Top 10 Cleaning & Organizing Tips

Compiling this weeks theme for this edition of Top 10 gave me a faulty perspective.  I spent days looking for the best and most "why hadn't I ever thought of that it's brilliant" ideas out there.  I felt exhausted looking at all of this work I was reading about.  And then I sadly realized my house was still a mess and reading these great ideas and concepts does not in fact change that.  

Sigh.

So here's to hoping that these tips will inspire you liked they did me and help you get to going more than it did me!  

1.)  

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I really think that lint rollers are one of those down-played brilliant-1000-uses things. They are super easy, super cheap, and using the kind with the sticky papers that tear off make them reusable and last for such a long time.  They quickly and easily pick up any dry mess.  And not that I would know or anything but I'm thinking that when your vacuum breaks an hour before your in-laws are to visit and you can't find a broom you could probably "spot" sweep with these little guys as well.  Again...not saying this one from experience or anything...moving right along now...

2.)  

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Stacking your clothes vertically in the drawer instead of horizontally so you can see everything.  Yes.  One of those things I slapped myself in the face for wondering why I had never thought of this.  Our dresser drawers always look like we've been ransacked so I'm to excited to try this one.

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Ok I know this one has been floating around Pinterest for a good long forever now, but I cannot tell you how well it really works.  So just in case you've been the last to hear (because that's typically myself) take a microwavable safe dish and fill it with 1-2 cups of water and 1-2 Tablespoons of vinegar and microwave it  for 5 minutes, then wipe out with a dry paper towel all the leftover dirt and residue.  A few months ago the Mr and I were arguing about something stupid and he was helping me clean up the kitchen.  As we both worked in our grudge induced silence I heard him begin to clean the microwave over something that had exploded a few days earlier.  And that was when I knew I really really loved him ya'll...I stopped him and shared this little trick to make it easier for him.  Mid-grudge and all.

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Using old empty Crystal Light containers to store chopped veggies in the fridge is genius!  I love that it's free to reuse, AND it's clear so you can see exactly what's in it, without it being one more glass and potentially fragile storage technique.  I love incorporating these in the pantry with dry goods as well or even for traveling to store snacks of colored pencils and crayons in!

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I really love my Swiffer, and try to run it through the house once a day (try being the operative word there).  It's light weight, don't have to worry about a cord or charging it, and it works!  But I hate running out of the cloths all the time and having to spend so much on keeping them on hand all the time.  So I really love this idea of investing in some microfiber cloths and using some bull dog clips to attach them!  This is a great way to go green while saving green!  (please don't unfriend me for the dorky-ness of that last statement)

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We all know I have issues-and one of my biggest ones is cords!  I feel like it is a never ending mess and I have no idea how but I am always tangling them up in knots.  What I hate more than that is stumbling around in the mornings still half asleep and stepping on them.  By the way the floor on his side of the bed looks my husband does not share this struggle and for all I know might be dead from the ankle down as he walks on them daily and doesn't seem to mind a bit.  Using a power strip inside the nightstand instead of on the floor next to it is pure brilliance to me and I will definitely look to incorporating this into our new home.  

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Again whyyyy haven't I known this my whole life?  (Answer:  I would've eaten my weight in freezer pops).  The worst part of freezer pops is opening them.  I've used scissors but then you have to wash them to get all the sticky off, which you never really get it all off, and then drying it of course risks losing an important appendage.  So then I tried a knife for awhile but that risked the same thing the scissors did.  So basically I quit buying them.  And now I have a lot of lost time to make up with freezer pops thanks to this safe alternative!

8.)  

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I can still remember as a little girl being taught to wipe off the faucet and handles on the sink after we washed our hands because the water spots used to drive my poor mother crazy.  If only she would've known this little tip!  Simply wipe down the chrome with a dry piece of waxed paper and it will repel the water and prevent water spots!  No more wiping down after every use!  

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I have a cleaning caddy with my most used cleaning supplies so I can take all the supplies I need to each room with me.  But I love this idea for all the extra things I don't use all the time, as it's inexpensive and takes up much less space than underneath the sink!

10.)  

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I featured this idea in my Home Life series over the summer and I still use it today.  I somehow got duplicate utensil holders when the Mr and I got married and I kept them all thinking I would find a use for each of them somehow.  I definitely have and putting them in the bathroom drawer for all my make up I use daily is one of them!   I have a basket under the sink of special products that I only use on ocassion or extra things I use when I going for a "formal" look, but this is the perfect solution for the every day stuff because it's all organized and all where I can see every thing and not be looking for what I need.

I hope this helps some of you get ready for some Spring Cleaning!  Have any ideas you want to share? Please leave me a comment below!  I'll edit this post adding your suggestion and give you the credit for it!

Linking up with:  Put a Bird on It, Jenny