Expert tips can help make spring cleaning easier
Whether it’s a small closet, large pantry or linen closet you want to keep tidy, organization is key to maximizing space and productivity. One philosophy that works: Everything should have a place, and be in place.
But what is the best way to achieve this sense of functionality and order? Here are some of our top organizational tips.
1. Keep items in clear containers or jars. Being able to see what you have is half the struggle to help prevent purchasing items you already own.
2. Practice the one in, one out rule.
3. Purge seasonally. Instead of the once-a-year cleanup, consider evaluating what to keep and what to toss more often.
4. Buy bins, baskets or containers to store small items.
5. Scan it! Gone are the days where boxes of documents or file cabinets full of paper are a necessity.
6. Just say no. Say no to items or inherited heirlooms you simply don’t have space or a need for that will sit in a closet or attic and collect dust.
7. Take new items out of boxes. Boxes are bulky and take up a lot of space.
8. Go slim. Huggable hangers and collapsible items can help maximize space.
9. Create cubbies or shelves to house items of various sizes.
10. Consider built-ins (be thoughtful and purposeful).
Spring cleaning time is almost here. From getting behind heavy bookshelves to crawling under narrow tables, it’s a lot of hard work that can make a big impact on your living space. Here are some tips from cleaning experts on how you can make the most of your spring cleaning in 2023.
FIX AIR LEAKS
Poor insulation can send your home’s air and heat bills soaring. Take a moment to inspect every window pane and door for cracks and other openings. Most hardware stores sell epoxy solutions to fill cracks and gaps.
“As tempting as it may be, don’t skip out on a quick walk around your home to make sure there are no faulty cracks or openings within window panes and doors,” Leanne Stapf, of The Cleaning Authority, told The Spruce. “Any air leaks, no matter how small, could lead to a larger issue, resulting in poor insulation.”
WASH WINDOWS ON A CLOUDY DAY
One of the most frustrating parts of cleaning glass is the streaks left behind. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Waiting for a cloudy day of overcast is an easy way to ensure that cleaning your windows goes smoothly.
“If it’s too sunny, the cleaning solution will dry too fast and you’ll have streaks,” cleaning expert Donna Smallin Kuper told Better Homes & Gardens.
WASH ALL LIGHT FIXTURES
An important activity to add to your spring cleaning to-do list is to wash all sconces, chandeliers and any other light fixtures within the home.
“At first glance, these may not seem dusty, but once you wipe one, you will see a noticeable difference,” professional organizer Jamie Novak, author of “Keep This, Toss That,” told Reader’s Digest.
DON’T FORGET TO STRETCH
Spring cleaning can be more than tiring. Bending down to clean under tables, crouching in awkward positions to get behind book shelves and most other cleaning activities in those hard to reach areas can be hard on the joints and back. Moreover, scrubbing can wear down muscles and cause soreness the next day.
Make sure to stretch before beginning any spring cleaning, and don’t be afraid to incorporate kneepads or other pieces of protective gear.
“Cleaning can often strain and pull lesser-used muscles, even on a fit person, as we crouch, lift, reach and kneel in ways our body is not used to,” chief cleaning officer of MaidPro Melissa Homer told Today.
While late-night TV scams and robocall schemes are coming under increased scrutiny by state and federal officials, new real estate-related swindles continue to come to light.
The latest is what title company executive Thomas Cronkright calls the “ownernot-present” ruse in which fraudsters claim to be the owners of vacant lots and unencumbered properties to shoot for a quick sale by offering below-market prices.
Cronkright, who also owns CertifID, a company which works to uncover and prevent wire fraud, says the crime has “grown quickly” into the second-largest risk category of real estate fraud.
The scam first hit his radar last summer when a ring out of Germany was discovered to be focused on non-owner-occupied houses. But “now we’ve seen enough of it to realize there is a definite trend growing around vacant and unimproved property without mortgages.”
