August 2011 Home Organizing Checklist

Your Home Organizing checklist for August 2011.

____ Aug 1 Take a duster to all of your lamp shades in the house. You will appreciate the brighter light when you do have to turn them on in the evenings.

____ Aug 2 Make an inventory of school supplies needed. Most are generic enough that you can take advantage of sales now rather than waiting until the schools issue their lists.

____ Aug 3 Coffee tasting a bit off? Fill your coffee maker with white vinegar and run through a brew cycle. Follow with at least 3 brew cycles of plain water to completely wash out the vinegar.

____ Aug 4 Garbage disposal a bit smelly? Run it with citrus peel and ice cubes to clean and freshen. Don't forget to run the water while the disposal is running.

____ Aug 5 Make time today to do at least one thing that pampers you - manicure, pedicure, massage, whatever leaves you feeling pampered.

____ Aug 6 Pull out furniture and vacuum behind and under. Get help from family members to move the furniture around.

____ Aug 7 Now is a good time to change your furnace filter and schedule a check-up as well. You'll appreciate not waiting until further into heating season when the service people are all booked up.

____ Aug 8 Call your energy provider for an energy audit of your home. The tips they give you, such as cleaning your refrigerator coils and performing appliance repair as needed to minimize energy loss will pay off later.

____ Aug 9 Trim your perennials and divide any that are overcrowded.

____ Aug 10 Check windows and doors to make sure that all locks are working properly. Repair or replace any that are not working correctly.

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____ Aug 11 Clean your gutters, or hire someone else to do it for you. If you do not already have them, install leaf guards.

____ Aug 12 If you have cloth furniture, vacuum thoroughly. Treat any stains and clean them up. If you have leather furniture, use a leather cleaner/conditioner to clean and condition them.

____ Aug 13 Do you have tchochkes around your house? Take them down and give them a good washing. Dust off their spots and return those you love to their respective homes. Donate any you don't.

____ Aug 14 Take the family on a drive to the country or on a picnic in the park. Just get out together and enjoy each other's company.

____ Aug 15 Rent a steam cleaner and give your carpets a good cleaning.

____ Aug 16 Give your pets a good brushing. While you are brushing, check them over carefully for fleas and ticks. Treat for any you find.

____ Aug 17 Give your book case a good dusting. Check to make sure you really want to keep every book you put back on the shelves.

____ Aug 18 Tackle those ceiling fans with a good dusting. It will help keep down the dust in the house, and help the fans to work more efficiently.

____ Aug 19 Pick one room in your house and wash all the windows in that room on the inside. If you like, keep going to get all of your windows.

____ Aug 20 Clean out the trunk of your car. Pick up a crate to use to contain items that are currently loose in the trunk.

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____ Aug 21 Make a plan to tackle a cupboard a day this week to clean up and organize contents. Toss expired items and donate to a food bank those you don't want that are NOT expired.

____ Aug 22 Have a staircase? Take a cloth and spray cleaner and clean both sides at about rail level. You'll be amazed at the difference.

____ Aug 23 Give your pet's bed a thorough washing in the hottest water possible for the fabric. You will appreciate the difference.

____ Aug 24 Has the junk mail gotten ahead of you? Time to toss it in a recycle bin. Make sure that you first shred any papers that have any personal or address information on it.

____ Aug 25 Sweep off your front porch or entrance way. While you're sweeping, make sure you get any cobwebs that are up high.

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____ Aug 26 Give all of your wastebaskets a good cleaning. If they can tolerate it, run them through a short cycle on the dishwasher. Otherwise, use a disinfecting cleaner.

____ Aug 27 Take a look at your September calendar and start any prep work now that will make things run more smoothly next month. Any advance work you can do will lighten the load later.

____ Aug 28 Do you have cellular shades and a cat? Take a lint brush to both sides of the shades to remove any cat hair.

____ Aug 29 Finalize any Labor Day Weekend plans now to avoid confusion later. If you’re hosting, confirm with guests the plans you've discussed. If traveling, confirm those plans.

____ Aug 30 Take a damp microfiber cloth and wipe the surfaces of pictures around your house.

____ Aug 31 Make sure your digital camera is loaded with fresh batteries and that your memory card has plenty of room for school pictures. Tuck extra batteries into your camera bag.

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by Maria Gracia - Get Organized Now! FREE Idea-Pak and E-zine filled with tips, ideas, articles and more to help you organize your home, your office and your life at the Get Organized Now! Web site!