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Overview
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Heloise is America's most recognized name for household advice, and she shares her innovative solutions for your most-pressing dilemmas. Whether you need shortcuts for everyday tasks, delicious ideas for quick meals, or ingenious tricks for the spills, accidents, and clogs in your day, just turn to Handy Household Hints from Heloise.
You'll learn how to:
• Clean a keyboard with a used dryer sheet.
• Remove hot pepper seeds with a grapefruit spoon.
• Lift scuff marks with plain, white paper.
• Corral electrical cords with a ponytail holder.
Discover Heloise's most creative ideas and tips for cleaning up, entertaining with ease, making repairs, getting organized, taking care of yourself, coping with nuisances, and keeping house. Filled with up-to-the-minute hints, you'll turn to this handbook whenever you've burnt the rice, stained your shirt, or splattered paint on your hands.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781605291178 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Harmony/Rodale |
| Publication date: | 08/31/2010 |
| Sold by: | Random House |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 416 |
| File size: | 983 KB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Chapter 1 Clutter Busters and Organizers
This chapter is all about getting control of your stuff. The first step is to get rid of clutter--the stuff you don't use and don't need. You will find loads of hints for reusing or recycling the items you don't want anymore. There are also creative ideas for using household items in new and different ways. You'll see tips on donating and selling things, too. Then, you've got to organize the stuff you have left, and you'll find lots of suggestions for organizing all around the house. So dig in!
Clutter Busting 101
Here are some ways to stop clutter from controlling your home and life. It seems every closet and room is filled with too much stuff!
First, learn my clutter-busting motto: "A few minutes or a few things." Every day, take just a few minutes to clean up or to pick up just a few items. You'll be surprised how easy it can be to keep on top of things.
Here are seven hints for stopping that clutter from taking over:
1. If you can't locate what you are searching for in several minutes, it's time to rethink where things belong. The more often you use an item, the closer it should be. 2. Enlist the whole family, not just Mom, to climb on the decluttering and organizing bandwagon. 3. If one room or area is beginning to look messy and cluttered, tackle it ASAP! 4. Give the living room, den, or common area a quick pickup before going to bed. 5. Toss out or put papers in the recycle bin every day, including newspapers and magazines. 6. Keep lists or inventories of what you already have. If you don't need it, don't buy it. 7. If something new comes into your home, many people say something old should go out.
BUST THAT CLUTTER!
Take little steps to get control of your life. Little steps throughout the week can add up to big changes (and less to do) in the long run.
. Clean one shelf in the refrigerator, freezer, or makeup or medicine cabinet. Throw out dated, old, smelly, or just plain bad items. . Write one thank-you, hello-how-are-you, or thinking-of-you note or letter a week. I mean a real letter or note that is mailed with a stamp and for which you hand-address the envelope. Not e-mail, but handwritten. It can be just a few lines, but it will be much appreciated and probably kept! . Take a few minutes each week to clean out and toss trash from a purse, briefcase, or auto glove compartment. I have one friend who cleans out her purse (sitting next to a trash can if possible) while waiting (and sometimes waiting and waiting) in a doctor's office. . Have a houseplant that needs a little extra care? Move it to a spot that you will see daily so you can give it the PLC (plant loving care) that it deserves. . Go through magazines and books and see which ones (even if only a few) can be passed on or recycled.
Pick up as you go. Never carry one item to its place without looking for others needing to be put away in the same spot. Whenever you leave one room to go to another, look around to see if there is anything you can take with you to another room. Always check, on your return, for items needing to go to your next destination. It will make picking up easier, and rooms will stay uncluttered.
Downsize now. Don't wait until you are forced to downsize in older age. Start doing it now. Once a year, go through jewelry boxes and take an inventory. Some pieces may no longer have any use to you (pierced earrings when you use clip-on styles, or other articles no longer appropriate for your age or circumstances).
Bundle up items you no longer like or are able to wear and give them to your favorite charity thrift store.
Some items may no longer be wearable but have great sentimental value. Keep those in a special box. When you are feeling blue, they will comfort you. As for the others, wear them. Wear them while shopping, going to work, or on outings, and they will remind you of happy times--and remind you to slow down and smell the roses.
Once a year, go through those closets. Put aside the pocketbooks and belts that are too small or too large, dresses that no longer fit, and those nearly new shoes that are uncomfortable, as well as all the scarves hat go with outfits you no longer own.
My Five-Point Plan for Busting Clutter
Are your organizing and cleaning chores overwhelming you? Does clutter control your household? Don't let it! What you need to do is try my five- point plan for clutter control. You either spend only 5 minutes or deal with only five items at a time. You would really be surprised at what you can accomplish in just a few minutes. Here's a room-to-room guide with suggestions of a few things you can do in just 5 minutes!
Bathroom
--Wipe off the counter and sink. --Clean out one drawer. --Clean the mirror. --Toss five outdated medicines or makeup items. --Clean the toilet.
Bedroom
--Clean under the bed. --Do a quick dusting. --Organize one drawer. --Straighten the top of the dresser. --Go through magazines and books.
