A Visit from the Cleaning Wizard

So as I have mentioned before, there has been a fair amount of havoc around here. I'm a mom of three kids, I'm not getting enough sleep and as those who know me well can testify, I am a chaos magnet. A side effect of all of this is that I have been losing the constant battle of me versus the mess.
 A few months ago I made a new friend at play group, we'll call her Sarah. :) She has three very active boys and newborn baby and still manages to keep the chaos to a minimum. For awhile whenever I went over to her house I was fairly amazed at the fact that she managed to keep things clean. And I have seen and heard plenty of examples of destruction from these boys, it's not like they are low maintenance. (Meanwhile when she came over to my house she said it was like seeing a vision of what her life would be like post-baby. I told her not to worry, it would only be this bad if she's crazy enough to have 4 surgeries right after having that baby.) One day Sarah showed up on my doorstep with her cleaning caddy and while our babies laid on a blanket and our kids played together we attacked Thing 1's room. The progress that we made in an hour and a half was nothing short of astounding. I snapped a picture and sent it to my husband. (I'd post the picture, but it doesn't mean very much without the before shot.)  He asked me if a wizard had visited our house. Almost. Here are some tips that Sarah gave me as we cleaned.

• Tackle one room at a time, and if you can, do it with a friend. :)
• Take at least half the toys and pack them away. Rotate them when the kids get bored or request one that they can't find.
• Throw things away. Be ruthless. (Apparently throwing things away is one of Sarah's favorite-st things to do. And she always throws away all McDonald's toys. It made me think, instead of buying the Happy Meals in the first place, I may just pay my kids $1 every time to not get the toy. Then they can save up for something nicer.)
• Don't leave the room to put things away. You're wasting time and energy. Give yourself 3 (or 4) containers. 1. Put away (elsewhere in the house) 2. Throw away 3. Give away (4. Pack away- toys or seasonal clothes.) 
• Teach your children not to hoard. It's a tough thing, kids like to collect things with little or no value. And Thing 1 is the 'hoardiest' child I have encountered. Really, I adore her, but she wants to save every ribbon, every paper, every broken balloon, every rock and every leaf.  It's not conducive to keeping her room or the rest of the house clean.
• Hangers are your friend. Kids have a tendency to 'dump' shelves and drawers. Hang up as much stuff as you can.
• Clorox tabs help keep your toilet clean between scrubbings. (Sarah said without them and with three little boys she had to scrub her toilets daily.)
• Pumice stones are great for removing any hard to remove spots on the inside of your toilet bowl.
• Energy efficiency toilets are much harder to clean. We have a regular toilet in the bathroom that gets used the most and a "low-flow" toilet in our master bath and I couldn't figure out why I spent twice as much time scrubbing our master toilet with lesser results. Sarah enlightened me. So I may be saving some water with that toilet, but not to make up for the wasted time, energy and cleaning supplies that I have to put into maintaining it. This is a case where I don't think trying to save the environment pays off. If only dual-flush toilets were easily available in our area like they are in Europe.

I think that the biggest enemy to maintaining a clean house is clutter. At first when Sarah was strongly pushing me to throw stuff away, it was slightly uncomfortable. I felt like the guests on 'What Not to Wear'. They know that they don't dress well, but they have a hard time parting with their old clothes that are what make them poorly dressed even though someone is giving them $5000 to spend on new better looking clothes. There's an emotional attachment to the old clothes. I feel the same way about the clutter. I know that if my house is ever going to get clean I have to get rid of a lot of the junk. Part of me says 'But I spent money on this junk! How can I throw it away?' or 'But (fill in the relative) gave them that toy, sometime I will get around to fixing it.' Yeah, well I have to get over that, uncomfortable though it may be. The reality is that I am not going to get around to fixing broken toys and having a clean house is more important to me than having a bunch of junk.

