Summer is slowly coming to a close, and soon your kids will be spending less time at home and more time in school. This is the perfect opportunity to get your house back to the clean and orderly state it was before school was out for the summer. Every household is different, but we have a checklist for a few things we should all be doing around this time of year, including the tools you’ll need.

Back-to-school clothes inspection

Put on the no-nonsense drill sergeant’s hat for this back-to-school wardrobe makeover. With your child’s help, throw out or donate anything that’s too grungy or small to wear to school again this year. Make a list of what you’ll need when you go back to school shopping in the days ahead (a new sweater, pair of pants, etc.) based on what’s heading out the door.

If school uniforms are part of the program, this is the time to start ordering new sweaters, sweatshirts, and the like.

Any stains, smudges, or plain ol’ dirt? Tackle them with the Nellie’s All-Natural WOW Stick for stains, the Oxygen Brightener for non-bleach brightening and whitening, and - of course - the Laundry Soda for giving everything a deep, natural clean.

Take that momentum and turn to the rest of the house: go through your home and make a list of anything you don’t need anymore (old school supplies, toys, furniture, old appliances, etc.). Either donate these items, sell them, give them away to friends and family, or throw them out. It’s much easier to clean with less clutter in the house!

Tidy the bathrooms

Clean out kids’ bathrooms of last semester’s grooming remnants and restock as needed.
Help the kids clean out their bathrooms of last semester’s hair gels and stretched-out scrunchies. Make sure your son or daughter has everything needed to streamline morning grooming. This is especially important if you’ve got teens. If you have a couple of kids with a shared family bathroom, avoid the “It’s hers!/It’s his!” fights by keeping it simple and taking care of the issues now.

While you're there, have the kids help you with chores by wiping surfaces down with the All Purpose Cleaner while you scrub the toilet with the Toilet Bowl Cleaner.

Create a homework space

Create a homework centre. Choose a place where each child can work in comfort and without distraction. Stock nearby drawers or cabinets with school supplies.

If you already have a place, now's the time to go out with the old and in with the new and plan ahead for paper chaos. Set up ‘in’ and ‘out’ boxes for school papers. Kids can unload backpacks and drop off papers to be checked, signed, etc. in the ‘in’ box. You can leave signed papers, money, permission slips, etc. in the ‘out’ box.

Organize and entryway backpack zone

Create a backpack drop zone near the entry door. They’re going to drop those backpacks the second they’re inside anyway, so be prepared with a place to catch them. Whether that’s in cute storage cubbies or tucked in a closet, a designated space prevents scrambling in the mornings. Be sure to give the lunch boxes a good scrub – use the One Soap for a natural and fresh cleaning.

Time for a shop

Once you have a classroom supplies list, plan a day to go back to school shopping with the kids.
Make a back-to-school shopping checklist of everything the kids would need for school, from anything to classroom supplies to lunch boxes. When you’re home, make sure that everything is neatly labeled with names.

The sun is out, the weather is great, and the kids are at home. Believe it or not, but August is the perfect time to get ready for the end of summer and the beginning of fall. Take advantage of the weather and with the extra hands around the house, and deep clean now to welcome fall and back-to-school (even better). We’ve got an easy to-do list for you, tackling everything from inside to outside and the tools and products you’ll need. Happy cleaning!

INSIDE

• Focus on your home's ‘public’ rooms first: the living room, family room, entryway, guest bathroom, etc.
• Clean from the ceilings down to the floors. Begin by vacuuming the drapes and window treatments, followed by cleaning window sills and window wells. Vacuum baseboards and corners.
• Vacuum upholstered furniture. To get rid of any stains, use the Nellie’s All-Natural WOW Stick, or take to the dry cleaners if necessary.
• Wash interior windows.
• Clean the walls: dust, wash, rinse, and dry any painted or wood-paneled walls with a mix of warm water and Nellie's All-Natural One Soap in Fragrance Free.
• Turn mattresses front-to-back and end-to-end to ensure equal wear.
• Launder all bedding: mattress pads, pillows, duvets, blankets, and comforters, making sure you can tuck the family into warm and cozy beds. Don’t know how to tackle this? Don’t worry, we’ve got some how-to’s for your mattress, pillows, and duvets.
• Straighten out your closets – declutter, reorganize, and switch to your transitional summer-autumn wardrobe.
• Prepare the kitchen for more nights inside: clean and organize kitchen cabinets, paying extra attention to baking supplies, pans, and equipment. Give your cabinets a wipe down with the All Purpose Cleaner.
• Clean kitchen counters of all appliances that you have not been recently used. Clean counters look cleaner, and provide more room for cutting, chopping, and prepping.
• If you can, pull the refrigerator away from the wall and vacuum the condenser coils. For bottom-mounted coils, use a long, narrow brush to clean coils of dust and debris.
• Spruce up the computer: dust the CPU, clean and wipe down the keyboard, and dust off the monitor with a microfibre cloth.
• Check the dryer exhaust tube and vent for built-up lint, debris, or even birds’ nests! Additionally, make sure that the exterior vent door closes tightly when not in use.
• Schedule a fall inspection for your furnace – don’t wait for the first cold night!
• Drain any sediment from your hot water heaters.

