Using Time Wisely

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Cleaning: Bissell PowerSteamer PowerBrush Deep Cleaner

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Photograph Credit: Wal-mart

Most people would request a new gadget, clothing item, or service for their birthday present. Since I am far from “most people,” you might be surprised to learn that my birthday wish was a carpet cleaner. Yes, I really wanted a cleaning helper for my carpets.

With baby one and baby two, I was able to keep up with the messes they made. I would use Resolve Carpet Cleaner on the spots, and keep my carpets nice and clean. With baby three, my schedule is much busier. If I can stay on top of the laundry and meals, then I had a successful day.

The little messes on the carpet are no longer a high priority. By the time I vacuum the floors, the spots are too much for hand scrubbing. I would be exerting lots of energy and spending precious time cleaning.

Dining Room Floor - Before using the Carpet Cleaner

Desiring to have a clean, organized home and balancing home life, family activities, and blogging, I needed some added assistance with the carpets. Though hiring a carpet cleaning service would have solved the immediate issue, I still would need to keep up the spot cleaning.

In looking for a more permanent solution, I found this Bissell PowerSteamer PowerBrush Deep Cleaner for carpets at www.walmart.com for $125. Paul and I compared some other carpet cleaners, and this model had the options we deemed necessary for our household.

With my birthday around the corner, Paul purchased this steam cleaner. We used it the weekend after it arrived, and my carpets sparkled (if that’s possible). I have been thrilled with this carpet cleaner!

Dining Room Floor - After using the Carpet Cleaner

Favorite Options

1. The Settings. This model offers normal, heavy traffic, and water rinse settings. On the first pass, Paul used the normal setting which brought up dirt, dust, and hair. After allowing the floor to dry, he then water rinsed the area to remove all the cleaning solution. The heavy traffic setting was needed on our hallway to bring the carpet back to its “normal” color. 🙂

2. The 2 in 1 Tank. Having used another carpet cleaner where the solution and water were mixed in the same container, I really like how this cleaner keeps the solution separate. The solution does not need to be refilled when the water is replaced. Having the solution in a separate compartment stretches the solution which saves money.

3. Attachment for Stairs. With little spots from sippy cups, drool, and super-saturated diapers on my stairs, I really like this attachment. Though we have not used it yet, I am thrilled to have this option. Most of the other carpet cleaners, within our price range, did not offer this attachment.

4. 25’ Cord Length. Some of the other models had shorter lengths. With the longer cord, I can complete an entire room without having to change outlets.

5. Deep Clean. This cleaner pulled up so much dirt. You could see the difference immediately. I love having clean carpets!

Possible Drawbacks

1. Type of Carpet Cleaner. Though the title is a PowerSteam, this cleaner is NOT a steam cleaner. The machine does not heat the water like a steam cleaner instead hot water, added to the container, cleans the carpet. To get the carpets clean, you need to add the hot water and then clean immediately. This option works fine for our family. We only have fish for pets, so most of my spots are food or liquids.

2. The Weight. This cleaner is heavy. It weighs over 20 lbs. The pushing and pulling to clean a large area is a lot of work. Paul was sore after cleaning all the downstairs’ carpets in one weekend. However, if you space out the cleaning, then the weight may be more tolerable.

3. Hard Floor Scrubber. My model will clean hard floors, but the attachment must be purchased separately. I have limited hard floors, so I do not need this attachment.

For me, this Bissell carpet cleaner has been a blessing! I can do a surface cleaning of a spill and wait to use the Bissell carpet cleaner at a later time. Though this model may not work for others, I have been thrilled with my birthday present resulting in clean carpets. Thanks, Babe!

Question: What is on your birthday list? Please add your answer in the comments.

Organizing: Garage Cabinet

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Photograph Credit: Target

My garage is the dumping area for items to be donated, seldom used items, and the extension of my pantry. I also happen to park one of our vehicles in our 2-car garage, keep tools, lawn equipments, and our freezer.

To return the garage to an organized state, my husband cleans out the garage about every 6 months. This project involves taking everything but the shelving out of the garage, sweeping it out, and replacing similar items together. Every time the garage gets cleaned, we have more space and more items to trash, donate, and sell.

Before my husband cleaned the garage this summer, I decided to organize the large cabinet in the garage that holds items I use periodically. On the day of this project, I prepared to work.

Preparing to Organize

1. Opened the garage door

2. Backed out the car

3. Brought out all the bicycles and outdoor toys for the kids to play

4. Assisted my children in play

5. Set up a card table for my workspace

Organizing the 5-shelf Cabinet

With the children playing, I began working from top to bottom.

