Simple Genius

This idea may have been used in households all over the world, but I came up with it on my very own and was oh so very proud and excited! (Not to sound too prideful or anything) The other day I made faux buffalo wings which involved chicken and oil. Which means oil splattered everywhere! I tried my usual windex to clean up on our glass top stove, but it smeared it around more than cleaned it up. Then a commercial came to my mind about dish soap cutting the grease, so that is what I did. I got out my handy dandy (My toddler loves Blues Clues!) dish soap scrubbing brush and scrubbed the stove top. Worked like a charm! While I was down there I noticed grease splatter and the walls, with a bit more elbow grease the walls are clean too!

I GIVE UP! Let the good times roll!!!

Summer is officially here in my corner of the world and as a result I have full time kids making full time messes. Yesterday, after putting the baby down for a nap I spent a good 30 minutes, vacuuming, steam mopping, cleaning the hard water and dirt off the outside of the sliding glass doors, and cleaning the hand prints, and baby prints off the inside of the sliding glass door. Then I sent the older kids outside for some much needed fresh air and fun in the sun. I went upstairs to finish the straightening and get ready for the day. As I came downstairs what did I see? One of my daughters squirting the doors, over, and over with her squirt gun. Then later that afternoon all of them completely ignored me and came inside dragging their wet and grassy feet over my freshly steam mopped tile! That did it, I spent most of the day grumpy about the whole thing. Today I realize I have two choices:

1. Do I yell at the kids all summer to keep the house clean?

2. do I do my best to straighten, keep to my weekly cleaning and call it good.

They make the choice for me, #2 it is. Wish me luck, because this super clean Mommy and her not so clean children need it!

Hard Water?

Do you have hard water stains on your faucet like me? This is after I had cleaned half of the faucet with a lemon! Worked like a charm! I just used half of a lemon as my cleaner and scrubber, some elbow grease and...

Ta Da! A beautiful, shiny, hard water stain free faucet.

Stainless Steel Woes?

For the first time in my life I have stainless steel appliances. At first I had a love/hate relationship with them. Love the shine, the measured water feature on the fridge and a dishwasher that works really, really good. Hate the drips, fingerprints, spots...get the picture? I tried Windex, because what doesn't Windex clean? The answer: Stainless steel. It cleans it, but leaves horrible streaks. I was on the hunt for a streak free cleaner and I found it! Baby Oil! Okay, it doesn't actually clean, but it polishes my stainless beautifully! First, clean with the Windex, then put some baby oil on a white wash cloth, {a little goes a long way} then polish away. Ta Da! Gorgeous streak free, fingerprint free, spot free stainless. Until someone walks by and touches it of course. But the oil lasts awhile so it isn't hard to polish it with a dry cloth as needed.

My First Junk Drawer

When I was moving in I had all this left over "stuff." Stuff that used to be in three different places in our other place. This is the stuff that doesn't quite have a home, stuff that I need regularly and sometimes in a hurry, like band aids, lip gloss, lotion, and tape. All these things can most likely be found in other place in my home as well. But random things like the felt pads to go on the bottom of the chairs, extra elastics to protect long hair from syrup in hair, all these things also go in the junk drawer. Occasionally I'll open it up and think "I really need to get this organized," but most of the time I just love it! It's so convenient.

Garages

Right now I have belongings in two garages. The garage at our old place has the leftover stuff stacked in a corner, but it is garbage free and has been swept out. We really need to get the rest of the stuff out of there, but we can't until the garage at our new place gets a major overhaul. It is a disaster area! Every time I move the garage is the last place to get organized, out of sight, out of mind I guess. But it isn't really out of sight, I go in there a million times a day to get in and out of the car. Thankfully the forecast is for sunshine on Saturday and we can tackle the garage and get some order! We have plans to put in some shelving, stack all the holiday bins together in order, take my little sisters stuff down to my older sisters house who has more storage room, (she doesn't know this, but I don't think she reads this very often!) figure out a way to organize the shoes so the shoe-death-trap at the bottom of the garage stairs disappears, and if I can get my dear husband to organize his tools a miracle will truly have occurred! I will post the after pictures, because there must be an after, I can't live like this!!!

Moving...

