02.24.09
Home Organization: “This Kid Has It Easy”
If this program (see previous posts) is new for you children, it is especially important that you start out slowly. Do not overwhelm the poor kid with demands. Add responsibilities slowly, one at a time.
- You both will be a lot happier if you make the room as easy as possible to keep neat and orderly. Get down on your knees–c’mon it won’ t hurt you–and look at the world from a child’s-eye view. There’s a lot you can do to make cleanup and maintenance easier. For starters, you can:
- Lower the clothes rack in the closets.
- Put in plenty of large hooks for play clothes, nightclothes, backpack, etc.
- Put dividers in drawers.
- Label drawers with words or pictures so things get put away where they belong. This is also great pre-reading instruction.
- Use several smaller toy containers rather than one large one. With luck, only 20 rather than 50 toys will be dumped on the floor.
- To minimize bed making use a duvet and fitted bottom sheet. But remember even with this simplification it’s difficult for little people to make a bed!
- Designate one drawer for junk. Bet you have one!
- A clear plastic shoe bag hung over a door is a great place to store craft supplies, small toys, rolled up underwear, hair ribbons and other small things.
- Use sturdy clear plastic storage containers in several sizes for toys, art supplies, etc. Stackable, covered onces are best. Label them (see #4). What can be seen won’t be dumped–maybe.
- Put a bed on stilts or hang it from the ceiling to give him a generous play and storage space underneath.
- Consider rotating toys occasionally. This cuts down on the number to be put away and gives your little ones “new” ones to play with when they’re brought out of hiding.
Some Words of Caution
What do you mean when you say, “Clean up your room”? Now, that may sound like a dumb question, but your concept of a clean room is probably completely different than your child’s idea. Too often we ask a child to do something–put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, mow the lawn, dust the living room–and then get angry because the finished product doesn’t match our mental image of what it should look like. Spend time demonstrating specifically what needs to be done and how to do it. Babies do not come into this world with an instinctive knowledge of how to make a bed. Teach necessary skills. Assume nothing.
Just one final word” Try to keep things in perspective. Junior’s room may look like the aftermath of Hurricane Hilda, but how much is it really going to matter ten years from now?
And now, our Savvy Reader, what ideas do you have? Won’t you share them with our readers?
Home Organization: Five Helps for Kid’s Bedrooms
In many homes there is a mysterious, potentially dangerous, looks-like-a-cyclone-struck-it nether world inhabited by the small people of the family. And the condition of this room(s) can be a major source of…hmmm…shall we say, disharmony.
There are of course two schools of thought here. If you don’t firmly subscribe to one or the other, perhaps now is the time to think things through.
Some parents consider their child’s room as their own private space to be kept to his own standards. They usually would prefer a picture perfect room, but they know they have to pick their battles. If this is you l, simply shut the door and, more important, “zip you lips.” Depending on their age and temperament, natural consequences will usually force them to take some action periodically.
On the other hand, you may feel that since the bedroom is a part of the family home it should be kept up to family standards.
No right or wrong here. But the more resolute your viewpoint, the more successful you will be either in enforcing order or ignoring the whole mess.
Bringing Order Out of Chaos
- If you’ve decided the kid’s room has to be brought up to family standards, here’s some suggestions for making the job easier for both of you.
- Insist that the room is cleaned up before dinner, screen time, story time, weekend activities or whatever else works.
- Reward a job well done with a star on the chart, a small treat, or with points towards something she wants. This can be done on a regular basis or by surprise inspections.
- If you have professional housekeeping help–and we hope you do!–make it the rule that the room must be straightened or it doesn’t get cleaned. This can work wonders especially if Occupant is then responsible to clean everything himself!
- Emphasize they must feel to have everything orderly, be able to find everything, etc. Acknowledge that this is no easy task, but it sure does help out the family, makes you proud, keeps the health inspector from the door…you get the picture.
Be sure to read our next post, “This Kid Has It Easy” for suggestions to make it easier for kids to keep things (reasonably) neat and orderly.
Hey, Savvy Reader! Do you have something to add to the list above? We love your ideas.
Home Organization: Family De-Clutter Tips
So you’ve weeded out all those excess belongings. (You have followed our previous posts, haven’t you)? How now to organize the everyday essentials.
