10-Minute Tidy Home: Hundreds of Easy Tips to Straighten and Clean Every Room of Your House
208
10-Minute Tidy Home: Hundreds of Easy Tips to Straighten and Clean Every Room of Your House
208Hardcover
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Overview
- Organizing your kitchen cupboard into sections for each family member
- Organize your child's artwork in three-ring binders
- Recycle your birthday and holiday cards by making them into gift tags for future presents
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781592339136 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Fair Winds Press |
| Publication date: | 09/17/2019 |
| Series: | 10 Minute Series |
| Pages: | 208 |
| Sales rank: | 1,055,141 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.90(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.70(d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
IN THE KITCHEN
The kitchen may be the heart of the home, but it's often the heart of a family's chaos. So let's start our organizing efforts here. Remember, an organized kitchen is an efficient kitchen. Even if you're not much of a cook, you will work better when you know where to find things.
Clean out your flatware drawer and put utensils in a tray.
Flatware trays come in a variety of styles and sizes, and they are great for organizing your utensils. Empty your drawer of its jumble of tangled implements, and wash both the drawer and the utensils. T hen set a tray into the drawer, and place the utensils in their proper place. If your drawer is large enough, you can buy a tray with space for serving utensils as well.
Store cooking utensils in a crock.
Remove cooking implements from the flatware drawer and store them in a nice crock on the stovetop. Regardless of how your kitchen is set up, it doesn't make sense to run back and forth for cooking utensils. Put all of your spatulas, whisks, tongs, ladles, and cooking spoons in a convenient crock on top of or next to the stove.
Store all stainless steel bowls and covers inside one another.
Stainless steel bowls are meant to fit inside one another. Instead of resting them all on a shelf, put them inside one another in order of size.
Place all pans on top of each other.
Using vertical space allows you to fit more into your cabinets. Stack your pans with the biggest one on the bottom. Make sure the handles are facing out so you can easily grab them.
Store all pots inside of one another.
As long as you're organizing your cookware cabinet, stack your pots the same way, too.
Use pullout shelves to house lids.
Mount a pullout shelf to house the lids for your pots and pans. If you do this in the same cabinet as your pots and pans, you won't have to waste time searching for a pan with a matching lid.
Organize cookbooks alphabetically, or by topic.
It's easy to get inundated with best-selling cookbooks, so make sure you organize them on a shelf as you purchase them. Use a system — alphabetical, by author, or by topic — that works for you.
Put all recipes in a small storage box.
People of all cooking capabilities have recipes from blogs, family members, and friends. Organize your hard copy recipes in a box so they won't get misplaced — you can even use dividers to separate your recipes by topic. Or, you can scan your recipes and le them along with any that you've found online in a folder on your computer desktop or in the cloud. If you're big into bookmarking online recipes, create a folder within the bookmarks bar and store all of your favorite links there.
Store magazine recipes or other large pages in clear sheet protectors. I love clipping recipes from magazines such as Cooking Light and Bon Appetit, but the full-page recipes won't t into my recipe box unless I fold them twice. I need those recipes because I'm a person who needs a picture to cook by, but not the aggravation of unfolding the recipes like a paper puzzle every time I need it! Luckily, I've discovered a way to manage them. If you store these recipes in clear plastic folders and le them into a binder, you won't be left wondering, "Is this what it's supposed to look like?"
Store fruit on a two-tiered tray or basket.
:e more counter space you have, the more organized you will be! Put your fruit in a two-tiered tray or basket to take advantage of vertical space, and save room on the counter. Make sure that everyone in your family can reach it.
Put all spice jars on a carousel.
Time is of the essence when adding spices to your recipes. Instead of keeping spices on cabinet shelves, organize them on a carousel so they can be easily found in a pinch.
Store seasoning packets in a recipe box.
Seasoning packets are a great way to add flavor to many foods, but storing them can be a challenge. They often get crumpled and torn when they're thrown into a cabinet, leaving you with a powdery mess to clean up. From now on, keep your seasoning packets in a recipe box. You can even alphabetize them, or organize them according to flavor to make cooking easier!
Arrange canned goods alphabetically.
Just kidding — I'm not that crazy! You don't need to go so far as to alphabetize your canned goods, but they should be organized. How many times have you bought soup at the store, only to discover that you have five cans of it in the back of your cabinet? If you stack your soups and other canned goods facing out, with same kinds on top of one another, you'll always know what you have on hand.
Put cereal in sealed containers with pouring spouts.
If you're short on cabinet space, it can be challenging to store multiple boxes of cereal. I know that mine always end up on top of the fridge! If you put your cereal inside sealed containers, they'll look nicer on your counter, can be poured into a bowl more easily, will remain bug-free, and stay fresh longer.
Organize your snack cupboard into family member favorites.
