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You are visiting: Home » Real Life with Lindsay » Labeling Cleaning Supplies to Make Housework Easier

Labeling Cleaning Supplies to Make Housework Easier

by Lindsay Ballard on April 7, 2009 18 Comments

Those of you who have been reading for a while know that I clean every day. EVERY day. Sometimes it feels like a bit of a chore (pun totally intended), but I like that I am able to break my cleaning tasks into bits and pieces so that I don’t have to spend one entire day cleaning the house.

What I don’t like is when I grab what I think is bathroom cleaner and find myself spraying carpet cleaner in my sink.

At my house, we store our cleaning products in a cabinet in the laundry room. Even when we kept them under the kitchen sink in our old house, there was never enough space to have the labels of all the bottles facing forward. All of the cleaning product bottles are wider than they are deep, so I end up having rows and rows of products. I couldn’t see what is hiding in the dark spaces behind the first row, and I was always grabbing the wrong product since they are all packaged in similar white bottles.

That also explains why I currently have three bottles of Clean Shower, which I really don’t even use.

One evening, in a stroke of brilliance, I grabbed a Sharpie and changed my life.

I wrote the name of the product on the spine of each bottle so that I could fit more bottles across a row. Now, I can see what each bottle contains, and I only have two rows of bottles instead of four! No bottle gets to have the luxury of hiding from me and my trigger finger.

This may be an “uh, duh” moment for you, but it sure was an “a ha” moment for me. I hope this tip works for you as well as it works for me!

About Lindsay Ballard

Lindsay Ballard is a former college mascot turned political geek turned roller derby playing, DIY fanatic.

Lindsay chronicles her projects, design ideas, and lifestyle tips here at Makely, where she shares tutorials and inspiration. Her DIY designs are bold and graphic, while her spirit is fun and full of color.

Lindsay lives outside of Austin, Texas with her husband (Tom), children (Zack and Emma), and dogs (Duke and Jill). She plays roller derby for the Rockin' City Rollergirls out of Round Rock, Texas.

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Comments

  1. the BLAH BLAH BLAHger says

    April 7, 2009 at 10:11 pm

    One of the reasons I love you…your crazy anal cleaning and organizing!!! Please come to CA and whip me into shape!

    Reply
  2. Holly says

    April 7, 2009 at 10:43 pm

    Now if I could just keep the Windex from disappearing! I buy one to keep in each bathroom, and inevitably, it’s not there when I want it. No matter which bathroom I’m cleaning at the time.

    Reply
  3. Raise Them Up says

    April 7, 2009 at 11:10 pm

    That’s definitely one of those, “Gee, why didn’t I think of that??” tips. Thanks!!

    Reply
  4. Amanda @ Serenity Now says

    April 8, 2009 at 6:32 am

    Not “duh,” it’s brilliant! The type A in me just loooooves that. Good tip, thanks. 🙂 🙂

    Reply
  5. Kirby3131 says

    April 8, 2009 at 1:38 am

    Awesome! Not to mention, I love to find a new use for a Sharpie (they are a long time love of mine) – You are right about the white bottles, everything seems to be in them and you can’t be sidetracked at all when going to for the cleaning supplies.

    My sister teased me one day when she saw that I had a container marked “Laundry Soap” above the washer. I told her it was in case I got loopy and forgot what was in there, I didn’t want to use it like sugar. LOL

    Reply
  6. southerninspiration says

    April 8, 2009 at 7:57 am

    Hmmm, I have many of the same cleaners as you do…..so why is my house not clean??? 🙂

    Suzanne
    Great idea, btw!!!

    Reply
  7. Carissa Houston says

    April 8, 2009 at 8:08 am

    Fantastic! Will copy–thanks

    Reply
  8. SarCraw says

    April 8, 2009 at 3:23 am

    Great idea, writing the names down the sides. Definitely helpful!

    Reply
  9. Songbirdtiff says

    April 8, 2009 at 9:33 am

    I probably would never have thought of this. My utility cabinet could use some serious attention! Thanks for the idea!

    Reply
  10. Liz@HoosierHomemade says

    April 8, 2009 at 10:05 am

    Great organizing! Love it! Thanks for sharing!
    ~Liz

    Reply
  11. just me... says

    April 8, 2009 at 11:12 am

    Great organizing tip! TFS

    Reply
  12. Sturgmom says

    April 8, 2009 at 9:01 am

    Well, DUH! HAHA! GREAT tip!! Although it seems obvious, the thought never crossed my mind either. Thanks for sharing!!

    Reply
  13. Anonymous says

    April 8, 2009 at 2:57 pm

    Great idea!! I did something similar in my medicine cabinet. You know how the expiration dates are so tiny or they are just an imprint? Well, I decided to mark across the bottle the date with a sharpie so I can toss it when it’s old.

    Reply
  14. Angry Julie Monday says

    April 8, 2009 at 4:15 pm

    Great idea on the Sharpie. Have I told you about my love for Sharpie’s? SERIOUSLY, love them. Actually I might need to do a blog post about my love for permanent markers.

    Anywho, great idea on the labeling. That’s also a good tip to move everything to one central place. I did that last week. I went into all the cabinets and moved everything to my garage cabinet. I had like 4 bottles of Windex, and like 3 bottles of Clorox spray.

    Reply
  15. shopannies says

    April 8, 2009 at 11:23 am

    great ideas I think this would help my teens now why did I not think of that

    Reply
  16. Cupcake Dessert says

    April 8, 2009 at 12:03 pm

    that is a great idea!! i will have to use that!!

    everyday? um yeah i feel like such a failure now lol

    Reply
  17. Jill -Forever and Ever House says

    April 8, 2009 at 6:51 pm

    Now, you aren’t just another pretty face are you?!!? Smart cookie.

    Reply
  18. Small House says

    April 8, 2009 at 7:33 pm

    What a great idea. So simple.
    Thanks.
    Sandra

    Reply

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About Makely

Lindsay Ballard is a former college mascot turned political geek turned roller derby playing, DIY fanatic.

Lindsay chronicles her projects, design ideas, and lifestyle tips here at Makely, where she shares tutorials and inspiration. Her DIY designs are bold and graphic, while her spirit is fun and full of color.

Lindsay lives outside of Austin, Texas with her husband (Tom), children (Zack and Emma), and dogs (Duke and Jill). She plays roller derby for the Rockin' City Rollergirls out of Round Rock, Texas.


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