Down to Earth

by Rhonda Hetzel

  Quick organisation tips for the busy home

  Get up early: This is a difficult one to develop but if you can do it, it will make a big difference to your day. Getting up before anyone else gives you extra quality time. The phone won’t ring, the children will be asleep; you will be able to do more between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. than between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. You can either do something you want to do for yourself but never get time for, or start on the laundry, do the ironing or make school and work lunches.

  Write lists: If you’re a list person, or until you get into the rhythm of your home, writing a to-do list each day will probably make your day-to-day life run more smoothly. However, be prepared to be flexible with your list so that if important things crop up, you include them. Plan your trip to the shops according to your list and when you’re out, try to get everything you need so you won’t have to make several trips. If you work outside the home most days this sort of organisation is even more important.

  Plan your menus: Having your meals organised will help make you more relaxed for your other tasks. You’ll know what you’ll be preparing for dinner that night and have all the ingredients waiting for you. No last-minute panic, no rushing to the store to buy something that is missing.

  Delegate: Children benefit if they grow up knowing they contribute in a practical way to their home. Give them tasks, within the limits of their ages and abilities, that help with the overall running of the house and teach them how to look after themselves in the process. From an early age they can start by putting dirty clothes in the laundry hamper, picking up toys and feeding the cat, and progress to more involved tasks as they mature.

  Do a bit of housework every day: If you’re working outside the home try to do some housework every day. You might clean the bathroom, wash a load of laundry or vacuum the family room. Whatever you can manage during the week will keep your home in order and give you more time on the weekend to spend with the family.

  Say no to time wasters: Turn off the TV, walk away from the computer, say no to the neighbour who always pops in for morning coffee. Say no to whatever it is that lures you away from what you have to do and want to do. This will free you up to build the kind of life you want. It will give you time with your family, for exercise, to spend on sewing, or a spare thirty minutes to sit alone with your thoughts and a cup of tea.

  Stockpile: Stockpiling groceries can turn your weekly trip to the supermarket into one that you do maybe once a month. Shopping once a month instead of weekly will free up quite a few hours for other things you need or want to do.

  Say goodbye to morning stress: Most families are in a rush in the morning, and doing a few extra things at night can help a great deal. Do a quick tidy up, make the next day’s lunches, put on a load of laundry or pick out clothes to be worn the next day before you go to bed – you’ll have more time the following morning.

  The linen cupboard

  It’s an important part of my homemaker’s responsibilities to properly care for everything that is used in our home. Our hard-earned money has been used to buy or make the sheets, quilts, towels, napkins and tablecloths we use, and I want them to last as long as possible and to look fresh and lovely when we use them. So when the seasons call me to take the quilts from the beds, and when they are returned to the beds later in the year when it’s cool again, I organise the linen cupboard. If I organise the cupboards and have everything neatly folded and in its place, I know if items need to be repaired or recycled. I check everything as it’s being put back in the cupboard after washing, so mending and repurposing happen in a timely manner and the linen cupboard doesn’t often become untidy or out of control.

  It’s a good idea, although not always possible, to have a dedicated linen cupboard where you keep sheets, pillowcases, towels, face washers, tablecloths, napkins and any other household linens you may have. The shelves or drawers should be painted or lined, because untreated wood may stain whatever sits on it.

  The shelves at eye height and within easy reach should be used to store your most frequently used linens, like towels and sheets. Use your top and bottom shelves for items like quilts and blankets that you don’t use as often. Experiment with the folding of each item so that you use your shelves efficiently, and always put the folded side to the front. It will make the cupboard easier to look after, it will look tidy and functional each time you go to it and it will be a pleasure to use.

  When you organise the linen cupboard, check your fabrics for wear and tear. If a towel or sheet is too damaged to repair and is pure cotton or linen, cut it up for cleaning cloths instead of throwing it away. If it’s a poly/cotton blend, you may be able to patch it together to make fabric storage bags for your quilts or blankets. Try to re-use these things in some way instead of throwing them out.

  Sheets and towels

  I keep sheets of the same size and shape together, but you could also sort your sheets into sets. I have found that having two or three sets of sheets and pillowcases in the cupboard for each bed will give you a good rotation and you’ll get quite a few years’ wear out of them. Dust mites that cause allergies live in bedding, and washing the sheets and pillowcases weekly after use will keep this to a minimum. After washing, fold them to your requirements and store at the bottom of the sheet stack in the cupboard. Always take your clean sheets from the top of the stack. Rotating your sheet sets like this will keep them looking fresh for years.

  Sort your towels into colours and sizes and stack them on the shelf with the folded side to the front. Take new towels from the top and put clean towels back into the stack at the bottom. Rotate them in the same way as your sheets.

  I wash all our laundry, including towels and sheets, with homemade laundry powder or liquid (the recipes are in the previous chapter) and sometimes add a little white vinegar in the final rinse. This softens them and helps remove all traces of laundry powder or liquid. The towels will come out smelling slightly of vinegar but when they are dry the smell is completely gone.

