You'll love my new, exclusive . . .
Get Organized Now! BINGO! Organizing Printable!

It's a new, quick, easy, fun way to get organized. Each GON Bingo! card lists 24 easy organizing tasks you or your family can accomplish. Get five in a row horizontally, vertically or diagonally and you get to select a reward from the rewards list. Kids love to play too!

To access and print it, visit:
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Happy organizing and enjoy some GON BINGO! organizing fun!

Maria Gracia

P.S. Please forward this newsletter to friends and family so they, too, can access this resource. Thank you for spreading the love!

A GON Reader Asked:

Hi Maria,

Your newsletter and tips are much appreciated. Always.

But, this is a desperate cry for help on a related topic.

I've got TERMITES!!

This wouldn't have happened if I'd cleaned regularly, but this room had become a dumping ground for all the unwanted stuff of the other rooms, for about 5 years.

Tragically, an entire bookcase was so badly infected that I had to just spray an anti-termite solution and put everything into garbage bags and send them immediately to the garbage dump. These were my most expensive, treasured books and I had no chance to even check the titles. I feel so bad that I didn't take care of my books properly. They were still in their original cardboard cartons. Safe from dust, but alas not safe from termites.

I'll call the professional pest control company when I am out of a 2-week home quarantine.

BUT...

1. How do I prevent this from happening again?

2. How frequently should books be cleaned out/moved around?

3. Is there a good DIY liquid solution that I can make at home, or something I can put in corners?

Any help or guidance will be much appreciated.

Your reader from far away,

Zarine A.

Maria Gracia Responded:

Hi Zarine,

I'm so sorry to hear about the termite challenge you're experiencing.

Termites are attracted to firewood, woodpiles, dead trees, stumps, tree limbs, leaves, mulch, gutters clogged with twigs, overgrown shrubs, and the like. If these are close to your home's foundation, you may be inviting a termite problem. Termites also love moisture (leaky pipes, water-damaged wood, etc.) Home foundation cracks, gaps in siding, broken window screens, and other 'openings' are open doors for termites.

Once they're in the house, they can wreak havoc as they've done to your bookcases and books. As you've already experienced, termites love books and will devour them. In fact, this may be the sign of a much bigger problem, indicating that the infestation may be running pretty deep in your home. I highly doubt the problem is contained to just the area of your bookcase and books.

Honestly, since you're at this point, I think following your thought of contacting a pest control specialist is your best bet for getting rid of them. Some tips after this problem has been rectified:

1) Look for conditions around your house. Again, firewood, overgrown shrubs, and the other conditions I mentioned above could be the 'source' of this issue. So, if you have these near your home, it may be necessary to move them far from your foundation.

2) Find the entry points. First, you have at least one or more entry points into your home. Second, those termites found their way into your bookcase, so there's a bookcase entry point somewhere (likely the wall or the ground). Hopefully your pest control person can help you identify these so they can be sealed.

3) Get rid of your clutter. Excessive clutter provides the perfect breeding ground for termites, silverfish, mice, and other pests.

4) Don't store in cardboard. I recommend you refrain from storing books (really, anything) in cardboard boxes. Termites love to nibble on these.

5) Dust regularly. When I'm dusting a particular room (each room gets a weekly dusting), the books get dusted at the same time. I have a 5-shelf bookcase in my home office, for example. Every week, I give a deep-clean to ONE of those shelves, removing all the books, and thoroughly dusting the shelf. The following week, I choose another shelf, etc.

As far as the DIY solution you're asking about, you may read about vinegar, Borax, salt...even essential oils. But really, none of these are going to be any match for professional pest control. In fact, you may want to have a professional inspection every so often, even after this particular infestation has been rectified.

Good luck! Please follow up with me after your pest-control person gets this handled for you and let me know the results.

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___ 1. Do today's task on my April Monthly Organizing Checklist. The April 27 TO DO focuses on your linen closet. Visit GetOrganizedNow.com to access my April Monthly Organizing Checklist.

___ 2. Inspect your home for potential problems. Walk around your home today, inside and out, with a notebook in hand. Identify potential problems that may need to be addressed (a crack in your siding, an uneven sidewalk, a dripping faucet, etc.) Although you can't handle everything TODAY, having a list will help you prioritize so you can begin rectifying those issues, one at a time.

___ 3. Start, or continue, your spring cleaning. Celebrate this season of renewal with a fun Spring Cleaning Challenge. I thought out all of your spring cleaning tasks for you. Visit GetOrganizedNow.com to access my free Spring Cleaning Challenge printable.

'Action is the antidote to despair.' (Joan Baez)

I'd love to hear from you.

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And remember...there's no better time to get organized, than to Get Organized Now!

Warmly,

Maria Gracia
Get Organized Now!
getorganizednow.com

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