Don’t stress the next time you or your child gets a pen mark on clothing or other fabric. As long as the item has not been laundered the ink stain is easy to remove. You may already have this “magical” ink stain remover on hand.

The best ink stain remover is hairspray! Just spray the hairspray directly on the pen mark and let the hairspray soak in a minute or two. Next, rub the fabric together and rinse under cold water. You should then see the ink disappear like magic.

Hairspray that comes in the form of a liquid (with a pump application) works better than hairspray sold in an aerosol can. Be sure to first test the hairspray on an unnoticeable area of the fabric.

When my kids come home from school with pen marks on their clothes it doesn’t matter when I spray the hairspray as long as I spray it before I launder. I can spray it immediately when I notice the ink mark or the following Monday when I am preparing to launder clothes. The key is remembering to use the hairspray before your launder.

If you find ink stains often on your family’s clothing, consider keeping a bottle of hairspray alongside ofyour bottle of laundry detergent.

Hope this tip helps with your laundry dilemmas!

Are you always scrambling to find lunch money for your child in the morning? End the stress by making a habit of asking for twenty one-dollar bills and roll of quarters (or whatever denominations are appropriate) every time you cash a paycheck. Keep the dollar bills and quarters in a special jar or container that is only used for lunch money. If your paycheck is directly deposited into your bank account each pay period, then write a check to yourself every two weeks on the day you get paid and cash it in order to accomplish the same task.

Happy lunch money finding!

Simple organization of school snacks can save time and stress for you and your child. Whether you have boxes of raisins, packages of cheese and crackers, pouches of fruit gummies or granola bars, toss them all into one clear shoebox size container. This eliminates pulling out oodles of boxes of snacks. Now when it is time for your child to make a selection for his lunch or school snack time, let him select from the container. Hopefully the selection is quick and easy as all the choices are right before your child.

Additionally, by removing snacks from cardboard boxes you’ll be able to see how many snacks are remaining as the box will no longer be a visual barrier. With a quick glance in the container you’ll know when to add “school snacks” to your grocery shopping list.
This “snack” organizing also works well for adults. You don’t need to have young children in your house to simplify your snacks.

Happy snack finding!

Over the next few weeks, be on the lookout for a bug - a bug that will emerge in epidemic proportions! Yes, every fall and January this bug population surges, but, rest easy, this bug is actually good for you and typically welcomed. So, get ready because the “organizing bug” is in the air!

You may wonder why I know this bug is on its way. Every year, as summer comes to a close, fall never fails to bring with it the feeling of a fresh new start which likely leaves you with a new found optimism about gaining control of your house and your life. This is a completely normal and common way to feel this time of year. So, this fall, seize the opportunity to get organized while the motivation is there.

To be successful, make a plan. First, sit-down and make a list of what you would like to organize, and circle three items on the list that you want organized the most. Next, designate the order in which you wish to accomplish them by simply writing 1, 2, or 3 next to each item. If you lack free time, the first item you start with should be the one that will give you more free time once completed. For example, if you waste time looking for papers, work on setting up a paper management system first. This way the end result will be less stress and more free time. That is more free time to work on the next organizing project.

If you can’t seem to get organized on your own, please don’t waste that new found desire to get organized. Consider asking a friend or relative to be your “organizing buddy” like you would have an exercising buddy. Then in turn help your friend with a task they struggle with, perhaps gardening or exercising. If you are not up for having an “organizing buddy,” then consider hiring a Professional Organizer to get you on your way.

I wish you organizing success!