cleaning Archives | MoneyDigest.sg

Cleaning Queen Marie Kondo’s Guide To A Joyful Home

As “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo” debuted early this year, cleaning queen Marie Kondo went from a best-selling author to a Netflix star. Viewers were inspired by the KonMari method and started cleaning up their own messes at home. However, what stood out was her specific way of folding clothes.

Aside from the special way of folding clothes, here are some tips that you can employ to spark joy in your home.

INSTILL RESPONSIBILITY ON EVERYONE

As parents, is your duty to encourage the maintenance of cleanliness and orderliness inside the home. Your children should be responsible for cleaning up their own space.

You should lead by example and start giving your toddlers minimal tasks such as sweeping or wiping. For instance, my two-year old students can sweep pieces of paper when prompted. Make cleaning a bonding activity for the whole family.

PUT AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE

Minimalism is one word that encapsulates the KonMari method. Let us apply minimalism in the kitchen. She organizes her kitchen by putting as little items as possible on the counters and around the sink.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

For her, de-cluttering the kitchen should be based on the ease of cleaning. Which items will save you more time and space?

STORE YOUR POSSESSIONS BY CATEGORY

As mentioned above, ensure that your children are responsible for their own belongings. Your job is to help them find a designated place to store their items. While, their job is to put back their belongings to the designated place/s.

Start by gathering your clothes, books, documents, miscellaneous, and sentimental items. Organize your belongings following this order. When going through your clothes, ensure that you toss the unwanted items in one massive pile.

According to the KonMari method, you must only keep items that spark joy to your life. If it does not bring joy then, toss it out.

FOLD YOUR CLOTHES SIDE-BY-SIDE

Marie Kondo’s popularity can be attributed to the way she organizes her drawers by stacking clothes side-by-side. She teaches a strategic way of folding clothes whereby a properly folded article of clothing can stand on its own. Not only does it make for some very Instagram-worthy portraits, it also allows you to see what is inside your drawer at a glance.

Image Credits:pixabay.com

Through this, you can survey which articles of clothing to you spend most on. Which articles of clothing should you stop buying? Which colors do you invest more on? What do you lack in your wardrobe? Asking these questions will help you make more informed shopping decisions in the future.

Sources: 1 & 2

Declutter Your Space To Clear Your Mind

An interesting study published by the Princeton Neuroscience Institute highlighted that “having multiple visual stimuli present within range of one’s view will result in those stimuli competing for neural representation”. In simplest terms, you are likely to get distracted when you are working in a messy place.

Clearing your mind may not solely rely on your working environment but, it is a good start. Here are some tips to efficiently declutter your space:

IS YOUR TIME UP?

When you are faced with a task, you typically focus on the deadline. A deadline gives you a tangible quantity of time to complete your task. Apply the same ideal to your home.

How much time can you spare to organize your flat? Pick a space or a corner that you can realistically declutter within the given time frame. You do not want to end up with a larger mess than what you have started with!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Designate a specific day of the week as your “Cleaning Day”. My sister and I sets aside a portion of our weekends to cleaning the house. We drop either our Saturdays or Sundays to mop the floors, change the sheets, wipe the corners, and change the towels. This habit inspires us to continue a healthy routine throughout the coming week.

ADDING INSULT TO INJURY

By buying more items beyond your household needs, you are making a displeasing matter worse. Keep clutter into a minimum by tossing or by donating these things aside. Prevent impulse purchases by asking your trusted partner or friend for advise.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

As I was about to sleep last night, I reflected upon my to-do list. I was determined to finish a single task to shorten the list. This made me adamant to organize my clothes before sleeping. Finding this glistening motivation helped me achieve the task. I was able to collate a donation pile too!

Find something or someone that will motivate you to clean your space. For instance, you may play your favorite songs or audiobooks while cleaning.

TAKE EVERYTHING OUT

Starting with a fresh slate helps you to rigorously declutter your space. You need to know what items or products you own by taking everything out. Last night, I discovered several clothing articles that I have owned since 2011. It is embarrassing to see how many holes some of these clothes have. Needless to say, most were transported to the donation pile.

Once everything is out in the open, you can wipe the shelves and dust the corners. It will be easier to determine what you want to toss and to keep too.

USING APPROPRIATE LABELS

Putting labels on everything is one of the reasons why I do not get lost at my boss’ office. Labels are utterly useful when multiple people utilize a common area.

You see, labelling your household storages allows your family to know where each item will go. They do not need to pull out random boxes (and make a mess) while searching for an item! You simply have to put chalkboard or paper labels throughout your space.

ARE YOU DRESSING THE PART?

Contrary to popular belief, professional cleaners do not stay updated with the latest cleaning gadgets found at the TV infomercials. Professional cleaners opt for comfortable clothes and sturdy shoes instead. You may also wear knee pads to spare your knees from potential bruises. Furthermore, you may protect your hands against harmful chemicals by wearing gloves.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

My mother’s sensitive skin is aided by all-natural solutions such as the Castile soap. Castile soap is a versatile product that you can use as a body wash, a laundry detergent, and a dish-washing liquid. Search the renowned “Dr. Bronner’s Organic Pure Castile Liquid Soap” to be educated about the hype.

Sources: 1, 2, & 3

Genius Cleaning Hacks To Save You Money And Time

USE VINEGAR TO CLEAN THE BATHROOM

Your S$2-3 bottle of white vinegar have uses that are beyond the kitchen! To clean the toilet, pour a cup of distilled white vinegar into the bowl and let it stay there for 5 hours or overnight. Then, scrub it well and flush. To clean your tub and kill the germs, spray white vinegar around the tub. Then, wipe it with wet cloth to clean.

