scrapers 57, 62
squeegees 57, 159
press cloths 153
scrubbing sponges 57, 63
squirt bottles 57
price books (grocery) 97
seasonal cleaning 68
stainless steel, cleaning 53, 110
psychological feelings, about clutter and
seasonal storage 44
stains 150–151
stuff 24, 32–3
clothing 134–135
on carpets 163
Put away clutter 20, 21, 22, 81
second-hand clothing 127
on clothes 137
seeing a benefit 35
common problems with 148
Q
self-care 76, 82
emergency kit for 151
quizzes 51, 181
self-knowledge 14
on mattresses 170
selling/donating clutter 21, 28, 32
stale energy 20
R
sentiment 32
stamps-by-mail service 222
reading activity center 41
sentimentalist personality 31, 197
standards of cleaning 50, 65
reading materials, decluttering 213
sewer valves 174
STOP clutter 20–23
rebel personality 31, 133, 197
sewing 34
decluttering strategies 24
receipts 222, 223, 227
see also mending clothes
see also individual entries
recycling 10, 102
sharing change 15
storage 45, 46, 216–217
centers for 41
sheets
assessment/inventory of storage areas
clothes 147
folding 192, 193–194
216, 217
refrigerator/fridges
mitring 198–199
children’s 206–207
decluttering 112–113
shelf units 46
clearing 217
weekly clean-outs 113
shoe storage 131
clothing 130–131
see also freezer
shopping lists, food 93–94
crafts and hobbies 214–215
repetition, and habit 82
see also food
food 98–9, 117, 120–121
retention schedule, documents
showers 55, 173, 188–189
outsourcing 217
230, 231
shut-off valves 174
stoves 108, 110
right way 70
sinks 52, 53, 55, 62, 110, 188
stuff 12, 19
routine chores 76, 77
skill sets 12–13
dealing with 32–3, 216
rubber gloves 57
Sort clutter 20, 21
pile-ups of 180
rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol 55
specialty cleaners 53
support groups/networks 15, 83
running to-do list 81
specialty surfaces, cleaning 158
surfaces 13
rust remover 53, 63
specified areas for activities 40
cleaning 158–159
INDEX
239
swap parties 127
U
Y
sweeping 59, 164
under-bed areas 198
yard sales 28, 127
sweeps 210
under-sink
you 14–15, 34
symbols, instead of clutter 33
cleaning 110–111
symptoms of clutter 19
storage 104
systems 13
unit prices (grocery shopping) 97
upholstered furniture 167
T
utility rooms 62
tabletop files 45, 225
tag sales 28
V
take-out menus 40, 41, 75
vacation stain kit 151
tax chores 222, 223
vacuum cleaner 59
teamwork see family
vacuuming 163, 164, 167
telephone activity center 41
vertical storage 45
Telephone Directory 85
videos 29
thermostats 172, 173
vinyl floors 164
thrift stores 127
volatile organic compounds
tidy isn’t organized 39
(VOCs) 203
tile floors 164
tiles 164
W
brushes for 53, 57, 63
walls, cleaning 156–157
care of 158
wardrobes see clothes closet
cleaner 52, 53, 57
warranties, appliance 227
cleaning 62
washing machines 140, 143, 149
time-saving tips for every
washing-up gloves 57
day 81
water softeners 173
timers, for STOP clutter sessions 21, 22
water spots, removing 111
to-do lists 76–7, 80–81
water usage, reducing 173
toilets 53, 55, 62, 63, 173, 189
wax polish 164, 167
tools
weekly cleaning checklist
for cleaning 57, 58–9, 60–1, 62–3, 65
(sample) 68
for mending/sewing 138–139
wet-room cleaning 58, 62–3, 164
kitchen 105
where do I start? 14
paper handling 220
white cotton cleaning cloths 57, 60
Toss clutter 20, 22
white vinegar 54, 55
totes, cleaning 57, 62, 65
whole house STOP clutter methods 24
towels 40, 190, 192, 193, 194–195
windows
toys 204, 206, 207
cleaning 52, 55, 159
TSP (tri–sodium phosphate) 158
wire hangers 134, 136
tubs 53, 63, 188
wrap and mail activity center 41
240
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Acknowledgments
Author’s acknowledgments
encouragement and support, there would be no writer—and Behind this book stands an entire community: the members without his patient tolerance of my unending writerly megrims, who gather at OrganizedHome.Com to encourage one another there would have been no book. Every writer should be so to clean house and get organized at home. The heart and soul blessed.