  Quilts and blankets

  If your quilts and blankets are to be put away for a period of time, try to find a fabric or plastic bag to store them in to keep moths and insects away. The plastic zippered covers that doonas are often sold in are ideal for storing blankets, and this is a good second use for the packaging that would otherwise be thrown away. If you don’t have one of these bags, you could make a large calico bag.

  Make sure your blankets, quilts or doonas are clean before you store them. Storing anything with a spill on it will attract silverfish and cockroaches. Check the care instructions on the blanket or doona and, if possible, wash it gently and dry outside. Woollen blankets that are in use on the beds should be washed in cold water and dried in the shade every six weeks, and again at the end of the cold season just before storing them away. Adding a splash of eucalyptus oil to the wash will protect the wool from moths. Do not wash woollen blankets in hot water or hang them in hot sun – this will shrink them. Cotton and synthetic blankets can be washed in the washing machine every six weeks and dried in the sun. Quilts and doonas can be machine washed if your washing machine is big enough and has a gentle wash and spin cycle; otherwise, take them to the laundromat to wash in their large machines.

  If you cannot wash your doonas and quilts, hang them in the sunlight, with the underside facing the sun, to air and sanitise every couple of months. Blankets, quilts and doonas will all be sanitised if they’re hung in the sun to dry. Make sure everything is completely dry before storing, otherwise you may have a problem with mildew.

  HERB BAGS

  Small calico, cotton or linen bags containing herbs or aromatic leaves can be easily made and are very useful in a linen cupboard. Any herb with a strong aroma is suitable. I sometimes use crushed bay leaves, lavender, mint, rose petals or lemon myrtle leaves. You can either sew small bags for the herbs or just use an old handkerchief and tie the herbs in with a small piece of ribbon.

  Clothes and shoes

  If possible, most of your
clothing should be on coathangers in a wardrobe. This will allow them to be stored crease-free and protected from sunlight and dust. If they are seasonal clothes and will not be used for a while, wash them before hanging or folding. Fold woollen jumpers and cardigans and store them in a drawer – keeping them on a hanger during the year will misshape the shoulders. If you have the time and spare fabric, make cotton storage bags or find large recycled plastic bags for your woollen jumpers and cardigans to keep moths and insects at bay. Adding cedar disks to the coat hangers or cedar balls to the drawers will also help guard against moths.

  Store shoes, in pairs, in a cupboard. Make sure your shoes are clean if they’re to sit there for a few months. If you have a long period of wet weather, check your leather shoes and handbags for mould and mildew. If you find it is growing, wipe it off with a rag dipped in white vinegar. When the area is dry again, wipe it over with one drop of oil of cloves on a clean rag. The oil of cloves will help prevent the mould growing back.

  Mending

  Sometimes I come across a small rip or missing button in the course of my day but I usually find mending jobs when I’m washing, ironing or putting things away. I look carefully at the fabrics and fasteners and put aside any that need repair. I have a mending box in my sewing room where torn clothes and broken household goods sit until I have enough for a mending session. If you’re new to mending and repairing, get into the habit of collecting buttons, buckles and clips that you find in your home. Have a small, recycled jar handy to collect them so that when you find the shirt or dress with the button or clip missing, you’ll know exactly where to go to find it. When you’re ironing, check hems and collars so you can repair them before they get out of hand. Caring for household linens and clothes is a small part of caring for your family and your home. It is a simple and ordinary task that can be a silent and private expression of love for your family, the respect you have for your role of homemaker and the importance you place on caring for what you own.

  The kitchen

  If you’ve never given your kitchen much thought, now is the time to do it. If you love cooking, a well-organised kitchen will make it a pleasure to work in; if you don’t like cooking, a well-organised kitchen will make it easier for you to feed yourself.

  The best way to organise a kitchen is to look at the space you have to work with. If you have a modern kitchen with plenty of storage and bench space, have the things you use all the time close to your main workspace. If you have a small kitchen with only one work bench, you may like to use the kitchen table for extra work space or pack your appliances away to make more room. Use hooks on doors, on walls and under high cupboards to hang things. Think about how you work in the kitchen. You may be making things harder for yourself just because things happen to be in the wrong position. Be creative and don’t be afraid to try different ways of working. If they don’t work, just change back again.

  Some kitchen organisation tips

  A tray holding tea, coffee, sugar, honey, teaspoons and tea balls near the cupboard you store your cups and mugs in would be handy if you make tea and coffee regularly.

  Your plates and bowls should either be close to the stove so you can reach for them when you’re serving food, or close to the dishwasher so it’s easier to unpack and put things back in their place. If they’re close to both, that’s a bonus.

  Keep your tea towels, cheesecloths, tea cosies, jug covers, cloth napkins and tablecloths either in the kitchen or close to it.

  Store your plastic wrap, baking paper, aluminium foil, freezer bags and greaseproof paper in a drawer close to your working bench.

