How to Make Living Areas Livable

People often try (usually unsuccessfully) to keep their living areas pristine. They set up Spartan spaces like you’d find in a H&G or Dwell with nary a memento or personal object in sight. But we don’t live in a magazine, and we probably wouldn’t want to.

Real people need their stuff. And they need their stuff handy. But (most) real people also want things neat. Here’s how to have your stuff and neatness, too.

Living and Family Rooms To make living rooms and family rooms more conducive to living, you have to create places to live, not just to sit. That means you have to create accessible storage. Otherwise, magazines and papers pile up by the recliner. Toys are strewn all over the floor. And no one knows where the remote has disappeared to.

Ample storage allows us to keep our necessities nearby but out of sight when not in use. The next time you consider a new piece of furniture, consider something that can double as storage such as tansus, armoires, ottomans and coffee tables with shelves or drawers.

Until that day, contain the clutter as attractively as possible. Baskets are the cheapest option (some of the latest coffee table designs even have baskets built in). Put your knitting in one basket; newspapers and books in another. Invest in a chest or attractive trunk for the kids’ toys.

Most important: Make a rule that no one leaves the room until they pick up their mess. And enforce it.

Home Office Whether your office is a separate room or just a corner of the kitchen, you need certain equipment to keep it organized and functional:

❉ Storage units, including at least one file drawer (even a plastic tub with hanging folders will do)

❉ In and out baskets.

❉ Priority basket or files for things to do that day or week

Clear your desk each night. That not only keeps your desk tidy but it forces you to organize.

If your office doubles as a family room, you might want to disguise (and protect) your office supplies by hiding them in an armoire or cabinet.

Bedrooms What? You don’t think bedrooms are living areas? Nowadays, we everything in bed: eat, read, watch TV, work. Don’t fight it - just organize it. Here’s how:

❉ Bedside tables Stock tables with everything you might need during the night - glasses, clock, lamp, tissues, reading material and water bottle. If the table has a drawer, equip it with a flashlight, pencils and notepads.

❉ Dresser drawers Assign only one or two types of clothing (gym clothes, underwear, sweaters) to each drawer. Use drawer dividers to keep articles separated. Instead of folding, roll soft clothing such as T-shirts, underwear and sweaters. Rolling not only saves space and makes things easier to find but it minimizes wrinkling.

The only things that should be on the floor are a magazine rack, a trash can and your bedroom shoes.

Motivating Kids to - Gasp! - Clean

There are many ways to motivate kids to help out around the house. Often kids are so eager to please and help out that they need little motivation at all from their grateful parents.

For the rest of us -- with kids likely to run from the room when you walk toward them with a broom -- serious incentives are required. We’re really talking about two basic categories: cash and noncash.

Cold, Hard Cash

The most obvious motivation to get kids to do chores is to pay them for it. You probably won’t be surprised to learn that parents are almost as divided about paying for chores as they are about chores themselves.

The anti-allowance parents argue persuasively that kids shouldn’t be paid to help out around the house; after all, it’s their house, too. And being part of a family means giving your time and efforts to make the home a better place for everyone to live—no compensation required. Worse, they say, paying for chores gives kids the mistaken idea that there’s a choice: “I’ll skip my chores because I don’t need the money this week.”

The pro-pay parents argue, perhaps even more persuasively, that a tangible reward for kids’ efforts motivates them to do extra jobs around the house. (In the interest of full disclosure I admit that I’m in their court.) And in the real world, they say, that’s exactly how adults are rewarded or paid for their work. Having money to save or spend also provides an invaluable opportunity to learn important—and tough—money lessons early, while Mom and Dad are still around to talk with.

Here’s an example. “Mom, please let me get another Beanie Baby,” my daughter Lyndsay pleaded several years back. “In a few years, they’ll be worth a lot more than the $80 they’re charging at the video store.”

In spite of my repeated warnings that such trendy items often go out of style, causing any “value” to tank with it, my daughter insisted on using her birthday money saved up over the past two years to purchase the newest model. I gave my reluctant blessing, seeing a lesson looming in the future.

Sure enough, we recently tossed out those “rare and valuable” Beanie babes while spring-cleaning her bedroom. The sheepish look on her face as she threw away the stuffed creatures told me that she remembered our talk, regretting not haven taken my advice. I never had to open my mouth.

On a more positive note, money-for-chores teaches the importance of saving and resisting impulse spending, and that it pays to work.

Noncash Motivators

Rewards for a job well done needn’t be financial. Little ones can often be motivated in a big way with stickers and stamps that are placed on a simple chore chart you can create yourself.

