Life can get messy. Any step you take to simplify even one aspect of your surroundings or clear out any single space that’s gotten unruly will bring much-needed cleanliness, order, and freshness to your days and a welcome sense of relief to your mind.

Periodically going through your closet is an excellent opportunity to get rid of the old and the obsolete so you can enjoy a newly optimized and organized corner of your world. This isn’t an easy task for some people, however. We get attached to our things, we worry about discarding something we may want around some day, and we hold on to hope that those pants will fit again one day or that jacket will come back in style.

Now’s the time to put your decision-making skills to work and dive into the task with some basic guidelines steering you and some direct steps you can follow that will take you from cluttered to calm before you know it!

1. Take one item at a time out of your closet.
2. For each individual item, ask:

• Are you still wearing this now or have you worn it in the past two years?
• Do you love it?
• Does it reflect your current personal style?

3. If you answer yes to all three questions, the item is a definite keeper. If you answer no to two or more of these questions, it’s time to toss it on one of two piles: (a) donate to charity or (b) give to someone you know who you think will appreciate it.
4. When you come across something “iffy,” try it on, honestly assess yourself in a full-length mirror, and decide if the article fits well enough and looks good enough to keep.
5. Repeat this process for every single item in your closet: clothing, shoes, scarves, ties, belts, hats, purses, robes, bathing suits—you name it.
6. Bag or box up your give-away piles and remove them from the room, storing them somewhere out of the way (like your garage or car trunk) until you get a chance to permanently dispose of them.
7. Now, to finish preparing your “clean slate,” empty your entire closet of all the items you’re keeping so that you can access every nook, cranny, shelf, and cubby. Thoroughly clean all surfaces and spaces at once (including vacuuming the closet floor).
8. Now it’s time for the fun part! As you reload, bring items back in and organize by colors and by seasons. The things you wear and use often should be within easiest reach; seldom-worn attire like formal wear can be placed in more out-of-the-way areas.

Whether this takes you half a day or a full weekend, the rewards will be well worth the effort … And just think of all the space you just created to shop for new items that perfectly suit the new you!

Home Services Enterprise does far more than just cleaning. If you need some help getting your spaces in tiptop shape, carting off your unused belongings, or organizing any other area of your home or office, we’re at your service!

Call Home Services Enterprise today at 301-674-9564 to schedule an appointment or visit our website: www.homeservicesenterprise.com

Ask any American family on the street what the busiest time of the year is for them, and they’ll answer September more often than not. Far more often. Getting back-to-school routines in place and getting back in full work mode after the warm, lazy days of summer vacations and long summer weekends can be grueling at worst, challenging at best.

When you’re struggling to regain your balance with everything you’ve got going on, the last thing you want to think about is housework. New drop-off and pick-up times, new after-school activity schedules, new homework requirements, new lunch box requests … dusting and mopping and scrubbing and vacuuming are at the bottom of your list!

So why not call in some assistance to help you balance it all? A professional house cleaning and organizing service can do just that—taking tedious chores off your plate by, literally, cleaning the plates for you! Professional assistance offers:

• Flexible schedules. The standard cleaning schedule is a thing of the past, and consumers can now name the days, times, frequencies, and spans that work best for their lives, their families, and their budgets. Schedule one cleaning at a time or set up a regular appointment. Want to be home or not at home when the cleaners are there? It’s your call. Do you work odd hours and so have unusual appointment time requests? Not a problem. Today’s market is about accommodating the customer and adding value to their busy lives.
• Flexible services. Professional cleaners don’t just cross the threshold anymore with buckets and brooms. They come armed and equipped to help organize your home as well, to help store and sort, to water plants, do laundry, and de-clutter. And they do windows too! Whether you’re looking for weekly tidying up, a monthly “full sweep,” or a seasonal deep cleaning, you can pick and choose from a comprehensive list of services designed to bring order, neatness, and peace of mind to your residential and office spaces.
• Flexible crews. To offer specialty services, you’ve got to have specialty workers willing and able to do the job right. There are many things that customers prefer not to do themselves—cleaning the oven and cleaning out the fridge, tackling the garage or attic or basement, deep-cleaning the carpets, to name a few—and that’s when it’s time to call in the pros. A professional agency will work with your particular time, budgeting, and home needs to provide customized care delivered by qualified professionals.

Call Home Services Enterprise today at 301-674-9564 to schedule a cleaning or visit our website: www.homeservicesenterprise.com

Doesn’t it seem like it was just a few weeks ago when your kids were chanting “No more teachers, no more books …”? And yet here we are again—already in August, when families across the country are preparing for the return to school.