Maintaining a Clean House

Maintaining a clean house is just about that, maintaining. You've got to keep the mess at a certain level. If you aren't constantly taking small steps to keep it under control, things get out of hand and quickly. How you run your house depends on your household, needs, circumstances, etc. Here is the dynamic that we have going on our house:

• My handsome husband- really great about playing with and teaching our kids when he's not at work full-time. He has recently become a vegetarian (with lots of allergies), which means that meal preparation requires more thought and planning and take-out or instant meals are rarely an option. 
• Thing 1- 5 years old and just started Kindergarten. She loves to help as long as what we are doing doesn't involve the word "clean". (Pull weeds, scrub toilets, sort laundry, fine, clean room-no way) A real sweetie-pie who is everyday is saying 'teach me, play with me' and loves to help with the baby.
• Thing 2- A three year old ball of energy and oh my goodness he's going to be a heart-breaker. It's really not fair that a boy have such gorgeous blue eyes and such long eye lashes. I adore him, but he can be difficult, especially when it is too hot to play outside. He's a adjusting to not being the baby of the family and it's a big adjustment. A couple weeks ago he single-handedly convinced my sister-in-law that she is not ever going to have children. His favorite job is throwing away poopy diapers. Don't ask me why.
• Cindy Lou-Who- Almost four weeks old, and a little easier than my previous two (yay!) However, she still wants to breast-feed most of the day.  I love, love, love that she's getting fat rolls.
• Then there's me- mommy, not sleeping as much as I would like, but hanging in there and enjoying a whole lot of sweetness.

That's my family and meeting their needs is more important than a spotless house. However, some of those needs include maintaining some amount of cleanliness. On every given day, my house is not has clean as I would like it to be. But I'm trading that for the little sleep I can squeeze in and time with my family. Here are the things that I do to try to maintain a state of livability.

• Every morning I make my bed. It is the largest feature in my bedroom, and if it is made the whole room feels cleaner. (Learned that one from my MIL)
• I have my kids pitch in a little at a time. Before my kids can have treats, play games or watch movies they have to 1) get their stuff out of the living room and 2) pick up and put away five things in their rooms. They also have to pick up the last game that they played with if they haven't done so. They also are rewarded for doing chores beyond managing their own messes.
• Every day I get rid of at least five things. Junk mail, newspapers, magazines, etc.
• When I get bills I pay them and file them immediately so they're not cluttering up the house.
• When I go grocery shopping I take the recycling bins with me. (They could stand to be emptied more often.)
• I wipe up spills as they happen.
• I sweep every other day, and mop at least once a week. Ok, sometimes it's like three times a week. The house isn't clean if the floor is sticky. (Not to mention where I live, food and spills on the floor attract insects.)
• Once a day I pick up the living room, and every other day I vacuum. Unless you're walking in through the back door, it's the first room you see and it takes up a big chunk of the house. If this room is a mess, the whole house feels so.
• At least once a day I wipe down the counters and the kitchen table. (Ok, I'll be honest, that's not entirely true, but that's my goal and when I neglect it, it just makes more work later.)
• At least once a day I load the dishwasher. Even on the rare evenings when there aren't enough dirty dishes to run it, I load it so I can empty the sink.
• Then I scrub the sink. It takes two minutes, some Ajax and a scouring pad, but if the kitchen sink is clean it improves the appearance of the whole kitchen. (Learned that tip from the FLY Lady.)
• About every other day I wash a load of laundry. Part of this is because baby creates so much dirty laundry, and part of it is it's much easier to deal with when I handle it one load at a time.

Keeping the Kid's Bedrooms Clean

 So the biggest battle we have at our house is keeping the kids' rooms clean. They are happy to help me scrub the bathtub, toilets and wash windows, but they act like it's the end of the world when I ask them to pick up their toys. I make all kinds of bribes and ultimatums. If your rooms are clean we can go swimming, have ice cream, go to movies, play video games, etc. This hasn't gotten me very far.  I am fully aware that at the ages of 3 & 5, they do not have the cleanliness standards that I have. Although it requires more work than actually cleaning their rooms myself, I insist that they clean their rooms. Hopefully someday they will appreciate this and enjoy just having their rooms clean. Now there isn't exactly one method to get the job done, but here are a few things that I have found to be effective.

• Providing spaces for their toys. Each of my kids have a toy organizer (like below) in their room, giving them an easy place to sort and store toys. 
• Toy boxes and shelves also work.
• Break it down into small tasks. Their entire room can be overwhelming. I often tell them that they need to pick up five things before lunch.
• Make sure they have enough closet/ drawer space to keep clothes put away.
• Make a time limit. "We are going to clean for 15 minutes." Then set a timer.
• Pack up toys and clothes that are no longer used. The less stuff, the easier it is for them to manage.
• Make a competition. "Whoever picks up the most stuff in 15 minutes gets (fill in small prize, candy, choice of movie, etc. whatever motivates your child)"
• Be firm. If you say no games until the rooms are clean, stick to it.

