Could you use a little help de-cluttering your home? Are you done with dust and tired of too much stuff? Sign up for our Spring Cleaning Challenge and get your place in tip-top shape!
To sign up for the challenge, just reply below and you'll get 2 weeks of tips on cleaning and organizing your home and simplifying your life!
Plus you could win a gift certificate for a little post clean-up pampering!
Our own Cafe Amanda -- a single working mom of two boys -- will be documenting her progress throughout the challenge, posting before and after pictures, and sharing her mess-management strategies. If she's brave enough to tackle her mess and air her dirty laundry, you should be too! :)
Here's Amanda -- and her mess! (Note, that's not a playroom -- that's her living room.)
Happy Cleaning!
The Official Rules
To enter the contest, reply to this post. Click on the 'reply to post' button at the top (or bottom) of that post. When the text box opens, add your reply. Once you've added your reply, click on the "Add Reply' button.
•Posts must be made between March 5, 2012 at 5:15 pm EST and Wednesday March 21st, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST.
•This contest will end on Wednesday March 21st, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST.
•One winner will be selected randomly.
•The winner will be posted on this thread and will be notified via CafeMom PM.
•Multiple replies are allowed and will increase your chances of winning.
•Prizes are only available to members who live in the US or Canada (excluding Quebec).
•One winner will receive a $50 SpaFinder.com gift certificate.
•See the Official Rules for CafeMom Sweepstakes here.
Spring Cleaning Challenge Day 1: Get Your Goals Down
Thanks for signing up for our Spring Cleaning Challenge! We hope you're psyched to make your home sparkle!
First thing's first: What are your goals? Do you want to purge the things you don't need? Organize your closets? Set up a system where everything has its place? Tell us in the replies below!
Then while you're feeling inspired, create a collage of your dream space with photos from magazines or websites -- or check out CafeMom's Pinterest page for inspiration and motivation!
To sign up for the Spring Cleaning Challenge, click here.
Spring Cleaning Challenge Day 2: Set Up a Donation Station
Now that you've set your goals, it's time to get to work! Today's task is to create a Donation Station! (Hat tip to the great Clutter Diet Blog for the "Donation Station" term.)
Set up an area of your home with boxes and bags to fill with all the stuff you want to get rid of. Then go through your stuff as you have time and get rid of what you don't want, need, use, or wear anymore! Follow this rule: If you haven't used or worn it in a year, toss it in the Donation Station. Once your bags and boxes are full, you can pack them in the car and drop them off at your local Goodwill or thrift store, or call a charity to come and pick them up! Simple!
Where will you set up your donation station? Tell us in the replies -- and post photos if you can!
Then check out Cafe Amanda's progress -- and pictures! -- here!
If you missed yesterday's activity, you can find it here. To sign up for the Spring Cleaning Challenge, click here.
Spring Cleaning Challenge Day 3: Stop Junk Mail
Are you overwhelmed by the catalogs, credit card offers, and other junk mail that get delivered to your door every day? According to the nonprofit 41Pounds.org, the average adult receives 41 pounds of junk mail each year, and 44% of that goes to the landfill unopened. That's a lot of unwanted mail!
Fortunately, there are some easy ways to stop junk mail from ruining your clutter-free existence! Your activity for today is: Stop the Junk Mail.
Doing this completely may take some time, so let's start with some easy steps.
1. Find a catalog that you no longer wish to receive, call the toll free number listed in it, and ask to have yourself removed from their mailing list.
2. Opt out of receiving credit card and insurance offers at this site: https://www.optoutprescreen.com/.
3. Check out Catalog Choice - a great one-stop shop for removing yourself from catalog lists and keeping the ones you actually want.
Do you hate junk mail? How do you currently manage your mail? Got any great tips for overwhelmed moms? Tell us in the replies!
Then go see how Cafe Amanda is doing & check out her donation station! >>
If you missed yesterday's activity, you can find it here. To sign up for the Spring Cleaning Challenge, click here.
Spring Cleaning Challenge Day 4: De-Clutter Your Bathroom
Today's a great day for taking care of les toilette! First, get the camera ready so you can share your before-and-after pictures!
Second, start small:
- Get rid of items in drawers or the shower or bath that you no longer use.
- Replace your toothbrush if it's past its prime.