As the countdown begins, parents everywhere find their schedules getting more hectic and their to-do lists growing longer. But there are actually several steps you can take to make this school year the best one yet!

• Make a checklist of what needs to be done. Your daughter needs a new lunch box? Your son’s backpack has a tear? You’ve been meaning to look up healthy meal options you can send them on their day with? Still need to fill out those permission forms that have been sitting on the counter? Now’s the time to take care of whatever can be accomplished in advance, so you’re free to attend to more time-sensitive homework assignments and book reports once they start rolling in. Space out all these tasks so they’re more manageable time-wise.
• Take a clothing inventory. The simple process of getting dressed in the morning can become stressful when drawers aren’t organized, closets are in disarray, clothes no longer fit, and the jacket most appropriate for the weather isn’t hanging in the coat closet within easy reach. Now’s the time to go through all your kids’ clothing—sorting out what to donate, what to hand down to younger ones, what seasonal items can be stored in bins, and what to hang up versus fold neatly away. In the process, you’ll identify gaps in the wardrobe—socks, shoes, sweatshirts—and you’ll make room for them. There’s nothing like starting off a new school year with a clean, fresh slate!
• Go school supply shopping. The earlier you can check this item off, the better—before stores run out of the folders that are trending, the required type of pens and pencils, and book bags and gadgets that pass your kids’ approval. The best way to tackle this is to arm yourself with a detailed list of what you need to buy. Not only will this ensure that you don’t forget anything, but it will prevent you from making unnecessary and impulse purchases, saving you both money and repeat last-minute trips to the store. You can even make a game of this, dividing up the list and letting your kids hunt down the items in the aisles themselves.
• Create a designated study area. Setting aside a particular part of your home for your kids to do their schoolwork is a great idea that signals when it’s “work time” and instills solid study habits. In this space, for example, cell phones are on silent and distracting music isn’t playing. Not only that, but you can set up storage bins or crates to neatly organize and arrange all those school supplies you just bought. This doesn’t have to be a big project or space—you can open up a corner in their bedroom, rearrange furniture to put a comfortable chair here, a compact desk there, situate a lamp just right to ensure good lighting. Whatever you can do to provide a calm and quiet place for their studies will get your kids off to a great start and keep them going that way all year.

Home Services Enterprise can help with all your organizing and home-optimization needs. Call 301-674-9564 today to schedule an appointment or visit our website: www.homeservicesenterprise.com

Planning a vacation can be fun for everyone—where to go, how long to stay, checking out the local attractions, booking exciting activities and excursions. For homeowners, however, the thought of leaving your home unattended for a week or even longer can be worrisome. Who will take care of your pet? Will your plants die without watering? What if something goes wrong—a pipe breaks, the power goes out, the alarm goes off, an intense storm hits?

Preparing for a smooth departure and taking steps ahead of time to deal with any unexpected developments that might arise while you’re away will go a long way toward easing your mind and making your getaway truly relaxing!

THINGS YOU’LL NEED BEFORE YOU LEAVE:

• Extra keys to the front door, back door, garage door
• Timers for lights, inside and out
• Padlock for gates for added security

SIX TIPS TO READY YOUR HOME: 

1. Notify a neighbor or family member of the dates you will be away and provide them with emergency contact numbers. Either give them key(s) to your home before you go or leave them somewhere secure where they can access them. A garage door opener is another option, with the added bonus of easy access to garbage or recycling bins that might need to go out to the curb. Ask your neighbors to be on the lookout for any suspicious activity around your home.
2. Make arrangements to stop mail and newspaper delivery or have them picked up by a trusted friend or neighbor. (Nothing signals you’re away more than a pile of newspapers on your front stoop.) While they’re there, have them water plants as needed.
3. A great security measure is to set automatic timers for various lights inside your home that will turn on before dark and back off by morning. Timers and/or sensor lights for the outside of your home are highly recommended for extra security.
4. If you have pets, make arrangements for either a pet care facility, a pet sitting service, or a steady visiting neighbor or friend who can come and care for your pet as often as needed. If you plan on using a facility, call early to make a reservation since they fill up quickly during the summertime!
5. Turn off your water, inside and outside, to prevent dripping faucets, running toilets, or even worse, a flood in your home.
6. Call Home Services Enterprise to schedule a house cleaning while you’re away. We can organize and clean your home in your absence, taking care of things like disposing of any spoiled food in the fridge, so that you can return to a spotless and welcoming home!

To schedule a cleaning, call 301-674-9564 or visit: www.homeservicesenterprise.com