Everyone has their favorite snack, and it's hard enough to get going in the morning without digging through the cabinet for your child's favorite munchies. Organize your snack cupboard into sections for each family member: one for you, one for your partner, and one for your child. It's easy to pack food for the day when it's in one location. Another timesaver: Show your family members where their snacks are and let them pack their own!
Install hooks to hang frequently used mugs near the coffee pot.
We have so many mugs in our house that it can be hazardous to try to remove a favorite one from the pile. Install a few cup hooks on the wall near your coffee maker, and hang your favorite mugs for everyone to see and use. That way, you've organized your coffee station and saved space in your cabinets.
Store all tea bags together in one canister.
In our house, everyone likes different types of tea. Instead of cramming four boxes of tea into the cabinet, I remove the tea bags from the boxes and put them in a decorative canister on my counter top. Not only do I save space, I save time when making a cup of tea.
Store your baking pans under the oven.
Baking pans and cookie sheets come in a variety of different sizes and can take up a lot of space. Most people wouldn't think of putting glasses or dinner plates in the oven drawer, but it's a perfect place for your baking pans and cookie sheets. They'll be in a drawer so they won't get dusty, and they'll be in a central location.
Hang your pots and pans.
If cabinet space is an issue for you, mount several heavy-duty hooks on your ceiling from which to hang your pots and pans. Think vertically!
Put all unused kitchen appliances in a pantry cabinet.
We all have kitchen appliances that we haven't actually used in a year, so why should we keep them on our counter tops? If you don't regularly use an appliance, put it in your pantry to save space.
Organize your glasses and cups by height.
Stack tall glasses on one shelf, shorter juice glasses on another shelf, and mugs on the third shelf. Determine which shelves will be used for what based on how often you use a particular type of glass or mug.
Organize your plates by size.
Keep your lunch plates stacked separately from your dinner plates, so that you don't have to move them as often, and they won't chip as easily. Organize vegetable bowls and serving platters in their own cabinet. If you keep serving bowls and platters with your plates, you're asking for trouble! I have broken so many plates and serving bowls trying to balance them on top of one another. Store your serving pieces in a separate cabinet so they're easily accessible.
Get each family member their own reusable water bottle.
Go green, save space, and stay organized all at the same time by getting a unique reusable water bottle for everyone in your household. The days of single-use plastic water bottles are waning, but staying hydrated can still be easy. With everyone assigned a certain bottle, there will be no confusion and no waste — just grab your bottle, fill it, and go!
Put your plastic wrap, aluminum foil, wax paper, and storage bags in one drawer.
Most experts say to wrap and put away leftover food while it's hot, instead of letting it sit out on your counter. If you store all of your aluminum foil, plastic wrap, wax paper, and storage bags in a drawer near your fridge or counter, you can quickly take care of your leftovers without breaking any rules.
Store all plastic storage containers inside one another.
Most Tupperware cabinets are impossible to open without being attacked by toppling containers! To avoid similar disaster and save space, store all plastic storage containers inside one another and organize them according to size.
Throw away old food from the fridge.
This may sound obvious, but listen up: Clean your refrigerator on a regular basis! I organize my fridge and wipe it clean every week before I go grocery shopping. It's nearly empty at that point, so it's quick and easy to wipe down the shelves. Once your fridge is clean, organize your food into groups. For example, I have all of our beverages on one shelf; meat, cheese, yogurt, and eggs on another; and snack foods and leftovers on the bottom shelf. If you make an effort to do this each week, you'll find it easy to keep your fridge organized and clean.
Throw away freezer-burned food.
There is no sense in keeping freezer-burned food that no one is ever going to eat, so make an effort to regularly clean your freezer, and throw out the undesirables!
Take juice boxes out of plastic wrap so they're easily accessible.
Items tend to be over-packaged these days, thus taking up more room in your refrigerator. Remove juice boxes from their packaging before stacking them in your fridge. Not only will you save space but also your kids can easily grab the boxes themselves, without your assistance.
Keep cleaners and sponges in a tote under the sink.
The cabinet under the kitchen sink is home to everything from cleaners to vases, and it's important to keep things in their place. You don't want to topple your vases while reaching for a slimy sponge! Instead, store kitchen cleaning supplies and sponges in a clear tote. Not only will they be easy to grab, they'll be clean when you're ready to use them.
Clean out dishtowels and discard old ones.
Dishtowels should be frequently washed and replaced. They are not meant to last a lifetime! However, people rarely get rid of them. Take five minutes to sort through your pile of dishtowels and get rid of the ones with holes. Then make two piles of the remaining towels. The first pile is for older, faded towels that can be used for baking and drying dishes. The second pile of newer towels can be hung on your stove handle for wet hands. D id you know that the wrinkles come out of a dishtowel after you use it to dry your hands a few times?
Put your potholders on top of the fridge.