Then tackle the medicine cabinet:
- Clean up the overflowing toothpaste tubes, sticky lotion jars, and all the residue on the shelves.
- Properly dispose of expired medications or prescription medicines that you no longer need to take, and make sure that anything your kids could get their hands on is properly sealed (or moved to a more secure place).
Next, get under the sink:
- Toss or recycle the items you never use.
- Get rid of expired products, check to make sure your pipes and cabinetry aren't damaged or moldy, and make sure you're storing hazardous products in a safe place.
- As you go, make a list of any baskets or shelving you might want to add to keep things organized (or think about what you already have that you might use, such as a shoe box, an old cookie tin, or a clean takeout container). Here's a great guide to cleaning out your under-the-sink areas from the Unclutterer blog.
Finally, clean the sink, toilet, and shower. And consider adding some decorative touches to give your bathroom more personality. You could try a cute basket for the sink, a bowl of potpourri on top of the toilet, or a special photograph in a frame on the wall.
Post pics of your progress -- or a shot of what your dream bathroom would look like!
Then tell us: Do you feel better when your shower sparkles? Got any great tips for organizing your bathroom?
If you missed yesterday's activity, you can find it here. To sign up for the Spring Cleaning Challenge, click here.
Spring Cleaning Challenge Day 5: Clean Out Your Purse
Today we're focusing on something you probably use just as much as any room in your house: your purse! Your activity for March 11 is to clean out your purse.
To start:
- Toss everything you don't need in the trash or recycling.
- File away papers and receipts that you need to keep (right away! Don't make a pile for later and forget about it.).
- Get a cute little makeup case -- or a ziploc! -- and keep any makeup that usually floats around your bag in there, zipped!
- Start a change jar for the loose change in your bag -- and the coins that are causing your wallet to burst! Enjoy watching the money pile up!
- Consider what you're carrying. Do you really need everything? Lighten your load and your back will thank you!
- Think about getting a smaller bag so you're forced to carry less stuff, and preferrably one with pockets so your cell phone and keys are always easily accessible.
Tell us what you found in YOUR bag in the replies below! Post before and after photos if you can!
If you missed yesterday's activity, you can find it here. To sign up for the Spring Cleaning Challenge, click here.
Spring Cleaning Challenge Day 6: Set a Date
We know bigger projects like cleaning the windows or organizing the playroom usually take more time than most moms have, so today's task is to set a date.
Pick a day coming up in the next few weeks when you know your sitter or mom or neighbor or friend can watch the kiddos and plan out the cleaning and organizing tasks you want to tackle, sans tots!
Whether it's to wash all the windows or clean out the garage, you'll have an entire uninterrupted day to do so! So book your sitter now (and maybe a back-up!), and get it on the calendar!
Tell us what YOU want to accomplish on your day 'O cleaning in the replies!
If you missed yesterday's activity, you can find it here. To sign up for the Spring Cleaning Challenge, click here.
Spring Cleaning Challenge Day 7: Organize Your Nightstand
Welcome to Day 7 of our Spring Cleaning Challenge! We hope you're having fun and feeling more organized and less stressed!
Your activity for March 13 is: Organize Your Nightstand. It's easy for the table or cabinet you have next to your bed to become a holding pen for lots of little things--from piles of books to spare change to tissues and cups. To get started:
- Put away anything you don't need before bed or first thing in the morning.
- Recycle old magazines, put books you're not reading back on the shelf or donate them, and clean out the drawers.
- Do keep anything that will create a calm atmosphere and help you sleep, such as a sleep mask, a glass for water, or a soothing candle (which you should blow out before going to bed!).
While you're at it, remove any clutter on the floor next to the bed, change your sheets, and remember to make your bed every morning to keep your bedroom feeling fresh and clean.
Tell us what's currently on your nightstand -- and what's left on it after you clean it! -- in the replies below. Then come back and tell us if cleaning this area helped you get a better night's sleep!
If you missed yesterday's activity, you can find it here. To sign up for the Spring Cleaning Challenge, click here.
Quoting Jerichos_Mommy:
can I get in
Sure,
If you want
To sign up for the Spring Cleaning Challenge, click here.
---Tipping in America: How To Do It and What To Expect If You Don’t---
- JCTVCBN
on Mar. 7, 2012 at 10:28 AM