Household management Tips and ideas Pt 1

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Tom fod
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Household management Tips and ideas Pt 1

Post by Tom fod »

In lieu of my doing anymore housework here tonight, please find some ideas. I'll post more in due course

Please share your own ideas and experience, critique the tips or laugh at my comments in blue

Please make sure you try to donate as much as you can to friends, family, neighbours or charity shops instead of just throwing stuff away. Your trash is someone else's treasure!


Day 1. Utensil/cutlery drawer.

Empty the drawer and wipe it out (get rid of any crumbs and spills) Grab those utensils you don't use or have duplicates of and donate them. Anything old, rusty or broken get rid of. Before you put your remaining items back, Check they are clean!


Day 2: Pots, pans and crockery.

Tired of pans falling out of the cupboard when you open the door or digging through them to get the one you need? Then it's time for a sort out.
Take your pots and pans out of the cupboards and spread them on the floor, if there are any you never use or haven't used in the last 6 months, or are rusty or damaged, get rid. Look at your crockery, try to get rid of any damaged, chipped or mismatched items. Be ruthless, chances are that you have some items lurking in the back of the cupboard that don't get used. (Remember that bacteria build up in chips and cracks in crockery) 
When you have gone through it all and removed items you don't want/need, give the cupboards a good clean and put everything back nice and tidy. I guarantee you will be pleased with the results. Personally I use a plate stacker to put some of my pans on to keep them organised, keep my baking trays in grill as I dont use it and put my plates and bowls in a drawer, which has a non-slip mat to stop them sliding about.


Day 3 Cleaning Products.

We all have those weird and wonderful, one off cleaning products for specific jobs. Cleaning products we have tried that have failed, yet we still keep them. Today is the day to pull out all of those products including sponges, brushes and cloths to sort through. If there are any you have duplicated, didn't work or you won't ever use again (be realistic) then take them to the local recycling centre to safely dispose of or give them to a friend who might make use of them. Any yucky old cloths or sponges get rid and have a good tidy up. I find the use of a cleaning caddy is really helpful to keep products together and tidy, and easy to take around the house with me.


Day 4 Food Cupboards.

Time to tackle the food cupboards. Empty out the cupboards of all the food packets, boxes, tins etc onto the floor or worktop, check the dates as you get them out, if they are expired, get rid. Anything sitting around that you don't intend to use or that you tried and didn't like, donate to a local food bank or give to a friend. To make your cupboards look great and organised, try using glass (Glass WTF! Hell No! I‘m dyspraxic!) containers to store dry foods, everything is easy to see and you don't have to fight through plastic bags (that have a habit of splitting to spill the contents over your floor) to get to your food


Day 5: Kitchen Appliances

Start with the fridge, empty it out, discarding any out of date or unwanted food, don't forget condiments. Wipe out the shelves and drawers and put everything back tidy. The recommended way to stock your fridge is dairy on the top shelf such as yoghurt, cheese etc. Next shelf if ready to eat items such as ham, cakes, leftovers. Next is raw meats, poultry and fish in sealed containers. Finally fruit and veg in the bottom drawers.

Then do the same with the freezer (defrost of needed, don't forget to wipe down the outside too such as seals, handles and Hoover the back ??? to make it work more efficiently and quieter.


Washing machine: empty filters and carefully remove drawer, give it a clean in the sink using warm water and a toothbrush. Clean seal on inside of the door with white vinegar and water mixed in equal parts. Then put it on a hot wash with a cup of white vinegar in the drawer to give it a good clean inside.


Tumble dryer: empty filters, clean seal in the same way as washing machine, wipe down outside of machine and Hoover up any lint hanging around pipes etc. 


Oven: Open the doors and dust some bicarb inside (being careful to avoid the fan) then spray some white vinegar over top and leave for 20 mins to soak. Then wipe over with a damp cloth, rinsing after each wipe.

Microwave: Place a bowl of cold water with half a lemon or 2 tbsp of lemon juice into your microwave and turn it on for two minutes. When it's finished immediately remove bowl (Will be very hot!) And wipe the inside of the microwave including the roof and under the plate.


Day 6: Junk drawer(s):

These can be in any room, we all have that drawer that we dump all sorts into! So start by completely emptying the drawer onto the floor/ worktop. Sift through the items, removing any obvious rubbish, then separate items into piles of the room they belong in and take them there, if you have things in this drawer you had forgotten about, ask yourself, do I still need this? Will I ever use it? If the answer is no, donate it. Now wipe out the drawer so it's clean for you to place the remaining items back in. Why not use a cutlery tray or some small baskets/boxes to keep your items tidy and organised.


Day 7: Unwanted gifts.

This is a tricky one as the guilt factor can be an issue here. If you are given a gift and you know you will never use it or you don't particularly like it, don't feel pressured into keeping it. The person who gave it to you did so to make you happy, and I'm sure they would rather you had the space in your home than keep an item you are not going to use. So either regift or donate the item, or give it to a friend or family member instead.
But ideally not to whoever gave it you in the first place, unless you want to annoy them/cause a family feud/split



Tips:
  • Take a photo of each room, then look at them as if you are having a visitor. You are more likely to notice clutter you have become 'blind' to.
    Blind to it? I trip over it every time I go into the room and still I fail to bother to move it!!

    Take a before and after photo, it will make you more motivated to make everything tidy No putting your head in the electric oven, unless of course it is switched off and you are cleaning it!

    Set an alarm for 20/30 minutes every day for a quick whip round to keep rooms tidy.

    Use an 'S' pattern when you wipe surfaces as circular motions just spread the dirt

    Try having an 'out' box/bag near your door for things that need to leave the house. Things for the car/to give to friends etc

    Have a basket at the bottom of your stairs to place items in while you are tidying up that belong upstairs. Take it with you next time you go up . . . Or trip over the bleeding thing on your way up/down injuring oneself and breaking basket and strewing its’ contents all over the hallway!

    Consider trying eco friendly products, they usually work for more than one job and smell great. While also being friendlier to the environment (and you)
Tom
Moderator/Administrator

With a foot full of bullets I tried to run faster but I just hobbled on to the next disaster.
(from Peter and the Test Tube Babies, Foot Full of Bullets)
SarahTheScout
Getting settled in
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Re: Household management Tips and ideas Pt 1

Post by SarahTheScout »

This is an awesome idea for getting organised within the week! The awkward part is staying on top of it after it's done...

I find lists help. Not general stuff like "clean bathroom", but really specific like "put bleach in toilet. Clean seat. Wipe top of cistern. Wipe inside sink. Mop bathroom floor". And I cross them off as I go. I really do find it helps! But again, keeping on top of it after that is the hard part.
Tom fod
Administrator
Posts: 2946
Joined: Thu May 12, 2011 9:05 pm
Location: SW UK

Re: Household management Tips and ideas Pt 1

Post by Tom fod »

After writing myself a specific list of to dos like that, I'm as like to tidy or throw said list away as it was cluttering and making place look untidy! The irony LoL!

Got man coming to do work later so need to be moving clutter but will post next round of tips/ideas soon.

Yer tis (here it be) http://www.dyspraxicadults.org.uk/forum ... =13&t=6141
Tom
Moderator/Administrator

With a foot full of bullets I tried to run faster but I just hobbled on to the next disaster.
(from Peter and the Test Tube Babies, Foot Full of Bullets)
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