Rechargeable Sweeper

So many have written to ask what rechargeable sweeper I use that I decided to discuss it here.

My choice is the Cordless Swivel Sweeper, available from TV and some retail outlets. (I got mine at a drug store.) It's not perfect, but I do like it. Here's my list of its pros and cons.

Swivel Sweeper pros:
• very lightweight
• head is larger than some other brands, which means it takes less time overall to cover an area
• swivel makes it easy to get up under almost everything
• battery easy to take off/charge/put back on
• not as noisy as some I've tried
• picks up extremely well, especially considering that it uses a roller rather than suction
• picks up well along edges too.

Swivel Sweeper cons:
• the tray that catches the dirt is too small and gets full fast, which means repeated dumpings
• you get your fingers dirty emptying the tray (though at least it is easy to snap on and off)
• dog hair gets wrapped around the rollers and you have to pick it out
• I have two, and the older one has a better battery life than the newer one, which leads me to believe that either I got a dud the second time around or they switched to a different battery manufacturer. Anyway, the older one's charge lasts long enough to do the whole house, while the newer one lasts about as long as the first floor and then it dies. That's enough for my needs, but I still find it irritating.

I hope this is helpful you! It's not a wholehearted endorsement, but I have tried about 6 different brands and this one is my favorite of all I've tried.

My Hero

I'm a huge fan of Julie Morgenstern, who is the author of Organizing from the Inside Out and other great organizational books. Today I ran across an online interview with her at www.organize.com and simply had to tell you about it. Click below to give it a glance if you have a minute.

As usual, her words are full of wisdom, encouragement, and practical advice.

Enjoy!

ADDitude Magazine

One of my favorite magazines is called Additude. Written for adults with ADD and/or parents of kids with ADD and ADHD, it presents incredibly helpful information in an upbeat, reassuring way. If you've been following these posts about ADD and are pursuing your own diagnosis, I highly recommend that you subscribe to this magazine or at least take a look at their website, which is chock full of resources.

Have fun looking around there! Even if you don't have ADD, they have tons of articles about getting organized, simplifying your life, and all of those things that can help contribute toward having a House That Cleans Itself.

Enjoy.