Every time I move I'm always shocked at how dirty my house is. Everything I can see is pretty clean, but under and behind furniture is disgusting. Dust bunnies, the size of small actual bunnies dwell under my bed, behind the couch, and on top of the kitchen cupboards. The question I keep asking myself is this, "How much do I really care?" In my eleven and a half years of marriage I have never lived in one place longer than three years, if I rearrange my furniture I clean the walls and flooring behind the furniture but other than that I might get to it, or I might not. Take my current home, the bed hasn't moved since we moved in, I'm scared to see what is lurking under there! As clean as I consider myself, and you know I am a self professed clean freak! I don't take the time to clean under and behind furniture that never moves, or that balls don't roll under. It's all I can do to keep up on everything I can see. So what if I never moved? How gross would it be then? If I ever stay in one place longer than three years I will have to develop some sort of system to make sure those life size dust bunnies, don't turn into life size dust elephants! Meanwhile since I'm moving my posts will be few and far between while I get settled in the new house, and get this house ready for the new owners, wish me luck!

Bills, Bills, Bills!

We all have them and we all have to deal with them. In our home I'm in charge of the household finances. After nearly 12 years I finally have a system that works for me. When I get the mail I go through it one time and make a decision: recycle or keep. Everything I keep has a place, (surprised?) coupons, magazines, bills, all go in their own spot. On Mondays I look at what bills need to be paid that week, including the next Monday and if they need to be mailed I use a magnet and put them on the back door so I don't forget to take them with me. Is your garage door magnetic too? It was one of my greatest discoveries a couple of years ago when I discovered the door leading to the garage was magnetic! Weird I know, but true.
Back to bills:
I created a spreadsheet that has all my bills in monthly order. That way I know what is due when, it also has all the passwords, websites and account numbers associated with each account. All the information is in one place and I don't waste time searching. I prefer to set up automatic payments, or pay online and save a stamp if possible. To keep track of everything I use the program Microsoft Money. Then every month my husband balances Money with our bank account. I also like to plan it out months in advance so I can see when big expenses are coming up, like car registration, birthdays, holidays etc. so I can save.
Now, a clutter problem can occur if old bills are saved, and saved, and saved. I keep bills for two years, taxes forever, and shred everything else. So this January I went through all of our files and got rid of everything from 2008.
Figure out a system that works for you. Once a system is in place it will help to eliminate the pain-in-the-neck and stress of bill paying in your life!

Bathrooms - Deep Cleaning

When I was little I was in charge of cleaning the upstairs bathroom. I think I started at seven, but my little sister didn't clean the bathroom until I went to college! That's just how it goes with little sisters...back to bathrooms...I would pretend I was hosting a cleaning show to the huge mirror audience. I would take them through what I was doing step by step, explaining everything. I was a funny kid. Now I clean my bathroom in three different ways, the mid-week-wipe-down, the weekly cleaning and the twice a year deep cleaning. Bathrooms are perhaps the grossest rooms in the house, especially boys bathrooms!
Mid-Week-Wipe-Down:
I use cleaning wipes (So sorry Mother Nature, but I do recycle more than I throw away so I allow myself this one extravagance) wipe down the sink, counter, top of the toilet, and then the seat in that order. Touch up the mirror and I'm done! So easy!
Weekly Cleaning:
Using soft and scrub I scrub the sink and counters, making sure to rinse off the excess otherwise it dries white and powdery. Scrub the toilet inside and out, I use rubber gloves and a sponge, it sound gross but it's the most effective method for me. After I do the mirror I use that same paper towel to dust off the toilet paper roll holder, towel racks, and any decor. I don't clean the bathtubs every week, but at least once a month. My favorite cleaner to use on the tubs is a magic eraser, I recently tried the generic version and it worked just as well.
Twice a Year Deep Cleaning:
Take everything out of the cupboards, purging as you go. Vacuum out, then wipe out cabinets and drawers put everything back in an organized fashion.
Happy Cleaning :)

Cupboards

Dishes should be stacked from big to little in like piles. Thankfully I don't have glass or open cupboards! It doesn't look perfect, but we can always find what we need which is the whole point!


When I cleaned out my kitchen the other week I thoroughly organized the spice/baking cupboard. I don't have a very big kitchen and a small pantry. But, by keeping like things together in an organized fashion I can always find what I need and it makes my kitchen feel a lot bigger. Small spaces will always seem bigger after a thorough purge and organization.

Bathroom cupboards seem too hold all different kinds of things, hair bows, combs, toothpaste, toilet paper, make-up, all kinds of things. I don't know about you, but my husband has one shelf and one drawer, whereas I have a drawer, a cupboard and three shelves. Now, I realize I sound like a broken record but the rules of organization are the same for every closet, cupboard, and drawer in your home. Keep like things together, throw out garbage and broken items, and maintain it! Whenever you put something away, put it where it goes! By maintaining all areas of your home you only have to do a major clean out twice a year.

