Organize & Clean


Good (Enough) Housekeeping (3 of 6)

Posted: 2008-01-07 11:24:47


Hide Your Sins

These home accessories and furniture items will help you conceal clutter and keep your home looking clean.



Smart Storage
This two-cabinet, walnut-finish bench opens up to stash toys, books, clothes, or whatever else is strewn on the floor when your friends call to say they're right around the corner. At Target, $119.



Washable Paint
A must-have for kids' rooms, this special paint type lets you wipe blemishes from the walls. We like Ace Sensations brand with Scotchgard Protector, which won a Good Housekeeping Research Institute Good Buy Award. Our tests revealed that you can scrub away crayon, grease, ink, and more from this flat latex paint without damaging the finish. From Ace Paint, $25.



Stain-Resistant Slipcovers
Chris Madden's quilted version wins the cleaning triple crown: It has a special finish that protects the fabric from spills, its rich burgundy color disguises dirt, and, of course, it's machine washable. At JCPenney, $109.




Dark-Colored Towels and Bath Mats
Let go of your love affair with white linens: Royal blue, plum, forest green, gray — these are the shades that keep your bathroom looking fresh.



Patterned Rugs
Dirt and stains are hard to detect on a patterned, dark-colored rug. Opt for one with a pretty floral or leaf design — we like the ones above, from Crate and Barrel (top, from $299) and JCPenney (bottom, from $24).




Nonpleated Lampshades
Never dust a lampshade again. Choose smooth versions and you'll avoid dirt buildup.



2007-11-20 15:05:54

Recent Comments

1 - 10 of 25
25 comments

SCrone2991 12:37:24 PM May 02 2008

Keep things picked up and put away. Go outside to smoke. Helps cut the habit. Do daily chores. Keeps major clean up to minimum. Hire a housekeeper.

WranglerST 09:01:09 AM May 02 2008

when your house is clean on the inside your world works better on the outside

WranglerST 08:57:04 AM May 02 2008

When you house is clean on the inside your world works better on the outside

Bobbybass38 09:18:30 PM Mar 12 2008

my house is sunch a mess

SonjaDr 08:51:50 PM Mar 12 2008

Home is a place you LIVE in. To be comfortable doesn't mean that it has to look like a picture from the pages of House and Garden. To me, a house with little or no clutter is the home of very uninteresting people. If you have hobbies, like to read, enjoy music, etc. you will have "things" around and you do not want to put everything away. And parents who are so obsessive about putting children's toys away the minute the child isn't playing with them, is nuts, too. Quite frankly, messiness drives neat freaks nuts and for people who don't mind the clutter trying to be really neat would drive them nuts!

Rosemarychicago 08:25:36 PM Mar 12 2008

Always clean your house; it is a reflection of mind, the intellectuals tell you. There is nothing worse than a slob! I rather a man be Client No. 9 than a slob, but maybe that is another kind of slob or well. It is a well known fact that men are cleaner than women.

Rbmdonna888 07:54:57 PM Mar 12 2008

My house is gourgous! I clean everyday.Its very large though 5,500sq ft.
My poroblem is Im a pack rat. I stash things so floks cant see it yet I know its there.
when I get rid off stuff I miss it. I need to seperate treaure from trash but its all treasure to me. How do you decied what is realy junk and whats not. somethings just have good memories attaced to it but Im no longer using it.Like this old lawn chair.

BOYS12N7 07:53:54 PM Mar 12 2008

My mom was a heavy smoker who quit 8 months ago. She was one of the last hold outs for smoking inside in this day and age if you can imagine such a thing. Not only did it depreciate the value of her home when she was attempting to sell it, but it really did make her home unclean. Eight months later, she is still trying to get everything fresh and clean and she has a long way to go. It's not just the hideous stench; it's the putrid film on everything. What a slovenly piggish habit.

Meandsindy 07:37:24 PM Mar 12 2008

its always us smokers...... bitmch bitch bitch

Royersfordcindy 07:04:20 PM Mar 12 2008

I agree odor is the worst. Always tidy up each dayand keep a container of frebreeze handy . I spray the house down before leaving each day

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