If your kids complete the chores they need to, you can reward them with fun experiences, such as lunch at their favorite eatery (Mickey Ds, anyone?) or perhaps a new storybook from the library or local bookstore. For older children, cash-free alternatives include offering chunks of time with Mom or Dad, such as a father-son movie outing or dinner at your daughter’s favorite restaurant. This is probably overpayment for all but the biggest spring-cleaning tasks, so you may want to give your child tickets for each small task. When he’s collected 10 (or 20, or 50, your call) he can “cash” them in for a mutually agreed-upon treat.

Making it Happen: The Choose-a-Chore Chart

A friend of mine, Anne, adapted a common chore chart system for her family, which includes four children ages 3 through 13.

First Anne created a chore chart out of a large piece of poster board. She made a large table of index-card-size spaces. She listed her family members’ names down the far left column with blank spaces in the columns to the right. In each blank space, Anne placed a piece of Velcro. Then Anne created a series of Velcro-backed index cards, each labeled with a different chore. The children designed symbols for each chore so that the non-readers could keep up.

On Sunday nights, the whole family gathers around the kitchen table to select their chores for the week. They take turns, choosing one chore at a time and then sticking their chore cards on the chore chart by their name.

The children have to choose as many chores as half their age. The 3-year-old gets one card; the 13-year-old gets six cards.

There are three types of chores: standing chores, weekly chores, and heavy-duty chores:

Standing chores are personal chores that you must do each week. Period. For example, making your bed and keeping your room tidy are personal chores. And in Mary’s home if it’s your pet, you feed it. You don’t get a card for this; you just do it.

Weekly chores include cleaning the bathroom, washing the kitchen floor, emptying the dishwasher, setting and clearing the table, and helping prepare dinner.

Heavy-duty chores are harder jobs such as cleaning the garage, cleaning window tracks, raking leaves, and washing the car. The kids earn extra money for these chores. They can volunteer to do them in addition to their other chores to earn extra cash.

Each kid gets 25 cents per week per year of age as an allowance. The 3-year-old gets 75 cents; the 13-year-old gets $4.25. If they do not do their chores or if Anne or the nanny have to nag, they only get a percentage of their allowances—or none at all.
Anne has been using this system for five years. And she never nags.

Some Things Last Forever: Make Up Isn't One of Them

Unlike diamonds, makeup is not forever. It expires.

Yes, it is true. Those expiration dates on cosmetics are not a marketing ploy to get you to buy more mascara when you can still scrape some gunk out of your old tube.

It’s a safety issue, especially with eye makeup. Every time you swash on mascara and dip the brush back into the tube, you transfer bacteria from your eyes to the tube, where it will make baby bacteria that you will then reapply to your eyes the next day. It’s an ugly, ugly cycle of life.

You wouldn’t eat food past its expiration date, would you? (Husbands would, but would you?) Don’t wear cosmetics past their prime, either.

Most cosmetics are formulated to have a shelf life of one to three years when stored according to directions. Products that have been exposed to high temperatures or sunlight may not last that long.

Here’s how long specific cosmetics can usually be stored. Start counting when you open the container. Since you’ll never remember or be able to keep up with everything, write the expiration date (calculated from the time you opened the container) on the bottle with a permanent marker.

Mascara: 3 months
Cleanser: 6 months
Eye shadow: 6 months
Foundation: 6 months
Moisturizer: 6 months
Concealer: 6 to 8 months
Blush: 6 to 12 months
Lipstick and gloss: 1 year
Powder: 1 year
Toner: 1 year
Nail polish: 2 years
Applicator sponges and brushes: toss disposable ones and wash others regularly

Keep makeup containers tightly closed and store them at room temperature. Toss anything that looks or smells bad. Yuck.

Bear in mind that natural cosmetics, and those that have no preservatives, may expire sooner than others. You should never add water or (worse!) saliva to thin out a foundation or other cosmetic. Do not return unused foundation to the container. Discard if you accidentally pour out too much. Do not share cosmetics. (Similarly, avoid testers in department stores.)

5 Tips for Cleaning Up After Pets

Got pets? Then you’ve got messes. A lot of them. Fur on the couches. Piddle and worse - just about anywhere. And odors galore. Here are 5 simple tips to help you win the battle of clean and still love those creatures that call your house home.

❶ Removing Hair

Cat hair is notoriously difficult to remove from clothing as well as upholstery. My favorite method of getting it off furniture is simply to dampen my hand and rub it gently along the surface. The fur sticks to my hand and I just rinse it off. If you’re too squeamish for that method, try rubbing it with a dampened sponge. Still another approach is to vacuum the upholstery at least once a week.

❷ Removing Odors

A new product called Febreeze does a nice job of eliminating pet smells and it’s safe for most upholstery and carpets. Or, you could try placing a scented fabric softener sheet between the cushions of the sofa (or wherever the animal naps).

❸ Removing Stains

Pet Piddle: This problem requires a three-step solution. And a lot of time and effort. (Sorry).

