Housekeeping Tips for Year-End Cleaning

Cleaning up the house after holidays is similar to conforming your closet to a new season. There are things that must be cleaned, put away for the next Holiday, and in some cases thrown out. The task is not always easy, but getting through it will make the house look better and more organized.

Here are some tips for the year-end housecleaning.

1. The refrigerator is the most important appliance in any home as it stores food at the right temperature to prevent spoilage. If the refrigerator is well-functioning, it helps the family stretch its food budget and allows bulk purchases of vegetables, fruit and other meats. However, it can only run efficiently if it is cleaned regularly. Cold air cannot flow freely if the refrigerator is overstocked. Leftovers left too long can develop molds and other organisms dangerous to health. Spills should be wiped, jars cleaned, and and dripping stopped and secured. Throw out any expired food items and leftovers that are less than a single serving. Discard half-used cartons of cream, packets of mixes that will never be used and any old restaurant leftovers.

Once per week, re-arrange fruits and vegetables, jars and other containers checking on freshness. Wipe down the racks and shelves regularly with vinegar-moistened kitchen towels. Make sure the air vents are clear and unblocked to maintain constant temperature and proper circulation of cold air.

2. Go through the pantry. This may be a good time to get rid of all those sweets and goodies you bought for those holiday parties. Take them to the office and give them away.

3. The microwave oven can be cleaned by putting a half-full microwave safe bowl with a mixture of half vinegar and half water - then nuke it for 2 minutes. Wipe down the interior with a sponge or rag dipped in the hot vinegar. The vinegar's acetic acid sanitizes and deodorizes the microwave.

4. Clear out the drawers of useless tools and gadgets that may be specialty tools used for that turkey and other prepared foods for the holidays. While you are there, take a look at your utensils and throw away any old ones that have missing parts or need to be replaced.

5. Re-arrange your linen & china closets, putting the holiday place mats and tablecloths, dinnerware and stemware in the back, making it easy to reach the items you will most likely use throughout the year.

6. Go through your clothing closets and take clothes that you typically use for the holidays and re-arrange your things putting those items that you will not be using in the back. Do the same with those heavy winter jackets used on holiday vacations.

7. Review the cleaning products and equipment checking for replacement of those you use most often. Consider getting a new mop or if necessary a new vacuum. If you keep the old vacuum, change the bags and have it cleaned professionally.

8. If you used the fireplace more often, give it a good clean-out. You can get a chimney sweeper to do it or try it yourself. Open up the damper and carefully climb up on your roof taking rods and brushes with you. Remove the chimney cap and run the brush down the chimney using a plunging motion. You can go back in the house and use the short chimney brush to clean the flue. Use a vacuum cleaner or small broom and dustpan to remove the cold ashes. Brush the floor and walls with a stiff dry scrub brush and vacuum up all the remaining dust and debris.

9. The door thresholds may have accumulated a lot of soot from the rains and harsh weather conditions. Clean them out with a vacuum attachment and then wipe them down with a damp cloth.

10. Be sure to get the air ducts cleaned out so that you don't accumulate dust and debris in the house.

Best wishes for a wonderful 2011 in your very clean home!!!

Marta Perrone
http://www.martaperrone.com

Housekeeping Quick Tips Just Before the Guests Arrive

Housekeeping Quick Tips Just Before the Guests Arrive


Inviting people over for the holidays is a wonderful way to end the year. It gives all friends and family an opportunity to see each other and catch up. If you are concerned about what the house might look like and see this as a deterrent, here are some tips on how to get the house in order so that you can have these get together nights throughout the holidays.

1. Choose the room(s) that everyone will spend the most time and focus on these: Living Room, Family Room, Kitchen, Dining Room and Powder Bath.

2. Living Room/Family Room: a) check the fireplace for fresh wood, clean the mantel and wipe down the artifacts on the mantel, check the flute is open if you are going to put the fireplace on, b) vacuum the rug or sweep/mop the floor and wipe down the baseboards, c) fluff the pillows up on the living room couch, d) dust the coffee table, end tables and other furniture pieces and put things back neatly, e) fluff up the pillows on the couches and sofa chairs, f) check the ceiling lights, corners for cob webs.

