Are you trying to downsize? Is your home full of clutter? It’s time to get organized.

Let us help you tackle the need to get organized. If you have too many items or more space than you can manage, this piece is for you.

Do not get overwhelmed! This is how to downsize and declutter your home:

Step 1: Assess your Needs

First things first. Take inventory.

What is your goal? What do you need to accomplish that goal? If your goal is to downsize or declutter, you have a lot of work to do.

Think of items you use every day or things you might want to repurchase in the future. It is best to keep those items that are useful to you. Get rid of old paperwork or those boxing gloves you never used.

If you have not used it within the last six months, it’s probably time to get rid of it. Ask yourself, “does this spark joy?” If not, its time to toss it!

Step 2: Donate or Sell Unused Items

Get all your things out and in the open. That way you can see everything you own. It might surprise you how many things you have accumulated over the years.

If you forgot about an item or rarely use it, its time to donate! Use this method to go through your entire house and your belongings. Keep only what you need and regularly use.

If you’re downsizing your home, consider what rooms you will not have in the new house. If there is not a place for it, get rid of it!

Make three piles, one to sell, one to donate, and one to trash. This is a great way to downsize without feeling guilty! Make some extra cash or donate old items, in good condition, to a charity you love.

Step 3: Get Organized

Downsizing means everything should have a place in your home. There is no need for clutter or forgotten items.

If your goal is to downsize or declutter your home, make sure you can visualize where a particular item will be placed. Take into account what you need AND what you have space for.

There are many storage solutions for your home to help you get organized in your new space. Tip: use clear storage boxes so you can always see what you have and what you need!

Do you have things you are saving or cannot bear to part with? Then its time for hide-away storage. Use a storage space to keep your items safe and out of sight, keeping your home clutter-free.

Step 4: Use Multifunctional Furniture

If you are downsizing your home, your old furniture is probably too big for your new space. Use multifunctional furniture to keep your space open or designate rooms for duel purposes.

Keep a futon in the office space in case you have guests. Or, get a bed or coffee table that doubles as storage. All your furniture should serve a purpose in a small space.

As a plus, buying multifunctional furniture will save you money!

Step 5: Go Digital

Digitize what you can. That means paperwork, photos, and important paperwork.

You can upload your photos and documents to an external hard drive or save them virtually on Google Drive. Going paperless will free up space in your home without getting rid of important papers.

When you go digital you minimize your clutter and create a long-term solution. Your documents or old photos are safe and easy to access when you need them.

Step 6: Maximize Vertical Space

Vertical space often goes unused. When you maximize the use of vertical space, things become less cluttered.

Create vertical space in your home with shelving units, storage solutions, and taller furniture. The use of vertical space will ensure that every item has a place. Your home will feel less bulky and cluttered with slim furniture.

Think of your closet space; shoes quickly get cluttered on the floor. Use the back of the door or hang shelving systems up the wall to store shoes or purses. Bring this mentality to the rest of your home.

Step 7: Organize as You Unpack

When you only keep the items you have space for, it will be easy to decorate and organize your new home.

Instead of dumping boxes out all over your home, pack up the boxes by room and space so you know what goes where. When you begin to unpack in your new space, you will be able to organize as you go.

Set an organized precedent in your new home. Ensure that every item has a place in a visible location.

Step 8: Enjoy

Your new home or decluttered space is finished. All your hard work is done!

Enjoy the minimalism and clean feel of your home. Everything has a place and day to day life is easier when you always know where to find things.

Do not forget to make organization a habit!

This is How to Downsize!

Embrace minimalism! Keep only what you need, love, and use regularly. Minimalism is a lifestyle choice, after all.

If you are moving into a smaller space or are looking for a cleaner, clutter-free home, these tips will help you achieve your goal. Do not forget to stop accumulating items that will clutter your home.

Keep this article in your favorites so you remember how to downsize! For more tips on cleaning or home organization, check out our site.

Carpets can bring a nice and comforting atmosphere to a house.

However, when you have kids, the chances that the floor becomes a playground rises drastically. While crawling, walking, and playing, toddlers and kids can leave various stains that get into the carpet fiber and damage the carpet in the long run. The stains as well become a perfect place for germs to spread.

Moreover, not all carpet cleaners are baby-friendly, that is why it is important to find a solution that will not only remove stains but as well will not affect the health and safety of your children.

This article intends to help parents that are searching for an effective carpet cleaning method for common kids stains like markers, dirt, food, and others.

Types Of Carpets

The cleaning solution varies depending on the material. To avoid the damage of the fibers or the dye of your rug, it is crucial if your carpet has synthetic or natural fiber.

Such synthetic materials as nylon, polyester, or triexta are usually easy to clean and do not require special treatment. Simple steam cleaning or spot scrubbing will do the job. However, DIY cleaning does not disinfect the surface.

Wool, silk, jute, sea-grass, and other organic materials are prone to staining. Moreover, incorrect treatment might cost you a new rug. To avoid such unpleasant situations, we recommend it to use professional detergents and equipment.

According to pressurized hot-water extraction (PHWE) professional Dmitri Kara, the method archives up to 99% of dirt and grime removal from fabrics that can withstand the pressure and suction cycle, which is the perfect solutions for your toddler or infant bedroom.

Various companies offer equipment rental, however, the equipment is complex in use. It might take you more time to understand how to use the machine rather than clean the carpet.

Consider Professionals

They train tradesmen to remove various types of stains and know what detergents to use. Most commonly, they use the water extraction method that not only removes stains but sanitizes the rug. Besides, they can use a stain repellent that will protect your carpets from further staining. All the detergents they use are kids-friendly.

