Organize Your Home Office

It's Thursday again! Time to get organized. How has it been going for you? Would love to hear!

If you are just joining us, we have been getting organized using Jennifer Ford Berry's Organize Now book.
 

 

It has some great info and tips on organizing various parts of our life and home. You can see past posts here:

Week 1 about Organizing Your Mind and Life Vision HERE,

Week 2 about Organizing Your Priorities HERE,

Week 3 about Organizing Your Schedule HERE

Week 4 about Organizing Your Cleaning Schedule HERE.

Week 5 about Organizing Your Personal Information HERE. 

Week 6 about Organizing Your Finances HERE. 

      Week 7 about Organizing Your Bill-paying System HERE.

        Week 8 about Organizing Your Receipts and Taxes HERE. 

Week 9 about Organizing Your Files HERE

                          Week 10 about Organizing your Magazines and Newspapers HERE.

                                               Week 11 about Organizing Your Email HERE

                                                Week 12 about Organizing Your Mail HERE

                                         Week 13 about Organizing Your Child's Toys HERE.

Week 14 about Organizing Your Crafts HERE.

Week 15 about Organizing Your Photographs HERE.

Week 16 about Organizing Your Purse or Wallet HERE. 

 Week 17 about Organizing Your Vehicle HERE.

                                                  Week 18 about Organizing Your Pet HERE.

Week 19 about Organizing Your Books, CDs and DVDs HERE.

Week 20 about Organizing Your Entryway or Mudroom HERE.

                        Week 21 about Organizing Your Family Room or Living Room HERE.

Week 22 about Organizing Your Kitchen Countertops HERE.

Week 23 about Organizing the Kitchen Cabinets HERE.

Week 24 about Organizing the Pantry HERE. 

Week 25 about Organizing the Refrigerator HERE.

Week 26 about Organizing the recipes HERE.

Week 27 about Organizing the dining room HERE.

Week 28 about Organizing the Laundry Room HERE.

Week 29 about Organizing the Bathroom HERE

Week 30 about Organizing the Medicine Cabinet HERE.

Week 31 about Organizing Your Child's Clothes and Closet HERE.

Week 32 about Organizing Your Child's Memorabilia HERE.

Week 33 about Organizing Your Child's Bedroom HERE.

Week 34 about Organizing Your Bedroom Closet HERE

Week 35 about Organizing Your Memorabilia HERE

Week 36 about Organizing Your Master Bedroom HERE

Week 37 about Organizing Your Jewelry, Accessories and Purses HERE.

This week we are organizing the home office. I used to have an actual office space in my home but we turned it into a bedroom when our second child was born. So, my office became a small desk off of our kitchen area and a filing cabinet in an upstairs closet. To be honest, this just does not work well for me. As my business continues to grow, I desperately need actual office space!

So our plan is to convert our guest room (which really doesn't get used too often) into my office space. When that is done, you know I will be blogging about it and sharing the info with anyone who will listen as I will be SO excited!!!! Until then, I did organize my desk this week and look forward to organizing my office once I have it.

This Week's Goals:

1. Keep a large wastebasket and/or recycle bin next to your desk. A paper shredder is always helpful and be sure to use it often so the task doesn't get overwhelming. (talking from experience:) Also place furniture so it is accessible and workable for your space. And use recycled paper to avoid wasting.

2. Go through your pens, pencils markers, etc. Get rid of all that do not work.

3. Hang photos to save desk space.

4. Clear the rest on your desk and clean it! I love using Basic H2 organic all purpose cleaner for this. Works well on any washable surface without the chemicals.

5. Plastic trays on top of your desk work well for organizing (when you keep them organized!) Here are some suggestions:

- incoming mail
- outgoing mail
- to do 
- to file

6. Have one To Do list rather then a bunch of sticky notes. (again, talking from experience. I am the Queen of the post it!)

7. Clean up computer hard drive. Delete unwanted files and defragment periodically.

8. Clean out all desk drawers. Toss things you do not use or do not want and reorganize so things you use often are easily accessible.

Tips:

1. Use a bulletin board at eye level to keep papers you refer to often.

Was that useful info for you? Do you have a home office space? How do you keep it organized?


If you enjoy my posts, you may enjoy seeing my daily health and wellness posts on my facebook page too! :) 

Thanks for reading! Have a great day!

