Favorite Household Tips
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"Discovering a great tip is like hitting the jackpot. We went straight to the source and asked WD’s staff, pros at finding the the easiest, fastest and best ways to clean and organize, for the strategies they absolutely can’t live without."
Keep a pair of scissors in every room.
Jane Chesnutt, editor-in-chief. “I use my bedroom scissors for cutting loose strings and labels off clothing, in the bathroom I use them to cut bandages and in our home office I use them to open packages.”
Packing tape wrapped around my hand works well when there’s no lint brush around.
Meghann Foye, online editor. “The day of my job interview at Woman’s Day I rushed out of my apartment and didn’t realize that I had cat hair all over my suit. The receptionist offered me packing tape to clean myself off. Two and a half years later I still use tape all the time.
Store a chopstick in your flour and sugar canisters to level out cups and spoons when measuring.
Janet Sobesky, home design and lifestyle editor. “I was always dirtying up knives and my kitchen counter when measuring. This tip is one of the most practical pieces of advice I’ve ever gotten.”
Every time I make a phone call I clean something. I wipe down the counters, dust the furniture, sort clothes, etc.
Marisol Vera, managing food editor, who says friends on the phone often joke, “Are you listening or are you scrubbing the bathtub?”
I use a kitchen timer for more than just keeping track of cooking. I use it to prompt me that the wash is done and needs to be put into the dryer or that the dishes are ready to be taken out of the dishwasher.
Kenn Nadel, art director. “I even keep an extra timer next to my bed and use it to get that 20-minute catnap.”
I store things where I use them, even though I end up with things in odd places.
Kim Walker, copy associate, who keeps her dental floss in a box in the living room so she can floss while she reads or watches TV. Her vitamins are stored on the entrance table near the front door so she can take them before she goes to work in the morning, and she also keeps a little wooden box filled with quarters by the front door for when she does laundry.
Use your kitchen scissors to chop spices in a small glass.
Anne Fritz, service editor, who loves cooking dinner at home, but, after working all day, hates the time it takes to prepare and clean up after a home-cooked meal. This trick saves time and makes cleaning up a breeze.
In a word, "Fly Lady."
Suzan Schaefer, assistant to the editor-in-chief. “The FlyLady’s system of breaking down the house into zones and tackling one zone each week of the month has changed my life, plus her web site, www.flylady.net, is hilarious.”
As part of my fall garden cleanup, I clean all my tools with a wire brush then spray them with nonstick cooking spray, which helps prevent rust.
Nancy Dell’Aria, food editor. “Since nonstick spray works on coating kitchen utensils, I figured it would transfer to the garden, which it does.”
Buy a brightly colored wallet so you can spot it more quickly in your handbag or when you leave it lying around the house.
Madonna Behen, health director. “After my dark-colored wallet was stolen, I’d have these moments of panic when I thought my wallet had been stolen again or I had lost it. Having one I can find instantly takes away that anxiety.”
Hang a shoe holder on the inside of the hallway closet door and use the spaces to store hats, gloves and scarves.
Jillian Rowley, health editor. “My closet was overflowing with winter accessories and I needed a place to organize them. Keeping them in a shoe holder lets me see everything I have so I can easily decide what I want to wear and be out the door. Of course, out of the eight rows, I give one to my husband—the rest are for me.”
Consider enlisting the help of a family member or friend to be your organizing buddy.
Ruth Manuel-Logan, research director. “Although everyone always says I am a direct descendent of neat-freak Felix Unger, I hate cleaning my oven. My buddy Antoinette Atoukui comes over and helps me clean my oven and I, in turn, help her reorganize her worst nightmare—her bedroom closet.”
Spray your bathroom mirror with shaving cream. Whatever is in it prevents your mirror from fogging up when you take a shower.
Yvonne Mojica, web designer, who covers her whole mirror with shaving cream, lets it sit until it’s almost evaporated, then wipes it off. Doing this once can keep the mirror defogged for up to three weeks.
I use cheap paper plates as lids to prevent spattering when I’m microwaving.
Ellen Greene, associate food editor. “The plates are also sturdy and thick enough for chopping onions, garlic, whatever—and you have no smelly cutting board to wash afterward. Just toss out the plate when you’re done.”
To minimize how much dirt comes into my home, I keep baby wipes in the closet near the front door. Every time I bring my dog back from a walk, I wipe her paws.
Chrissy Staudinger, assistant editor and resident animal lover, who buys wipes with aloe, which also keep her dog’s paws soft in the winter.
I keep a trash can in every room.
Jennifer Rainey, assistant editor. “Once when I was sick I walked around my house with a trash can to collect all the used tissues. I decided then and
there that I needed a place for trash in every room.”
Make cleaning into a beauty treatment for your hands by covering them with cream, then putting on rubber gloves.
Nicole Catanese, associate beauty editor, who has never thought of cleaning the same way since. “I used to dread it, but now I see doing the dishes as getting a moisture treatment for my hands instead of as a chore!”
I rip out perfume cards from magazines and put them in my drawers.
Cari Wira, reader editor, who got this piece of advice from her mother and swears it works just as well as using expensive sachets.
Use a lint brush to clean screens.
Cecilia Gilbride, editorial business manager. “The first time I tried this I couldn’t believe it. The screen of my sliding glass door looked like new.”
I spray nonstick spray on measuring spoons before scooping anything sticky.
Julie Hertzberg, designer. “I did this recently when I was making a smoothie and the peanut butter and chocolate syrup slid right off the spoon just like magic.”
I keep “spares” of certain items in the house. This way when the cereal or toilet paper is used up, I just pull one from my stash and I don’t have to run to the store right away.
Sue Kakstys, managing editor, who also does this with plastic bags, paper towels and all her cleaning supplies.
To save time, I pack the next day’s lunch in the evening, right after dinner.
Jennifer Conrad, assistant research editor, who makes enough dinner so that she has leftovers for her lunch.
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