1. Took all items off shelf #1

    • Sent trash to the garbage can
    • Placed donated items in cardboard box
    • Added items for garage sale to designated box
    • Items to keep where placed on the card table in piles of similar items

2. Dusted shelf

3. Replaced items back onto shelf

4. Repeated steps 1-3 with shelf #2

5. Repeated steps 1-3 with shelf #3

Took a break to refill drinks, assist with bikes, and play with my children

6. Repeated steps 1-3 with shelf #4

Received help and advice from oldest daughter on my progress 🙂

7. Repeated steps 1-3 with shelf #5

Completing the Project

1. Placed all trash in the garbage can

2. Put the donated items box in the car for drop off

3. Slid garage sale items to the left side of the garage with the other garage sale items

4. Returned card table to the closet inside the house

5. Put away the bikes and outdoor toys

6. Ushered children inside the house

7. Pulled the car into the garage

8. Closed the garage door

Project complete!

My garage cabinet was transformed from “stashing items wherever I found space” to clean, neat shelves that hold items for easy access. In using time wisely, I decluttered my garage cabinet resulting in no more trash (or broken items), more items to sell at a garage sale, and similar items placed together for easy retrieval. I also found a nice bake ware set, that I forgot I had, which has been a nice addition to my kitchen. This organizational project was worth my time and energy!

Question: What organizational projects are you plugging through that is worth your time and energy? Please add your answer to the comments!

My Alarm Clock Mission

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In college, I had a roommate who never used an alarm clock. She always awoke at the same time each morning without anyone or anything waking her up. It was amazing to me because I would sleep until noon each day without an alarm clock rudely interrupting my beauty rest.

Since I cannot sleep until noon each day, I must use an alarm clock to jar me awake in the mornings. For me, an alarm clock is a necessity!

My Status Quo Change

When my 18-month-old daughter decided to pound my alarm clock with a toy and jammed the “set alarm” button, I tossed my broken alarm clock and used a backup. I quickly found that the backup clock works, but the snooze button sticks.

Upon hearing the alarm, I pressed the snooze button only to find that the alarm did not go back off. I ended up sleeping in until my daughter began calling me from her crib. Though I was not late in any of my responsibilities, my day was off schedule.

My Search Options

Battery-operated

Realizing that I needed a new alarm clock, I checked at Wal-mart on my next shopping trip. I found a battery-operated clock for $5.97 and purchased it.

(This clock is a similar battery-operated clock since I failed to take a picture of the one I purchased.) I brought it home, set the time, and scheduled the alarm for the next morning.

When the alarm awakened me, I pressed the snooze button. Then 3-minutes later the alarm sounded again. As I repeated this scenario looking for 10 more minutes of rest, I finally got up frustrated with the 3-minute snooze interval.

Corded with battery-backup from Wal-mart

Deciding that this clock did not meet my alarm clock requirements (which I did not know I had), I returned the clock on my next visit to Wal-mart. With a little better understanding of the type of alarm clock I needed, I continued my alarm clock mission searching for a clock with 9-minute snooze intervals.

Having found one that fit the bill, I added this $5.97 corded with battery-backup clock to my purchases. I again came home, set the time, and scheduled the alarm for the next morning.

At the appointment time, I was startled awake by a very loud, high-pitched beeping sound. Thankfully, I had 9 minutes to recover before that noise repeated itself.  Though the snooze worked perfectly, the volume and pitch level could not continue. I didn’t like it, so I needed to shape it up!

Corded with battery-backup from Target

Since neither Paul nor I could stand the sound of the new alarm clock, Paul graciously offered to purchase another one on his trip to Target. The $6.95 clock he brought home had the 9-minute snooze interval with multi-colored neon numbers.

I was not sure if I liked it, but I was willing to try. This time I set the clock and then set the alarm for a minute later. My waiting ended with a normal beeping sound that was not high-pitched or loud. Mission complete!

My Learned Lessons

My thinking that “choosing an alarm clock involved just picking one” has changed. Since I have not purchased an alarm clock in years, I needed to read the options more carefully. Through this process, I have discovered my favorite options for an alarm clock.

      • 9-minute snooze
      • Snooze button on top of the alarm clock
      • Tolerable pitch level
      • Volume control (which none of these clocks had), but a minimum expectation of a medium range alarm sound
      • Numbers stay lit, so a corded with battery-backup option

When my status quo changed, I searched my options and learned some lessons. Though I still need to return a clock to Wal-mart, I will keep the alarm clock Paul chose from Target. It has all the options I deem necessary to my morning jolt without irritating me in the process. Completing my alarm clock mission took time (and help from hubby :-)), but in using time wisely, I discovered my favorite options resulting in a pleasant interruption of my beauty rest.