Rebecca   

How I Clean my House Naturally - Part 2: Scour Off

Welcome to part 2 of my cleaning posts! Last week I talked about how I love to clean my house with my favorite non-toxic cleaner, Basic H2.

Today I will talk about Scour Off Heavy Duty Paste!

Non-toxic, Natural Abrasives, No harsh chemicals, Biodegradable Surfactants, No Phosphates

I talked about Scour Off in my first blog post how I detoxed our home and now use only 3 safe products to clean it through Shaklee. I grew up with Shaklee products and supplements as my mom has been using and trusting them for over 37 years now! I am thankful to have them, now that I am a mom too.

Uses of Scour Off:

Scour Off is so great for tough jobs like the oven, stove top, shower, tub, sinks, pots and pans, removes rust and tar off chrome of car, white wall tires, counter tops, corning ware cook tops, oven proof glass, stainless steel, grout, marks off walls and floors (test first) and more! 

It's made from cherry pits so I don't get a headache when I use it. It actually smells really nice. One small container lasts for 1-2 years because you use so little of it to do so much. 

To use, put a little Scour Off on your sponge (I love using my microfiber sponge with this) and a lot of water. 

Here are some before and after pictures of how I have used it.

This is the before of my greasy oven door.

 And the after picture using Scour Off and Basic H2. I love how it shines and you can see me taking the picture in the reflection:)

I have several pictures of my stove top. This was one of the worst messes! Boiled over cranberries!

  

And after using Scour Off, my microfiber sponge and a lot of water.

Another creation by my little artist - crayon on a cutting board.

And after using the Scour Off, microfiber sponge and water. Easy clean up. Basic H2 also works well with crayon.

 

I accidentally wrote with permanent marker on our wipe board! The Basic H2 smeared it.

 

 But the Scour Off removed it!

Some rust from a can on my counter top.

Was no match for Scour Off!  Whew!!

 

And a sticker on our fireplace glass door.

 

Came off with Scour Off!

 Thanks for reading! I hope this post was useful. Keep an eye out for the next post in my cleaning series...:)

If you enjoy my posts, please follow me on my facebook page for more cleaning and healthy living tips.

Have a great week!

Rebecca

Organizing Your Jewelry Box, Purses, and Accessories

  Welcome to another Thursday organizing post! How has it been going for you? Would love to hear!

If you are just joining us, we have been getting organized using Jennifer Ford Berry's Organize Now book.
 

 

It has some great info and tips on organizing various parts of our life and home. You can see past posts here:

Week 1 about Organizing Your Mind and Life Vision HERE,

Week 2 about Organizing Your Priorities HERE,

Week 3 about Organizing Your Schedule HERE

Week 4 about Organizing Your Cleaning Schedule HERE.

Week 5 about Organizing Your Personal Information HERE. 

Week 6 about Organizing Your Finances HERE. 

      Week 7 about Organizing Your Bill-paying System HERE.

        Week 8 about Organizing Your Receipts and Taxes HERE. 

Week 9 about Organizing Your Files HERE

                          Week 10 about Organizing your Magazines and Newspapers HERE.
                                               Week 11 about Organizing Your Email HERE
                                                Week 12 about Organizing Your Mail HERE
                                         Week 13 about Organizing Your Child's Toys HERE.

Week 14 about Organizing Your Crafts HERE.

Week 15 about Organizing Your Photographs HERE.

Week 16 about Organizing Your Purse or Wallet HERE. 

 Week 17 about Organizing Your Vehicle HERE.

                                                  Week 18 about Organizing Your Pet HERE.

Week 19 about Organizing Your Books, CDs and DVDs HERE.

Week 20 about Organizing Your Entryway or Mudroom HERE.

                        Week 21 about Organizing Your Family Room or Living Room HERE.

Week 22 about Organizing Your Kitchen Countertops HERE.

Week 23 about Organizing the Kitchen Cabinets HERE.
Week 24 about Organizing the Pantry HERE. 
Week 25 about Organizing the Refrigerator HERE.

Week 26 about Organizing the recipes HERE.

Week 27 about Organizing the dining room HERE.

Week 28 about Organizing the Laundry Room HERE.

Week 29 about Organizing the Bathroom HERE

Week 30 about Organizing the Medicine Cabinet HERE.

Week 31 about Organizing Your Child's Clothes and Closet HERE.

Week 32 about Organizing Your Child's Memorabilia HERE.

Week 33 about Organizing Your Child's Bedroom HERE.

