Maxine’s Housekeeping Tips – Part #13
SUBMITTED BY: Maxine in Idaho
Monday’s Tip: Cleaning Drawers and Mini Jobs
If you are a random housekeeper, you will be surprised to learn that you can clean most drawers in 10 minutes or less and you don’t have to clean more than one drawer at a time, unless you want to. I’m sure you’re thinking, ”Yeah, but she hasn’t seen the junk drawer in my kitchen.”
That’s true. But I’ve seen mine. And, yes, it would take longer than 10 minutes to clean, but it is the exception. Most other drawers can be cleaned in less than 10 minutes.
The next time you have a few minutes, clean one drawer and walk away. Do not spend any time beating yourself up because you didn’t have the time or energy to do more. Just clean one. I suggest you begin with your junk drawer. It won’t take nearly as long as you think and doing the worst first gives you such a feeling of accomplishment.
As you put things back, consider using drawer dividers. They will help you keep your drawers much neater. The best I have found are the Rubbermaid boxes of different sizes that snap together. (You usually find them in the kitchen section, and Kmart usually is the cheapest). The main drawback is that they are expensive. I use plastic silverware trays (the kind with rectangular compartments) in some of my drawers. Sometimes you can fit more than one in a drawer. I haven’t had much luck making my own dividers from stuff I have lying around the house. I do use old shoeboxes in my underwear drawer, and a few plastic berry boxes here and there, but I haven’t found a range of useful square and rectangular containers in any quantity. (If you have any ideas of what I am missing, please post).
There are many other jobs you can do in 10 minutes or less. I suggest that you pay attention as you are doing other things, and make a list of quick jobs that need doing. (I need to clean the drawers and under the sink in my bathroom, plus many, many other things). Then, when you have a few minutes, you’ll know what to do. Making a list sounds anal retentive, but I know us–we don’t notice these things like other people would, we think they take longer to accomplish than they do, and if we had the time, we’d never think to do them.
Walk through the fire–clean your junk drawer today!
SUBMITTED BY: Maxine in Idaho
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I’ve used cut down cereal boxes, pasta boxes and the like. They can easily be stapled together and the sizes are so variable it can fit any drawer. If one had the time and inclination they can be covered with contact or fabric. The plastic ones that you hang onto the top sides, well they have to be bought but they are useful for small things that get lost in a drawer.