Kitchen
--Give one shelf in the fridge a quick wipe-down. --Wipe off the top of the refrigerator/cabinets. --Clean the floor. --Take out the garbage. --Toss five things from the utilities drawer.
Living Room
--Do a quick top dusting. --Clean and straighten coffee tables. --Pick up and put away shoes, hats, and backpacks. --Vacuum a chair or the sofa. --Clean out one stereo or book cabinet.
Another way to get a lot of small things done is to do them during the commercial breaks while watching a favorite TV show. Give it a try, and you will be amazed!
Clean and bundle up this material and give it to your favorite charity thrift store. Don't replace anything unless you get rid of something first. You will revel in the empty closet space and feel good that someone else can enjoy your nice pieces.
Once a year, also go through your books, jigsaw puzzles, and games. Gather up glasses, plates, and pots and pans you no longer use. Your favorite charity thrift store will recycle them to new users.
Stash appliance cords. Appliance cords can clutter up kitchen counters when the appliances aren't in use. Make a nifty storage container to get each cord out of the way. Take an orange juice can that has been opened on both ends. (Drink the juice first!) Put some pretty adhesive-backed paper around the can that matches your kitchen. Unplug your cord and wind it inside the can.
Get rid of all those plastic bags. You can recycle plastic grocery bags, but the best way to rid your house of them is not to bring them home in the first place! Try to remember to take reusable cloth bags into the store when you go. You might also want to carry a few folded plastic bags in your coat pocket just in case you forget. But you won't have extras to deal with anymore.
Get rid of excess food boxes. Half-empty boxes of cocoa mixes, granola bars, and other packaged foods take up space in the pantry. If you have ample counter space, fill several baskets with the assorted packets and keep them on the counter with the fruit bowl. They look nice, the items are right at hand during the morning rush, and your pantry is now neater. Whenever you open a new box of some item, put all the individual packets right into a basket, and the box into the recycling bin. Who knows? You might just eat more oatmeal!
Declutter cleaning supplies. To get rid of clutter under the sink, hold an annual "spray meeting." Collect all the sprays and cleaning solutions below your kitchen and bathroom sinks in one place. Then sort them, making sure your kitchen and bathrooms have exactly the right sprays or cleaning products they will need. Redistribute a bottle if one bathroom has too much and another one has too little.
Use empty spray bottles bought at a discount store to create two bottles of one item (be sure to label both clearly). Also, note the sprays you've forgotten you have. Take an inventory, and you might not need to buy new cleaning supplies for a while.
Avoid bathroom clutter. Keep some plastic grocery bags in your bathroom. In the morning, grab one and take a minute or two to walk through the house. Stop in each bathroom and empty trash and grab anything else that needs to be tossed. This daily patrol takes almost no time and prevents the dreaded full-trash-can dilemma.
Reduce bathroom trash. Remove and recycle all packaging on toothpaste, contact-lens cleaner, and other bathroom supplies before placing the items in cabinets. You'll cut down on waste in the bathroom.
Sort out the medicine cabinet. Organize your bathroom's medicine cabinet at least once a year by simply taking a good look at what has been building up behind that closed door. Keep your home medicines up to date and discard those that:
. Have expired . Have contents, such as capsules, that are discolored, smashed, or cracked . Are stuck together, or contain tablets that have become soft . Show signs of deterioration, such as aspirin tablets that smell like vinegar . Are in liquid form and have become separated . Have lost their label, or the label has become illegible
Once you've weeded out the discards, arrange the remaining medications so the labels can be read easily, and keep them out of the reach of children. Never place any medications near insect repellent or mothballs--both can emit vapors that could be absorbed by a medication.
And while you're at it, place items used daily on lower shelves, along with first-aid items like bandages, antiseptics, creams, and salves, for easy access. Also, cold and cough supplies and thermometers can be stored on a higher shelf once the cold season has passed.
Declutter your multipurpose bedroom. Have you noticed lately that the bedroom is not just for sleeping anymore? It is now a hub of activity in many homes--reading, exercising, eating, dressing, watching TV, and working on the computer. But this is the room where we're supposed to be the most relaxed . . . and it seems clutter is everywhere! Here are some hints to help you get things in order. And, after the initial sprucing, just 5 minutes each morning should keep all these minor eyesores out of the way:
. Make the bed first thing, and the room immediately looks better! . Pick up shoes or clothes that are lying around and put them away. . Quickly straighten the tops of the dresser and nightstand(s)--the less on these surfaces, the cleaner they look. . Put away reading material that's accumulated next to the bed, and don't overlook paperwork around a computer. A magazine rack or large basket strategically placed in the room would provide an organized home for these items. . For the closet, organize shoes on a shoe rack to keep them off the floor, and sort and recycle unused hangers that take up space!
Remember, a quick 5-minute walk-through each day will help keep your bedroom in order. Time yourself--you will be amazed how much you can get done in just 5 minutes. Better yet, do the picking up during a TV commercial--why waste time?