Week 34 about Organizing Your Bedroom Closet HERE

Week 35 about Organizing Your Memorabilia HERE

Week 36 about Organizing Your Master Bedroom HERE

This week we are talking about the jewelry box, purses, belts, accessories, etc.

To be honest, I am not a jewelry or purse kind of gal. I just don't have a lot of these things. So this was a pretty easy week for me. Although since I am a pack rat, I still had some old things to go through and purge. Like always, it was hard getting started but once I did it felt great! 

 

This Week's Goals:

1. Take inventory of your purses, hats and belts. Get rid of ones you have not used in the last year, ones that have broken straps or zippers, that look shabby or that are not in style anymore. Toss or donate accordingly. 

2. Store your purses, hats and belts where you can easily see them. Hooks in closets work well, clear plastic storage bins for purses, or belts on hangers. 

3. Go through your jewelry. Get rid of earrings that have no match, things that are broken and aren't worth repairing, things you no longer like or wear, etc. Toss or donate.

4. Jewelry boxes make great organizers. Polish and clean pieces that need it. I love to clean my wedding rings with Basic H2 organic window/glass cleaner. I use a toothbrush to get into the grooves and it shines it up beautifully!

5. Get valuable jewelry appraised and insured. 

Tips:

1. When traveling, leave valuable jewelry at home. Put longer chains unhooked through a drinking straw. This will keep it from getting tangled. Love that tip!

Thanks for checking in. If you enjoy my posts here, please check me out on facebook too, where I leave various organizing, health and wellness tips regularly.

Have a great day!!

Rebecca    

How I Clean My House Naturally: Part 1 - Basic H2

If you know me, you know that I love to use safe and natural products to clean my house.  I get asked about this a lot and since I haven't blogged about Get Clean in awhile, I thought I would today!

If you have been following my blog, you may be familiar with my very first post about how I de-toxed my house and now use only THREE products to clean it! Today I will start a series of posts sharing the few products that I really love to clean my entire house...

First up - my beloved Basic H2!

I truly love this cleaner for a few great reasons.

1. It is completely safe for my entire family, including my preemie son who was born with lung disease 2 years ago and is prone to respiratory issues. No harmful fumes, phthalates, or BPA to keep our home and the environment healthy. Made from corn and coconut - how cool is that? And it's great because my kids can help me clean too with no worries!

2. It actually WORKS!!! 

Windows, glass, grills, floors, stove tops, ovens, microwaves, dusting, cleaning greasy hands, fruits and veggies, fine fabric, appliances, soaking greasy pots and pans, cars, gum, crayon off of floors or walls or furniture, drain cleaner, in the garden and much more!... And because it cleans so well, it prevents bacteria from growing!

I love how it keeps dust at bay on our dark furniture when I use the all purpose solution with my microfiber cloth. Here is my dresser and mirror, both cleaned with Basic H2. Love the shine without the chemicals and fumes!

And here is a sample of my young artist's work:)

And after using the degreaser solution of Basic H2 along with my washable microfiber sponge. Came off so easily. I also have used this to take crayon off of our kitchen floor, the refrigerator door and living room furniture! Yes, my little guy is the creative one. lol

 How to mix Basic H2:

- window/glass/mirrors: mix 1-2 DROPS into 16 oz sprayer of water  

-General Cleaning: mix 1/4 tsp. into 16 oz sprayer of water

-degreaser: mix 1 1/2 tsp. into 16 oz sprayer of water

I also keep a little in my laundry room to apply directly to spots and stains. Works great!!

Here is a before picture of my preschooler's shirt after he dropped some of a greasy taco on it when we were at a restaurant

I know, I know...a greasy taco and a preschooler with a white shirt? What was I thinking??? 

Basic H2, that's what! :)




Pretty great, huh? I also used Nature Bright, which is a safe alternative to bleach to remove the tough stains. Every time I have washed this shirt since, it seems even whiter and brighter. Love that!

3. Another reason I love this cleaner - It saves us money!!! One 16 oz bottle of Basic H2 equals the cleaning uses of 5,824 bottles of 26 oz Windex!!! Pretty amazing! The window solution is less then a penny per gallon. Gotta love that!

Basic H2's Cleaning Credentials:
Nontoxic
Superconcentrated
Biodegradable Surfactants
Natural
No Phosphates 

Basic H2 has been around for over 50 years now and was the product showcased at the first Earth Day celebration in the 1970s! My mom has been using it for 37 years so it's kind of like family.:)

That's it for this post. I will post Part 2 of my natural cleaning series coming soon  - Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful day!