So I tried all of these things, and they work to some degree, but sometimes you have to take more drastic measures. I told my kids that they had three days to get their rooms clean or the stuff on their floors was going to disappear. Then I spent a half an hour helping each of them, giving them a one last chance to pick up their favorite toys and me to pick up the things in each of their rooms that I felt were most important (books, learning toys, clothes etc.) After that I took a garbage bag to each of their rooms and filled it with what was left on the floors. Those garbage bags are now in my closet. Everyday that their rooms stay clean they get back one toy. My daughter's room stays clean and she's slowly earning her stuff back. My son doesn't miss the toys in my closet, and his room is far more manageable. I think it may be time for a yard sale.
 What do you do keep on top of the mess with little ones?

Tips for Cleaning- Spring and Otherwise

Some people would consider me a somewhat of a clean freak. My best friend (and former roommate) has said that she would feel comfortable eating off my kitchen floor at any time. Perhaps I have developed this reputation because when I am stressed about something I cope by cleaning. It's my productive outlet. There are other parts of my house that leave something to be desired. People who know me in real life know that unless I'm really stressed about something I don't have the energy to keep my entire house clean from top to bottom. I am a mom to small, active and adorable little persons who not only require lots of time, but also create lots of messes. One day I spent four hours just spot-cleaning dried boogers off my walls. True story. The point of this rambling intro is that I am not any kind of expert on house cleaning, (Not that I really think I have fooled any of you into believing that I am.) but I have found several articles that I thought were worth sharing. Plus I added my own most useful house cleaning tips that I have discovered through trial and error.

1. Clean up spills as they happen. (It saves so much effort!)
2. Boiling water is your best defense against dried-on sticky spills, just be careful.
3. Spend 5-15 minutes every day getting rid of clutter.
4. Organization is half the battle.
5. I send hard plastic bath toys through the dishwasher and foam letters through the washing machine every time that I clean the bathroom.
6. Play music while you clean.

Dawn can really cut down on the effort needed to clean your bathroom.-I Dare You To Eat It

The key to keeping a house clean with small children underfoot is getting them involved.-The Mom Blog

Many of things that are just cluttering up your house may be useful to someone else.-The Bellingham Herald

Some things to consider when cleaning out your garage.- Seattle Pi

Recipes for making your own all natural cleaning products.- Funcoast.com

Book Review: Housekeeping Secrets My Mother Never Taught Me

 I wish I had discovered Housekeeping Secrets My Mother Never Taught Me by Joni Hilton when I was a newlywed. A clean house can save you time, money, improve your health and make you feel better about yourself. This book is a good guide to cleaning your house and is full of tips and pointers. (Although many of the decorating ideas are questionable or at least dated. But then I can't say that I'm a decorating expert either.) I also liked her statement "The easiest way to keep a house clean is to keep a clean house." So true! Here are some things that I learned from reading this book.

• To whiten grout make a paste of baking soda, water and a few drops of bleach.
• When moving nightstands, tables and other furniture, put orphan socks on the furniture legs to protects them and the floor from scratches.
• A good way to hang pictures and avoid hitting your thumb with a hammer is to hold the nail in place with an old fork.
• Most pillows can be washed on a gentle cycle.  Wash two at once, and put a clean tennis shoe with them in the dryer to help them stay fluffy.
• To keep colored clothes from fading, before wearing for the first time, soak in salt water overnight, wash as usual.
• When sewing a button onto white items use dental floss, it lasts much longer than regular thread.
• Dabbing clear nail polish over the threads on the top of the button will make it last even longer.
• Use ketchup to clean copper, or anything else with tomato acid in it.
• The easiest way to clean mini-blinds is to put on clean cotton work gloves, get them sudsy and then wipe the blinds with your hands.
• Used fabric softener sheets are great for shining chrome surfaces.
• To cut down on squeaking in hardwood floors, rub talcum powder into the cracks.
• Freezing candles before lighting makes the wicks last longer and the candle drip less.
• Stickers can be removed with vinegar.
• Shaving cream makes a great upholstery cleaner.

