shiny, here are a few tips on how to make stainless steel sparkle!

Using olive oil on a cloth, clean your sink and dry with a clean cloth. Be sure to also wipe away any water spots which may appear. To removes stains from your cookware, use club soda, and apply vinegar to remove spots and stains from your utensils and cutlery. Be sure to rinse off acid or salty foods if the flatware is not immediately washed. Well that was easy, right?

Now there are other problems you may encounter with stainless steel items that need more attention. For example, if you have just purchased a stainless steel mixer; and the label(s) won’t come off, soak the item in warm water; rub it with a soapy cloth. Voila!Label on; label off.

Grease! Not the musical! To remove grease from your cookware or appliances, use a mixture of ammonia and warm water. Another problem you may encounter is rust stains. For this removal, you will need to use a household cleaner; and often.

Here are some tips to avoid damage to your stainless steel items. Don’t use steel wool to clean them; and never leave stainless steel cookware on extremely high heat for a long period of time as this will only lead to discoloration.

While there are many stainless steel cleaning products available on the market today, try the old method first. If you have large surfaces, such as refrigerators or counter tops; try using glass cleaner or ammonia. Avoiding the use of any toxic chemicals or abrasives will ensure all of your stainless steel appliances, cookware and peripherals continue to sparkle.

Try these methods first. If you want to try some of the new products on the market, I would suggest: Orange Glo Stainless Steel Cleaner and Polish; Stainless Steel Magic and the simplehuman stainless steel sponge mitt.

Now I'm off to make that stainless steel shine...let me know how it works for you!

Organizing the Kids Rooms

What's one of the biggest tasks in the house to initiate and maintain? The kid's rooms! Nothing is more difficult than getting the kids to clean up their rooms and keep them clean.

Here are some tips to help you get organized and give them the tools to KEEP organized:

When selecting the storage for your child’s room, be sure that it’s something that the child can use. There are tons of options, from plastic storage bins, the fold up cardboard under-bed boxes and drawers and build-it-yourself furniture, and don’t forget garage sales. Take your child with you when getting new storage, to make sure it will be user friendly.

Younger children have trouble opening heavy dresser drawers, so consider using cardboard box storage, or open stacking baskets. Use the dressers for out of season clothes until they are older. Put stickers on the drawers to show what goes in each one, so they can start learning to put away their own clothes. You can find a wide variety of stickers in scrap booking supplies.
Clear plastic bins are great for toys. The lids are usually easy to work and the children can see what’s in the box. It’s also fun to label the storage with bright pictures of what goes in each box. ****COOL IDEA**** Stuffed animals can multiply like rabbits, but storing them on a Velcro covered pole is fun and helps decorate the room. **** A large decorative laundry basket can make good storage for the stuffed animals as well.

By sorting the toys into groups, and storing some in either the basement or garage, you can limit the amount of toys in their rooms at one time. Rotate which toys they have once a month or so, helping limit boredom with the toys. This is also a good time to sort out the things the kids no longer play with or have gotten too old for, and either pass things on or have a garage sale or sell to a consignment shop.