Here’s how the scam works: The swindler searches public records to find real estate that is free of mortgages or other liens — often vacant lots or rental properties — and identifies the true owner. Then he poses as the owner and contacts a real estate agent to list the property for sale.
That’s exactly what happened to a lot owner in Nantucket, who found out his land was being targeted when someone who had seen the listing on Zillow called to see if he would take a lower price. He immediately ordered Zillow to remove the listing, and no harm was done. But he’s lucky. Most owners don’t find out they’ve been had until they discover their taxes haven’t been paid.
According to Cronkright, all communications are done digitally, either through email, messaging or other means — but never in person. The listing price is generally below market to stir immediate interest.
The scammer prefers an all-cash transaction, and when an offer is made, it is quickly accepted. The scammer refuses to sign documents in person, though. Instead, he asks for a remote notary signing. But when the papers arrive, he impersonates the notary and returns falsified documents to the title company or closing attorney. And at settlement, the proceeds are transferred to the sharpie.
Typically, says Cronkright, the fraud isn’t discovered until a point at which the documents are recorded with the applicable county, which can take days or even weeks in some jurisdictions. “The detection level is almost nil,” he told me. “And it can be an absolute mess if it reaches the courts.”
CertifID has worked with federal authorities on several of these kinds of cases. In North Carolina, a title agency and real estate agent were scammed out of $33,000 on an empty lot transaction. But CertifID worked with the Secret Service to freeze and ultimately gain the fund’s return.
In two other cases, one in Ohio and the other in Florida, the supposed owners contacted real estate agents online, out of the blue, with no previous connection.
Meanwhile, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is investigating Home Title Lock for possible violations of the state’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act by allegedly misleading consumers with deceiving statements concerning the prevalence of the theft of real estate titles and the need for the company’s services. Paxton is trying to determine if Home Title Lock’s claims and advertisements are false, misleading or deceptive.
Toward that end, the California-based company has been required to turn over documents concerning its advertisements and all documents substantiating specific claims.
“I won’t tolerate false, misleading, or deceptive advertisements targeted to any Texas consumers,” the AG said in a statement. “If Home Title
Lock is misrepresenting its services or the need for its services, I will put a stop to its unlawful behavior.”
Last summer, this column warned consumers about Home Title Lock’s claims that the FBI says title theft was “one of the fastest-growing” crimes in America. The FBI said it has no record of making such an assertion. And the document the company sent to ABC News to justify its claim was more than 20 years old and was about mortgage fraud, not title theft.
For about $20 a month, the company says it will monitor a subscriber’s title and notify him right away if it is tampered with. But homeowners seemed to be left to themselves if Title Lock found something amiss.
Moreover, monitoring your title is something consumers can do for themselves. And in many places, the county recorder’s office will do it for you at no charge. At the same time, the Federal Communications Commission has taken steps to squelch the ability of MV Realty to run a robocall campaign aimed at pushing unsuspecting homeowners into signing 40-year leasing contracts. I covered this outfit in October.
Acting after attorneys general in three states — Florida, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania — have filed suits against MV for using misleading robocalls to “swindle” and “scam” owners into effectively mortgaging their homes in exchange for cash payments, the FCC has told telecommunications companies not to carry the suspected illegal pitches.
About three months into the pregnancy, my son and daughter-in-law began the arduous search for child care. They asked for recommendations, toured centers, interviewed owners and — to hedge their bets — put deposits on four they liked. Now, in the last trimester, they wait for a nod of acceptance with fingers crossed.
Because I’m a curious in-law (but not a meddling one!) I dared to ask what child care costs for a 7-month-old, the age at which my unborn granddaughter will enter that world. The princely sum knocked my compression socks off.
Her parents will pay more than what I dished out annually for my son’s five-year master of accounting degree at the University of Florida. But this is not unusual. A report from the advocacy group Child Care Aware of America revealed that the cost of infant care in a center-based program not only outpaces inflation but it also surpasses annual in-state tuition at a public university in 34 states.
