Get Organized this Holiday Season

Natalie Norbut / November 21, 2014 / Comments are off for this post.

With Thanksgiving less than a week away, the holiday season is just about here. The holidays can be an extremely joyous time, filled with laughter and spent with loved ones. However, along with all of the fun, laughter, and family, this time of year can also be incredibly stressful. Organization, is one way you can help yourself cut-down on the stress this year. This article, from the good people at Enviro Maids, has several tips that will help you get organized, to take away some of the stress that comes along with the holidays.

Stress less this holiday season with our organizing tips

In an ideal world, the holidays are a stress-free time when you visit with family and friends, bake batches of cookies, and enjoy relaxing moments sipping hot chocolate curled up by a roaring fire. If you’re like most people, however, your holiday season is usually anything but relaxing — you’re busy shopping, wrapping, standing in long lines, and entertaining guests all while juggling your usual hectic schedule. This holiday, we’d like to help take some of the stress out of your holiday season. The key is early planning and getting organized. Read our list of organizing tip, tricks, and ideas. Who knows? Maybe this season you’ll have time to sit by the fire.

Organized gift-giving

Gift-giving can be overwhelming especially if you have lots of people to buy for and don’t seem to have enough time to get all your shopping done. Not to mention trying to figure out what to buy the person who has everything. Help make gift-giving a pleasurable experience with these gift organizing tips.

If your extended family has grown over the years, gift-giving can get out of control and expensive. Consider drawing names so everyone focuses on buying for just one person, or agree to buy gifts for only the children.
Shop early to avoid last-minute frantic shopping or expedited shipping fees
Not sure what to buy your teenage nephew or picky best friend? The pros at Reducethechaos.comsuggest using the Amazon.com “wish list” feature. Ask friends and family to pick items from Amazon.com they’d like to receive and have them save the items to their “wish list.” Once their list is completed, they can share it with others via email, Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.
When you come up with a great gift idea throughout the year, be sure to jot it down or type it in a spreadsheet. This way, when the next holiday season rolls around, you’ll have a list of ideas ready.
Stock up now on tape, wrapping paper, ribbons, and gift bags so you’ll have your gift wrapping station set up.
Wrap gifts as soon as you purchase them or wrap a few gifts each day to avoid having to wrap heaps of gifts at the last minute.
Shopping online saves you the hassle of having to fight for a parking space, navigating large crowds, and standing in long lines to pay. If you do visit a brick and mortar store, shop during non-peak times: early weekday mornings or during the early evening hours.

Organizing Holiday Meals

Plan your holiday menu as far in advance as possible. The extra time lets you tryout recipes and stock up on non-perishable ingredients in advance.
Not sure what to make or want to try a different recipe? Search websites such as Allrecipes.com or Pinterest for endless inspiration.
Cook and freeze items ahead of time.
Ask family members to contribute by bringing an appetizer, dessert, or side dish
Not a fan of cooking? Have the meal catered

Organized Cleaning

Stagger your cleaning tasks. Trying to get your entire house or apartment clean in one day is overwhelming.
Ran out of time and guest will be arriving the next day? Don’t panic, focus on cleaning the rooms and areas of your home guests will actually be using — the bathroom, kitchen, and living room.
When preparing food, spray pans with non-stick spray before cooking to cut down on the scrubbing and soaking time later

Other tips:

Make a list of all the things you’d like to get done during the holiday, then edit the list, keeping only the tasks you can realistically accomplish.
You can’t do it all; delegate whenever you can.
Leave some space in your schedule to take a break and to relax.

Avoid Salmonella This Holiday

Natalie Norbut / November 26, 2013 / Comments are off for this post.

With Thanksgiving just two days away, I’m sure many of us can already smell the turkey and taste the stuffing and potatoes. While I’m sure everyone is prepared to make a delicious feast and has all of their spices and garnishes ready, there is one thing that you shouldn’t overlook this holiday…….salmonella. Needless to say, a case of salmonella poisoning can destroy an otherwise perfect Thanksgiving. Luckily, our friends at The Clean Team, have some tips on how to avoid a salmonella outbreak this holiday. So, read up, and have a safe and happy holiday. Happy Thanksgiving! Gobble Gobble!