Instead of hanging potholders from your oven or stove, put them in a nice basket on top of your fridge, or in a corner of the counter with your dishtowels. W hen you organize like items together, you will always know where to find them in a pinch.
Sort through your coupon holder or try going digital.
If you still clip coupons from newspapers, it is worth it to invest in a coupon holder because they come with different sections for everything you'd ever want to buy. Just make sure you sort through the coupons every month and toss the ones that have expired. Be sure to check for digital coupons or coupon codes as well, which you can organize on your phone or through various smartphone apps. Not only will this save you space in your kitchen, but it will also mean much less fumbling through your wallet at the cash register.
Keep pens and paper in a picture-frame caddy on a kitchen island or counter.
This is a great way to frame a cute picture and keep all of your writing utensils and paper in one neat place. Much more efficient than the junk drawer!
Use a small plastic binder to store all pertinent family information.
A family binder is a great way to keep contact information organized. Store items such as phone numbers, take-out menus, and work schedules in a binder, divided into organized sections, and keep this binder near your house phone or in a drawer.
Use a hanging basket to store your mail and bills.
Despite the prevalence of online bill paying systems, many people still like to get hard copies in the mail. To keep all of those papers organized — which will also help to make sure the bills get paid on time — put all of your mail in a nice basket hanging by the stairs or in your home office. It makes life easier to just grab the basket and have everything in one place when it's time to take care of the bills that we don't pay automatically or online.
Hang a magnetic pad on the fridge to use for shopping lists.
It's hard for me to believe that some people actually go grocery shopping without a list! I constantly need to make lists. It's not that I'll actually forget something, just that I think I will! Thankfully, my wonderful husband started stuffing magnetic shopping lists into my Christmas stocking each year in order to eliminate the rows of sticky notes on our kitchen island.
Use magnetic clips to hang kids' artwork on the fridge.
Once kids start school, they bring home beautiful artwork every day. After you ooh and aah over it, hang it on the fridge with a magnetic clip. That way, your fridge isn't completely covered with taped-on pieces of artwork, and you can easily change them with new ones.
Arrange pictures in a magnetic frame on the fridge.
Instead of mounting your pictures with magnets, use decorative magnetic frames. It looks much nicer, and actually makes the front of your fridge look somewhat organized!
Use a magnetic photo frame to store take-out menus.
Unlike my younger sister, I think of cooking as a chore, so I am always ready to pack it in and order take-out. We have at least twenty take-out menus, and I keep them tucked away in a magnetic photo frame on the side of my fridge. This way, they are contained, and everyone knows where to find them.
Use a magnetic white board to jot down contact information.
If you hire a babysitter every now and then, you must have all your contact information in a visible place. Hang a white board on the wall near your house phone or on your refrigerator, and write down your cell phone numbers, the children's doctor's name and telephone number, and the name and number of a friend, relative, or neighbor to contact in case of emergency.
CHAPTER 2BATHROOM BREAK
Believe it or not, organizing a bathroom is easy — and you'll be so glad you did it! :e key is to stay on top of things, and not fall back into your old habit of just shoving things under the sink. Use these tips to keep your bathroom neat and organized — you'll never waste time looking for things, or buying another replacement you don't really need.
Throw away all dried-out toiletries.
If you don't use it, lose it. It's tempting to take freebies home from the mall or to hang on to lotions and soaps because you received them as gifts, but don't! You'll be amazed by how much space you gain in your bathroom by getting rid of old toiletries.
Fill a travel bag with extra toiletries so you're ready to go.
It's inevitable that you'll leave for a vacation and forget your deodorant. Prepare ahead of time by throwing a few cotton squares, swabs, liners, a little tube of toothpaste, a new toothbrush, travel-size shampoo and conditioner, and a stick of deodorant into your travel bag. Your toiletries will be ready to go when you are! W hen you return from a trip, replenish the items so you're ready for the next one.
Use a drawer organizer to store cosmetics.
Cosmetics such as eyeshadow palettes and pressed powders become cracked and break into pieces when they are constantly shuffled around. Use a drawer to keep your cosmetics intact and in order.
Discard old makeup that hasn't been used in months.
I know, that flaming red lipstick looked great on you when you were in college — and it's difficult to throw away makeup before you finish it. But trust me, makeup does expire, and its packaging indicates how long it is safe to use after being opened. Toss it if the date has passed or if you used it when you had an infection. For example, throw out eye makeup you wore when you had pink eye.
Store nail polish in a basket so it's easily accessible.
Summer means flip flops, and flip Oops mean neat feet! Put all of your pedicure materials — polish, remover, cotton balls or squares, les, and so on — in a little basket that can be grabbed quickly for emergency touch-ups.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Tidy Home"
by .
Copyright © 2019 Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc..
Excerpted by permission of The Quarto Group.
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