This week I had the great pleasure of organizing the home of a loving family consisting of two lovely parents, three teens, four dogs, two cats and a house full of junk.  I must say that although I am a pro and organized over 1000 homes- this one threw me for a loop.  Not because it looked like a crack house but because the people living in the home didn’t fit the chronically disorganized profile.  The family members were happy, not in transitional state, their physical and mental health were good, no personal traumas, they had the extra time and loved being at home.  Puzzling to me at first, cause everyone tells their story why things are the way they are.  Well, turns out they never learned the basic skills needed to keep house and desperately wanted to fix the situation.

Before we could teach them anything we spent two days clearing out the garbage that they had become accustom to living with.   After the 3rd 8-foot garbage bin was filled, Basic housing keeping 101 began.  These tips were inspired from the organized success of this family.

Kitchen Basics

• We started in the kitchen with the fact the facet was broken making it difficult to use the sink.  Fix the essentials number one.  The broken facet resulted in a leaking tap, creating moisture and mold issues $$$.
• Use rubber gloves while cleaning, much less yucky especially if you are not use to it.
• Disinfect sink basin before washing dishes.
• Have a clean area to dry dishes; ensuring your dish rack is clean.
• Degrease kitchen doors with a suitable solvent.  If you are cleaning with environmentally friendly products make sure they current, as they are date sensitive.
• Pull out your fridge and stove and dare to dust, degrease and disinfect.
• When washing the floors, sweep first, wash and dry floor twice changing the buckets water in between washing.
• Don’t neglect baseboard, walls and ceiling webs.
• If a cupboard or a drawer is slightly broken- don’t suffer with it repair it for optimum use.
• Most people wash the top surface of their kitchen table after each use, thankfully! Just add  the legs and sides to the régime.

Bathroom No Brainers

• Remove the cat litter, newspapers, empty shampoo bottles and clothes.
• Hot dripping taps, will add up $$$, try using a washer fitted into the tap.
• For families members sharing one bathroom, store the bare minimum in the bathroom and especially surfaces.  Utilize mobile mini buckets for storing your personal toiletries.
• Attach a rag to the inside cupboard door and store all purpose cleaner under the sink for daily use.
• Remove carpets from bathroom and replace with any washable flooring.

If you have organizing questions or comments that you would like me to address please email us at metro@organizedzone.com This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 416-665-2165.  We love hearing from you.

Brenda Borenstein is your Professional Organizing Guru.  Look out for her column every second Thursday in the Metro in the homes section.   For more tips and ideas please visit her Website www.organizedzone.com.  Email your questions to metro@organizedzone.com This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . She has organized over a thousand homes, and says,  “There is nothing I haven’t seen and nothing that can’t be overcome.”