Evaluate
You can gain a whole new perspective on clutter by examining your house as a stranger might. Go out the front door and come in again, this time as a first time visitor.
Look at all the items on table tops, counters, shelves and the like. Is each one either decorative or used on a regular basis? If not, put away as many things as you’re comfortable with. (You should have lots of storage space now)! Immediately, your house will look cleaner and your cleaning time may be reduced by as much as 30%.
Keep Current
Can you believe the amount of potential clutter that enters your home each day? Stay on top of it or you’ll soon be buried. Your de-clutter goal: handle each item only one time.
- Sort through mail daily. Junk the junk mail, file the bills to pay. Designate a file or container for “will read” items.
- Stash the newspapers daily; magazines every few weeks. If there’s an article you want to read, or pictures you want to save, cut them out and throw the magazine away.
- Use a big calendar to record all duties, family activites, appointments, club dates, calls to make, birthdays and anniversaries. As soon as you receive a schedule, invitation or appointment, record all pertinent information onthe calendar and throw away the paperwork.
- If you have children, designate a box, drawer, file folder, etc. for their papers and artwork you want to keep. Sort through at least once a year and keep only those pieces that will be meaningful ten years from now.
- Invest in a filing cabinet and put it where it’s easily accessible to everyone. You may even have a kitchen drawer or two that can accommodate file folders. Now go the the stationery or office supply store and get some pretty hanging file folders.
- Think of all the important papers you now have scattered around the house: bank statements, insurance policies, bills to pay, store receipts, product warranties, tax records, school booklets and papers. Make a file for each. This is also a good place to put magazine articles you have cut out, recipes to file, letters to answer, gift ideas, vacation destinations–the list is endless.
- Imagine all the time and mental energy you will save by having all these important papers in one place. Whatever will you do with all your newfound leisure time?
So what do you do to control the inevitable household clutter? Won’t you take a minute to share your tips?
Home Organization: Preparing to De-clutter, part 2
If you’re unmoved by our previous post, you surely area hoarder of the first order, a hard-core clutter collector–try saying that three times fast. It would seem a bit more mental motivation is in order. So here are some nitty gritty reasons to clear out the clutter.
Money in your pocket. Hold a garage sale, sell your clothing or furniture at the local consignment shop or newspaper or supermarket ad or sell stuff on E-Bay. It all adds up to money in your pocket.
More money in your pocket. Most people are unaware of how much money the IRS allows you to deduct for itemized charitable contributions. For instance, you can claim $15-85.00 for a woman’s suit, $6-50.00 for a bicycle, $75-225.00 for a color TV. (You can see your donations can add up pretty quickly if you itemize). There are any number of web sites that will help you calculate. One is www.bankrate.com. Or ask your tax accountant. Keep in mind that all donated items must be in good or better condition.
Save valuable time. Consider all the hours of frustration you will save when you don’t have to sort through ten items for every one you want to find. Ah, sweet order.
Save cleaning time and money. Once you gain control over your clutter you can clean your house in half the time. If you use professional housekeepers, they will be much happier cleaning your house and do it in far less time. That saves you money or gives them time to do extra things for you.
So spend some time imagining your life in a fresh, organized home with extra money in your pocket and time in your week. You could get used to that.
Next post: seven practical suggestions for proceeding from here.
Home Organization: 5 Ways to Get the Family Involved
Keeping your house orderly without family cooperation is a little like hanging wallpaper with only one arm. It can be done–but why?
If you’ve played janitor up to now but no longer want to or have the time to, you can put a stop to it. Your family will cooperate if handled with a little tact and TLC. (“Iron fist in a velvet glove,” comes to mind).
A family meeting yummy treats can be an effective starting point.
It’s important to remember that–at least in theory–this is a family problem, needing family solutions. This is no time for a hot harangue or “Oh, me, poor me, what a martyr I am” approach. Remember no one forced you to play janitor.
It’s altogether possible, however, that no matter how loving, tactful or gentle your approach, you may be met with blank stares and stony silence. It is best, therefore, to be prepared with a few ideas of your own to stimulate the creative juices. But your aim should be to get them to come up with ideas. We all tend to follow through with the things we ourselves have suggested.