Gain space in your closets. Could you use a little more closet space? Take out every hanger that's not holding a garment. Keep all those empty hangers in a laundry basket near your washer and dryer (or hang them on a towel rack mounted near your dryer) so they will be available when you remove your garments from the dryer.
Since even empty hangers take up space, you can gain as much as a foot or more of usable closet space simply by removing them.
Bust clutter with baskets. Baskets are a clutter-saver! You can use them to hold everything from hair accessories, books, and magazines to some of the "junk" that accumulates on your desk.
If you've got baskets that are dirty from neglect and long storage, clean them up first. Wash them in warm water and a little furniture soap, swish them vigorously, and use an old scrub brush or toothbrush to get dirt out of the cracks. Then rinse the baskets and let them air- or sun-dry.
Cut off unwanted catalogs. If you are receiving too many mail-order catalogs and duplicate catalogs, simply call the catalog's customer-service department's toll-free number and request that the catalogs be discontinued (or reduced to only one copy). If you are persistent, the catalogs will stop! Persist, persist, and they will stop one day.
This technique also works for unwanted mail, including donation requests from charities and other nonprofit organizations. After donating to a charity, you probably don't want that money spent on additional direct-mail appeals to you. Once a year is enough!
Head off unwanted catalogs and save a tree. Here's another way to stop catalogs: Tear off the back page. Then go to the company's Web site and ask to be removed from the database. You could write something like "In order to save a tree, please remove my name from your database. Thank you." Then give your name and address as they appear on the catalog. You'll have fewer catalogs clogging your mailbox. You can always shop online.
Cut catalog clutter. Here's an easier way to order from a catalog and also get rid of a pile of catalogs sooner. Just tear out the page that has the item you want and the order form. The form usually has the phone number, account number or source code, and any other numbers needed. You might also want to save the front cover, and the back cover if it has the mailing label on it, because often the important numbers are on these pages. After ordering, just fold one inside the other and put them in a folder labeled "Awaiting Delivery." Recycle the rest of the catalog. No matter how much you order, your catalogs won't be stacking up.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction xiii
Part 1 Home Matters
Chapter 1 Clutter Busters and Organizers 3
Bust That Clutter!
Reuse and Recycle
Storage Tips
Donate What You Can't Use
Toss the Trash
Organize Your Stuff
Shopping
Garage Sales
Chapter 2 Cleaning Up 61
Kitchen
Bathroom
Floors
Walls, Windows, Blinds, and Drapes
Furniture and Furnishings
Cleaning Products, Materials, and Tools
Vacuuming
Dusting
Getting Rid of Odors
Cleaning Tech Gear
Chapter 3 Wardrobe and Laundry 113
Pants and Jeans
Shirts, Blouses, Sweaters, and Dresses
Shoes and Socks
Hats, Scarves, and Other Accessories
Lingerie and Undies
Jewelry
Storing and Organizing Clothes
De-Lint, De-Static, Repair
Linens and Bedding
Laundry
Organizing and Sorting the Laundry
Laundry How-To
Washing Machines and Their Use
Stain Removal
Drying and Dryers
Ironing
Chapter 4 Furniture and Furnishings 160
Floors and Windows
Beds and Linens
Art, Antiques, and Collectibles
Candles
Chapter 5 Home Maintenance 172
Painting and Wallpaper
Plumbing, Heating, and Air Conditioning
Lighting and Electricity
Maintaining Appliances
Tools and Equipment
Home Safety
Outdoor Maintenance
Chapter 6 Home Office Matters 191
Office Machines and Equipment
Storing and Exchanging Information
Mailing and Shipping
Office Supplies
Consumer Concerns
Banking and Finances
Chapter 7 Moving, Buying, or Selling a Home 225
Selling a Home
Buying and Renting
Part 2 Life, Simplified
Chapter 8 Cooking Hints and Favorite Recipes 235
Shortcuts and Substitutes
Tools and Appliances
Cooking Techniques
Cookbook Collections
Starters, Soups, and Salads
Main Dishes, Sauces, and Sides
Desserts and Baked Goods
Chapter 9 Living at Home 252
Parties and Entertaining
Welcoming Guests
Decorating
Holidays
Giving and Getting Gifts
Crafts and Hobbies
Sewing and Needlecrafts
Chapter 10 Taking Care of Yourself 291
Dealing with Doctors
Caregiving
Managing Medications and Supplements
First Aid, Injuries, and Pain Relief
Eye and Vision Care
Ears and Hearing
Dental Care
Skin Care
Bathing and Grooming
Hair Care
Cosmetics
Nail Care
Home Spa Treatments and Stress Relief
Diet and Exercise
Safety and Security
Chapter 11 Family Activities 330
Games, Puzzles, and Hobbies
Entertainment
Books and Reading
Photos
Visits and Vacations
Keeping in Touch
Chapter 12 Life's Little Messies 363
Helping Others in Need
End of Life
Coping with Storms and Other Disasters
Maintaining Your Vehicle
On the Road-Preventing and Dealing with Travel Emergencies
Index 380
About the Author 402