3. Kitchen: a) wipe down the stove and vent, b) take everything off the counters and wipe them down putting things back neatly (take away any unnecessary stuff that has been sitting there waiting for you to put away), c) wipe down the refrigerator taking expired items away and cleaning the shelves and drawers, d) empty out the dishwasher and sink of dishes so you have room for new ones, e) sweep/mop the kitchen floor, and f) be sure the kitchen garbage is emptied.

4. Powder Bath: a) wipe down and clean the sink and counter, b) clean the mirrors, door and switch-plates of any smudges, c) clean the toilet and leave a new roll of TP, d) sweep/mop the bathroom floor and wipe down the baseboard, e) empty the trash, and f) lay out guest towels for the guests.

5. Final touches: a) Light a candle, b) lay out some nuts and candy, c) be sure to have coasters and/or cocktail napkins available, d) create a light cheese/cracker/fresh fruit platter, and e) light the fireplace and put on some good music.

A quick clean-up of 4 major rooms of the house where the guests will most likely visit may take you a matter of 1 hour or so if you work quickly and efficiently. Don't let the mess in your home prevent you from inviting people over to share in the joy of the holiday season.

http://www.martaperrone.com

Organizing a closet, drawer and cabinet -

Isn't it wonderful, when you walk into a closet and can see everything ever so perfectly so that you can make a clear and quick decision as to what you want to wear at that particular moment? Here are some tips on how we accomplish having an organized closet.

1. Take everything out and start from scratch. Sounds daunting, but that is the best way to start, begin section by section. Before you putting anything back, sit down with a piece of paper and pen and design what items you want to keep in this closet and how you want them placed. Pretend you are the architect and designer hired to make this closet beautiful and functional. Go through everything you have and see if you actually have used it in the last 5 years. The likelihood is that there will be many things in your closet that you didn't even remember you had because it has been way too long since you last used it.

2. Let's assume you are a woman with many necessary things to make you look fabulous: shoes, handbags, dresses, skirts, pants, blouses, sweaters, tops, gym wear, shorts.....and then there are the undergarments and accessories. We need a place for our underwear, bras, stockings, socks, shawls & scarfs, bathing suits, and jewelry. Not everyone has enough room to neatly place everything in its separate compartment. We may find it necessary to consolidate things. That is why having a plan on paper is a good way to start. Put things in an order so that you are making the best use of space. Place together the things that you rarely use on the bottom drawers and shelves with the most frequently used things more reachable. Everyone's plan will be slightly different.

3. Be sure to use the right hangers for everything. Getting the cushioned hangers for sweaters and dresses is best. Use wood hangers instead of wire. Invest in a great set of hangers and use the same ones for each section of your clothes. It makes the clothes look better in the closet and protects the clothes from having funny hanger marks. If you are concerned about moths, get moth balls and place them in strategic places in the closet. Try not to keep your clothes in plastic since the oil in it tends to damage the clothes over time. If you want to cover your clothes, use cloth covers.

4. Beginning with my favorite thing of all "shoes & handbags": you can place shoes in their boxes and label them according to style, color and whether you would wear them in a more formal or casual setting. You could also take them out of their original shoe boxes and put them in new plastic clear boxes so you can see what is in there. You can also take them out and show their beauty in full form by placing them on a shelf or shoe rack - which makes it the easiest way to choose what you want to wear at that moment. Handbags like shoes are used with specific dresses, on specific days, depending on the mood, the weather, the event, the need. Oh it gets so complicated when it comes to handbags, there just aren't enough of them. So what do you do with all of these purses that you can't let go of under any circumstances. Begin with the ones you use only in the evening with formal attire and place them together on the higher shelf in soft handbag covers. Try to keep the covers for every handbag since each will serve as a label for the bag. Put the bags you use most often together. If you prefer keeping your bags out the handbag covers, then color coordinate the bags and/or put them along side each other according to size or style.