OUTSIDE

• Clean the patio furniture and get ready to store it away along with umbrellas and the kids’ summer toys.
• Touch up the paint on your home’s trims, railings, and decks. Use a wire brush to remove any flaking paint (be sure the prime bare wood first).
• Check caulk around the windows and doors, re-caulk if necessary.
• Inspect external doors and garage doors. Do they close tightly? Fix them now with weather-stripping and door thresholds if needed to make sure you’re not dealing with a draft in a few months.
• Wash exterior windows with a mix of warm water and One Soap in Fragrance Free.
• Drain and store garden hoses.
• Check gutters and downspouts. Clear of debris if necessary.

You know those people with perpetually clean homes? The kind where you can drop by whenever and their place is always spotless? Safe to say, we all have one of those friends who makes keeping a beautiful and tidy home look effortless. Maybe even you’re that person, but if you’re not, don't lose hope. Keeping a clean home is as simple as employing a few basic habits that make tidying large messes more manageable. We've broken them down into 9 easy steps for you to do each day until they become second nature.

1. Make the bed

When you’re waking up in the morning, smoothing the sheets and fluffing the pillows might be the last thing you want to do. But one of the easiest ways to make your home look clean and tidy is by making the bed every day. Studies have also shown that making your bed every morning increases your productivity through the rest of your day. Try to make your bed before you run out of the house each morning, or at least pull the comforter up to the pillows and smooth out the creases. Better yet, you can also use the Wrinkle-B-Gone to smooth and refresh your sheets. That way, you can crawl into a fresh, clean bed after a long work day.

2. Clean handles and light switches

Some of the germiest places are the surfaces that everyone touches all the time, like doorknobs, faucet handles, cabinet pulls, and light switches. Since bacteria and viruses can live on surfaces for several days, it’s important to disinfect them every day. For an all-natural clean, spray the Nellie’s All-Natural All-Purpose Cleaner on a lint-free cloth or paper towel and wipe them down. It’ll take you less than 5 minutes and instantly makes your home cleaner and healthier.

3. Fold and put away your clothes

It's tempting to leave your clothes in a heap on the floor when you’re getting into bed, but don’t underestimate how much cleaner your home will look if you fold, hang, or place them in the hamper before bed. Not only will your room look better, but you’ll feel better mentally if your clothes are out of sight and not strewn about your bedroom.

4. Do a quick sweep of the floors.

Especially if you’re a pet owner, dust can accumulate quickly. Grab a broom and do a quick sweep around your baseboards and under large pieces of furniture to nab any dust bunnies at least once a week. Vacuuming will be a breeze!

5. Wash and put dishes away

Washing dishes is easy with your Nellie’s All-Natural One Soap, and can be fun if you put some good music on and make it a dance party! Wrangle your partner or kids to help run the dishwasher as well as dry and put away the dishes, and then rest easy knowing there’s no pile of dirty dishes to deal with in the morning.

6. Clean the kitchen sink

Studies have shown that there is more E. coli in a kitchen sink than in a toilet bowl (gross!!). As bacteria feed on the food that is put down the drain and dishes left in the sink, it’s vital that you scrub your sink daily. Use the All-Purpose Cleaner to spray the sink basin and then scrub the germs away with a clean paper towel.

7. Wipe down countertops

Like the kitchen sink, kitchen countertops are germ magnets. Since sponges and dish clothes are often loaded with E. coli, they just spread germs around and make your countertops dirtier. Spray the All-Purpose Cleaner on countertops and wipe them down with a clean rag or paper towel at least once a day.

8. Tidy up the bathroom

It’s amazing how one quick wipe down of bathroom mirrors, sinks, the toilet, and the shower can make your entire house feel cleaner. Every evening, wipe out the sink, clean toothpaste specks from your mirror and faucet, and give the toilet bowl a good scrub while you’re brushing your teeth. Use the Nellie’s All-Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner for a sparkling toilet.

9. Put away clutter

Last, but certainly not least, put away stray papers, used glasses, and electronics cluttering your desk or kitchen countertops. It’ll make it much easier to start your day fresh and focused if you don’t have to deal with mail and other stray items left out from the day before.