Some Ideas to Get You Started
- Rule #1: “Don’t put it down, put it away.” (Wouldn’t it be great to have that message play every time a family member walks through the front door)?
- Schedule a different family member each night for pickup duty. Their things must be put away, the others may be put inside the owner’s bedroom door for them to put away.
- Insist that every family member over the age of 2 or 3 put their stuff away before dinner is served. Be sure to give everyone plenty of time. Be specific about what you mean by “put away”–out of sight or where it belongs? And by all means don’t serve dinner til it’s done.
- Create a “Saturday Box” where every child’s letter is deposited each day. Come Saturday, they may regain possession by doing a chore or paying for each item they take out or ???. Whatever isn’t claimed after a certain number of weeks is given to the needy.
- Set a goal of a certain number of clutter-free days. If that goal is rached the family earns a reward of some kind. This may be all it takes to break bad habits–at least for awhile!
Please see our web site for more information about our San Francisco Bay area professional cleaning services.
Home Organization: Preventing Clutter
It is said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Preventing future clutter buildup is pretty simple: just learn to say NO.
- Say NO to bargains. A bargain is only a bargain if you use it. Would you want the item at full price? If not chances are you won’t enjoy it much no matter how much money you “saved.”
- Say NO to duplications. Not long ago a woman phoned into one of those TV shopping stations to order a watch. “Oh, I’m so thrilled to get this one,” she gushed. “I don’t have any turquoise ones,” she continued. “Oh, and how many watches do you have?” asked the host. “Well,” she replied happily, “I had 95, this will make 96. Just four more and I’ll have an even 100,” said this math genius. As collections go, this one’s pretty harmless spacewise. But if we’re talking duplications, it’s ridiculous.
- Say NO to impulse buying. Consider each purchase carfully. Is this a “need” or just a momentary “want?” Check your clothes closet. How many impulse items are in the selfom-worn division?
- Say NO to excessive mail order items. Ditto on line shopping. How easy it is to get carried away. They all look so good on the model. How quickly we can suspend all judgment. And then the biggest question of all for some of us: if I don’t like what I order, will I really, truly spend the necessary time and money to return them?
- Say NO to specialized gadgets. We wonder how many yogurt makers, pasta machines and electric potatoe peelers, used once or twice, are now gathering dust in cupboards all across America. They look so enticing in the Sunday supplements or on TV, but are athey worth the shelf space they take?
- Say YES to a professional housekeeping service. You will be amazed at how much neater, how much tidier and less cluttered your house will stay if you have professional cleaning done every couple of weeks or so. Even once a month makes a huge difference.
If you missed our first three posts on this topic, read them now: Home Organization: Preparing to De-Clutter, part 1
and Home Organization: Preparting to De-Clutter, part 2, and 9 Ideas for Clutter Control
Okay, your turn. What else do we need to say NO to? How else can we prevent clutter?
Home Organization: 9 Ideas for Clutter Control
Now that you’re mentally prepared for the task (see previous two posts) it’s time to get to work.
- Get three boxes for sorting things: one for items you’ll sell or give away, another for things which should logically be located elsewhere (you can sort through these things at the end), plus a box for throw away items.
- Start with either the closet which can be cleaned out the fastest and easiest (if you need immediate satisfaction) or the one which bothers you the most.
- Be absolutely merciless about what you discard. Be certain that every item on every shelf has earned its right to be there. Don’t be a victim of your own possessions.
- A fourth sorting box may be necesssary. This box is for all those things you know you should part with but can’t. When this box is filled, tape it securely, date it, store it in the garage or other out of the way spot. Six months later, give it away!
- Store your most frequently used items in the most accessible areas, closest to where you will be using them. Put short items at the front and the taller things at the back. Heavy or cumbersome things should go on lower shelves. Upper shelves are good for storing lightweight articles and those you can get down with one hand, such as trays placed vertically.
- Whenever possible do not store anything on the floor.
- Consider buying some matching clear plastic, medium sized boxes for storage. Label the contents clearly. You’ll be amazed at how much more orderly the space will look.
- If you have a lot of boxes, code each with a number or letter. List the contents on a separate card and put it nearby for quick refernce. This makes locating a particular item so much faster and easier.
