Winter White Sale
Did you want a set of new sheets for the holidays? New bathroom towels? Well, if you didn’t get what you wanted, you can come to Goodwill from now through January 31 and receive 20% off all new bed and bath products. It’s a great time to stock up on household products you need! The sale is occurring at all 25 Goodwill retail stores in northern New England.
Post-holidays is also a great time for winter cleaning. Round up those clothes and home goods you’ve been hanging on to and donate them to Goodwill! The winter months are our slowest donations period, so every donation really counts! Be sure to bring in donations before January 1 to receive receipts for 2008 tax deduction (be sure to check with your financial adviser about tax questions).
Winter Cleaning Tips
I recently read a great article on the Seventh Generation website about winter cleaning. Our homes and apartments are sealed up pretty tightly during the winter months, which means we don’t get too much fresh air. They have some great ideas on how to improve indoor air quality and freshen up your homes. Following are some highlights:
1. Open a window once in a while for some quick, clean, refreshing air!
2. Get houseplants that help remove toxins in the air. S
eventh Generation lists Boston Fern, ficus, and English Ivy as some examples. I also own a great book, How to Grow Fresh Air, which lists dozens of plants that help keep your indoor air fresh.
3. Clean with all-natural products! As the blog post points out, conventional cleaners create chemical fumes when used, and with closed windows, those fumes will only linger in your home.
4. Lastly, I think they make a great point–wait until spring for the big cleaning out. Without open windows, you are only shifting around dirt and toxins inside your home.
We are indoors much more often and for longer periods of time in the winter.
Use this time to your advantage and tackle cleaning jobs you’ve been meaning to:
1. Clean out the attic/basement
2. Go through old bills and paperwork (shred and recycle!)
3. Organize the junk drawer
4. Clean out the pantry
5. Flip and vacuum the mattress
6. Clean your baseboards!
(a little warm water and vinegar will do the trick)
7. Clean your fans and get rid of dust and grime you won’t want blowing around once summer comes (it will, I promise!)
Good points! Something about the winter and the start of a new year always makes me want to clean and purge! We are stuck inside a good deal of the time in the winter,why not clean up and clean out?