Checklist: Preparing Your Home for the Holidays

Nothing brings people together like the holiday season. Start preparing now with some easy home improvement projects to welcome your guests in style. 

Whether your guests are staying just for the day or will be overnight visitors, this holiday checklist will help make your home as inviting and comfortable as possible.

Entrance

• Make sure all walkways and porches are free of ice and snow.  Taking someone to the emergency room because of a fall is not the way you want to start the holidays.
• Make sure all outdoor lighting is functioning properly and is turned on when it is dark.  Another important precaution to ensure your guest's safety.
• Establish a place to collect all warm weather apparel, including boots.  Add extra hangers to your coat closet or designate a room to collect these.  You should also consider adding an extra doormat for those wet boots.  If you plan for this ahead of time your entrance won't become a cluttered mess.

Living Area

• If the carpet isn't looking its best, schedule a professional carpet cleaning.
• Clean the windows so that guests can clearly see your outside decorations.
• Add some color to the walls by freshing up your space with a new coat of paint.
• Bring holiday scents to your living space with candles, potpourri, fresh garland or pine cones.

Bathrooms

• If the tile looks dingy, replacing it or even new grout can give a fresh look to a bathroom.
• Make sure the bathroom fan and window are in operating condition.  Ventilation is an important part of keeping your bathroom clean and mildew-free.
• Make sure you have enough guest bath and/or hand towels.  Consider special towels with holiday themes to keep with the spirit of the season.

Kitchen

• The kitchen has become an essential room for entertaining with the popularity and ease of serving food buffet style.  To provide more space, try installing applicances under countertops or consider investing in a kitchen island.
• Check the condition of the countertops, cabinets, and appliances.  Replacing the applicances can make a huge difference when you're preparing meals for large groups.
• Declutter your counter space by removing unsed appliances and other items and store in a place unseen to your guests.

Guest Rooms

• Make sure the guest beds have fresh linens.  Add a nice holiday decoration or treat to the bed welcoming your guests.
• Clear some closet space or a drawer to make your guests feel more at home.  No one likes to live out of a suitcase.
• Provide your guests with a bedside clock and reading lamp.  Not everyone goes to sleep or wakes up at the same time.

6 Extraordinary Uses for Dishwashing Soap

Who knew? Dishwashing soap isn't just for scrubbing plates—see how the liquid can kill ants, beat greasy hair, and more.

Kill weeds kindly

Be gentler to the environment—not so much to weeds—by using a natural plant killer rather than harmful herbicides. Mix 1 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid with 1 cup of salt and 1 gallon of white vinegar. Pour the solution on weeds sprouting in the cracks and crevices of sidewalks, front walks, and patio pavers.

Wash away ants

Outdoor ants can be just as annoying as indoor ants, particularly if they've invaded the crevices in your patio where you eat. Get rid of them with a simple 50/50 solution of water and white vinegar with a dash of dishwashing liquid. (You can substitute glass cleaner for the vinegar if you want.) Spray the affected area with the mix, wait a few minutes, then happily return to your picnic.

Green your lawn

Fill the reservoir of a 10- or 20-gallon hose-end sprayer with water and 12-ounce can of beer or non-diet cola, 1 cup of corn syrup or molasses or household ammonia, or 1/2 cup mouthwash—and 1 cup of dishwashing liquid. The dishwashing liquid helps spread the concoction more evenly across your lawn, and as an added bonus, helps it stick to individual blades of grass.

Water your lawn approximately every three weeks, and watch your neighbors turn green with envy—like your lawn.

Keep it cool

Clean your foam or metal mesh air conditioner filters once a month during the summer—or whenever you routinely use your AC—with dishwashing liquid. Soak the filter in a bath of warm water and dish soap, then scrub it gently with a toothbrush. Once you've removed any debris, rinse it and dry it completely. Put it back in the air conditioner, and enjoy a sweat-free day with cleaner air.

Add life to your locks

If your hair isn't looking so lovely, try mixing a dollop of dishwashing liquid into your shampoo. It fights grease in hair, as well as on dishes!

Clean your blender

Forget about taking your blender apart to wash it thoroughly. Instead, fill it partway with warm water and dishwashing detergent, cover it, and run it for a few seconds. Empty it, rinse it, air-dry it, and call it a day.

Resource:   Reader's Digest

Start 2012 with a Clutter-Free Living Space

Tired of stacks and heaps and piles and clutter? Does it feel overwhelming just to think about organizing your home? Here are a few quick tips that can help you get started organizing and feel great about it quickly. Organizing your home can take time and effort, but with simple tips from Tomboy Tools, your living space can become a clutter-free environment.

Organizational Tips:

1. Choose one drawer, one closet, one cupboard or cabinet in one room. Plan and schedule ahead for the next project areas.

2. Ask for help. Feel free to invite a friend or family member to help you, but not if they will distract you from your plans. Plan ahead to make sure this time will be undisturbed and without distractions.

3. Whatever is cluttering up the space you choose may not be what you even want there. Decide what this space is to really be used for before digging in.

4. Donate any old clothes, shoes, bags, toys, electronics, etc. that you haven’t worn or used in the last 18 months. You can donate to your local shelter, Goodwill or Salvation Army. Dress for Success will also let you know where you can contribute business wear to aspiring career women in need.

5. Go through your junk drawer and throw away anything that you no longer need. Anything that you still need, organize a little bit and use a little creativity in your organization. For example, if you have an empty checkbook box, use it to store pens, rubber bands, paper clips or batteries that you don’t want thrown away.

6. Prep boxes and containers and label them appropriately for the items that go in them.

7. Go through just one pile at a time. It’s motivating to see big empty spaces in a closet, or the surface of your desktop again. Make a decision about its place in your life.

8. If you’re reorganizing a drawer, dump it out on a cleared surface and pick it apart. If it’s a drawer of clothing, dump it all out on the bed and then pick and choose from there.

9. When finished, make sure to redistribute all of the designated boxes, containers and bags to where they need to go. Don’t leave prep tools sitting around and reschedule to finish as soon as possible if necessary.

10. Ninety percent of life is maintenance! Take 10-20 minutes daily to declutter your home, work station or desk.