Sweeping and Mopping

There is a time and place for sweeping. Garages, front porches, sidewalks are all great sweeping areas. But not inside. Why? When you sweep, all the dirt, dust and filth are swept up into the air landing on your furniture, counters, cabinets, walls, appliances, maybe even your kids. I use a hand sweeper for cleaning up under the table after meals, it also works especially well for cleaning up play dough. Other than that I recommend using your vacuum to clean your hard surface floors before mopping. If your vacuum didn't come with a floor attachment you can get a small vacuum for hard surfaces pretty cheap.

Now for mopping. I have found the most effective way for me to my hard surface floors is on my hands and knees using the hundred wash cloth method developed by my Mom! First I take a bucket, put in a some all purpose cleaner, fill with warm water, put in my wash cloths (about 20, seriously) then put on my rubber gloves and go. I take out a wash cloth, wipe the floor, baseboards and touch up the walls as needed. Once I use a cloth I do not put it back in the bucket, I get out a new one each time, this way each new cloth is clean, not filled with dirty water. I do not have time to do this every week, but I try to do it twice a month. Meanwhile I own a steam mop that I use in between and I love it! I also have owned a Swiffer and that seemed to work fine in between deep cleans. The most important tip I can give you is to avoid the old method of cleaning your floors with dirty water, don't double dip your mop!

Closets

1. Pick one and start there, don't try to do it all at once.

2. Purge, Purge , Purge! If you haven't worn it in a year it's gone! Unless you were pregnant! I have saved some special clothing, the sweaters we were wearing when we got engaged, my wedding dinner dress, my wedding dress, my favorite baby clothes from my kids, a dress I made in college and a few others. But the key is it I specifically chose to save each piece.

3. Make 4 piles: garbage, keep, donate, sell. Ebay is your friend!

4. Keep a box for clothes your kids have grown out of handy, in the closet if possible. When your child has grown out of an item of clothing, put it in the box, donate it to charity or a friend or family member who has children younger than you.

5. Have a place for everything, shoe racks, baskets for purses, tie racks, belt racks, hooks for hats. These can be found at any Target, IKEA, Wal-Mart, Bed Bath and Beyond, and for not much money.
6. Fold sweaters: it helps them maintain their shape and takes up less room.
7. Hang clothing by type, facing the same direction so you don't waste time searching for certain pieces. My closet goes like this: camisoles/tank tops, short sleeve under shirts (shade), short sleeve tees, nicer tees, short sleeve blouses, quarter length sleeves shirts, blouses, cardigans, long sleeve cottons, blouses, cardigans, jackets. Then there is a section for shorts, Capri's, and pants. Pants are hung from slacks to jeans. Skirts are hung by color and length.
It sounds like a lot of work but once it is done if you put back clothing where it belongs it is easy to maintain. I use the same method with all of my children's hang up clothing, they don't believe quite as strongly as I do about maintaining order, but what's a Mom to do!?! In my baby's closet I hang up clothes to grow into in the back up to one size, so I don't forget I have them. Put on some of your favorite music, get the kids involved, and remember to take it one at a time!

Windows...

My windows are filthy. As I was enjoying the sun shining through them the other day I noticed they are layered with grime. It's quite cold in my spot of the world so I think I will add windows to my list of things that must wait until Spring, it's on my sidebar. I will also add cold storage rooms for you Ashley!

How clean is your oven?

I need to clean mine, and I hate cleaning the oven! It is technically a self cleaning oven, but the last time I tried it the whole house filled up with smoke. It's cold outside, I can't open up all the windows, maybe I will put this one thing off until Spring... Yes, I think I will. Okay, storage room time! Mine is a disaster, you can barely walk into it. I will post before and after pictures. Now I'm committed...Do you want to commit to cleaning you storage room, leave a comment and I'll post your before and after pics too!