A Few Thoughts on Coupons and Organizing

I have a love/hate relationship with coupons. I love saving money on my groceries. There's something very satisfying about looking at my grocery receipt and consistently saving between 50-60% on the things that my family uses anyway. However, I hate clipping coupons. There are so many other things that I would rather be doing. It's so tedious and seems like huge waste of time to cut out all of those coupons and use less than half of them.  I've heard people say that clipping coupons at all is a waste of time, that their time is more valuable that the 35 cents that is potentially saved.  To those people I say "You should see all of the stuff I get for free when double coupon days comes around." (A pic of one trip with double coupons is above. Not all of it was free, but I saved about $70.)  And I don't consider myself a hard-core couponer. There are some coupon clippers out there who have some mad saving skills. An hour or two of organizing, searching and clipping generally saves me $50 a week. To me that's worth it. Beyond that there's a point of diminishing returns. Here's the coupon methods I've tried and what has and hasn't worked for me:
Coupon File Folder: Fine for beginners, but if you take more than one newspaper, this quickly becomes insufficient to hold all of your coupons. It is nice to have it all with you in one place and it easily fits in your purse. I used to take 3 newspapers, but I decided that 2 provided more than enough coupons for my family of four. Even with cutting back to 2, that's a large amount of coupons.
Drawer/Box o' Inserts: When my newspapers arrive I write the date on the front of the insert, skimmed through the contents and dropped in my kitchen drawer, which eventually was transferred to a large shoe box. Yes, I wasn't clipping coupons I wouldn't use, but I did spend hours digging through the drawer/box trying to find the inserts that I was looking for. I hated the mess I made every time I was looking for a coupon.
Coupon File Box: I actually didn't do this, but I do like the idea. I bought the box, the index cards and the envelopes and decided that although it would make me very well organized, I just don't want to spend that much time clipping coupons. If you do want to be that organized, go for it. You will probably always be prepared with any coupon that you need.

Coupon Binder: I used to see some women with coupon binders with baseball card page protectors full of coupons and was somewhat in awe. Not enough to do that myself. It seemed like more work than it was worth. Recently on PYP blog, one of the writers demonstrated the method that she uses for organizing coupons. She has a 5" 3-ring zipper binder that she puts all of her inserts in. She staples the multiple sheets together and puts them in plastic page protectors. I bought the 3" zipper binder and a new stapler and then decided I didn't want to do that. If I ever am cooking and shopping for 8, I will probably re-examine that method, but for now I don't need that many coupons. But it is nice to be more organized than the Box o' Inserts method.  I put every dated insert in its own page protector. I also have a small coupon file which holds various coupons from stores and the mail. My binder was $18 on Amazon, has plenty of room for inserts, my coupon file and has a few more files on the left where I store receipts, coupon booklets and restaurant coupons. When I make my grocery list I cut out what I need and put those in an envelope, with my list written on the outside. (I always refer to the grocery lists at PYP when making my own, it saves me a whole lot of time and money. They're fantastic.) I leave the binder in the car, in case I really need it, but frankly juggling my kids in the grocery store is challenging enough without searching for coupons too.

What have you found to be the best way to organize your coupons? Do you find coupons to be worth your time?

Ways to Save Money On Your Utility Bills In The Summer

It is July and I live in St George. In case you haven't ever been here, it's hot. Not as bad as Phoenix, but close. Most days I hide in my house between noon and six pm. Sometimes after dinner I may run errands and it's still 107 degrees. And this has been a mild summer compared to most. Next week it's supposed to get up to 114. I am not looking forward to what that will do to my power bill. With the AC running all the time, it gets expensive. Here's a some things you can do, some are simple every day things, others require a little investment of time and money, which can pay off in the long-run.

