When looking for a good reason to switch to an organic lifestyle, think about the rigorous inspections and extensive records needed to have products labeled organic. These growers and producers go through extra work to ensure an organic, high-quality product.
1. Go through all your closets and find old clothes, shoes, bed linens, towels, and accessories to donate. Do the same in your kitchen and get rid of all those mismatched plates and cups.
2. Start from the top of a room and work your way down. Begin with dusting ceiling fans and work your way to polishing furniture and changing sheets. Then, finish with cleaning your baseboards and floors.
3. Read through all the mounds of magazines and tear out the recipes and articles that interest you. Recycle the rest of the old magazines and decrease clutter.
4. Clean out the refrigerator and freezer. Freezer burned meats, containers of food forgotten in the back, and even slices of old cheese buried in the bottom of a drawer can be overlooked. Use 2 tablespoons of baking soda to one quart of warm water to clean up any mess on each shelf (leaky liquids or sticky jams, just to name a few). Rinse out the drawers for a thorough cleansing.
Cleaning out your fridge is an easy way to make room for more organic goodies!
5. Your desk can end up holding a lot of unnecessary papers and an abundance of office supplies. Go through your desk, one drawer at a time, and separate your papers into two stacks: the “keep” pile and the “recycle” pile. Any documents that contain important and private information should be shredded if you decide to discard them. Use a filing system to organize your papers. Use small Tupperware containers to hold paperclips, tacks, and rubber bands.
6. Carpets hold more than you think; dirt, pet dander, food particles, stains, and about 4,000 times as much bacteria as a toilet seat*. Begin making it a habit to remove shoes when you enter the house to avoid tracking dirt and other particles onto the carpeting.
7. Bathrooms need lovin’. Toss your fabric shower curtain, bath mats and decorative towels in the wash and wipe down all your surfaces with a natural solution of vinegar and water. Go through the cabinets under your sink and throw away all the old lotion and hair product bottles that are way overdue (these usually hide out in the back).
8. Use small plastic or metal baskets in the bathroom to hold hair accessories like brushes, headbands, and your hairdryer. In the kitchen, use baskets to hold sponges, dish soap, or trash bags.
9. Just because they’re fake doesn’t mean they don’t need attention. Plants add color and life to a room, so dust them off and fluff them up.
10. If walls could talk they would ask to be cleaned. Grimy hands, splattered food, and pets can cause walls to become dingy. Check out this link for a great way to clean your walls.
