Posted by Cynthia Ewer on February 18, 2019

Is your bedroom suffering from an identity crisis?

Designed to be a place for rest, renewal, and private communications, the master bedroom can lose its way when burdened with too many outside activities.

Whether it's exercise equipment, out-of-place storage, paper piles or video game clutter, today's the day to bring the bedroom back to its intended purpose. Clear it out today, in the New Year Cleaning Challenge!   Read More >>

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on February 17, 2019

It's a new week in the New Year Cleaning Challenge: time to bring cleanliness, order and serenity to the master bedroom.

Our most private space, the master bedroom should be devoted to rest and relaxation. Is your master bedroom worthy of a personal retreat?

This week in the New Year Cleaning Challenge, we'll clean, declutter and organize the master bedroom, and reach for new ways to soothe our senses each day. Ready?   Read More >>

Printables:  Master Bedroom Cleaning Checklist

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on February 16, 2019

This week, the bathroom has taken center stage in the Cleaning Grand Plan. Time for a weekend wrap-up!

Today, take the last steps to clean, declutter and organize the household's bathrooms and personal care areas.

Tomorrow, the New Year Cleaning Challenge moves into the Master Bedroom, creating a clean and orderly place to rest and relax.   Read More >>

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on February 15, 2019

It's where the soap meets the grime, every day: your shower. How to keep the shower stall fresh and clean without scrubbing?

Daily shower cleaning products can make quick work of soap scum, soil and hard water deposits ... if you remember to use them.

Automatic shower cleaners are wickedly convenient--and wickedly expensive! Is there a way to keep a clean shower, fast and cheap?

Find out with today's New Year Cleaning Challenge assignment, and get squeaky-clean for pennies!   Read More >>

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on February 14, 2019

What's the secret to an always-clean bathroom? A daily cleaning routine!

Today in the New Year Cleaning Challenge, consider how to keep your bathrooms clean on a daily basis.

The easiest solution is to craft a simple, 5-minute bathroom cleaning routine to keep grime at bay.

Create your own personalized routine--or use our example--to keep bathrooms fresh!   Read More >>

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on February 13, 2019

When family members fall ill, they call for "Dr. Mom" ... so today, we're headed to the medicine chest.

We'll consider the proper location for the family's store of nutritional supplements, prescription and over-the-counter medicines.

After decluttering the medicine chest, we'll decide how to dispose of expired medications safely.

Ready? We're making for the medicine chest in the New Year Cleaning Challenge!   Read More >>

Printables:  First Aid Kit Checklist

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on February 12, 2019

Towels. They're daily companions at shower, tub and sink. Who doesn't love their thirsty softness after a hot bath?

Over time, however, towels become tattered, scattered and faded. What's the state of the towels in your organized home?

Today in the New Year Cleaning Challenge, we'll make a check of the household's stock of towels. Is it time for a fresh new set?   Read More >>

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on February 11, 2019

As a center for personal care, the master bathroom attracts a special kind of clutter. What's living in your cabinets, shelves and drawers?

A good bathroom declutter session will promote products in daily use and give them a front-and-center home, while dispatching those "As Seen on TV" marvels.

Follow one master bathroom declutter, and learn the secrets of allocating scarce real estate in the bathroom today, in the New Year Cleaning Challenge.   Read More >>

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on February 10, 2019

It's a new week in the New Year Cleaning Challenge: we're headed to the bathrooms to bring them to a new level of order.

It's where we shower and shave, primp and prepare for the day. Are your bathrooms up to the job?

We'll tackle clutter, create a new level of clean, and organize bathroom storage this week in the New Year Cleaning Challenge.   Read More >>

Printables:  Bathroom Cleaning Checklist

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on February 9, 2019

This week, we've worked on the household's gathering space: the family room. Time for a weekend wrap-up!

Today, take the last steps to clean, declutter and organize the family room.

Tomorrow, we'll tackle family bathrooms in the New Year Cleaning Challenge, bringing these personal care areas to a squeaky clean state.

Today's Assignment:
Wrap Up Family Room Week

In the family room this week, we've brought order to the household's gathering space--and organized entertainment media, books and magazines, and children's toys.   Read More >>

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on February 8, 2019

They're colorful, cute ... and scattered everywhere! Are children's toys taking over shared space in your family room?

With tiny pieces and a tendency to stray, children's playthings can create instant clutter in multi-use spaces. How to calm the chaos caused by children's toys?

To tame the toy monster, try these ideas for routines and storage to make peace with children's toys, in today's New Year Cleaning Challenge assignment.   Read More >>

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on February 7, 2019

In the family room, the bookcase must do multiple duty,

Whether it houses books, decor items or digital media, it's easy to overload family room bookshelves.

Today in the New Year Cleaning Challenge, it's time to bring order to the bookshelves. Cut the clutter for a clean and organized home!   Read More >>

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on February 6, 2019

Surveying the family room, do you find mounds of magazines ... everywhere?

Periodicals like magazines and newsletters are great fun to browse, but have a marked propensity to descend into clutter, and that right quickly.

Today in the New Year Cleaning Challenge, try these tips to get a grip on magazine clutter in your organized home.   Read More >>

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on February 5, 2019

In recent decades, entertainment technology has changed at a rapid pace.

Does your family room contain successive layers of old technology? In an age of streaming media, it's time to release the jumble of outdated entertainment formats.

Today in the New Year Cleaning Challenge, we'll consider ideas to turf the "old tech" clutter from family room shelves.   Read More >>

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on February 4, 2019

Hardworking multi-purpose areas like the family room benefit from a core principle of clutter control: containment.

Heading clutter into containers makes sense in a shared space like the family room. Using open containers to group and store stray objects keeps order in a busy space.

Consider ideas for clutter containment today in the New Year Cleaning Challenge.   Read More >>

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on February 3, 2019

It's a new week in the New Year Cleaning Challenge: the Family Room takes center stage.

For many of us, the family room is the hard-working hub of daily life. It's where we meet, eat, watch television, do homework, read and relax.

To bring order to the family room, we'll declutter, deep-clean and organize it this week in the New Year Cleaning Challenge.   Read More >>

Printables:  Family Room Cleaning Checklist

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on February 2, 2019

This week, we headed into the dining room, cleaning and organizing our family's dining space. Time for a weekend wrap-up!

Today, take the last steps to clean, declutter and organize the dining room and dining area.

Tomorrow, we kick off Family Room Week in the New Year Cleaning Challenge, where we'll bring a new order to the household's center of family life.   Read More >>

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on February 1, 2019

Spring is on the horizon!

Will you be ready to set a pretty table for holiday meals, parties or family celebrations?

Today in the New Year Cleaning Challenge, it's time to make a tabletop check. Be ready to celebrate in your organized dining room!   Read More >>

Printables:  Holiday Tabletop Checklist

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on January 31, 2019

Colorful table linens bring a special spark to the dining room ... if you can find them!

What's the state of the table linens stored in your home? Are your favorites hidden beneath a crowd of crumpled interlopers?

Today, it's time to declutter napkins, placements and tablecloths. Keep the best, toss the rest for an organized home!   Read More >>

Printables:  Tabletop Checklist

Posted by Cynthia Ewer on January 30, 2019

The dining table? It's a wide-open space that invites lots of uses--and for many families, it's a favorite spot to work on crafts projects.

Sewing or quilting, papercrafts or kids' projects, the table houses them all, along with the snips and scraps they leave behind.

How to keep order on the crafts front? Try these ideas to tame crafts clutter in the dining area today in the New Year Cleaning Challenge.   Read More >>