Not that it shouldn’t. Caring for a baby is labor intensive and requires trained professionals who know what they’re doing and, just as important, love what they’re doing, a combination that isn’t always easy to find. My grandbaby-to-be is fortunate that her parents can afford a top-notch center and live in a large city that offers options.
Their situation, however, is uncommon. Many working parents must cobble together solutions that are far from satisfactory. Others are forced to quit their jobs when they realize the cost of quality care exceeds a take-home salary. One teacher I know took several years off to care for her two kids. She enjoyed being home, but she would’ve preferred staying in her elementary school classroom. Her mother told me the decision was “a no-brainer” when commuting and other work-related expenses were factored in. In most states, the twokid price for a centerbased program turns out to be more than a family’s annual housing payment.
Child care has always been expensive, and it certainly was when I was raising my five kids. It was not nearly as exorbitant as it is today, however. Now, the cost and availability of child care has hit crisis proportions. There are fewer centers to choose from and fewer workers in the field, exacerbating the price. I consider myself beyond fortunate to have had a mother willing to care for my kids until they were old enough for preschool. The abuela option isn’t readily available for most, though.
Government is trying to help in its own convoluted way. For example, in an effort to revitalize the U.S. semiconductor industry, the Biden administration has proposed that chip makers who want subsidies provide access to affordable child care, but it doesn’t say how much it will cost or even who will pay for this service. While embarrassingly vague on details, the proposal only addresses a small sliver of the workforce anyway.
Businesses also have been slow to step up, though that’s changing as they get desperate to attract employees in a tight labor market. Only about 11% of Best Place for Working Parents members, a network promoting family friendly policies, offer some kind of on-site day care — up from 5.5% before the pandemic lockdowns in March 2020.
All this is an improvement, yes, but still far from a trend and certainly not enough to make a dent in the problem. On-site, employerbacked day care remains as rare as a Cape Sable sparrow soaring over the Everglades.
Politicians campaign on family values and companies boast parentfriendly policies, but for most moms and dads those promises ring hollow. There’s a lot of talk but little walk. And so, parents continue to struggle to find quality care, and to pay for it.
Until we address this problem, make its solution a core government policy and part of good business practice, the words we spout are nothing but a baby’s babbling: gibberish and nonsense.
Ana Veciana-Suarez writes about family and social issues. Email her at avecianasuarez@gmail.com or visit her website anavecianasuarez.com. Follow @AnaVeciana.
OK, let’s have a show of hands. How many of you have even seen a kumquat, let alone tasted one? That’s what I thought. I admit that I had never eaten one either. However, the small community of Dade City in southwest Florida’s Pasco County has made a cottage industry of what has been described as “the tiny gem of the citrus family.”
Every January, kumquat enthusiasts flock here to sample delicacies ranging from kumquat pepper jelly and kumquat ice cream to kumquat beer, cider and sangria.
While I wasn’t quite ready for kumquat adult beverages, I did make a stop at the booth (one of approximately 300 at the festival) handing out slices of kumquat pie. Similar in texture to Key lime pie, the kumquat version is sweet where the Key lime version is tart. Sorry, Key West, but I prefer Dade City’s slice of pie.
Even the Dade City restaurants weren’t kumquat-free zones. At the colorfully named Florida Cracker Lunch on Limoges, packed with festival goers, I ordered the kumquat chicken and left not a single morsel on my plate.
If you’re the curious type and wonder just why the kumquat is king here, you can get the answers to all your questions on a tour at Kumquat Growers. Take a walk through the groves, and then visit the gift shop with all manner of kumquat-based products. I left with a body lotion that not only softens the skin, but will leave you smelling like a – you guessed it – kumquat.
FLORIDA’S SPORTS COAST
There is more to Pasco County than kumquats. This part of Florida, about a 45-minute drive from Tampa, has become known as the Sports Coast due to the number of state-of-the-art facilities and training camps ranging from gymnastics and beach volleyball to pickleball and mar