Question: What preferences do you have with regards to an alarm clock (assuming you use one)? Please share your answer in the comments.

Growing Pains of an Organizational System

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Do you have an organizational system in place that is practical but has some flaws? I do. I am finding that just because an organizational system once worked does not mean that it will continue to work with my growing family.

In learning to recognize problem areas from my family’s reactions, I can better fix the problem. Consider the growing pains of my organizational system for our beach balls.

The Need for Beach Balls

My children love to play with balls. At the age of 6 months, my son took a Weeble and tossed it across the room nailing my husband. Yes, it hurt! After that incident, we substituted a beach ball for the Weebles, who were put away until our son learned not to throw them.

The beach balls have offered many hours of fun without pain or broken items. All three of our children have enjoyed rolling, kicking, tossing, hitting, serving, and bouncing these balls around our house. I love the variety of games we can play with the beach balls, but what I don’t like is how big they are to store.

The Problem with Beach Balls

In the entryway of our home, we keep all the toy balls in a large tote. However, the 3 large beach balls (one for each child) continue to roll off the pile of balls into the hallway.

Besides the frustration of having them out of place, the beach balls have become a hazard when they come to rest at the bottom of the stairs. In coming downstairs in the dark one night, my husband tripped over a beach ball. Though he did not get hurt, I had to find another solution for storing these balls.

The New Solution for Beach Balls

With limited space due to all the other toys our family has accumulated, I needed to work within the boundaries of the ball tote. Since the problem is keeping them in the tote, I have chosen to deflate 2 of the 3 beach balls.

When all of my children need their ball, I can easily blow up the other 2 balls. After play, I can deflate 2 of them and place them in the ball box. There is room for one inflated beach ball, and now all the toy balls fit in the tote.

As I identify frustrating systems that are in place, I am learning to find another solution. What worked last year with two active children and an infant is not necessarily working this year with three very active children.

While on my motherhood journey, I am becoming more aware of my family’s preferences and working through the growing pains of the current organizational system to another organized system that works for us all. Whether it is reorganizing plastic food storage containers or beach balls, I hope to keep my home a clean, organized haven for lots of fun and laughter.

Question: What organizational system in your household has become a frustration rather than a help? Please click the Leave your Comment button to add your answer.

Organizing: Dining Room Bookshelf #2

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Though this summer has been busy with family outings, play dates, and regular household maintenance, I have used my time wisely in getting a few organizational projects completed. Some of the projects have been planned while others were the result of a distraction. 🙂

After organizing my first bookshelf in my dining room, the second bookshelf appeared cluttered. You know what that means . . . another organizational project! I love sorting the items – donating what we do not need, throwing out anything broken, placing similar items together, and cleaning the area. My kids are always bringing home more toys, crafts, and projects. Having a place for them keeps the clutter off our dining room table and the mess to a minimum.

Since my living room and dining room space is the hub of our house, we have 2 bookshelves to hold all the projects, craft items, and our cookbooks. This choice might be unconventional, but it works for us.

After my deep cleaning project, I decided on using time wisely and organized the second bookshelf.

BEFORE:

At the start of this project, the 6 shelves held the following items on the corresponding shelf:

  1. Creative Cook’s Kitchen books and tall cookbooks by height,
  2. Miscellaneous cookbooks by height,
  3. Entertaining books and recipe cards,
  4. Story of America history card collection,
  5. School papers, projects, and “if you don’t know where it goes, then put it on this shelf” items, and
  6. Silverware box surrounded by story collection books.

In following the 10 steps to organizing a bookshelf, I was able to donate a couple unused cookbooks, place similar items together, and open up more space.

AFTER:

Now the 6 shelves are clean and hold items our family uses without clutter:

  1. Creative Cook’s Kitchen books and tall cookbooks by height,
  2. Miscellaneous cookbooks by height,
  3. Entertaining books and recipe cards,
  4. Story of America history card collection,
  5. School papers to keep and small centerpiece for dining room table, and
  6. Silverware box surrounded by story collection books.

Taking the bookshelf one shelf at a time breaks down the big project into small manageable sections. Start small (one shelf) sorted, cleaned, and placed back neatly. Then the next shelf, and continue until your project (entire bookshelf) is complete.

I was thrilled with the results: a clean bookshelf with similar items together and some empty space. Since I keep my home organized year round, this project might seem insignificant. Though many might not notice the difference in the before and after pictures, I know that the shelves are clean (not dirty), clutter-free (donated or trashed items not used), and better organized (pleasing to my eyes).

Question: In using time wisely, what you are doing to keep your house organized? Whether your project is small or large, please share your projects in the comments.