Disorganized and Messy Online Support Group

To keep your vegetable drawer dry and odor free, line it with newspaper.

Use a fabric drier sheet to clean pet hair off furniture and floors.

Prevent a mess in the first place by covering your food with a coffee filter before heating or reheating food in the microwave.

I always get a kick out of knowing how simple use items were invented so I thought I'd share a quick fact I boosted from Real Simple about the coffee filter:

About 100 years ago, a German housewife named Melitta Bentz punctured the bottom of a brass pot, lined it with blotting paper, and―voilà!―made the first coffee filter. Almost a century later, a perfected version of Bentz’s design is still used.

Another vinegar use. I had no idea this stuff was so versatile. No wonder it can be bought in gallon jugs!

To deodorize a stinky garbage disposal make vinegar ice cubes and feed them down the disposal, then run cold water down the drain.

I think I have mentioned here somewhere before that I a fan of Flylady. She is hokey and her system is half-ripped from other cleaning and organizing gurus, non-the-less I love her system. When I use it I feel like my life runs smoothly.

An important aspect in any household is meals so I thought I'd share this quick and easy copy and paste from her site www.flylady.net on menu planning. When you read it you will probably say 'no duh' to me because it is pretty straight forward but how often does failing to organize this aspect of life cause stress?

So here is Flylady's very simple menu planning strategy:

This question gives us the most stress! There is nothing worse than standing in front of your refrigerator at 6pm with your family asking, “WHAT’S FOR DINNER?” You hate yourself when you order pizza again.

You don’t have to feel terrible another day. We are going to do some simple Menu Planning!

Get out your calendar and look at your family’s schedule for next week. Use this as your guide. Now look in your freezer for what needs to be cooked before it gets freezer burned. Think about what you have eaten this week or last week. Write this week’s menus on your calendar.

Take those menus to build your grocery list. Go on a scavenger hunt in your pantry and freezer to see what you have and what you need. In order to cook you have to have food in your home. Planning your menus will save you so much money!

Post edited by: centerseeker, at: 04/30/2012 05:43 PM

Shine your sink! This is a long one. I promise not to bug you anymore with Flylady in this thread but she believes the first thing you should do to get started on cleaning up your act is deal with your sink. I find this essay so valuable that I am copy and pasting the whole thing!

Here is the essay:

This is your first household chore. Many of you can’t understand why I want you to empty your sink of your dirty dishes and clean and shine it when there is so much more to do. It is so simple; I want you to have a sense of accomplishment! You have struggled for years with a cluttered home and you are so beaten down. I just want to put a smile on your face. When you get up the next morning, your sink will greet you, and a smile will come across your lovely face. I can’t be there to give you a big hug, but I know how good it feels to see yourself in your kitchen sink. So each morning, this is my gift to you. Even though I can’t be there to pat you on the back, I want you to know that I am very proud of you.

Go shine your sink!

- FlyLady

Shiny Sink 101

Many members have asked, “How do I clean my sink until it shines?” To answer this question, FlyLady wrote an essay on it, “Shiny Sink 101.” Here’s to a great shine!

Note: Follow this procedure the first time you shine your sink. You do NOT need to follow this method every day. Just keep up the shine with a little window cleaner.

Dear Friends,

I want you to smile from ear to ear when you gaze upon your shiny sink. I have heard every excuse in the world. Even old sinks can look new again with a little elbow grease. Here is how you do it:

Note: Be sure to rinse well between each step!

Take all the dishes out of the sink.

Run some very hot water into the sink and fill it to the rim. If you have a two-sided sink, only do one side at a time. Then, pour a cup of household bleach into the hot water. Let it sit for one hour. Now, pull the plug with a pair of tongs. If you don’t have tongs, then scoop some of the water out of the sink into the other sink and use your hand to pull the plug. Make sure you wear gloves so the bleach doesn’t irritate your skin, and don’t get the bleach water on your clothes.

