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How to Survive Life in the Suburbs

Kiss The Mess Goodbye – Quick Tips and a Giveaway

in Lifestyle on 11/16/16

My house is a very busy one.  One Husband, two teen girls, a cat, a dog and a partridge in a pear tree.

The door is always open.  The people running in and out, the pets, well, doing what pets do, and that’s the way I like it.  What I don’t love so much?  The mess.  Crumbs on the counters.  Dust bunnies under the couch, the animals tracking in leaves and dirt that get trapped in the doormats, and don’t get me started on the shedding!  It’s never ending.

So what have I done?  I’ve instituted a few quick tips to stay on top of the mess:

  1. Multi Task.  When chatting on the phone with a girlfriend I’m never sitting.  I’m unloading the dishwasher, recycling the paper, gathering laundry for that next load.
  2. Many hands make light work. In a house as busy as ours you can’t possibly keep it clean all by yourself.  Enlist the help of your Hubby and your little people.  Whether that be a weekly chore chart or working together one afternoon a week – get some help!
  3. Embrace The Bin.  We’ve added a small bin in the office to contain incoming mail, a basket in the laundry room for dirty tea towels and even a small one under the coffee table for magazines.
  4. Learn to let go.  Remember that life is messy and that’s okay.  Don’t forget that memories are made in messy places and when friends pop by to visit they don’t care if your kitchen is a mess, they only come to see you!  Just let the mess go.
  5. Pick the right tool for the job.  Don’t pull out a great big mop when a sponge will do, and leave the central vacuum in the closet when you can instead give the nifty Black + Decker 10.8-Volt Lithium Cordless Handheld a try.

screen-shot-2016-11-01-at-9-37-49-pmThis sleek white vacuum is compact, light, and easy to use.  It has a long lasting charge and great suction, just perfect for tackling the tiny disasters that crop up around the house.  And aren’t they always cropping up?  So when the leaves were blowing in my back door this week, and the last thing I felt like doing was hauling out my big vacuum to clean up a little bit of blown in foliage, I knew it was the perfect time to put this little beauty by Black + Decker to the test.

bd5

It was machine against nature, but those little leaves jammed into the deep shag doormat didn’t stand a chance!

bd6

With a quick touch of the button and a few passes back and forth on the messiest areas, my back door mess was soon as good as new!  All without dragging out my heavy vacuum and cords.  How?  Here are all the details:

  • Black + Decker’s 10.8-Volt Lithium Cordless Handheld Vacuum features an efficient Lithium Ion battery that holds a charge longer to deliver fade-free, best in class suction.
  • Cyclonic Action rapidly spins debris away from filter so suction power stays strong over a long period of time.
  • Great for quick carpet, bare floor, stairs, and upholstery cleanups around the house and in the car.

Includes:

  • Push-in crevice tool
  • Push-in brush
  • Large, easy-to-empty translucent dirt bowl
  • Comes with a wall-mountable charging base with charging indicator light
  • Washable dirt bowl and filters

What I loved:

  • That it was light weight.
  • How quickly I could grab the Black + Decker’s 10.8-Volt Lithium Cordless Handheld Vacuum to snag the cobwebs I missed in the corner.
  • How efficiently it sucked up leaves and debris tracked in by this little guy.  So much easier then bringing out the big vacuum, or shaking out the carpets.
  • How versatile it was. Just perfect to take out to the car and do a brisk clean-up of the floor matts.  It sucked up the dry stuff and the wet stuff.  No muss, no fuss. My car went from dusty and dirty to clean in a flash!
  • The price point.  Available for only $59.99.

Life is hectic, why not make it a little bit easier?  In my opinion, the Black + Decker’s 10.8-Volt Lithium Cordless Handheld Vacuum  is a perfect little addition to any household.  How much do I like it?  Enough to give one away to one lucky reader!  That’s right!  One lucky reader of How To Survive Life In The Suburbs will win one vacuum of their very own.

win

To enter simply tell me if you won, what mess would you tackle first?

Then use the Rafflecopter form provided to earn those extra entries. Good luck.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open to Canadians only, excluding Quebec, and to all those who have reached the age of majority in their Province. Closes December 7th, 2016.  Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in partnership with Black + Decker. All thoughts and ideas remain my own.

  • « Paying It Forward While On Vacation
    Kindness ~ Beautiful Ways To #Donate2Create »

    Comments

    1. Chandra O'Connor says

      November 17, 2016 at 7:48 am

      One cat and two dogs worth of pet hair where the broom doesn’t catch.

    2. Jennifer P. says

      November 17, 2016 at 2:58 am

      Either all the Cheerios and crumbs from the back seat of the car, or the litter on the floor near the cat’s box.

    3. Lee-Ann says

      November 17, 2016 at 1:32 am

      Most likely I’d be cleaning up some dog fur from some odd crevice!

    4. Nicole Hutcheson says

      November 16, 2016 at 10:36 pm

      I would use it to clean up after our two cats. They are messy when eating their dry cat food.

    5. Michelle k says

      November 16, 2016 at 10:22 pm

      I would clean up all the christmas glitter. So much glitter coming off of everything.

    6. erin mcsweeney says

      November 16, 2016 at 8:08 pm

      SINCE I’M DOING SOME RENOVATIONS …DUST I WOULD BE CLEANING UP DUST

    7. Elaine G says

      November 16, 2016 at 7:17 pm

      The first mess would be my niece cracker crumbs trail.

    8. lori butler says

      November 16, 2016 at 7:07 pm

      i would be cleaning up the pieces of food left over that my pets insist on dragging around

    9. Gillian Morgan says

      November 16, 2016 at 6:37 pm

      I would use it to clean up kitty litter or crumbs on the floor.

    10. Soozle says

      November 16, 2016 at 6:18 pm

      I have a lot of plants in my home so often have dirt and leaves on the floor

    11. Brenda Penton says

      November 16, 2016 at 6:01 pm

      I’d be cleaning up something cat related, either kibble or litter.

    12. angela m says

      November 16, 2016 at 6:00 pm

      I would clean up any dinner messes with my girls if I won

    13. Branka Stefanovic says

      November 16, 2016 at 5:19 pm

      I love having a clean kitchen, which seems impossible when I’m peeling, chopping … my mom always tried to teach me to contain my mess. I would be able to easily clean up every night. Fingers crossed tightly 🙂

    14. Stephanie LaPlante says

      November 16, 2016 at 5:09 pm

      I think I would clean up the many crumbs that fall in the kitchen.

    15. kathy downey says

      November 16, 2016 at 4:09 pm

      If i won, the mess i think i might clean up first is treads because i just got back into quilting for Fall.

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    Travel addict, sun seeker, coffee drinker, fashion lover, picture taker. This is a peek behind the closed and competitive doors of the suburbs. A place to come to learn about the best places to travel with your kids in Canada, the United States, the Caribbean and beyond! stephanie@sassymodernmom.com
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