Wives, Mothers, Daughters, and Sisters We Need to Lead by Example and Teach Our Families how to become Provident Providers Temporally and Spirtually

Monday, March 14, 2011

72 Hour Kits

As, we look over the past weekend and the devastation that has occurred in Japan, we need to reflect on our own emergency preparedness and really make an effort to get our kits built and maintain them.  We hope we never have to use them, but we don't want to be without if we do.  Remember, every member of your house hold needs a 72 hour kit, even those furry or feathered friends.
For those of you that have attended the CERT training program, you have been given a very long list of items to add to your kits.  Those that have not taken this class, we are going to be adding a list of items every month for you to add to your kits. 

March Items:
Manual can opener
Mess Kit / Paper plates, cups, & plastic utensils
All purpose knife
Household liquid bleach to treat drinking water
Sugar, salt, pepper
Aluminum foil, plastic wrap
Resealing plastic bags
If food must be cooked, small cooking stove and can of cooking fuel

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

De-Clutter Your Life - Cleaning Schedule

Here is a cleaning schedule that will help you stay on top of that dust:

Monday
Change/wash sheets and bedding. 
Empty all wastebaskets

Tuesday
Sweep/mop all hard flooring surfaces (except bathrooms and kitchen)
Vacuum all carpeting and rugs

Wednesday
Clean bathrooms - a) With disinfectant spray or homemade product (try vinegar or dish soap + baking soda solution) wash and dry the sink, tub/shower, and toilet.  b) Sweep and mop floor and base boards. c) Shine mirror with glass cleaner or homemade product ( try vinegar + water and newspaper for wiping).  d) If necessary launder shower curtain, curtain liner and/or bath mats.

Thursday
Wipes down all window sills, stair railings
Spot clean walls

Friday
Using microfiber cloth, duster, or dyer sheet dust all table tops, shelving, bed frames, etc.

Saturday
Clean kitchen - a) Sanitize counter tops (be sure to remove all small appliances and other items first). b) Sweep/mop floor and shake out and/or vacuum area rugs. c) Clean inside of microwave.  d) Wipe down appliances (polish if you have stainless).  e) Toss expired/spoiled refrigerator items.  f) If necessary degrease range top and/or range hood

Sunday
Relax

Daily Duties: (Best done first thing in the morning or later in the evening, takes about 30 minutes to complete list.)

Bedrooms - Make beds - Place clean clothes away and dirty clothes into hamper - Tidy night tables/dresser surfaces

Bathrooms - Wipe down sink, tub and bathroom fixtures - Squeegee shower door after each use - Tidy counter top - Empty trash can if needed

Kitchen - Wash and store dishes, pots, pans - Wipe down counter surfaces, range top and table top - Scrub and dry sink - Take out the garbage if needed

Living room, hallway, staircase - Adjust sofa cushions and fluff pillows - Put magazines, toys, and other clutter in appropriate places

Monthly Duties: (Select one day a month to knock it all out and assign jobs to each family member)
Throughout home - Wash windows and glass doors - Clean screens - Clean/dust blinds and wash curtains if necessary - Clean/replace air filter of heating/cooling unit - Dust light fixtures and wall vents - Wipe down walls and baseboards - Vacuum under and behind furniture, remove cushions from sofa and chairs and vacuum crumbs and debris

Kitchen - Clean cabinet surfaces - Wipe down cupboard and pantry shelving - Thoroughly clean interior and top of refrigerator - Clean oven interior or run self-clean cycle

Bathroom - Use a heavy duty cleaning agent to scrub any grime and soap scum built up from sink, tub, shower and plumbing fixtures

Annual/Bi-annual/Quarterly: (These are chores that may be done as frequently as you desire)
Bedroom - Flip mattresses according to tag instructions - Rid closets and drawers of items that have been outgrown or not worn in 6 months (donate, sell, or pass down items you wish to remove).

Bathrooms - Clear medicine cabinet, bathroom pantry and vanity drawers of medications, toiletries, etc that have expired or are no longer being used

Kitchen - Pull out refrigerator and vacuum coils and vent - Go through pantry/cabinets and throw away items that have exceeded their shelf-life (check to see if you can donate this items to the local food bank or charity)

Living room, Hallway, Staircase - Shampoo carpets an rugs - Clean dryer vent - Clean out and reorganize hall closets, pantries, built-ins, etc (donate, sell or pass down items you wish to remove)