Rinse your sink well.

Use some powdered cleanser (Comet, Ajax, or baking soda) and scrub your sink. Be sure to rinse ALL of the cleanser from the sink.

Take a sharp edge, such as a butter knife, and clean around the rim of the sink, just like you would clean dirt out from under your fingernails.

Clean around the faucets. You may need an old toothbrush or dental floss.

Now, get out your window cleaner; I use Windex. Give it a good shine.

If you still don’t like the way it looks, then you can try some car wax. Just know in your heart that you have cleaned it very well now, and it doesn’t have to be perfect. Our perfectionism is what got us in this situation in the first place!

Every time you run water in your sink, take your clean dishtowel and dry it out (I lay out a clean one every night as part of my before-bed routine). Before you know it, you will be doing this everytime you leave your kitchen! The rest of the family will, too. No more water spots. You will have a clean and shiny sink.

Don’t have a fit if someone doesn’t take as much pride in your sink as you do. It is very easy to fix. You have already done the hard part; you will never have to go through this process again. Daily maintenance will keep it looking this way all the time. Nasty, hurtful words are not as easy to repair. Just be sure and tell your family what you are trying to do. They will think you have gone crazy.

If you don’t have a dishwasher, don’t worry. A dishwasher is just a dirty dish disposal. Clean out a place under your sink and put a dishpan in there. Teach your family that instead of putting their dirty dishes and glasses in the sink, place them into the dish pan. Get into the habit of putting your dishes away as soon as they have been washed and are dry. No more leaving the dish-drying rack on the counter or in the sink. Put it away under the sink when you have finished. If your old one is nasty, you may want to soak it in the sink full of bleach water at the same time you soak the sink, or go buy a new set.

To insure that your family remembers this, put a note in the sink. It will get their attention and remind them where to put the dishes. Be patient! They have never been taught, either. It is going to take some practice.

Now if you have a stainless steel sink, I recommend all of the above directions with one extra instruction added: after you soak your sink, rinse well, and use SOS pads to scrub it. This will buff the finish. It will look like new.

If you still can’t get it to shine after the Windex, put a light coat of lemon oil or olive oil on it. I mean just a tiny bit on a cloth and rub it. This will make you smile. Some people have had very good results from Bar Keepers Friend.

Go Shine Your Sink!

FlyLady

Last note: Be sure you don’t mix cleansers like Comet with Windex (or other ammonia based cleaners); you can create dangerous gases! It is worth repeating: rinse well between each step!

Her steps were numbered but the c&p wouldn't pick them up!

Post edited by: centerseeker, at: 04/30/2012 05:52 PM

I think all of us at D&M realize clutter is not our friend. I pulled these 5 questions to ask about your clutter from www.About.com that I think are great questions to ask yourself as you start to consider purging your life of clutter:

1. When did I last use this item?

If you haven't used it in the last year, chances are your not going to in the next. Allow yourself to purge old items, interest, hobbies, and unfinished projects to allow room for the really important parts of your life.

2. Am I going to need this item on a specific date in the future?

If your best friend just set her wedding date for a couple of months away, it might be wise to keep your mint in the box punch bowl for future use. But if you are keeping a household full of furniture stacked in the garage for when your 5 year old daughter moves out on her own, it may be time to free up some space. If it doesn't have a definite date of use, the clutter isn't worth it.

3. Does this item have a legal or tax purpose?

Paper can be our worst clutter enemy and we often use the excuse of the legal and tax purposes associated with a thirty year collection of receipts. Go through your papers and keep only items that are really needed.

4. How hard would it be to replace this item again someday if I needed it?

If items are priceless emotionally or historically, they may not be the best items to toss. Consider how hard it would be to replace the item and get rid of things that are a dime a dozen.

5. In what way is this item making my life more purposeful or better?

If the items are not making you happier, healthier, or better, they are just taking up space and cluttering up your life. Removing these stacks and boxes of stuff will free up your home and your space.