Rebecca 

Organizing Your Master Bedroom

Happy Thursday! Time for another organizing post! How have you been doing so far? If you have fallen behind, don't worry about it. Just jump back in.

If you are just joining us, we have been getting organized using Jennifer Ford Berry's Organize Now book.
 

 

It has some great info and tips on organizing various parts of our life and home. You can see past posts here:

Week 1 about Organizing Your Mind and Life Vision HERE,

Week 2 about Organizing Your Priorities HERE,

Week 3 about Organizing Your Schedule HERE

Week 4 about Organizing Your Cleaning Schedule HERE.

Week 5 about Organizing Your Personal Information HERE. 

Week 6 about Organizing Your Finances HERE. 

      Week 7 about Organizing Your Bill-paying System HERE.

        Week 8 about Organizing Your Receipts and Taxes HERE. 

Week 9 about Organizing Your Files HERE

                          Week 10 about Organizing your Magazines and Newspapers HERE.
                                               Week 11 about Organizing Your Email HERE
                                                Week 12 about Organizing Your Mail HERE
                                         Week 13 about Organizing Your Child's Toys HERE.

Week 14 about Organizing Your Crafts HERE.

Week 15 about Organizing Your Photographs HERE.

Week 16 about Organizing Your Purse or Wallet HERE. 

 Week 17 about Organizing Your Vehicle HERE.

                                                  Week 18 about Organizing Your Pet HERE.

Week 19 about Organizing Your Books, CDs and DVDs HERE.

Week 20 about Organizing Your Entryway or Mudroom HERE.

                        Week 21 about Organizing Your Family Room or Living Room HERE.

Week 22 about Organizing Your Kitchen Countertops HERE.

Week 23 about Organizing the Kitchen Cabinets HERE.
Week 24 about Organizing the Pantry HERE. 
Week 25 about Organizing the Refrigerator HERE.

Week 26 about Organizing the recipes HERE.

Week 27 about Organizing the dining room HERE.

Week 28 about Organizing the Laundry Room HERE.

Week 29 about Organizing the Bathroom HERE

Week 30 about Organizing the Medicine Cabinet HERE.

Week 31 about Organizing Your Child's Clothes and Closet HERE.

Week 32 about Organizing Your Child's Memorabilia HERE.

Week 33 about Organizing Your Child's Bedroom HERE.

Week 34 about Organizing Your Bedroom Closet HERE

Week 35 about Organizing Your Memorabilia HERE

This week we are onto the Master Bedroom. I was definitely due to organize mine. I tend to put things on my dresser to put away later and of course you know the rest....later doesn't come until I get to a chapter like this in an organizing book. lol. Ok, well maybe it comes sooner then that most of the time but it had been awhile. Here are some before pictures.

   Andrew and I worked on things while his brother napped. He loves to be involved in the cleaning and organizing process. He must get that gene from his father. lol

And here are some after pictures (after cleaning and after nap:) I mostly went through the things that were sitting on top of the dressers, night stands and put them away or tossed/recycled them.

 We still have toys but have put them in a toy zone in the corner of the room.

It felt great to get that done and I plan to keep it that way. :)

This Week's Goals:

1. Establish agreed upon routines (ie put things away right away, etc) with the person you share your bedroom with. I am usually the one to keep things laying out, so in my marriage, it was myself that I needed to agree with. lol.

2. Keep your bedroom for things like sleeping, dressing, relaxing, etc. Take things out of the room that don't belong there. Clutter makes it difficult to relax so remove it!

3. Organize under your bed. Clear plastic storage bins work well in my house.

4. Declutter your nightstands, dressers, etc. Less is more. Put books away, etc.

5. Clean out your dresser drawers. I will admit I am still working on this one. Toss or donate items that you don't wear, that don't fit, or things like socks with holes, etc.

6. Clean windows and mirrors. I love using the window/glass/mirror formula of Basic H2 organic concentrate. You use only 1-2 drops into 16 oz of water in a sprayer. Costs less then a penny per gallon! Completely safe to use around your kids and safe for the environment too. LOVE this stuff!!

Tips:

1. Bed skirts are a great way to hide the contents under the bed and keep dust out too!

That does it for another week. How is it going for you? would love to hear!

Thanks for reading. Have a wonderful day!!

Rebecca