Don’t Serve Up Salmonella This Holiday Season

You may feel confident when cooking up that bird and seasoning those veggies, but do you know how to avoid serving up deadly dose of kitchen bacteria like salmonella? According to the Center For Disease Control, over 40,000 people each year get salmonella poisoning. However, with these simple steps, salmonella can be avoided.

When you set raw meat on counter tops, you create a harbinger of bacteria. Wipe up meat juices with a paper towel, spray the counter with an anti-bacterial cleaner (mix your own solution of 1 part bleach, 10 parts water for example), and wipe clean with another paper towel. Don’t use a dish cloth for this job; it’s not worth risking someone washing the dishes or the table with this contaminated cloth.
Use two cutting boards when cutting up meat and veggies – one for the meat, a different one for the veggies – washing cutting boards carefully with hot soapy water between uses. Never cut raw vegetables on the meat cutting board.
Avoid cleaning up raw meat juices with a sponge since germs get trapped in the sponge, creating a breeding ground for bacteria. And if you do get raw meat juices in your sponge, rinse in hot soapy water, then microwave the sponge for one minute. Be careful when removing; let it cool to the touch first.
After handling raw meat, be sure and wash your hands vigorously with warm soapy water for at least one minute. And be careful to clean up under those long acrylic fingernails, as they can be completely missed during hand washing.
Wash all utensils that touch raw meat, like platters or plates, with hot soapy water before placing the cooked meat back on.
Store raw meat on the lower shelf of the fridge, and raw vegetables on the higher shelves, to protect against mean drips or spills contaminating those raw veggies.

Serve up a safe, healthy meal during the holidays with just a little attention to proper clean up and food handling.

How To Clean Wine Stains

Natalie Norbut / November 23, 2012 / Comments are off for this post.

With Thanksgiving over you probably have a fridge full of leftovers, a recycling can full of bottles, and maybe an unfortunate wine stain on your carpet from a family member who had a little too much holiday cheer. Before you run out to the store and buy an expensive carpet cleaner which is full of chemicals, try this little homemade remedy for a natural, easy solution.

Step 1: Dab the area stained with a towel (do not wipe!).

Step 2: Add about a tablespoon of dish soap to a cup of hydrogen peroxide.

Step 3: Dip a sponge into the cup and wring it out about 50%. Then dab the area with the sponge (remember don’t wipe), most of the stain should come out right away. Let it dry and if there is any stain still visible, repeat dabbing with the sponge.

Cleaning up the spill right after it happens is the best way to make sure there isn’t a stain, but unfortunately some stains aren’t noticed until the party is over.

A Green Thanksgiving

Natalie Norbut / November 20, 2012 / Comments are off for this post.

“Gobble, gobble”, it’s that wonderful time of year when we all stuff our face so much that we need to take a nap before dessert. Thanksgiving is the one time of year when wearing sweatpants and watching football on a Thursday is completely acceptable……awesome. What would be even more awesome, is if you could enjoy the holiday and help the environment. Well, luckily the good people at Recyclebank have put together a list of 10 ways to have a “green” Thanksgiving. Check it out…

1. Make a master list. If you take the time to make out a grocery list of all the ingredients you’ll need for the entire holiday weekend, you can conserve resources by making only one trip to the market. Try to plan out all the stops you’ll need to make; the liquor store, the farmer’s market, the grocery store; and plan your route to make the most of the fuel you’ll need to use. Taking the extra minute to research and plan will cut down on transportation time, gas and subsequent shopping trips. Try to combine stops when you can and park your car and walk between shops if possible. Carry an ice chest or cooler bag in your car to store items that need refrigeration. Remember to bring your reusable shopping bags to carry your purchases.

2. Shop for local meat and produce. It’s better for the environment because less fuel is needed to bring to your market and less packaging is needed to keep it fresh. It also helps promote and encourage locally sustainable farming practices. Plus, you’ll be helping your local economy by supporting local businesses. Buy in bulk when possible. Nuts and grains are good choices for bulk items.