Kitchens

I've spent the last two days deep cleaning and purging my kitchen cupboards and the pantry. I still need to tackle the oven, my least favorite job in the whole world! I started with the pantry and baking cupboard. I threw away or recycled old stuff, are my kids the only ones who put back empty cereal boxes? Then organized the remaining food. Next the appliance cupboard where I took everything out, wiped out the cupboard then put everything I rarely use in the back and things we use the most in the front. Onto the tupperware/bowl/pots and pans. I pretty much just took everything out, wiped it out, then when I was putting things back I stacked them according to size. Once again I put everything I rarely use in the back. If you have those fabulous cupboard with drawers that roll out, count your lucky stars! From there I did the cups, dishes, and then I tackled the drawers. Have you ever noticed how gross the silverware container gets? I don't know how it happeneds, but the divider that holds my clean silverware gathers all sorts of crumbs. Gross. Everyone has different drawers and cupboards, but the idea is the same. Take everything out, wipe out, put back only the stuff you use and like stuff together so you know where it is. Don't forget to wipe down the outside of the drawers and cabinets too, especially around the handle. I also have containers to separate things within the cupboards or drawers, like a little basket for seasoning packets, a basket for cookie/cake decorations etc. In the drawers you can find awesome dividers in all sizes so you can put your spatulas in one, wooden spoon's in one, measuring spoons in another, etc. It isn't hard to find the right size for your needs and they can be pretty cheap. Have fun!

Catch Up Time

Since I haven't been well I'm way behind on my housekeeping, and well, life in general. There are emails to return, laundry, so MUCH laundry, non-house related projects to finish, bills to pay, bills to file and last years bills to shred! I could do without bills :) I will be taking the remainder of this week and weekend to catch up around here so I can continue my deep cleaning projects. In between the posts labeled "Deep Cleaning" I will also be starting a new thread labeled "Purging". A friend recently asked if I had completed all my deep cleaning projects yet, the answer is nope. I still need to tackle all the doorknobs and light switches. See you next Monday!

On Sick Leave...

Deep Cleaning Part 3: Door Knobs, Light Switches and Bannisters

Something gross happens at my house; I have a door that leads to the basement. A lot of tween aged boys play in my basement. Occasionally I'll put my hand on it and it is sticky, and textured, with what I really don't want to know. I really, really don't! I get out my trusty all purpose, disinfecting cleaner and rag and clean it off, both sides and around the knob on the sides of the door because I'll notice fingerprints. Then I see the bathroom door, it looks highly suspicious as well, so I clean that. Then I'll move from room to room inspecting door knobs and doors and cleaning them as needed. You know what is so close to most door knobs? A light switch, they get really gross too so I wipe those down as well and before you know it all my door knobs and light switches have been cleaned, then I see the banister... One day I was walking up the stairs and noticed my white banister had black streaks I thought the paint might be wearing off, but it wasn't, it was filth! What ever makes white banisters have black streaks, once again I really don't want to know the details. Is this reminding you of the book "If you Give a Mouse a Cookie?" That is what it feels like, one thing leads to another and some days if time permits I'll end up cleaning the baseboards and outlets too, but let's leave those out of this post. There has been so much talk of the importance of hand washing to prevent the spread if H1N1, the common cold, influenza and worse. So why not take the time to clean the things we all touch multiple times a day, door knobs, the area around it and light switches. They are such small areas and you know the places in your home that are used much more than others. You can get it done fast, or get the kids to pitch in! In college during "white glove" inspections we used to have to use a Q-tip to clean the edges, if they are that bad go for it, or take off the light switch and clean it and the part that sticks through the plate, just don't shock yourself! Once they are thoroughly cleaned it will be that much easier to maintain. Have fun...

Deep Cleaning Part 2: The Microwave

Does this picture gross you out? Sorry about that, this is a picture of a microwave that had never been cleaned. Would you believe me if I tell you I have seen worse, I have. I was invited to a luncheon this summer and as I walked by the microwave I noticed the glass was textured, cloudy and kind of a weird gray color.* I don't think it had been cleaned, ever. When I was first married I mentioned to someone I was cleaning the microwave, and she asked, "You clean the microwave, I've never thought of that before." She said she cleaned her microwave that night and I know she has kept it clean since!

Microwave's get really gross, food tends to explode, especially when children are involved in reheating there own food and don't use paper towels to cover it up! They are relatively easy to clean, if you keep up on it, say one or two times per month. It is best to clean up big spills quickly because it gets harder to clean the longer it stays in there. Start by filling up a microwavable bowl with water, I use my 4 cup Pyrex, then either squeeze the juice of one lemon, or put 1 TBSP of lemon juice in the water. Microwave until boiling, usually about 4 minutes. Don't heat it too long or the water explodes and your microwave door will burst open, it's happened to me! Then by using a wash cloth everything should wipe off pretty easy. Ta Da, a clean microwave on the inside and out!

