1. The garage
Do it yourself. This time of year is a great time to pull things out of the garage, assess their usefulness for your family and freshen up the space. Pulling everything out, sweeping the floors and reorganizing your space will make pulling the car in every evening pure joy.
2. The yard:
Hire a pro. We’re all about taking care of general maintenance for our yard, but sometimes, it’s nice to have a pro give you a fresh slate to work from. Neither of us are professional gardeners or landscapers and we have to evaluate our best use of time when it comes to big projects. Doing some major renovations? Planting or taking out trees or large plants? Trimming high reaching branches? Leave it to the professionals.
3. Your closet:
Do it yourself. This is a classic place to start any sort of de-cluttering of the home. Here’s the rules they say you should go by for every single piece of clothing: Does it fit*? Have I worn it in the last year*? Does it bring me joy? If the answer is “no” to any of those questions, the advice is to pass it on. Find a thrift store that supports those in need in your community and it will feel even better to get rid of it. *If you’re in the middle of pregnancy it’s ok to keep some things that haven’t been worn in a while or don’t fit currently, but remember to follow the rules next time!
4. The house:
Hire a pro. Seriously, once or twice a year, it will feel amazing to get your home professionally cleaned (unless you already do this regularly, then of course, you’ve already made this realization). This is a great time to think about the best use of your time and talent. What else could you be doing for that entire day that it will take to scrub the baseboards, clean the tub/shower and dust behind every single nick-nack or picture frame on your shelves?
5. The fridge and pantry:
Do it yourself. Not only will this be a reminder of how many cans of black beans you’ve stocked up on, but it can also inspire some new meal ideas. When it comes to the pantry, you don’t need to be a huge stickler for the “use by” dates… as long as it hasn’t been opened yet. Most of that stuff has been packaged to be shelf stable for much longer than it admits to. Make sure you put it back in a place where you’ll see it and use it first, though! Get rid of half-eaten bags of chips or crackers that have gone stale and make note of which ingredients you need to stock up on soon. If you’re looking to purge your pantry for a new “healthy lifestyle”, check out [https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-9367/clean-out-your-pantry-to-live-healthier.html] and [https://foodbabe.com/food-babes-pantry-staples/] for some great tips. When it comes to the fridge, it’s probably in your best interest to pay attention to those “use by” dates since most of them have been opened, with exception of some condiments – you can use your own judgement with things like Worcestershire and soy sauce (we keep them until they run out). Pull out everything, shelf by shelf to keep the fridge closed while you toss what’s old. Wipe the shelves down good with some all-purpose cleaner (we love the seventh generation brand for non-toxic cleaners) and place things back where you can see them and nothing is hiding (if possible). Pay extra attention to the space where the drawers meet the shelf above – this is a great place for mold to grow discreetly. The freezer will be jealous if you leave it out!
6. Your trash and recycle bins:
Yuck. Hire a pro! Nobody likes this job, which is why there’s a growing industry around having your bins cleaned on a regular basis. Whether you have bins from the trash collectors or provide your own, we all know how bad they can STINK. The scary part isn’t the stench, though, it’s what that smell means…. That there’s something very much alive growing in there. Be it mold, maggots or E-coli, the smell is telling you it’s time to do something about it before it makes you sick. Take care of yourself and your family by getting your bins cleaned on a monthly basis with high pressure and hot water. Doing it yourself is really not the best option for this task – you’ll have to use harsh chemicals that aren’t good for the environment, a cold hose and a few hours of elbow grease to get your bins anything close to what the pro’s can do in just a few minutes. And then what do you do with the water once you’re done? We all know it’s not meant to run down the street into the storm drain or your neighbor’s yard. The pro’s hang on to that water and dispose of it properly. Plus, they wipe your bins dry and then spray a light deodorizer that makes throwing the trash out an actually enjoyable experience. What? Too good to be true? The company is called Bins Be Clean and it’s 100% family owned and operated. Call us today to see if we’re servicing your area! (941)778-0020, www.BinsBeClean.com
