This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CleanForTheHolidays #CollectiveBias
One of the big things I need to do to get ready for the holiday is clean and organize the house! We are having a big celebration at Christmas, with all of our family coming over for Christmas dinner. And we are planning smaller celebrations too, with friends and family. I want things to be tidy and organized this year, and not just do a cosmetic surface cleaning. One of the biggest things that makes cleaning challenging for my family is our pets, especially the dogs.
Sure the dogs look cute, but they make big messes. Dodger, our larger dog, is pretty laid back, so he mostly makes messes by shedding. But our younger dog Ziggy loves to chew, and he chews anything and everything, usually all over the living room and family room floor. Just last week he found a 1/2 empty root beer can, and chewed right through the aluminum to spill soda on the carpet. Yesterday I pulled a yellow marker out of his mouth – luckily before he created any stains this time. And then there is the mud that both of them track into the house, along with an occasional accident.Â
So keeping our carpet free of stains is an ongoing battle! That is why I am getting a lot of use out of my Bissell 2x Revolution carpet cleaner, which has 2 rotating power brushes for keeping carpets clean. It is lightweight and maneuverable, so I can quickly clean up stains and get the house company ready. One of the things I really love about it is the Express Cleaning mode. With this mode the carpets are cleaned and dry in about an hour, so it is perfect for when company is coming soon!
I picked up some 2X Pet Stain & Odor Remover and Professional Pet Urine Eliminator Formula at Target to use in the cleaner. The Stain & Odor Remover has patented odor-control technology, and is designed to remove pet stains and soils from carpet. The Pet Urine Eliminator Formula is the best for removing the strong odors caused by urine, and contains Scotchguard.
I used the 2X Pet Stain & Odor Remover to do an express cleaning of our family room. After the express cleaning the carpet was stain free, and ready for company. And you can see how dirty the water in the tank was after the cleaning in the picture above – the carpet was even dirtier than I thought!
I clearly need to go back and do a full deep cleaning with the Bissell carpet cleaner before Christmas! Other years I have rented a carpet cleaner, but having one of my own makes things much simpler. I can deep clean one room at a time instead of rushing to get them all done at once, and I can use the express cleaning mode right away on new stains. It is going to make cleaning for the holidays much simpler for me this year!
Another way I have decided to simplify my holidays and be more organized is to make a simple DIY gift wrap organizer. In previous years our gift wrapping supplies have been jumbled together in multiple places with no organization or thought. A simple organizer means we will have everything we need in one spot which will save the family time and energy. While I was at Target I picked up a few supplies to make the container, which only took 30 minutes to put together.
DIY Gift Wrap Organizer
Supplies:
- White plastic crate
- foam core board
- Hanging closet organizer basket
- Clothespins
- Washi tape
- Glue dots
- Metal pail
Instructions:
- First I cut the foam core board to use as a divider inside the crate. You need to make it a tight fit, so the foam core stays upright.
- Then I used the Washi tape to cover the raw edge of the foam core, and the edges of the bin to make it all look cohesive.
- I used glue dots to hold the foam core in place inside the bin.
- Then I decorated the edge of the metal pail with the Washi tape and hung the basket on the side.
- Finally I clipped the clothespins to the side of the crate.
Once it was done I put the wrapping paper behind the foam core board. The gift tags and writing implements went in the pail, and the pail and the ribbon were placed in the other half of the bin. I placed tape and scissors in the basket, and I clothespinned my decorative twine to the edge of the bin. It all came together quickly without a lot of effort!
Of course I am going to have to make sure it stays up and out of reach of Ziggy, or all my organization will be destroyed!
What cleaning challenges do you face? Be sure to visit Bissell and learn more about their Scotchgard Formulas can help you get ready for the upcoming holidays.
And you can enter below for a chance to win Visa gift cards that you can use to get your home clean and organized! The contest runs from 11/16 – 12/31, so enter today for your chance to win.
#CleanForTheHolidays – Bissell Sweepstakes
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Scotchgard is a trademark of 3M; with right granted
