Monthly Organizing Checklist July, 2018 We’ve reached the beginning of the second half of the year…a great time for a new start. Begin with our NEW July 2018  Organizing Checklist! Join our weekly newsletter to be notified when the newest checklist is available. For a PRINTABLE VERSION, click here ____ Jul 1 Is everything ready for any Fourth of July celebrations? Ingredients for what you are making? All the needed decorations? Table linens clean and ready? ____ Jul 2 What indoor jobs did you put off doing so far this year? Make a list and get them done while it is too hot to do outside chores. ____ Jul 3 Plan some light menus for this hot month. Check the Internet and Pinterest for easy meals. ____ Jul 4 Celebrate the holiday with family and friends. Enjoy some (homemade) lemonade. Cook and eat outdoors. ____ Jul 5 Schedule check-ups or dental appointments that need doing before school starts back.  ____ Jul 6 Call a friend and arrange to meet for coffee or lunch. If you both have similar aged kids, arrange for them to have a playtime while you enjoy catching up. .____ Jul 7 Clean out your linen closet. For those you’re not using, donate or cut into rags. Animal shelters appreciate towels and blankets. ____ Jul 8 Use early morning hours, when it is cool, to weed the garden and accomplish other outdoor chores. ____ Jul 9 Wash off the patio and water any plants there. Clean patio furniture. Search the Internet for hints to make your furniture look new. ____ Jul 10 Clean the washer and dryer, inside and out. Try to dust behind as well if you can. And do clean the lint trap of the dryer. It can be a fire hazard. ____ Jul 11 If it has been a while, replace the air conditioning filters. Write the date on the new ones as you put them in. ____ Jul 12 Clean your toothbrush holders and give everyone a new toothbrush. ____ Jul 13 Go through that pile of magazines and get rid of a bunch, preferably by recycling. Remember, if you really do not want to read them, you do not have to. ____ Jul 14 Catch up on home maintenance chores — paint touch-ups, caulking, and sweeping cobwebs from upper room corners. ____ Jul 15 Start watching for back-to- school sales for supplies and clothing. Create a spot to store school supplies and stock up when you find them on sale. ____ Jul 16 Clean out kids’ rooms. Or even better, have them clean out their rooms if they are old enough. ____ Jul 17 Be sure pet water dishes are always full. Birdbaths too. ____ Jul 18 Spiff up the bathroom. Maybe a new shower curtain, or new towels? Clean off counters and see how uncluttered you can keep them. ____ Jul 19 Conserve water. Don’t water in the heat of the day, which causes water to evaporate rapidly. Use cool, early-morning hours. Get any leaky faucets fixed. Take short showers. ____ Jul 20 Declutter the pantry. Check expiration dates, donate food you know you will likely eat (but which has not expired) to local food pantries. ____ Jul 21 Company coming? Be sure guest bathrooms are clean and ready. Remember extra toilet paper. ____ Jul 22 Clean out desk drawers, maybe one a day, depending on how much time you have. Do you really need three pencil sharpeners and four staplers? ____ Jul 23 Clean light switches and doorknobs. With kids at home more, there are more fingerprints than ever. Baby wipes are good for a quick clean. Damp microfiber cloths are more ecologically friendly. ____ Jul 24 Check all around for leaks, pans under air conditioning units, water heaters, and under all the sinks. You may catch a leak while it is still small, potentially saving a lot of money. ____ Jul 25 Check for wasp nests and spider webs on the porch. Safely get rid of them. ____ Jul 26 Clear out old make-up. ____ Jul 27 Clear out some bookshelves. Are you really going to reread that book? Or maybe it’s a book you no longer want to read. Donate it, so someone else can enjoy it. ____ Jul 28 Speaking of clearing out books, do you really use all those cookbooks on your kitchen shelf? If a book has only two or three recipes you use, copy them down and give the book away. ____ Jul 29 Declutter your cleaning supplies. Toss that floor cleaner that left streaks, and any other cleaner that doesn’t meet your needs/standards. ____ Jul 30 Dust high shelves. Get out a ladder, and dust those places you often ignore because they are a bit of a pain to get to. ____ Jul 31 Clean the coils under the refrigerator. You can get a special tool that goes under, into the narrow spaces easily.