- Facilitate order in bedroom closets by installing an extra shelf or hanging rod, put in hooks, hanging shoe bag and the like. You can spend hundreds, even thougsands of dollars on closet accessories, but there’s also a lot that can be done with only the most basic materials. Many hardware and container stores stock a wide variety of storage accessories that require little or no installation.
We haven’t even touched on visual clutter–the things on table tops, counters, shelves. We’ll address that–and ways to get the family involved–in the next post.
- Lastly, remember the KISS principle: Keep It Simple Stupid. This is not a place for fancy systems. The easier it is to maintain, the longer your storage areas will stay neat.
Of course, if you’re in the San Francisco Bay area you can always resort to our professional housekeeping service. We have people who specialize in this kind of organizing. They can work with you, or by themselves.
So, you Organized Ones, what can you add to these suggestions? Come on, I know you have some great ideas!!
How to Clean Like a Pro
It’s amazing how much a cleaning professional can get done in a short amount of time. You could probably clean someone else’s house faster than your own home too. Why is that?
Think about it: if you were going to have someone clean your house, what would you do before they came? Most people make a list of what they want done, get everything picked up and the kids and pets out from underfoot. Already, you’re seeing part of the problem, aren’t you.
A professional has a list to work from. So what do you want to accomplish on cleaning day? Psychologists tell us that if you write things down the night before you’re more likely to do them. So go ahead make a list for yourself. And stick to it!
A professional doesn’t get sidetracked. Here’s where most of us fall short. Distraction is your number one enemy! And truth be told, you’d probably much rather sort through the magazines than, say, scrub the bathtub, but be resolute and stick to your list. Make a mental note of projects that need to be done and move on. Don’t get sidetracked.
A professional (usually) doesn’t have kids to contend with. If at all possible, clean your house when you don’t have little people to contend with. Take them to a sitter, trade with a friend, get your husband to take them to the park. Be creative. But don’t try to clean and “mother” at the same time.
A professional (usually) starts with a house that’s straightened. Try to get the house picked up the night before. Set out your cleaning supplies and list and you’ll be good to go the next morning.
A professional carries all the supplies from room to room. This is far more efficient than getting out and putting back supplies in each room. And keep cleaning products to a bare minimum. You don’t need special cleaners for each of your surfaces in spite of what advertisers say. You’d be amazed at how much of your house can be cleaned with simple soap and water!
A professional isn’t interrupted. Probably the worst are telephone, television and email. Every break in your routine is a time robber. It takes time to stop what you’re doing, time to start another task, time to complete that task and then more time to start again on what you were doing in the first place!
A professional must work within a certain time frame. Set your own time limit. Try to improve your time a little each week. This will keep you moving and on track. And remember to take a 10-15 minute break somewhere in the middle of your routine.
A professional is paid for her work. Okay, so maybe no one is going to pay you for your efforts, but at least you can do something nice for yourself. Whether it’s a chocolate chip cookie, time to read or a leisurely bubble bath, give yourself a reward.
If at all possible, give yourself a break every month or two and have a real pro come in and clean. You’ll be amazed how much easier it is for you to maintain your house in between visits.
Of course, if you are in San Francisco’s East Bay, you need to call The Clean Sweep. We’ll set you up with just the right professional!
Get More for Your Housecleaning Dollar
These days we all want get as much for our money as possible. As owners of The Clean Sweep, a professional cleaning services company in the bay area of San Francisco, we’ve worked with professional housekeepers for nearly 30 years. We know their frustrations, the things that slow them down and what makes their job more difficult. So here’s practical help for working with cleaning professionals.
Determine Your Expectations:
Be clear in your own mind exactly what you expect. What are your priorities? What things are you really picky about? Do you or family members have allergies that determine how things should be cleaned? Do you want as much territory cleaned as possible or do you want a super-detailed cleaning (carpet edges, ceiling fans, blinds, curtain rods, woodwork, etc.)? Don’t assume everyone cleans the way you do~ask for what you want.
Write It Down
Even if you will show the housekeeper through the house the first time~and we hope you will~write a list of specific instructions. Not only will this further clarify your thinking, it will give the housekeeper something to refer to. You may want to include special instructions for locking the house, what to do with pets, your phone number if you won’t be home, extra things you’d like to have done if time permits, etc.