of the OH membership is a bright light in a world of chaos, and I am grateful for their friendship, inspiration, and example.
Publisher’s acknowledgments
I send special thanks to members of the OH Mod Squad.
Dorling Kindersley would like to thank photographer Howard These dedicated friends hold the unsung and uncompensated Shooter and his assistant, Michael Hart; models Alex Farrell, job of managing a large online community—and they were Jennifer Matter, Frances Wingate, Max Jones, and Luke the sounding board and cheerleaders I relied upon throughout Shooter; Karen Shooter, for her patience; stylist Bo Chapman; this project.
Shannon Beatty and Hilary Mandleberg for editorial
I offer honor and respect to my grandmother, Helen Betty assistance; Lynn Bresler for the index; Clara Latham for Townley, for the homemaking heritage she embodies. She assisting on the photography shoot; and Sonia Charbonnier guided my first embroidery stitches, taught me to block a for all her DTP support.
sweater, and has been a life-long role model on my journey to All photographs by Howard Shooter except for the
a clean and organized home.
following: Peter Anderson: 5, 38; Carolyn Barber: 12; Andy I offer grateful kudos to super-cleaner Denise Davis, from Crawford and Steve Gorton: 20, 126, 142r; Vanessa Davies: Merry Maids. Always generous with her technical expertise and 18, 45, 176, 184, 215; Steve Gorton: 226l; Gary Ombler: 181; on-the-job know-how, she kept ou
r home clean while I was William Reavell: 115; Russell Sadur: 7, 54, 96, 111, 119, 148, too busy writing about cleaning to do any!
152, 167; Pia Tryde 1, 196, 214, 226r, 227; Matthew Ward: Last (first and always), I send love and acknowledgment 133. All images © DK Images. For further information see to my husband, Dr. Steve Ewer. Without his unflagging www.dk.images.com
About the author
Cynthia started her working life as a freelance legal writer Since 1990, Cynthia Townley Ewer has been writing online while bringing up two children as a single mother, which about home organization and management. As editor of required the highest level of home and personal organization.
OrganizedHome.com, Cynthia brings encouragement,
This provided an apprenticeship in the principles of home information, and support to today’s home managers. She has management that she teaches today. She now lives with been widely quoted in print and in online media, including her husband, cardiologist Dr. Stephen Ewer, in Richland, interviews on simplifying life at home in Modern Maturity Washington.
magazine, Working Woman magazine, and the New York Cynthia’s juggling act of publishing web sites, writing Times. She has appeared twice on the daytime TV show ABC’s projects, volunteer work, speaking engagements, and travel The View (awarded the Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show in continues to require a high level of organization. “I’d still rather 2003). OrganizedHome.com has received numerous web awards play than do laundry,” she says.
since its debut in 1998, including the coveted USA Today Life, love, and cleaning the refrigerator. It’s all in a day’s HotSite and USA Weekend “Best of the Web” awards.
work for Cynthia.
Document Outline
5 Contents
6 My journey to an organized home
8 A well-run home
16 Skills for a well-run home
18 Decluttering your home
36 Organizing your home
48 Cleaning your home
72 Planning your home
88 Cycles of an organized home
90 Food Plan, save, organize, store
122 Clothing Plan, shop, launder, store
154 Surfaces & systems Select, save, maintain, clean
178 Room to live Cut clutter, organize, clean
218 Paper and finances Sort, save, organize, store
232 Resources
234 Index
240 Acknowledgments
Cut the Clutter Page 31