  If you bake a lot, put all your baking equipment together.

  If you have young children, make sure they can reach the items they need – and can’t reach the breakables.

  Store your kitchen cleaning kit under the sink so it’s always at hand.

  Reducing, recycling and re-using

  A good way to deal with garbage is to reduce the amount of packaging you bring into your home. I don’t buy little packets of anything that is packaged in a bigger pack; I try to buy large containers to decant into smaller ones at home. My general strategy on packaging is to buy in bulk when I can, and buy products stored in paper, cans or glass. If they’re in plastic, I check what type of plastic it is and if it’s recyclable in my area and I need it, I buy it.

  I don’t buy anything that is over-packaged, and I try to find someone in the store to explain that I want the product but won’t buy it because it’s over-packaged. The more people who do this the better, otherwise manufacturers don’t know.

  Not every local area recycles every type of plastic. Check your own shire council or local authority to see what their facilities recycle. If you’re in Australia, you can find your nearest recycle station online. Learn what types of paper, cardboard and plastic your local rubbish dump accepts, then monitor your shopping to buy only that type of packaging.

  I keep glass jars and some glass and plastic bottles. They come in very handy when I’m making jam, relish, chutney, lemon butter, ginger beer and cordials.

  Taking the time to organise your work and storage areas and looking after what you own will pay off in the long run. Being tidy, doing simple maintenance when it’s needed, organising cupboards, keeping things clean and being aware of how you store your possessions will keep everything in good order. Being organised will help you create a productive home that, hopefully, will help you feel in control and calm. There is something about a clean and tidy cupboard that makes you go back again and admire it. Try it – I’m sure you’ll agree with me.

  For many of us, being able to grow some of our own food is an important part of simple living. Being a gardener helps you become a provider of fresh, organic food in your own kitchen, at a thrifty price. With careful planning you can provide food you often cannot buy in the supermarket and, even if it’s the same, your garden produce will be fresher than anything you can buy. You have never really tasted a potato until you taste a new potato, dug that afternoon and steamed with butter and parsley. Almost all foods taste better when they’re grown in backyards and eaten soon after picking.

  But gardening isn’t just about freshness and taste; it’s also a life skill. It’s one our ancestors took seriously because it helped them survive. They learnt all they could about growing food and made sure they passed that skill on to their children. We don’t do that now, and here we are with the luxurious option of choosing whether to produce food in our backyard or to buy it. Of course, for some of us that option has been taken away by illness or lack of time or outdoor space, but those who have the choice should grab it with both hands. Learn how to produce the foods that will grow in your area and show your children the satisfaction and pleasure of gardening.

  Gardening also helps you slow down. Growing plants is about time: the slowness and never-ending nature of it. If you use that time in a meaningful and productive way it has the potential to make you healthier, in mind and body. Your garden will not allow you to rush – there is a time for planning and a natural requirement for preparation and attention to detail.

  If you’re lucky, not only will you harvest healthy vegetables and fruits, but you’ll grow in confidence and blossom in spirit too.

  When you decide you want to start growing your own vegetables, take your time and make sure you’re planting the right things for your climate. When you know what to plant, make sure you have the right varieties. This is especially necessary if you have a short growing season because you only have one chance at a crop each year. If this is your first year in the garden, take it slow, don’t overdo it, and be patient. Take the time to discover your soil and backyard. Listen to the birds, look at the insects and come to know them – they are not all bad and some can be your friend rather than your enemy. When you’re in the garden, be there, both physically and mentally. Don’t think of what you’ll be doing later. There is a lot to learn in any garden. If you’re lucky, not only will you harvest healthy ve
getables and fruits, but you’ll grow in confidence and blossom in spirit too.

  There is one thing you can do that will improve your harvests and the quality of your produce more than any other: enrich your soil before you start planting. There is an old gardeners’ saying that is as true today as when it was first said: ‘Feed the soil, not the plant.’ Garden soil is not just rock particles, organic matter, water and air; good soil also contains microbes, fungus, worms, nematodes and a range of other ‘life’ that hasn’t yet been identified. Good soil is alive.

  If you’re starting off with mediocre soil that has struggled to produce food in previous years, or has never been productive, I urge you to work on your soil before you even think about planting. When we started vegetable and fruit gardening fourteen years ago, the soil here was undisturbed, heavy clay. We started by enriching the soil and making compost long before we planted anything. Then we planted various plants directly into bucket-size pockets in the soil that we filled with compost. We had small yields during those first years, but eventually, with continued additions of compost and other organic matter such as lawn clippings and manure, we eventually turned that heavy clay soil into fertile, free-draining, rich loam.

  We like to dig our garden. We believe you get the best crops and the full measure of your soils – with all the nutrients and minerals they can provide – if you plant directly into the topsoil. If you keep your topsoil alive by adding worm castings, worm liquid, manures and compost, you’ll be giving whatever you plant the best chance of producing maximum crops and keeping your soil healthy at the same time.