*If you are my friend and you are reading this blog, please don't think I ever judge your homes. I really don't. After the microwave comment you might think I do, but that home was really bad, anyone would notice! Currently there are dishes in my sink where they will stay until tomorrow morning, there is dirty laundry in every hamper, my dining room table needs to be dusted, and I noticed huge cobwebs in the stairwell and the breakfast nook light. See? My house gets cluttered and messy too!

Forget Spring Cleaning, Start Now!

Does this picture make you want to go outside? Me too! I feel like I'm stuck inside in January, February, March we may be able to get outside a couple of days, but by April I hope to be out in the sunshine and flowers. Meanwhile, I'm going to start "Spring Cleaning" so when the sun does come out I'm not inside. I'm starting a series of posts labeled Deep Cleaning, today was the first post, The Fridge. Look for more coming up and tackle them as you can. I will be cleaning right along side of you. If you'd like to email me before and after pictures, I will post them so everyone can give you a nice pat on the back for your accomplishments. Here we go...

Deep Cleaning Part 1: The Fridge

In 2002 my Mom was helping a lady move and cleaned out her fridge. There she found cream cheese from 1996, scarier than that is this lady had moved once in between! I clean out the fridge before I go grocery shopping so I know what I have when I plan my meals. About twice a month I take everything out and scrub the shelves, sides, walls, in between the plastic seals on the door, etc. I use hot water and dish soap, and rinse well. I don't want to mix cleaning chemicals with food.

My darling four year old loves to help! In her jammies of course,

the bottom half of the fridge is always very, very clean!

Sunday Routine

Sunday is my day of rest. I don't make my bed when I wake up, because I have big plans to get back in it after church, nightgown and all! For Christmas my husband gave me an after church nap option since we attend our ward at 9:00, it was all I wanted. In fact, I took such a glorious nap yesterday, it felt fantastic! I don't do laundry, vacuum, dust, clean bathrooms etc. I do dishes and keep up on the kitchen, and I straighten a bit but that's all. Sometimes circumstances are that I need to do a load of wash, or vacuum after hosting dinner, or do more extensive straightening so I do it. But most of the time I try to rest from the housekeeping I do the other six days and just rest and play with my family. I wake up to a big mess on Monday but since I cleaned deep on Saturday it doesn't take me that long to catch up.

Weekly Routine

In my church as children we sing a song, "Saturday is a special day it's the day we get ready for Sunday." Saturday is currently the day in our house do our weekly cleaning. IF everyone cooperates (big IF) we can get it done in a couple of hours, number one reason it's nice to live in a small house!

This is how it works:

- Each kid gets an age appropriate list, we try to have a fun, family activity for that evening to motivate the kids to get their list done!

- I make a master list for Ryan and I to complete in between taking care of the kids, and encouraging them to get their lists done. It usually looks like this:

Dust-Master Bedroom, Spencer's Room, Main Floor, Basement

Bathrooms-

tubs, toilets, sinks, counters, mirrors

Vacuum entire house

Stairs, edges too

Scrub/Mop all non-carpet

Straighten, Straighten, Straighten, as I've said before it's ongoing

I usually try to add one big job as well, in the morning its the dishwasher. Have you ever noticed the edges of your dishwasher? Go look, it might be pretty gross!

Have fun! If you want to get a big eye roll from your kids you can sing the song, I think they secretly love it!

Levels of Organization

I googled home organization and there were over 23 million hits, crazy. I sorted through the first couple of pages and found some really great information on HGTV. These are my thoughts, the above picture is beautiful, stunning really. I love all the labeled, color coordinated storage items. If I lived all alone, or ran a military base for a home, my home office area would look just like that, but I don't live alone and I don't run a military base.
One of my ten year old son's chores is to unload the dishwasher. My kitchen has a total of five drawers, (five drawers, really, that's all) one is tiny, it's for oven mitts and bibs, one holds baggies, Ziploc's, tin foil, plastic wrap etc. One is strictly for silverware, and the other two are for cooking utensils, measuring cups, teaspoons, pizza cutters and so forth. Here is the problem, when I unload the dishwasher I'm quite particular about what cooking utensils go in what drawer and in what basket in each drawer. He however just wants the job done as quick as possible, all cooking gear goes in one drawer, whether it shuts or not. I've shown him where stuff should go, but he just doesn't care like I do. I had a choice to make, do I want those two drawers just the way I want it, or do I want to unload the dishwasher all the time again? I chose to rearrange the drawers whenever it drives me nutty and not unload the dishwasher two to three times a day.
This all brings me back to my original title, levels of organization. We need to decide how organized we want and/or need to be in all areas of our life. I really believe that. It's also a very personal decision, but I think the point is to make the decision. For example, my mother is the most organized person I know, her closets are color coordinated and all the clothes face the same direction. I'll take pictures for my closet post. However, there is one area of her life that is a total disaster; pictures, photo albums, slides, from at least two generations back to the present are in boxes in a closet. She just doesn't have the time for it right now, she'll do it when she isn't working anymore.
Now decide! How organized do you want to be? What area's are more important to you than others? As for me, I like everything pretty organized (surprised?) but currently my garage is a disaster and so is my food storage, but it's all on the list to do!
TIP: The easiest way for me to get organized is containers, I love them. Seriously I do. IKEA, Target, Wal-Mart all have great containers in all shapes, sizes and colors.