If you still consider cleaning the natural carpets yourself, then you should know several things:

• Before cleaning, test cleaning solutions on an inconspicuous section of your carpet;
• The stains should be treated immediately, otherwise, there is a chance of permanent staining;
• Do not scrub the stains. That way you only rub the spot in, which makes the cleaning process even harder;

What Cleaning Products To Avoid

The effectiveness of the carpet cleaning detergents is explained by the high contents of chemicals that “dissolve” stains. Yes, they are effective but they can be extremely harmful to kids in different ways, like skin and eye irritation, respiratory problems like allergies and asthma, eczemas. Similarly, the team at We’re All About Cats explains that these products can cause harm to our furry friends too: “Cleaning products containing bleach or ammonia can burn our pets’ paws if they come into contact with them, and they can even be fatal if swallowed.”

To ensure your kids’ and pets’ health, we recommend:

• Avoid detergents that have such warnings as “hazardous,” “dangerous,” “highly flammable,” or “irritating”. This is a clear sign that they do not include baby-friendly ingredients.
• Avoid detergents that have hydrofluoric acid, butane, propane, glycol ethers, quaternary ammonium chloride, and sodium hydroxide in the ingredients list.

As an alternative, you might buy green or eco-friendly products based on natural ingredients.

Use regular products that you can find in any household, such as lemon, baking soda, white vinegar, club soda, borax, and hydrogen peroxide. More on those in the next part.

Common Stains And How To Remove Them

Food Stains

What you need:

• Vinegar;
• Water,
• Sponge;
• Soap.

In the situation with food stains,

1) Use a mixture of water and vinegar on your carpet.

2) Keep in mind the material of the carpet. If it is a natural fiber, then the proportions are following – ¼ cup of vinegar and ¼ cup of water. For synthetic fibers – ½  cup white vinegar with 1 cup of water.

3) Apply the solution on the spot with a sponge, wash it off with soap and let it dry. If the stain doesn’t come off, try applying hydrogen peroxide.

Chewing Gum

What you need:

• Plastic bag;
• Ice cubes;
• Knife;
• Lemon juice;
• Soap;
• Toothbrush.

1. Put ice cubes in a plastic bag and let it harden the chewing gum for around 30 min.
2. Remove the gum with the knife using a pulling motion. Hardened gum should come off in a solid piece.
3. If there are any small pieces left, squeeze some lemon juice to remove them with a piece of cloth.
4. Use the toothbrush to collect the leftovers and finish cleaning the area with soap and warm water mixture.

Glitter

What you need:

• Vacuum;
• Sticky roll.

Vacuum the rug thoroughly and use the roll to collect the leftovers. You can as well use a tape.

Mud

What you need:

• Vacuum cleaner;
• Sponge;
• Towel;
• Soap.

1. Collect the dried mud with the vacuum cleaner.
2. When you have collected all the hardened pieces of mud, you would want to remove the remaining dirt that is clinging to the fiber. To do that, make a bubbly mixture of soap and water and apply it to the stain. The remaining mud should lift off.
3. Carefully blot the area with a dry towel.

Permanent Markers

What you need:

• Rubbing alcohol;
• Cotton balls.

1. Apply some alcohol on a cotton ball and dab it in the stained area. You would want to do it in small sections, to avoid further staining.
2. When the marker comes off on the wet cotton ball, take a dry one and start blotting the stain.
3. Repeat the process until the stain fully comes off.

The kitchen is one of the most crucial places in the house. Some designers refer to it as the heart of the home. People not only eat there, but minds congregate and trade ideas and stories.

That’s why this is the one room that should never be dirty.

Healthline recently published the kitchen as becoming the dirtiest room in the house. People often think that spaces like the garage or living room are the dirtiest.

But the National Sanitation Foundation insists that any room that stores food is a risk. And these rooms-kitchens-require frequent cleaning.

If you’re looking for ways to tidy up the kitchen, read on. We take a look at some kitchen cleaning tips that get the job done.

Clean as you cook

It will help if you discipline yourself when it comes to cleaning. This may be challenging at first, but it will only get better as you move along.

The next thing you know, you will be doing it without much thought.

Clean your fridge regularly

A good rule of thumb is to be diligent every day to prevent cross-contamination and ickiness in general. Clean up any spills that occur right away with a cloth moistened with food-safe antibacterial spray.

And what we usually tell our clients at Planet Maids Cleaning Services NYC is to ensure that their meat packaging is not leaking. Please put it in a sealable storage bag or container until such time that you’ll cook it.

Take the grease off kitchen walls

How often you’ll give your backsplashes and cupboards a deep clean usually depends on how often you cook.

It is common for the oil to splatter on the wall when you’re cooking. But that doesn’t mean that you should let it be. The grease and grime can be a breeding ground for bacteria, which could lead to food poisoning.

What you can do is soften the grease and grime using a clean sponged that is soaked in warm, soapy water. Use it to wipe away the grease and then dry it with a clean dish towel.

Stubborn stains may call for a baking soda spot treatment or a spritz of distilled white vinegar.

Remove the grease on your stove

Kitchens can get pretty messy if you don’t have the time to stay on top of them. And nothing seems to build up more quickly than grease on your stovetop and stove eyes.

Even if you don’t cook that often, grease somehow manages to appear.

However, you don’t want the room you prepare and eat your food to be covered in spatters and grime. Learn how to remove grease from your stove and its eyes.

Don’t neglect your microwave

All it takes is one round of leftovers or burnt bag of popcorn to turn a sparkling clean microwave into a grimy, smelly mess. The key to having a clean microwave is regular maintenance.

Unlike other kitchen appliances, you can clean a microwave using everyday pantry supplies. This includes baking soda, dish soap, and vinegar.

Wash the dishes right away

When it comes to dishes, which is easier?