Organized Home

Spring cleaning is on the horizon, and you could use some help. 

Many hands make light work ... so how do you get the kids to pitch in when it's time to spring-clean the house? 

Try these five tips to involve children with housecleaning chores:

Think teamwork

It's downright lonely to be sentenced to clean a bathroom on your own, but paired with a parent, even a 5-year-old can work safely and happily. While Dad wields the bowl cleaner and the tile brush, his helper can scrub the sink, polish the fixtures, empty the trash and trundle towels and rugs to the laundry room.     More »

Paid cleaning help can be a wonderful short-cut to a clean and organized home--if the household budget can stand the cost.

But what do you do if the Prize Patrol bypassed your door this year?

Take a speed-cleaning lesson from the pros! Paid cleaning services are masters of the art of speedy, efficient cleaning. They don't waste time, cut corners or dawdle over the job--and they know how to clean fast, clean right.

Take a tip from their copybook. To clean your house in record time, try these tips from professional cleaners:    More »

Think about it! The refrigerator holds it all: food and finance, weight and well-being, organization and chaos, all rolled into one big cold box. Dive into that baby with a detached eye, a hardened heart and one small hour of time and you're on the road to weight loss, better household management, and a healthier budget.

The timing couldn't be better, because I know what your refrigerator looks like! Plastic food storage containers pile in unsteady ziggurats in every corner--and why is it that the largest bowls and boxes hold the smallest amounts of food?    More »

When wintry weather blows, will your family be prepared?

Winter brings special seasonal challenges to an organized home.  Winter storms can make navigating roads and walkways hazardous; power outages and snow days highlight any family's readiness for cold weather.

Take time now to review your family's emergency preparedness with this Winter Preparedness Checklist. It'll help you prepare your home and automobile for cold-weather hazards.    More »

It's Autumn.

Pumpkins glow in golden fields. Shorter days, crisp mornings signal winter's approach. Can the holidays be far behind?

Use Autumn's brisk and breezy days to conquer deep-cleaning chores for a clean and comfortable winter home, and wrap up summer's outdoor areas. 

Our Fall Cleaning Chore Checklist will help you prepare home and hearth for the coming of winter:    More »

When it comes to kids and housework, the blasted terrain is familiar: a dirty house, balky children, and frazzled, frustrated parents. 

Tired parents try it all, from chore charts to screaming fits.  Canny children engage in housework sabotage, selective hearing or childish irresponsibility to duck assignments.  The noise levels--and stress levels--rise along with the stacks of dishes.

How to negotiate a peace on the issue of children and chores?  Try these family-tested strategies to calm the conflict and gain the goal:    More »