What's that Smell?

The last thing you want someone to think when they walk into your home, is "What is that smell?" Right? Sometimes I walk into the house after being gone all morning and it smells like the last two meals, imagine BBQ chicken and syrup, so gross. I try to keep the house smelling extra good with my product of choice, but there are tons of other products on the market, choose whatever works for you. Hopefully, by emptying the garbage's, keeping up on dishes and laundry your home will smell fresh and clean. Unless you cook fish or bacon, I don't think there is any help for that!
P.S. The idea for this post came from a show Ryan was watching. Every one who came into this house literally gagged because of the smell. They found dead animals under all the food, clothes, paper and garbage, seriously dead animals! If only they would've read my blog, kidding, kidding.

"Clean Your Room!"

The eternal battle between parents and children, cleaning their room. Ryan's dad would get a huge black garbage sack and just gather everything in it, put it in the garage and if the boys wanted something they would have to dig it out. Will Smith said on David Letterman that he told his kids it's his house and he is just letting them live in it, therefore they have to keep it clean. At the end of the day we can threaten, yell, beg and plead but what works at getting the kids to keep their rooms clean? I have no idea! I haven't figured it out yet, but I do have some tips that help my kids keep their room mostly clean, mostly organized, and me, mostly sane.
1. Have a place for everything. Books, Barbies, Lego's, underwear, PJ's, art, etc. all need their own place.
2. Give your children responsibilities based on age and ability. My seven year old has a hard time understanding why she does more to keep their shared room clean than her four year old sister.
2a. I read somewhere that children who share a room get along much better if they have have places to call their own. My girls have their own drawers, shelves, and bulletin boards. So if the four year old chooses to dump out all her drawers (it's been known to happen) then I know whose responsibility it is to clean it up. Although there has been a time where I highly suspected her older sister did it just to get her in trouble, but that's a whole different blog...
3. Accept that their level of clean is different than yours. The way I make my sons bed is very different than the way he makes it.
4. Communicate with them how often and how well it needs to be done. If we are entertaining I'll step in and make sure their rooms look fantastic, but day to day their rooms might not get really cleaned up. I'm okay with that, unless you can't walk into it without injury, have you ever stepped on a Lego in your bare feet- Ouch!
5. Once a week (Saturday is a special day...)their rooms need to be cleaned up really well, dusted, vacuumed, sheets changed etc.
Good luck! And if you have found the solution please share!

Please Remove Your Shoes

Growing up we always removed our shoes upon entering the house. My mother has made up many different signs trying to figure out the most polite way to ask visitors to remove their shoes. I once saw a vinyl sign on someones door that said "Loose the Shoes," I'm still trying to figure out if that is funny or not. Everyone in my family knows when you go to someones house you remove your shoes, it's just what we do. At one point my brother had hospital booties for those people who opted not to remove their shoes. My Grandpa was having heart trouble and he drove himself to the hospital because he didn't want the EMT's to drag mud in on his freshly cleaned carpet, no kidding. That obviously was highly frowned upon, but now you know where I get my craziness from, it's genetic!
Why are we so crazy about this? Imagine where you go in a day, public stores, public restrooms, pavement, so many places where dirt and filth abound, mainly all sorts of bodily fluids or feces. As you walk around the soles of your shoes pick this stuff up and when you come home your carpet acts like a huge tongue wiping it all off. Gross! Especially when you think about your children playing on your carpet, walking barefoot, or your baby crawling on it.
Solution: simply remove your shoes, and have your children and guests remove their shoes at the door or outside. We have most of our shoes on shelves in the garage because I got sick of hauling shoes from the garage to the closets, and I didn't want all that junk resting on the soles of their shoes in our bedrooms!