3. Use your prettiest dishes and skip disposable anything. It can be a hassle to iron napkins and table cloths. And there is an argument to be made, I guess, that using recyclable/disposable plates and napkins saves water, but I like using my “good” dishes and napkins. Why do you have that beautiful china if you don’t use it? Or those beautiful cloth napkins? Believe me, if they could talk, they’d say, “Let me outta here! I want to serve!”

If you don’t have enough table settings, hit your local thrift store and pick pieces that will blend with what you already have. A mix and match look is so chic right now. And a table set with different glasses and plates looks interesting and can help move sagging conversations along. Just think how smart you’ll sound when you talk about what a great find those vintage Flintstone’s jelly glasses are.

4. Make use of an already hot oven. If you’re already roasting a turkey at 350 degrees, choose side dishes that can go into the oven alongside the turkey at the same temperature. Slide the sides in at the appropriate time alongside the bird. Plus, by doing this, you impress everyone with your Martha-like skill of having all the dishes ready at the same time!

5. Let nature be your centerpiece. Go out into your own back yard or for a hike in the woods and look for fallen oak and maple leaves, acorns, pine cones and berry sprigs to adorn your table. Almost anything will work. Magnolia leaves, boxwood branches, and twigs look so pretty when nestled together on a pretty tablecloth. For color, use organic fruits that can be eaten later, or gourds that can be recycled into a beautiful birdhouse after Thanksgiving.

6. Add eco-friendly candles for a warm glow that won’t hurt the planet. Candles add a lot to the atmosphere of any gathering. And it may seem like a small thing, but the type of candles you choose can make a big eco-difference. This year, choose soy candles, which emit no carcinogens when they burn. Or choose beeswax candles. Beeswax is a completely renewable resource and your candles will burn longer than traditional paraffin candles.

7. Serve individual drinks from recyclable aluminum cans and wine from a box. Use glasses you have on hand, not plastic cups for beverages—and never, never, styrofoam (some areas are now recycling styrofoam, but I still think regular old glasses are a better choice.)

8. Start a leftover tradition. Have everyone on your guest list bring their own reusable container and fill it with leftovers for them to take home.

9. Keep it separate. Ask guests to help you separate compostables and recyclables as you’re cooking and cleaning up.

10. Carpool to your holiday party destination. Instead of taking three or four or five cars to Grandma’s this year, why not go together. Go pick up your cousin and aunt. Give your brother and his family a ride. What better time to sing “O’er the river and through the woods…” than together on the way to your holiday celebration. You’ll save resources and time, which means you get to eat turkey (or tofu, if you wish) that much sooner. list of 10 ways you can have a green Thanksgiving. Check it out…

Looking for the Pefect Holiday Gift?

Natalie Norbut / November 23, 2011 / Comments are off for this post.

Make your Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, or New Year holiday celebration more friendly to the environment.

Give the perfect gift to make the holidays easier and happier for your family; by giving the gift of more time…

Have you had enough of cleaning up after your loved ones and holiday guests before and after they visit?

Is cleaning your home getting in the way of spending quality time with your family and friends?

Are you looking for the perfect stress-free gift?

Look no further! Give the unique and thoughtful gift of green home cleaning this year from Clean Conscience.

With the gift of green home cleaning you will help the environment, stimulate the local economy, and delight your significant other, friends, family, or holiday host.

Green home cleaning is the perfect solution that you can purchase without leaving the comfort of your home or office. You can forget about facing the crowds of holiday shoppers, eliminate the worries of on time delivery from online purchases, and know that your gift will be truly appreciated.

Our green home cleaners use environmentally friendly products that are safer for people, pets, and the planet. You will feel fantastic knowing that this holiday season you are contributing to a greener earth and giving the gift of more free time. Who doesn’t need more free time during the holidays or just a break from the mundane chore of keeping a clean home?

Clean Conscience provides home and small business cleaning services that use eco-friendly products and practices. Our team of Clean Conscious cleaners have been screened and trained; so no need to worry about who is cleaning your home or business.

Call Clean Conscience today! We proudly serve the Denver and Boulder metro areas.

Denver: (303) 495-5656

Boulder: (303) 647-5018