5. If you love dresses like I do, you may have as many as you do pants. I like to keep my evening dresses separated from those I wear to work in the daytime. If you can, try separating your dresses between those you wear during the Spring and Summer months from those you wear in the Fall and Winter.

6. Skirts should be in their own section or along side dresses all together, always separating them by color, fabric and style. Blouses can be kept close by to the skirts so that you can see which ones go best. Put the blouses in order of fabric, short vs. long sleeves and casual vs. formal.

7. Pants like jeans can be folded 3-ways like they do ever so neatly in the stores, or you can hang them up along side your other types of pants. Again, color-coordinating them is always a good idea. You may also want to hang your sweats all together or fold them up.

8. Tops and sweaters need their own domain according to style and color. Keep your heavier Winter sweaters either in separate sweater boxes up on top of the closet and exchange them for your Summer sweaters depending on the time of the year. Tops may be used more readily all throughout the year so keep them handy and color coordinated. I like to hang my cardigans on cushioned hangers in a separate section with other short jackets and zip up sweat tops.

9. Neatly fold your bras and underwear according to color and mood. Oh yes, ladies there are those sexier ones, and then there are those comfortable ones. Whatever you do, make sure that your drawers have both!!

10. Remember, you don't want clothes and things that you don't use taking up space. Take out and give away anything that hasn't been used in at least a year unless you promise to use it within the next 6 months. Coordinate things by matching fabrics and styles and colors so that you can see everything easily and choose what to wear quickly. Keeping things in order means putting everything back where you found it each and every time. If things tend to get messy over time, take an hour or two and re-organize and fold everything to make it look perfect.

http://www.martaperrone.com

Overtime Law for Housekeepers & Nannies

Breedlove & Associates is a great resource for learning about tax and payroll laws for housekeepers and all other household workers. They are the leading company for this in the nation. The question of Overtime Law and how this affects Household Workers is a subject that they get frequently asked. Here is how they respond:

"Household employees must be compensated according to the Federal Labor Standards Act (FLSA) which provides the framework for federal and state wage and hour law. The FLSA classifies household employees as non-exempt workers, requiring that the household employment industry provide overtime pay. Here is an outline of what you need to know in order to structure your household employment relationship successfully:

1) The standard workweek is defined as 40 hours in a 7-day period.

2) An employee's hourly earnings must be equal to or greater than the federal minimum wage at the time. Some states have higher minimum wage which bumps the federal rate.

3) Overtime must be paid 1.5 times the regular hourly rate - and it must be paid for all the hours worked over 40 in a week.

4) Overtime is not required for holidays worked.

5) No limit is placed on the number of hours worked in a 7-day workweek, as long as the employee is fairly compensated.

6) Live-in household employees do not have to be paid overtime but are entitled to the regular hourly wage for every hour worked.

7) Additional overtime requirements can be imposed by the state."

It is recommended that salary, as well as the regular rate and overtime rate, be addressed in writing in order to protect both employer and employee. When overtime is not explicitly stipulated in an employment contract for salaried employees, the law will side with the employee in an overtime dispute. More importantly, a critical relationship may terminate over a wage issue that could have been handled correctly and easily at the time of hiring.

Unlicensed Drivers Get More than Just a Fine

What it must feel like to be out on the road every day knowing that you could be caught in some traffic violation and be thrown out of the country. There are 4.5 million unlicensed drivers in the United States; only three states New Mexico, Utah and Washington actually issue licenses without proof of legal residence. Many states have adopted tough new laws to prevent illegal immigrants from driving, while expanding immigration enforcement by the state and local police. As a result, at least 30,000 illegal immigrants who were stopped by for common traffic violations in the last 3 years have ended up in deportation. These numbers reported by Homeland Security are increasing rapidly.