Post edited by: centerseeker, at: 04/30/2012 06:04 PM

My sister does this. It is a closet organizing tip. If you have space on your closet bar hang your purses and bags from shower curtain hooks so you can have them readily available at eye level.

Organize your trays and cookie sheet using curtain tension rods. This one comes from www.tidymom.net and there was a great picture showing it but the file was to big to post.

Basically you put the rods vertically in the cabinents and place the cookie and baking sheets between the spaces.

Post edited by: centerseeker, at: 04/30/2012 06:20 PM

Ok. So this thread is about household tips, not personal ones but I think a lot of us Disorganized and Messies (at least us ladies, sorry guys)carry disorganized purses. We use our purses not just as a place to carry things but as a tool for running our households if you think about it so I thought I'd share another copy and paste from www.About.com on purse organization:

Organizing your handbag is a small project worth the effort. Think about these 3 benefits:

Money Savings: Once you have the right tools in your bag to get through the day, you no longer have to pick up items at the last minute, potentially over-spending for convenience.

Stress Reduction: An organized handbag assists in keeping track of your wallet, keys and cell phone at all times.

Spare Your Back: Organizing you bag will cut down on the amount of heft (and possibly tonnage in some cases) you're lugging around all day.

Bottom Line: The key is to have only the times you need with you. Your doctor and back will thank you.

STEP 1: Go through your bag and take everything out. You'll likely be looking at a lot of "junk" or items you just don't know what to with. Toss the junk and put the not-sure-what-to-do-with-these aside for now.

STEP 2: Think about the bag you carry for everyday use. Is it big enough? Is it too big? Do you like the way it looks? Are the straps digging into your shoulders uncomfortably? Re-asses to make sure you're carrying a properly-sized, functional and cute bag that you love everyday.

Next, stock your bag with these handbag basics:

Wallet

Cell Phone

Keys

Writing utensil and small notebook

Small pack of tissues

Neosporin (Hey, you never know!)

Lip balm

STEP 3: Now, take those items you're not sure about and decide to keep or toss them (Here's a Guide to Toss or Keep if you're having problems deciding and/or letting go). Separate the remaining items into an "All The Time" pile (read: the items you need to have in your bag daily) and a"Sometimes" for the items you use less often.

STEP 4: Create a Launch Pad in your entry way to cut down on the amount you have to carry everywhere. This was originally suggested to me by Lisa Zaslow of Gotham Organizers. A launch pad is a home for the items you need to carry sometimes but not all the time. All-the-time items can stay in your bag, but sometimes items need a place to sit while they're not in use.

I would categorize the following as 'sometimes' items: work folder, notebooks, checkbook.

TIP: My launch pad is a storage box near my front door full of lip glosses, tissue packets, my gym lock, digital camera and spare keys. A launch pad is a great place to store keys, cell phones, mail, umbrellas and newspapers. I use several different bags a week, so I dump everything out into my storage box when I walk in, this means:

Handbag essentials are always in the same place.

I can customize what I want to carry on my way out the door depending on what I'm doing.

STEP 5: Edit and clean your bag frequently. You want to carry as little as possible to spare your back and make things in your bag easier to find. If you repeatedly find you need an item on-the-go (your coupon folder, or your cell-phone charger) then by all means make room for those items you need all the time. On the other hand, do you need to carry your gym lock with you everyday? Probably not. Store that in your launch pad.

Go through your bag weekly to clean it out. Have a garbage can and recycling bin nearby to quickly toss the clutter!

TIP: Look for a bag with separate pockets for your cell phone and keys so you're not rooting around for your phone mid-ring in the middle of quiet movie theater or locked out of your home with a bag full of perishable groceries. It's important to always put your keys and cell phone in the same spots! This may seem like a no-brainer, but you'd be amazed at the amount of people I know who habitually can't find these items in their bags.