Clear the Clutter
Without a doubt dealing with clutter is the #1 thing that slows your housekeepers down. Remember they have no idea what to do with all those magazines, stacks of papers, underwear, clean dishes, dirty dishes, dirty clothes, clean clothes, and the 5000 jigsaw puzzle pieces.
So to maximize your cleaning dollar, be sure your house is relatively neat, ready to be cleaned~unless you really truly don’t mind paying someone $20.00 or so an hour to do it for you. And if that’s the case please be sure you tell them what you want done with the clutter. Don’t make them guess~for your sake as well as theirs. Do you want shoes and clothes put away and hung up in the closet or simply thrown on the bed? Do you have baskets or other containers to stash the stuff in? One of our clients used to put a grocery sack in each room to put the clutter in. The housekeeper would just stash a bag behind each door! Whatever works….
“Please Do Not Disturb”
If you are home on cleaning day, please let your housekeeper work without interruption! You can check the house together at the end. But don’t follow her around saying things like, “Oops, looks like there’s a little spot on the mirror,” or “Did you move the books when you dusted the shelves?” or “Are you going to clean the bathroom?” Not only will you drive the cleaner stark raving mad, but those constant interruptions will slow her down considerably.
Similarly, don’t get a housekeeper started in the living room then pull him to a project in the laundry room, only to change your mind and request that the beds be changed first. Surprisingly enough, it happens this way–it really does.
If you feel comfortable leave the house for at least part of the time your housekeeper is there. Without exception, they will be able to accomplish far more and be happier doing it!
Accentuate the Positive
Every once in awhile one of our staff members will ask to be taken off an account because “I just never feel like she’s pleased with my work.”
And yet when we talk to the client she says, “Everything was fine! I never had any complaints.” No complaints? Perhaps. But she obviously never had any compliments either. Why not?
On the other hand, that same housekeeper may stay with a really difficult client because, “I know she really needs me,” or “She always notices the extra things I do.”
There is not a one of us that doesn’t like to feel successful and needed. There are few of us who do not rise to the level of confidence others have in us. A word of praise takes only a minute. It costs nothing. And it brings out the best in others and ourselves. Mark Twain once said, “I can live for two months on a good compliment.”
So….if you eagerly anticipate coming home to a sparkling clean house each week….or you love the way your chrome sparkles….or appreciate your maid’s dependability, don’t keep it to yourself: tell them! There’s just three rules of praise:
- Be sincere
- Be specific
- Put it in writing whenever possible so that your words may be savored again and again.
We have a bulletin board in The Clean Sweep office covered in client compliments. It’s the first place every housekeeper looks when they first come in. They love it! Someone once said that flattery has to be pretty thick before anyone objects to it. Is that true of you?
Criticize With Care
Of course constructive criticism may be necessary from time to time~especially as you and your cleaner are getting to know one another or if you’ve been together for a long time. You are paying for a service and it should be done to your satisfaction.
The people we work with appreciate knowing if a customer is unhappy. They want to know where they stand. They want the opportunity to make things right.
Part of our job at The Clean Sweep is to relay customer comments to our housekeepers. (That’s one of the perks of working with a cleaning company). We have come up with six principles to help you criticize with care:
- Assume the person *wants* to do a good job.
- Criticize the behavior not the person. Refrain from using the word “you” whenever possible and your comments will seem less personal. “You” messages put people on the defensive.
- Be specific. If there were cookie crumbs under the cookie jar, say so. Don’t say, “You didn’t clean the kitchen counters.” Because they no doubt did!
- Avoid written criticism whenever possible. It’s really difficult to be tactful in writing. Especially when you’re in a hurry. Better to tell them in person or by phone. That way you can tell them your concerns and hear their side too. There may well be circumstances you’re not aware of. Again, call the office if you’re working with a cleaning company. Let them relay your comments.
- Remember everyone has an off day from time to time. Illness, fatigue, personal problems all may affect the quality of work.
- Try to balance your criticism with praise. Point out what was done well along with the changes you’d like to see. If there’s not a lot to praise and just a few things to complain about, you’ve either got the wrong housekeeper or you need to carefully examine your expectations.
One final comment. We always ask prospective clients if they experienced any problems with their previous housekeepers. The #1 answer goes something like this, ” They started out great but over time things just kind of went downhill.”