USE BLOW DRYER TO REMOVE WATER STAINS

Spills from your mugs, glasses, bottles, and cans can leave a whitened “ring” that can be easily visible on furniture. Before you replace or repaint some tables, a simple yet efficient shortcut is to use a blow dryer to clean it. Hold the blow dryer (high heat) close to the ring and see it disappear in a few minutes. Once it evaporates, add a small amount of olive oil to re-condition the wooden table.

USE A DRY TOWEL TO SPEED UP THE DRYER

To save money on electricity, you must reduce the amount of time it takes to dry your wet laundry load. Simply add a dry towel to your dryer with other wet clothes. This trick works because the dry towel absorbs the excess moisture around your dryer.

USE AN IRON TO ELIMINATE CARPET STAINS

To eliminate nasty carpet stains without professional help, clean it with white vinegar, iron, and water. Start by mixing 2 parts of water with 1 part of white vinegar in a spray bottle. Spray this solution on the stain. Then, iron the rag (steam setting) for about 30 seconds or more. This shall remove the stain as well as its unpleasant odor.

USE A DIRECTORY OF THE CLEANING SERVICES IN SINGAPORE

If all else fails, save time and effort by having a directory of the top cleaning services in Singapore.

a. NTUC Domestic Cleaning Service
Location: 75 Bras Basah Road, NTUC Income Centre, Singapore 189557
Contact: 6788 8788

b. House Cleaner Singapore
Location: 538 Bedok North Street 3 Singapore, Singapore 460538
Contact: 6844 3382

c. Home Cleanz Cleaning & Laundry Services
Location: 332 Changi Road, Singapore 419807
Contact: 6440 3342

d. Domestic One Cleaning Service
Location: 47 Hill Street, #06-06 Singapore 179365
Contact: 6100 2388

Image Credits: pixabay.com (CC0 Public Domain)

Sources: 1 & 2

Spend Under S$10 To Bring Back The Sparkle Of Your Jewelry

Letting your treasured necklaces, bracelets, rings, or other heirlooms shine again can cost you about $35-139.90. That is the hefty price you may pay if you want to purchase an Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner. So..instead of getting expensive cleaning machines, professional cleaning services, or cleaning solutions, opt for practical Do-It-Yourself ways to clean your favorite bling! Here is how:

1. DIAMOND AND SILVER POTION

This mixture is exclusively for cleaning your precious diamonds and silvers. The ingredients are mostly available in your kitchen thus; you would not have to spend a lot.

Ingredients:

Small bowl

Aluminum foil

Paper towel

Old toothbrush

1-tablespoon salt

1-tablespoon baking soda

1-teaspoon dish detergent

1-cup hot water

Procedure:

Fill the small bowl with a square sheet of aluminum foil then, put the salt, baking soda, and dish detergent. Watch as the liquid buzz while you add the hot water. Afterwards, drop your jewelry there and leave it for 10 minutes. Once the minutes are up, remove the jewelry and use the toothbrush to gently scrub around any prongs, groves, or gemstones. Lastly, rinse and pat dry.

Image Credits: Aleksey Gnilenkov via Flickr with Creative Commons License

*Note: For Pandora’s jewelry, do not use this method as it may be considered too harsh. Instead, check out 3c. below.

2. GOLDEN POTION

One of the biggest reasons why your gold does not shine anymore is because it is filthy! Clean your gold jewelry the right way with this mixture. Much like the diamond and silver potion, ingredients for the gold mixture are available in your home.

Ingredients:

Toothpaste

Old Toothbrush

Soft cloth (dry)

Procedure:

Apply the toothpaste on the toothbrush and scrub the gold jewelry well. If you have a larger piece of gold to shine, repeatedly rinse off the toothbrush and use more toothpaste. Then, rinse it off with water. Lastly, get your soft cloth to dry it. Use circular motions to polish your golden jewelry!

3. OTHERS

a. White Vinegar

If white vinegar had a C.V., its skills would fill 1-2 pages. Yes! That is abundantly skilled this multi-purpose agent is. To clean your bling, mix a cup full of water with a half-cup of white vinegar and stir well. Put your silver pieces onto the mixture and leave it for 2 hours. Once the hours are up, remove the jewelry pieces then, rinse with cold water. Lastly, pat dry with a soft cloth.

Not bad for S$2.60 a pop (i.e., sold at FairPrice)!

b. Beer

A beer that costs you as low as S$3.10-4.50 (i.e., at FairPrice) can not only give you a fun time but also can give you back the shimmer of your jewelry! In a mug of beer, soak your jewelry overnight. On the next day, remove your jewelry and rinse it off in running water. Dry these up and be astonished on how shiny the pieces are!

Image Credits: Aleksey Gnilenkov via Flickr with Creative Commons License

c. Dish Soap

The dish soup sitting on your kitchen sink can also be used to bring back the shine from your jewelry pieces. This is a milder form of cleaning you sterling silver and it works well with your Pandora’s bracelet and charms. Simply add a few drops of the dish soap into a bowl of warm water and let your Pandora sit in it for a few minutes. Clean it with a soft bristle toothbrush if you like and pad them dry individually with a dry cloth. Make sure that if your charms is made of wood, leather or pearl, you should not use this method.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7

Search the site