Cleaning can be part of organizing

Ok, so most of you know my obsession with organizing and some of you know my obsession with searching you tube for quick tips and tricks for organizing, cleaning and design.  I used to watch a lot of HGTV but since we cancelled cable and time is at a premium 5-10 min you tube clips are actually more effective and efficient at telling me what I need to know.

Today's blog is more about cleaning than organizing (though I must admit I have done clients' dishes before).  I follow several organizing "vlogs" and these following tips have significantly reduced the amount of time I spend cleaning.  YAY! more time to organize!

1. Tip:  Use baking soda and vinegar to whiten your whites.  Bleach is SO last decade.  I found that if you put a half cup of baking soda directly into the washer drum with your whites and a half to a cup of vinegar into the fabric softener dispenser and put the wash on warm/cold soak you can eliminate dingy staining and stinky body smell from sheets, pillows, undershirts and sometimes even socks and underwear   (Some of you know that I can't smell so you are wondering "how does she know!" Since I started using this method I haven't heard a peep from hubby who used to complain his shirts smelled rotten after they came out of the wash.)  After a good soak put the load through a regular wash on warm or cold water only. 
1. Bonus: No more need for HOT water for your sheets. All yuckies are taken out by the vinegar and baking soda. 
2. Bonus:  This is how you would clean your washing machine.  Now the machine is getting cleaned WHILE my laundry is getting clean!!  Gotta love the 2 birds thing.
   
   
2. Tip:  Use microfiber cloths with only water to clean your windows in NO time flat.  I used to toil away at cleaning my windows (inside and out) and it would take so much time just to do one that I saved it for when I did deep cleaning in each individual room.  As a result I never had a full house of clean windows.  Only one room's worth or a couple of windows would be clean at a time.  NO MORE!  I can clean all of the windows (inside and out) in just over 30 min with a bucket of warm water, a little vinegar and a clean microfiber cloth.  I used to use Windex and paper towels and I'm pretty sure at one point I used a whole roll for my living room widows. Gross and wasteful.  That is when I was introduced the microfiber cloth.  I LOVE IT for all kinds of cleaning.  Counters, windows, dusting.  Anyway, without sounding like a microfiber ad. the cloth is easy to rinse and wring out until almost dry, just wipe and repeat.  No more wasteful paper towel or ammonia smell in the house (heh, just vinegar smell)  Doesn't bother me though.  Super fast and effective that I find I do it more often and the job gets easier each time because the windows don't get as grimy.
   
   
3. Tip:  Clean your microwave and sponges with no effort, in 5 min.  So I have to admit I don't clean these items on a regular basis as you can see from the before pic I took.  I just throw away grungy sponges and the microwave is SO easy to ignore with the door closed that I just don't do it.  But I'm always embarrassed if a guest goes to use the microwave.  NOT ANYMORE!  Tonight I cleaned my microwave.  I had heard of microwaving lemon and its juice on high for 5 min and I had heard of disinfecting your sponge in a similar way so I combined the two.  You know, 2 birds like!  And it worked!! Give your microwave a lemon spa treatment. (the hardest part was remembering to pick up a lemon at the grocery store)

This microwave has been splattered like this for over 2 months.  Gross!

                  
1. Cut a lemon in half and juice it into a bowl with a couple cups of water in it. 
2. Throw your sponge in with the water juice mix and the juiced lemon halves.
3. Run your microwave on high for five minutes
4. Be careful everything will be REALLY HOT so use oven mitts to remove the bowl.  After cooling the sponge under running water (I never touch the sponge until it has been thoroughly cooled. Remember water IN the sponge will remain hot so be careful when you squeeze the excess water out)
5. Simply wipe (no elbow grease needed) the grime away.  I did wipe the dish in the sink but no scrubbing was required.



VOILA!  A sparkling microwave (and germ free sponge, not pictured)





I hope these tips help you to get your cleaning done faster so you can have more time to do what you enjoy (whether that is organizing or not).    If you have any blog requests or ideas.  Spread the knowledge and post in the comments below.




Thanks for your interest in my blog.

Julie, Little Yellow Ranch