1. Absorb excess liquid with a white rag or paper towels. Blot on a solution of one-quarter teaspoon of mild liquid laundry detergent and one cup warm water. Repeat until there is no more stain transferring to your towel or rag. (Never rub the carpet.)

2. Blot the spot with a solution of two tablespoons ammonia in one cup water. Rinse with warm water. Repeat and blot dry. Then blot the area again with a solution of one cup white vinegar and two cups water. Rinse again.

3. Cover the area with several layers of paper towels weighed down with a heavy object. (I sometimes just stand on the towels.) Continue changing the paper towels until the carpet is dry.

Pet Poop: An even messier problem to remove.

1. Gently scoop up the solids with a spoon or spatula. Take outside.
2. Blot with a solution of two tablespoons of ammonia in one cup of water. Let soak for several minutes. Blot and repeat until the stain is removed.
3. Rinse with cold water.
4. Blot dry.

If any odor remains, sprinkle baking soda on the spot. Let it sit overnight, then vacuum.

Warning: Some stains just won’t come out. And be careful not to use too much water on the spot. If the urine gets into the pad underneath, you’ll never get it out. The carpet will look clean, but then the urine will wick back up from the pad. If this happens, patch the carpet (as well as the pad).

❹ Cleaning the Litter box

We swear by the clumping cat litter. Urine clumps so you can scoop it and other solids out of the litter box without changing all the litter. Scoop the box as many times a day as you have cats. One cat: once a day. Three cats: three times a day. You get the idea.

Always use gloves when you clean the litter box as cat urine and feces can carry viruses, worms and bacteria.

At least once a week, change the entire contents of the box. Fill the pan with hot water and a half-cup of bleach and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then rinse well and dry.

Add fresh litter and your cat is back in business.

Watch Tara on the "Rachael Ray" Show Feb. 3!

Tara joined Rachael Ray in New York City as the guest laundry expert for the latest installation of "Human Lab: Dirty Laundry" which aired on February 3, 2009. Here's a brief description of the laundry challenges and solutions Tara discussed with Rachael:

From mud pits to cow poop, bull riders end up in some pretty stinky situations! So we're challenging three professional cowboys to test out portable laundry products and find out if they keep their blue jeans and shirts fresh and clean while they're on the road. If they're good enough to clean the messy stains of these tough cowboys, they might just be the laundry solutions your family is looking for!

Reese Cates: "I'm a professional bull rider and I do know how to get dirty," Reese says. "It would definitely be helpful to wash our clothes on a daily basis." The solution? He's testing out the portable Wonderwash & Spin Dryer, which he can use in his hotel room.

Cord McCoy: As Cord travels from city to city on tour, it's especially tough to keep his clean clothes fresh. "You take two bags: one equipment bag and then one clothes' bag. The worst thing about it is you've got to put the dirty clothes right back in with the clean clothes. It's not going to smell sweet," he says. "They don't wash the bulls before you start!" To keep his clothes fresh, Cord tries separating his dirty clothes in the Universal Deodorizer Bag.

Luke Snyder: "Cowboys have always been big on having their clothes starched and pressed all the time," says Luke, which is challenging when they're on the road. "Those little irons that they've got in hotel rooms sometimes don't work very good." So he's testing the Downy Wrinkle Releaser spray to try and maintain his sharp-dressed style.

10 tips for Maintaining Your Home

You know what they say about that ounce of prevention. If you ignore the advice and overlook home maintenance, the pound of cure can set you back hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. Sooner or later, a neglected roof will leak. A furnace overworked from clogged air filters will need an expensive overhaul. And that leaky window will lead to dry rot in your house’s framework and walls, necessitating a lot of expensive structural and esthetic repairs.

When little things go wrong, as they inevitably will, knowing how to take care of them quickly means that you’ll spend less of your valuable time waiting for those repair people to make an expensive appearance.

Most important, a well-maintained, freshly updated home is, by its very nature, safe and more comfortable. And usually more energy-efficient – which means money savings – too. Who can argue with that? Not Mrs. Clean Jeans.

GETTING STARTED: Mrs. Clean Jeans’ Top 10 Tips

❶ Schedule annual inspections for your home’s roof and major systems, including the furnace and air conditioner.

❷ Twice each year, venture into the far corners of your attic, basement, and garage to check for signs of water leakage.

❸ At the start of each season, check the outside of your home for any cracks that may have appeared.

❹ Test smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors each month; change batteries yearly.

❺ Clear walkways of leaves and any snow, ice, debris or algae that may make them slippery.

❻ Assemble a kit of essential tools and store in a convenient place.

❼ Learn to make minor repairs in your home.

❽ Insulate older water heaters and leaky heat ducts to lower your energy bill.

❾ Save energy in the kitchen by covering pots, opening the oven door sparingly, and using the microwave for reheating food.

❿ Set the thermostat at 68 degrees Fahrenheit or lower in winter; 78 degrees or higher in summer.