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Odor removal:
To eliminate pet odors, frying smells, smoke, etc. in a room, just bring a cup of vinegar to a boil and let it sit in the room for a day or two, reheating from time to time.
Or put some cinnamon on a piece of aluminum foil and heat in the oven. The cinnamon aroma will permeate the room.
Or slice up an apple and leave it in the room. After a few days, the apple will turn brown and dry out and your room will smell pleasantly of fresh apple.
Out with the Old....Clutter
In with the New Organized YOU!
If your apartment or house is buried in clutter...
If you spend hours every week searching for misplaced items...
.
If the terms house cleaning, clutter, messy closets, chaos, send shivers down your spine....
You're a clutter bug and you're not alone.
In recent years, psychologists and behavioral therapists have been examining this syndrome; the term Professional Organizer has become commonplace.
Don't feel guilty, say the professionals. There are lots of reasons for being buried in clutter:
Innate fears of being without, competition with neighbors and peers, not having time to organize, living with people (boyfriends, spouses, parents or children) who are clutterbugs;
Sentimentality (you can't throw away the shirt you wee wearing when you got your first big promotion);
Too little time (you're working full time, taking college classes, trying to maintain an active social life).
"People have become inundated with things coming in so quickly," says Linda Rothschild, immediate past president of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPQ). "Life is overwhelming in general."
Neil Balter, a closet organizing expert and consultant to ClosetMaid, believes the time to begin is now and the place to begin is your messiest closet. Most people, he says, live by the 80/20 rule. They wear 20 percent of their clothes 80 percent of the time.
Balter uses a 10-item list to start with. "The shoes with the curled up toes, the beautiful blouse with the wine stain across the front, the 20-odd sweatshirts or T-shirts you never wear," he says. "If you're a guy, you'll have every pair of tennis shoes you've ever worn. You'll easily find 10 things to go."
After eliminating those first 10 pieces, experts say, go through the closet. Make four piles: clothes for the dry cleaner, the tailor, for a thrift shop, and the stuff to throw away. What's left after that is what you keep.
Once you've got a closet cleaned out, tackle the rest of your abode. There's room, now, to put some things in the closet. But use the 10-item rule first.
If you need advice, you can calls 1-800-874-0008 for reinforcement, a free brochure, "Tips for Creating Your Dream Closet."
Start today. You have nothing to lose and space to gain.
Clean that oven NOW
Don't wait to run your self-cleaning oven the night before a dinner party. Ovens often fail during or just after a self-cleaning cycle. You may need time for a repair if this happens.
How to do it right:
Before launching the cleaning cycle, loosen up large particles in the oven with a damp rag and a plastic spatula.
Remember to open a window in the kitchen or run an externally vented exhust fan while self-cleaning because the process can produce lots of smoke and fumes.
$ Money Saving Tips $
No one knows better than AmericaSavers how to find the extra dollar here and quarter there that, over time, add up to substantial savings. Here are a few of their savings tips, courtesy of American Saver.
Gardeners can save money on plants by looking for plant exchanges that let you trade perennials for free. Garden clubs do this a lot in spring. Even if you don't have plants to exchange you can go anyway, because most gardeners bring extra. -- Bee Jones, Brownsburg, IN
You can save money by changing your clothes washing habits. For your wash cycle, never use hot water, only warm if you need it. Except for towels and sheets, I always use cold wash/cold rinse. You don't have to use the maximum amount of minutes for the wash cycle. Eighteen minutes is the normal first setting. I never use more than twelve. These small changes over time save on your hot water needs and utility bills. -- Jill Cubberley, Yucaipa, CA
Save a tremendous amount on your energy bills by purchasing a couple of inexpensive clothes drying racks. Place the clothes on the racks over the heating/air ducts until they are about 90% dry. For soft cloths, finish drying them in the electric/gas dryer.-- Phillip Jones. Camden, TN
Instead of calling in a pizza order every Friday night, I save $8 per week ($416 a year) by making pizza using frozen bread dough, bottled pizza sauce, and my favorite toppings. -- Eileen Ciance, Wilton, NY
Everytime I get any type of raise I put all or part of it towards a savings bond. It really builds up fast -- Kathy Lusher, Slidell, LA
I purchase the Sunday newspaper for $2 and get the money back by clipping coupons from it, which usually total at least that much. Don't like to clip coupons? Then have your son or daughter clip them for you and give them half the savings. Not only does this allow them to see how you save, it allows them to make money to save as well. -- Dana Finch, Austell, GA
Volunteer at your local theater. I spend very little on entertainment because I usher at our local art-house cinema and live theater. I am then able to see the films and performances without charge. And I even get free parking. -- Cathie McIntyre, Durham, NC
How to attract wildlife
Here are some tips to have a lovely world of wildlife around your home.
- Provide food with a good variety of native plants including shrubs, trees and other
plants that offer food, such as acorns, berries, cones, nuts and other seeds.
- Provide water. Clean and fill your birdbath regularly. If you live in an area where
temperatures freeze the water, consider investing in a birdbath heater.
- Anchor your old Christmas tree in a secluded part of your yard as a refuge for birds and other small animals.
- Start a compost pile with needles, pinecones, evergreen roping and wreaths from your
holiday decorations, which can provide additional cover for wildlife.
Note: Beware of planting exotic plants in your yard. Species foreign to our region
can become invasive and can be harmful to both people and wildlife!
--Courtesy of National Wildlife Federation.
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