Yes, You Can! … Save Time with 10 Smart Homemaking Tips
Yes, You Can! … Save Time with 10 Smart Homemaking Tips
By Arlene Bascom
1. Alphabetize your spices and your canned goods. Putting away groceries or finding an ingredient will be much easier and faster. It may sound extreme, but it is actually a smart time-saving strategy!
2. Every time you go up or down stairs, carry something that belongs in the other place. This saves both steps and time.
3. Keep your dining table set. As you unload plates, glasses, and silverware from the dishwasher, put them directly on the table for the next meal, instead of inside a cupboard where you'll have to retrieve them soon, anyway. This also prevents using the dining table as a catch-all for mail, junk, and papers.
4. Use a dishpan to clear the table after a meal. You’ll be surprised how much faster this chore goes if you aren’t carrying a few plates or glasses at a time. The dishpan keeps any silverware or scraps of food from falling on the floor, too. Just be sure not to load it too heavy to carry.
5. Prevent dirt and dust from getting tracked into your house by placing doormats on the porch and an area rug or runner just inside the door. Does the man of the house have a favorite couch or easy chair where he likes to watch TV? Strategically place a throw rug in front his favorite spot to avoid getting dirty or worn spots on the carpet.
6. Streamline your cleaning tote by tossing cleaners you don’t use often, or eliminate it altogether by using a multipurpose cleaner that does it all. This not only saves money but also frees up storage space under the sink or in the closet.
7. Line your cookie sheets and baking dishes with baking parchment or foil and simply throw the liner away after cooking. This saves the time you might spend scrubbing and washing large, hard to wash items. Besides, cookies actually turn out better when baked on parchment, anyway.
8. Corral like items in bins in the fridge. Keep condiments in one, sandwich fixings in another, and so on. Then, you can simply lift out the bin you need and not waste time looking for all the ingredients. And the fridge shelves won’t have to be washed nearly as often.
9. Mending, ironing, folding laundry, sorting photos, and exercising can easily be done while watching TV. You’ll accomplish more, burn calories, and stop wasting all that irritating commercial time!
10. Clear off kitchen counter-tops. Store every appliance possible in a cabinet or deep drawer out of sight. Keep phone books in a drawer. Think twice about every cute accessory. The more you de-clutter your counters, the faster you'll be able to wipe them down on a regular basis and keep the kitchen sparkling. Clean, uncluttered counters make your kitchen look larger and brighter.