Category: cleaning

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Mom Accidentally Discovers How to Finally Help Kids Clean Their Rooms Properly

Everyone who’s ever taken care of children knows that getting them to clean up after themselves is quite a hassle. In fact, this single task can often be so difficult that many caregivers just give up and clean up the mess themselves.

But one mom has had a lot of success with a method that you may not have tried with your gremlins already. It’s called the “Mountain Method,” and it arose out of sheer desperation.

Photo Credit: iStock

Writer Kristen Mae‘s son was around 9 years old when she couldn’t handle another second of helping him clean up the mess that he’d created. So, she swept all of his toys from their various hiding places into the middle of his room. She informed him that he couldn’t enjoy any screen time until everything in the pile was in its proper place. Then she left the room.

Kristen says she didn’t expect the trick to actually work – the mountain was more-so to make a point about how much mess really existed.

Amazingly enough, though, her son slowly chipped away at the pile until it was all cleaned up. Now, the Mountain Method is a regular part of her family’s cleaning routine.

Photo Credit: iStock

If you’re familiar with Marie Kondo’s philosophy of cleaning, the Mountain Method makes a ton of sense. Like Kristen, Marie recommends first piling all of your mess into one place so you can see everything – then starting to organize.

“Having everything in one place turned what felt like a thousand tasks into one single task,” Kristen explained.

A mountain of a task, sure. But a doable one. It’s worth a try!

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Netflix’s “Tidying up with Marie Kondo” Inspires Massive Wave of Thrift Store Donations

Tidying up with Marie Kondo hit Netflix on January 1st, and exploded in popularity almost instantly. You’ve almost certainly seen some people on your friends’ list talking about it and maybe also going a little nuts purging their stuff. The signature “KonMari” method helps you keep your spaces clutter free and encourages people to get rid of anything that doesn’t “spark joy” – i.e. it’s better to have 5 shirts you love and look forward to wearing than 15 shirts you’re “meh” about. The show has not only inspired thousands of people to take stock of their possessions, it’s also had an unintended (but awesome) side effect.

Photo Credit: Netflix

People aren’t tossing their joyless items – they’re donating them.

A Chicago bookstore reported getting as many donations in 2 days as they typically receive in 2 months, and Goodwills and libraries around the country are reporting the same or similar upticks in generosity.

That said, Goodwill’s public relations and multimedia manager Malini Wilkes told CNN that it’s tough to attribute the increase in donations to Marie Kondo and her methods alone: donations are typically up this time of year.

“People have New Year’s resolutions, people have time to get their boxes together, that kind of thing. Unfortunately, at the current time, it’s too soon to determine the impact from the Marie Kondo show.”

Photo Credit: Netflix

Regardless, people who shop at thrift stores are ready and waiting to scoop up your castoffs. One person’s joyless blouse is another person’s ruffled chiffon pleasure, right?

Or something like that.

Photo Credit: Netflix

If you’re into tidying up, I wish you luck. If you’re excited about gorging on other people’s purged items, it seems that, whether or not Marie Kondo is responsible, now is the time to head to your local Goodwill or used book store.

Just be ready to fight for the best stuff.

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12 House Cleaners Dish on What You Should Be Cleaning but Probably Aren’t

Here are the 12 things cleaning professionals wish people would realize need to be cleaned – are you guilty?

#12. Go eye-level with your toddler

“If you have toddlers/short children – the entire inside perimeter of your house at the 2.5ft mark has a layer of snot encrusted dirt that’s built up over the years that you are most likely blind to by now.”

#11. Don’t forget the wash

“When I did housekeeping during college, I noticed that many people neglect to take down their shower curtains periodically for washing.

That’s the accumulation of body oils, fluids, etc that has splashed off your body. You can disinfect and make a bathroom sparkle, however, the stench off the ripe curtain…ick.”

#10. Head allergies off at the pass

“Their fans. Mfs be having the DUSTIEST ceiling fans in the world. How do y’all sleep with those things spinning? It’s like snow.”

#9. Remember to look up

“Coming from someone who is taller than average I’d like to mention that many people only clean to their eye level.”

#8. Take a whiff

“Clean the things you use to clean other things.

Replace your kitchen sponge at least twice a month. Wash your towels weekly. Leave the door to your washing machine open after each cycle so it doesn’t mildew. You get the idea. If these things aren’t clean, it can manifest in big ways. Ever met one of those people who has a faint musty/sour smell even after showering? Chances are they’ve been using the same nasty bath towel for weeks/months and don’t notice the smell from it anymore.”

#7. Never have I ever

“The dish drying rack. I’ve never seen anyone with one that wasn’t fucking horrific looking.”

#6. Wear gloves

“I learned about this when I was being trained to clean professionally…

You really need to take the toilet seat completely off every now and again – every 6 months minimum to clean the sludge that accumulates around the screws and fittings.

It’s really gross. Wear gloves.”

#5. The more you use them…

“People who are busy but wonder how it looks different when I do it, the finishing touches they miss are polishing or wiping down their kitchen bin, kettles and other shiny things on their counters. One job I struggle with is removing hair from a plug hole and as I rule, I don’t do it because i’ll spend the day heaving. People forget to clean their taps, door handles and light switches, yet they are probably the most used item.”

#4. Heavy-duty

“Honestly? Even in the wealthiest of homes the bathrooms were an absolute nightmare. Grime so thick on the walls you could make an entire bar of soap out of it. Hard water stains were even harder. We had this fancy pumice stone that we’d use to scrub majority of it away. A lot of us would use toilet bowl cleaner on the entire bathroom. It had some really strong compounds that would just cut right through that stuff.”

#3. I wish those things were self-cleaning

“I cleaned houses in college…clean your microwaves people.
Baseboards and windows are less disgusting, but more often neglected.”

#2. Fire hazard

“The fan heaters. I unplug mine and use a skinny crochet hook to yank the hair and dust out of ours.

I have seen one catch fire. Clean them, it’s important.”

#1. Buildup

“Not a pro, but worked housekeeping at a hotel for a bit. Wash your walls. You don’t have to go all out, just if you see scuffs wipe them off. Even if you’re not smoking inside or anything, so much grime builds up on walls.”

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