The real concern is obviously the overall immigration issue. Many housekeepers, nannies and other household workers have come to this country to fill a need in our workforce. In the years past, less importance was given as to whether these workers were actually legal. There would be these sporadic celebrity cases that brought attention to the matter; yet since most household employers were less interested in providing payroll to their employees, it wasn't a matter of grave concern. Immigration issues in the last 5 years have increased awareness in the public turning household employers' attention to the need to hire legal workers. Yet, the desire to place them on payroll is still not preferred. This partial commitment to the issue of hiring properly is part of the problem.

We must solve this immigration concern for the millions of illegals who continue to work hard in this country. The question of where to draw the line between those who have arrived 5, 10, 15 or 20 years ago and still have not been granted work permits must be addressed. We cannot have undocumented workers continue living in fear of deportation. We also cannot have more immigrants here where there is little work for them. In these very tough economic times, we have less jobs available for workers of every type. Illegal household workers feel the brunt of this lack of opportunity more than those who are documented. They have to wait out these times just like other Americans who are struggling. If household workers, legal or illegal, are here serving our needs and there are jobs and employers willing to have them in their homes, then we must find a way to put them through the due diligence process so that they become part of our system. Employers must also take on the responsibility of hiring them legally so that they may receive the benefits that working legally in this country provide all workers.

Holiday Bonus for your Housekeeper or Nanny

Household employers are confused about what to give to their housekeepers or nannies during the holiday season. The question is whether to give a gift AND/OR a bonus check or nothing at all. Here are some guidelines to assist:

1) During the holidays, it is very nice for all household employers to acknowledge their employees even if by a very small gesture.

2) If your employee has been with you several years, a bonus check AND a gift is definitely the right thing to do.

3) If you just hired an employee, you may not want to provide a bonus check, but a gift of some sort would be in order.

4) The bonus check is normally equivalent to 1 week's pay when the employee has been with you for 1-3 years. Anything above 3 years usually turns into 2 weeks worth of pay and can work itself all the way up to 4 weeks pay depending on the number of years worked.

5) If money is tight and a bonus check cannot be provided, then perhaps splurging a bit more on the gift would be appropriate.

6) If your employee is leaving you after the holidays and the employee/employer relationship has ended, it would still be appropriate to give the employee something to show your appreciation for the years of service.

7) If you are ending your relationship not on good terms, then my advice would be to find a way to mend these ill feelings so that in this holiday season, everyone moves forward in a positive manner. (This may be easier said then done, but still worth the effort.)

Giving during the Holiday Season is part of what Christmas and Hanukkah is all about: showing others in your life just how much you appreciate them. Your appreciation cannot always be measured by the gift - sometimes just the gesture is enough!

Holiday Giving while Organizing your Closet

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Holiday Giving while Organizing your ClosetThere is so much excess in most of our homes.If you don't think so, then open a closet and begin to look at everything carefully. When was the last time you used it, wore it or even remembered you had it.The likelihood is that most of the things we keep are rarely used on a regular basis. There are however many people in need, especially now with present times so difficult. Here are some thoughts on how you can make cleaning your closet a charitable act during this holiday season:

1. Begin with your clothing closet - try on every garment and see if it even still looks good on you. Does it fit? Maybe it is not stylish. Perhaps, it would look better on someone else. Start a pile of things that you really won't ever wear again.
2. Go through your handbags and see if any of these have been take out?
3. Go through your shoes...have they all been out for a walk recently.
4. Check out the entry closet where you might keep jackets. This is most needed at winter time.
5. Now move on to the linen closet where you keep blankets and towels. Are there any that could be shared with someone needy?
6. Check your pantry for food that could be taken to the Mission or soup kitchens in town.
7. Go through your child's room and see if there are toys that have not been touched for months.Perhaps your child is growing up and no longer needs those legos or barbie dolls. Surely there is a child you could make smile.
8. Step into your garage and see if there is sports equipment or other things no longer used.

There is so much that can be recycled to a family or institution in need. Just put aside one hour and gather what you can so that you can make someone's Holiday bright.

Happy Holidays!