1. Have a home inspection. We had to do this anyway when we bought the place six months ago. This can help you find trouble spots that are costing you money. Like for us, our attic should have a few more vents than it does to adequately circulate air. In Utah you can have one done for $25 and reimbursed on your gas bill if you follow the recommendations. Or you can get a do-it-yourself-audit form here.
2. Clean your fridge. Your fridge sucks a lot of power, but there's something you can do to make it run more efficiently.The coils behind the fridge tend to attract dust, which coat the coil, making it work harder to maintain fridge temp. Unplug the fridge, pull it away from the wall and vacuum off the dust. You should do this about every 3 months.
3. Keep vents and temperature registers unobstructed. If air flows freely, your furnace/AC can maintain temperature more efficiently.
4. Clean your lint screen between every load of laundry. It may not look like it needs it that often, but without the lint, your dryer can work more efficiently.
5. Eliminate air leaks.
6. Close vents and doors to unused rooms.
7. Add things to block the heat. Drapes, shutters, awnings, shade trees, glass with reflective film and/or solar screens can help keep your house cooler. 
8. Solar Power Prices have really come down on this and it is something we are strongly considering installing.
9. Check rebates and tax credits that are available for improving the energy efficiency of your home, here.
10. Close the blinds and drapes on the sunny side of the house to keep the house cooler.
11. Keep closet doors closed so you're not spending money cooling space that you don't "live" in.
12. Regularly change air filters in your air conditioning. If they're clogged with dust they won't run as efficiently. In the summer you should clean or change them once a month.
13. Use a microwave whenever you can. It uses far less power than a conventional oven, plus it doesn't heat the house up.
14. Stock your fridge. Even if only with water bottles or pitchers. If your fridge is mostly empty it has to work harder to keep the inside cold.
15. Smart house features Automated home features have the potential to save you a fair amount of money. Plus they're just wicked awesome. You can start with smart surge protectors that are only slightly more than standard ones. (My husband has all kinds of plans and dreams about automating our house to make it more efficient. Someday.)
16. Take cold showers. They require less energy and can be rejuvenating in the summer heat.

I've also mentioned a few other money saving/power conserving ideas here and here.

Tricks with Hydrogen Peroxide

I hope that everyone had a great Mother's Day.

My mother-in-law recently sent me a list of uses for 3% hydrogen peroxide, plus I added a few more that I thought were helpful. It's amazing what can be done with a bottle that costs less than a dollar. Everything I listed I have either tried, know someone who has tried or I have found enough research to support it, unless otherwise indicated. The ones we haven't tried aren't going to do any harm. It seems that hydrogen peroxide is safe and helpful, but if swallowed undiluted it can make you very sick.

1. To get rid of canker sores and whiten teeth- Take one capful (the little white cap that comes with the bottle) and hold in your mouth for 1 minute daily, then spit it out... (Small print says mouthwash and gargle right on the bottle.) However, you should not use this as a mouthwash long term, if used extensively it can soften teeth and damage gums.
2. If a dog has swallowed a harmful substance (e.g., rat poison), small amounts of hydrogen peroxide can be given to induce vomiting.  (About 2 tablespoons) Haven't had a reason to try this, but I have read this in several places.
3. If a dog has been sprayed by a skunk, mix a large bottle of hydrogen peroxide, a 1/4 cup of baking soda and a teaspoon of dish soap. Thoroughly scrub skunk victim with solution, several times. Do not add water because that activates the skunk smell.
4. Let your toothbrushes soak in a cup of H202 to keep them free of germs. 
5. Clean your counters, table tops with peroxide to kill germs and leave a fresh smell. Simply put a little on your dish rag when you wipe, or spray it on the counters. 
6. After rinsing off your wooden cutting board, pour peroxide on it to kill salmonella and other bacteria. 
7. Spray a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water on feet (especially the toes) every night and let dry to get rid of athletes foot and other foot fungus.   
8. Soak any infections or cuts in 3% peroxide for five to ten minutes several times a day. Reportedly it can effectively treat gangrene. Although recent research has shown that wounds treated with hydrogen peroxide are more likely to scar.
9. Fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water and keep it in every bathroom to disinfect without harming your septic system like bleach or most other disinfectants will. 
10. If you like a natural looking highlights in your hair, spray the 50/50 solution on your wet hair after a shower and comb it through. You will not have the peroxide burnt blonde hair like the hair dye packages, but more natural highlights if your hair is a light brown, reddish, or dirty blonde. It also lightens gradually so it's not a drastic change.    
11. Put half a bottle of peroxide in your bath to help rid boils, fungus, or other skin infections. (This one I haven't tried, but I don't think it will hurt.)
12. You can also add a cup of peroxide instead of bleach to a load of whites in your laundry to whiten them. It is effective in getting out grass stains and grape juice. Oxiclean is essentially hydrogen peroxide.
13. Use peroxide to clean mirrors without smearing or streaking. 
14. It is used to whiten bones that are put on display (who besides paleontologists are putting bones on display? That's kind of creepy.) 
15. Some horticulturalists advocate the use of weak hydrogen peroxide solution ("Spanish water") in watering solutions. Its chemical action releases oxygen that enhances a plant's root development and helps to treat root rot and a variety of other pests. 
16. Use as a vegetable wash or soak to kill bacteria and neutralize chemicals.
17. Clean with hydrogen peroxide when your house becomes a biohazard after its invaded by toxic mold, such as those with water damage. Careful as it can lighten the colors of most things it comes in contact with.
18. And of course hydrogen peroxide is great for cleaning up blood. If applied immediately and rinsed, it can take it out of clothing and carpets without staining. However, it does make said item wear out faster and can lighten the color. But better that than blood-stains.  