So I guess it’s just human nature to get a little careless over time~especially if no one’s looking. But do give your cleaners the opportunity to improve. In all probability they don’t want to lose you as a customer any more than you want to start all over with a new cleaning crew.
When English is Your Housekeeper’s Second Language
Over the years here at The Clean Sweep it has been our distinct pleasure to represent housekeepers from nearly 20 foreign countries. They have often been highly educated people: a doctor, a lawyer, a bank administrator, three or four teachers, several engineers and so forth. But, while they spoke English, it was not good enough for them to pursue their former careers.
Although communicating with these English Learners can occasionally challenge our ingenuity, the positives far outweigh the negatives. Without exception, we have found them to be conscientious, willing workers with a far better attendance and longevity record than their American born counterparts.
If you are working with members of the international set, perhaps you cannot benefit from what we’ve learned.
- Speak slowly and clearly, but avoid the temptation to raise your voice or talk to them like a two-year-old or village idiot.
- Be sure you are understood. Most of us feel a little embarrassed when we don’t understand what someone is saying, but in some cultures it is an outright insult to the speaker. So check from time to time to make sure you’re getting through.
- Provide brief written instructions. Print them out on your computer using standard upper and lower case letters.
- Use the most simplest, most common words for household items. “Dining room light” would be better than “Chandelier,” for instance.
- Keep cleaning products to a minimum and clearly label anything that is out of the ordinary.
- Avoid slang and idioms. One of the most difficult things about learning English–aside from our crazy spelling–is the ubiquitous use of idioms (those expressions like “he kicked the bucket” or “she heard it from the horse’s mouth” that are not directly translateable).
Concerning this last point, a funny thing happened to one of our clients a few years ago that serves as a perfect illustration. She left a note for her regular housekeepers, Maria and Carlos, a bright Peruvian couple with very good English skills. The note said, “Jeff’s room is a mess. Just do the best you can in there.”
And what did this conscientous twosome do? They picked up every single article of clothing and hung it in the closet. The meticulously sorted, stacked and straightened all the shoes, books, papers, soda cans and sports equipment indiginous to a teenage boy’s room. They vacuumed, dusted and polished every square inch. In short, Maria and Carlos followed the client’s instructions to the letter: they did “the best they could!”
Home Organization: Preparing to De-clutter, part I
In the next few posts we’d like to address a distinctly contemporary phenomenon. It’s clutter with a capital C. Clutter in closets, cupboards and drawers. Everyday stuff on tables, counters and floors.
You move it, shuffle, stack and remove it. You argue about it, curse it, cram it and search amongst it. If ever we are going to get control of this beast we call Housework, the clutter has got to go. But where to start?
Mental Preparation I
The first step is to prepare yourself mentally for disposing of the “excess baggage.” Most of us hang on to way too many T-H-I-N-G-S. Things that we might wear, sell, play with, look at, cook in or put things in…someday. Strange, how many of yesterday’s must- haves now clutter our closets. And to what end?
Now is the time to strengthen your resolve. Go through your entire house and ruthlessly appraise the value (to you and your family) of everything in each closet and drawer.
For instance, will you ever really feel good in that little floral frock that was such a steal at 75% off? (Remember, you never had the right shoes to go with it, and it’s still a bit tight around the waist). Why not donate it or sell it to someone who has the puce pumps to match?
Do you ever do fondue? If not, deep six the pot.
And books. Can we be honest here? How many will you ever read more than once? So keep the inspiarational and special books and reference books that are better than going on line. Then pack up the rest and donate them to the library. Think how good you’ll feel.
Probably the most difficult decisions you will have to make involves what to do with sentimental items like things that have been given to you. This is something you need to have a plan for beforehand. Box them all up together? Re-gift? What? Just know it’s hard to keep everything and have a lovely clutter-free environment. So what’s your answer?
So, forward, Ladies. Let your rallying cry be: “If in doubt, throw it out!” Give it away, trade it, burn it or put it out on the front lawn with a “Free to a Good Home” sign. But don’t hang on to all that stuff. Let it go. You can do it. You can!
Be sure you see Part 2 of this post
What experiences have you had getting rid of “excess baggage?” What was hardest to let go of? Do you have a funny story to share about the experience?
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