Happy Thursday Everybody!

For the past two weeks I’ve written exclusively about clutter. This week I want to talk about clutter versus disorganization because what often looks like clutter is just stuff that has no place to “live.” Now that you’ve worked to eliminate as much clutter as possible, it’s time to get organized. Organization in its purest form means that you can find something when you need it.

Have you been working on your clutter?
I have and it continues to dwindle while my organization improves. Ahhhh….the sweet relief of finding something.

I WANT TO SHARE SOMETHING WITH YOU…..
Do you remember me talking about being sick last year and spending time in my media room and how it made me cough, and cough, and cough? I thought it was dust. It wasn’t. It was much, much WORSE….

After going out of town for a day (I work out of my home), I came home and walked into my media room. It smelled awful. I thought the cat peed on the carpet. I crawled on all fours and in the back corner of the room, behind the sofa, the carpet was…. SOAKED.

For a moment, I thought my cat had a SERIOUS incontinence problem. Then, I realized that one third of the room was wet. Whoa! She can’t drink THAT much water. Turns out, my three year old house had a three year old water leak and that every time it rained out of the south, that room flooded! I wasn’t sick last year….I was sickened – from the MOLD.

TAKE THE TIME TO CHECK YOUR CAULKING
Turns out we had a loose brick that was the source of the leak. It had ALWAYS been loose. The moral of the story is that if you are often sick in your home, it may just be you have mold – especially if you suffer from throat or chest illness. Strangely, though, my husband’s sciatic nerve would bother him from the moment he stepped in the room. THAT’S how mold affected him. Why didn’t we notice the water? It was behind a sofa – and we had an area rug covering it, so our feet never touched the actual carpet.

A THOROUGH STRIPPING
So, what happened to our house? The builder came in and resealed the exterior, replaced the sheetrock and insulation, and put in new carpet. The carpet looked like new; I hated to throw it away. But, it was FULL of mold.

Take time now to check the exterior of your house to make sure you don’t have areas where water can enter before winter sets in. And, if you and your family are often sick – REMEMBER: it could be the house! Give your house a thorough inspection for water penetration.

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Here's the latest article from the Cleaning site at BellaOnline.com.

IS IT CLUTTER OR DISORGANIZATION? Bust Clutter Month - Week 3
Sometimes what seems like a cluttered house is really a disorganized one. Learn the difference and tips on how to get some order into your home.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art47138.asp

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In the meantime, take care of yourself -- and your house. Declutter, organize, and on a pretty fall day, get out and inspect your home for water leaks and penetration. Your health may depend on it.

Warmly,
Kathryn Weber, Cleaning Editor
http://cleaning.bellaonline.com

P.S. I am SO excited. My ALL NEW 2007 Everydayclean.com Calendar is coming out soon in NOVEMBER. When it does, I'll be sure to let you know.


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