Secrets of Organized Homes

I try to keep my home clean, but let's be real. I live here with my small children. It's not perfectly clean all the time. (I don't think it's actually perfectly clean any of the time.) And I've mulling over and searching for cleaning hacks to share, but when it comes down to it, I think the best secret to have a clean house is to have everything organized. (Easier said than done.) We've all heard it before, but it's true. Recently I read an article in Family Fun Magazine called "Secrets of Organized Homes", and here's what they suggested, plus a few of my own.

1. Go paper-free.
2. Make an art box for each child.
3. Reduce the amount of stuff you need to organize.
4. A place for everything and everything in its place.
5. Don't aim for perfection.
6. Get your kids involved.
7. Spend a little time every day cleaning and organizing.
8. Maximize your space. Things that aren't used often should go in the basement or the attic. Store somethings on wall hooks.
9. Use reusable shopping bags so you cut back on the number of plastic grocery bags that you keep around.
10. Create a "Family Owner's Manual" with schedules and important numbers.
11. Get rid of unused toys.
12. Get rid of unused anything. Clothes, books, AP European History Notecards, whatever.
13. Choose smart storage options for your children's toys.
14. Store toys and games near where they are typically played with.
15. Improvise.
16. Make a back-up box, to have all computer program disks in one place.
17. Get rid of cd cases and just use a disk folder.
18. Create separate computer user account to keep the desktop uncluttered.
19. Group things together. Helmets with bikes, etc.
20. Make a charity bin.
21. Assign each family member a basket for essential items such as wallet, keys and phone.
22. Make a temporary dumping container that must be emptied daily.
23. Create a system for your pantry. If you have the space organizing ingredient by recipe can make your life easier.
24. Assess your 'stuff' at least monthly. What have you not used in the past year?
25. Make lists. To-do lists. Grocery lists. Goals. Things for the man to do. Christmas gifts. Whatever. (If you guys haven't noticed yet I am a serious list junky. Lists are how I survive in life.)

Things to do with a slice of bread (besides eat it)

About 8 months ago I started reading Reader's Digest's Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things: 2,317 Ways to Save Money and Time. It sounds like something I would be interested in. It's a reference book, so it's a very slow read. There are several things I come across that I think "Everyone knows that trick, don't they?" or "Wow, that's a lot of work to create something very tacky." or there are a few that I found don't work like the book claims they do. However, throughout there are some good ideas. This weekend I came across a couple with bread that actually seemed helpful, plus I added one of my own.

• Soften up hard marshmallows. Put marshmallows in a seal-able container with a couple slices of bread. Leave it alone for a couple days and remove the bread. The marshmallows will have absorbed the moisture from the bread.
• Soften up hard brown sugar. Same idea.
• Pick up glass fragments. After picking up the big shards, press a piece of bread over the area to pick up all the tiny slivers. Just be careful as you're throwing the bread away.

Microwave Cleaning Tips

• Fill a microwavable bowl with water. Add one of the following: 1 tsp of vanilla, citrus peels or lemon juice. Microwave water until boiling. The steam should make removal of cooked-on gunk much easier. It almost just falls of with a cleaning sponge. Repeat if necessary.
• To sterilise cleaning sponges cook in the microwave for 2 minutes. Make sure they are damp first or they can catch on fire. Careful, they will be very hot when you pull them out.
• Ensure that any spills are cleaned up as soon as they are cooled down. It makes the process much easier. (This one is kind of obvious, but most of the time I know that I don't do it.)