Drum roll, please! We’re so excited to announce a brand new addition to the Nellie’s All-Natural family. Say hello to your new favourite, the Wrinkle-B-Gone! Who has time to iron these days? In as few as five minutes, you can have the same effect as using an iron by just spraying the Wrinkle-B-Gone. Simply Shake, Spray, Smooth, and Snap!

This plant-based formula simultaneously removes wrinkles and freshens fabrics with Nellie’s signature lemongrass fragrance. Just like all Nellie’s products, the Wrinkle-B-Gone is free from dyes or synthetic fragrances. The spray can be used as a fabric refresher, an ironing aid, and for bedding, and is available in a 16oz spray bottle and a 3oz travel size bottle.

HOW TO USE

Using the Wrinkle-B-Gone couldn’t be any easier! Simply shake well to activate and apply a light mist to fabric. Smooth fabric with hands and snap. Then hang or lay flat and allow 5 minutes for the fabric to dry.

Also, if you’re as in love with Wrinkles the Dog as much as we are, he’ll be available for purchase soon!

There’s no better day than the when you realize you won’t be needing your thick and heavy sweaters, coats, and boots again this year. Breaking out the summer wardrobe is cause for celebration, but it’s a bad idea to ball up your winter clothes and chuck them into the back of your closet. They’ll sit there for months on end, and since they’re pieces that you invested in they’re worth preserving!

We’ve outlined how to store your winter clothes properly, for the easiest transition possible.

1. Clean everything first.

The biggest and most effective tip is to machine wash or dry clean everything you plan to store before packing it all away. It’s icky, but moths and insects are naturally attracted to our everyday scents, such as food, perfume, deodorant, and smoke, which can linger in the fabrics despite being unnoticeable to you. Using a natural laundry soda, like Nellie's All-Natural Laundry Soda, instead of a chemical detergent, removes odors instead of covering them up with synthetic scents. This is ideal for long-term storage!

2. Remove all of the plastic from your garments.

Never store anything in the dry cleaning plastic it came in. The plastic is ideal for trapping moisture, which can cause fibers to dry out and cause the yellowing of fabric.

3. Invest in plastic storage bins.

You may be tempted to try those as-seen-on-TV plastic vacuum bags, but many experts warn against them since you use a vacuum to suck out all the air, which again dries out the garments. Clothes need to breathe, so plastic bins are fine for non-delicate items like t-shirts, jeans, wool sweaters, or polyester. Just make sure to pack things loosely to ensure optimal air flow.

4. Pack delicates differently.

For your delicate items like silk, organza, or cashmere (or anything that’s just extra special to you), remove them from the dry cleaner’s protective plastic immediately, wrap them in acid-free tissue paper, and place in 100% cotton-canvas storage bags.

5. Don’t hang your sweaters…

If you’re lucky enough to have a spare storage closet, resist the urge to hang your sweaters, as they can become misshapen beyond repair. Alternatively, fold them and place them in your plastic bins of your fabric storage bags with the heaviest garments at the bottom. One thing to remember: don’t shove all of your sweaters into one bin. Air needs to circulate to keep your fabrics fresh and to prevent mildew and mold from forming. You may also want to add cedar-scented panels to keep pests away.

6. …And don’t hang most coats.

Yes, it’s true! Believe it or not, coat storage is more effective when each item is gently folded, instead of hung if the coats are wool, leather, faux fur, or down. First remove everything from the pockets and fasten all snaps, buttons, and zippers, and then gently fold the coat. Then, loosely stack them into boxes, storage bags, or plastic pins. This will help to better retain the shape of your coats than hanging them in the closet.

7. Commit "CCDD" to memory.

This means “cool, clean, dry, and dark.” The last thing you want your storage environment to be is too hot, too dusty, too damp, or too bright.

8. Invest in boot trees.

After spending your hard earned money on beautiful footwear, don’t let the leather or suede break down in your closet! Buying a few boot forms can do wonders when it comes to maintaining the shape of taller boot styles. It’s always best to keep your boot standing upright, but space is often at a premium in your closet, so you can lay them flat on their sides in your plastic bins. Just be sure to condition the, first, and lay some cotton (like an old shirt, pillowcase, or a muslin shoe bag) over each pair to keep them clean.

9. Pack shoes with tissue paper.

If your cold-weather shoes aren’t tall boots, but instead things like ankle booties, pumps, or loafers, loosely packing them with clean tissue paper before storing will help maintain their shape while they sit in storage, but be sure to wipe them down first.

Now you’re all set to swap out the kits for the bikinis, and can look forward to perfectly maintained clothes when Winter rolls back around.