Homekeeping

Any parent of multiple children (and lots of one-child families!) knows that dressing for family holiday photos is easier said than done. Who hasn't been there, frantically scrubbing at stains and tugging down sleeves while the photographer taps his foot? Worse, last-minute clothing issues don't lead to happy faces for the family photo.

This week, check the condition and fit of any outfits to be worn in family photo sessions. If garments need to be added or replaced, add them to the seasonal shopping list. Save time and tears!

This year, household cleaners have taken center stage in the fight against a pandemic. With cold weather bringing families indoors, disinfectants and antibacterial cleaners are the first line of defense, so check stocks of cleaners now. Bleach alert! Chlorine bleach has a shelf life of six to nine months, depending on storage and temperature. After that time, the product has degraded to salt water, and lacks disinfectant power. Translation: time to toss those bottles we bought last Spring, and replace them with fresh chlorine bleach for winter. Stay home, stay safe, stay organized!

Chill breezes blow, signaling that it's time to prepare the house for the coming of winter. Fall cleaning ahead! Take time now to tackle seasonal cleaning chores around the house.

An Autumn session of deep-cleaning carries the family into the holiday season from a clean house; exterior decorating goes more smoothly if fall yard-clean up chores are completed early.

Try this Fall Cleaning chore checklist from sister site Organized Home to guide fall cleaning:

Fall Cleaning Chore Checklist

It's not just "visions of sugarplums" that dance through our heads when we think of the holiday season. Many of us also succumb to Holiday House Fever: an intense desire to begin major home decor projects in the weeks before Christmas.

Anybody who's ever decorated a Christmas tree before a half-painted wall knows the risk: our dreams overpower our time, energies and resources. Result: damp carpets, naked windows, wet paint and lots of stress.

Today, we'll bring sanity to the question of holiday home spruce-ups. The Holiday Home Spruce-Up exercise in realistic planning will anchor our dreams and help us identify realistic, doable goals. Ready? It's a cure for Holiday House Fever:

Holiday House Fever? Cure It With A Home Spruce-Up Exercise

Brisk weather is on the way; time to clear out the coat closets! Whether it's making space for family cold-weather gear or preparing for seasonal visitors, now's the time to clear out the coat closet.

Does your outerwear storage space work for you? Not that a designated "closet" is always the right solution! Many families prefer to keep coats, umbrellas, gloves and galoshes in open storage areas. Hang coats on pegs, tuck boots under a low bench, and consider an over-the-door shoe rack to corral little mittens, hats and scarves.

Check closet space from a guest's perspective, too. Are extra hangers available--and appropriate for heavy outer garments? Is there enough room to add a bulky parka without crushing a woman's wool coat?

Clear it out and be ready ... for Christmas!

Holidays ahead! About this time of year, it's a good idea to contemplate the toy situation in your child's room.

Adding Santa's bounty to overstuffed kids' rooms is a recipe for January clutter disaster. Clear the decks and cut kid clutter with a pre-holiday toy clear-out:

Make Room for Santa: Pre-Season Toy Declutter

Autumn's colder nights signal time for a seasonal bedding changeover. What's the state of your household's linen closet?

While in the linen closet, check stocks of sheets, towels, blankets and pillows with an eye to winter needs. If new or replacement linens are on the shopping list, be alert for pre-holiday white sales and department store loss leaders. Warm flannel and fleece bedding can be spotted on sales flyers from now through New Years!

Pandemic supply chain issues have brought havoc to the paper goods aisle, so double-check supplies of toilet paper, tissues and paper towels now.  Even if you won't host houseguests this year, it's time to take inventory of disposable supplies in bathroom areas.  

While you're at it, make a quick survey of the items your family will need during cough-and-cold season. Will you be able to weather a bout of the flu? Check supplies of over-the-counter medications and add any needed items to the seasonal shopping list.

You'll be ready for holiday guests--or the season's first sniffles--with a well-stocked bathroom.

Just about all of us have experienced this bit of seasonal panic: it's the night of the office holiday party and a spouse’s good white shirt has gone missing! Assessing the State of the Closet for all family members before the holidays begin means never having to say, "It's in the wash!"

Try these tips to calm the chaos with a pre-holiday wardrobe check:

State of the Closet: Pre-Holiday Wardrobe Check 

Thinking about seasonal decor? Get ready! The decoration tide sweeps in with October's falling leaves, breaks against Halloween's goblins, and is streaming full-force by Thanksgiving's turkeys and pilgrims. Come Christmas, the average home is drowning in tinsel.

Do your visual field a favor: declutter tables, counters, mantels, shelves and the entire surface of your refrigerator before you decorate your home for Autumn holidays.

Using a sturdy box, corral all knick-knacks, photos, decorative items and mismatched socks, and stow the box in a dark closet. Don't even bother to sort your stuff--you'll do that when you return the items after the New Year.

Clear surfaces make a house look clean--and your decorations will shine in solitary splendor when they don't have to compete with ashtrays in the shape of armadillos!