Easy DIY Cleaning and Organizing Hacks for Busy Chicagoans

Living in Chicago means you’re always on the go—between work, social plans, and trying to enjoy everything this city has to offer, keeping your home clean can feel like a full-time job. But with a few smart strategies and the right help, you can enjoy a spotless space without the stress. Whether you’re tackling clutter or looking for a refresh, these tips will help you make your home feel like a sanctuary.

When you’re short on time, it’s all about working smarter, not harder. Start with small, satisfying projects that make a big visual impact—like refreshing a front porch lantern or organizing a messy drawer. These little wins build momentum and make your whole home feel cleaner.

Quick Outdoor Refresh: DIY Stained Glass Lanterns

If you have a balcony or patio, a few simple upgrades can transform your outdoor space. Grab a plain lantern and some window film (you can find it for under $10) to create a gorgeous stained glass effect. Trace the lantern panels on the film, cut them out, and use adhesive dots to attach them. Add battery-operated fairy lights inside for a magical glow at night. This five-minute project is perfect for adding ambiance and is a great way to enjoy your outdoor area more. If you’d rather spend your time relaxing, consider booking fast cleaning services to handle the rest.

Elevate Your Organizing with Budget-Friendly Finds

Chicago apartments often need smart storage solutions. Dollar stores and thrift shops are goldmines for affordable organizing items like glass boxes, mirrored trays, and acrylic drawer organizers. Use leftover window film to line these pieces—just mist with water, apply the film, and squeegee out the air. The results are stunning and look far more expensive than they are. For deeper organization, you might want deep cleaning help to clear out the clutter first.

DIY Napkin Decoupage for Drawer Organizers

One of the easiest ways to add personality to your home is with decoupage. Take a plain plastic or acrylic drawer organizer, apply Mod Podge to the back, and press a pretty napkin (single ply) onto it. Add another layer of Mod Podge on top. Once dry, gently tear away the edges for a seamless look. This technique works on plates, trays, and candlesticks too. It’s a fun weekend project, but if you’re too busy, you can always hire professional home cleaning to keep things tidy.

Clever Labeling System for Every Room

Keeping organized means knowing where everything goes. Use cardstock tags with jute ties to label bins and baskets. A simple seam ripper can poke a hole in plastic bins so you can attach the tags securely. This system works great in closets, pantries, and bathrooms. If you’re looking for a full home reset, it might be time to schedule a cleaning so you start with a blank slate.

Host a Beautiful Brunch on a Budget (With Less Cleanup)

Hosting doesn’t have to be expensive or messy. Set up a bagel bar using a DIY stand made from candlesticks and dowel rods. Add wooden beads and ribbon for a charming touch. Shop at discount stores for decor and buy food in bulk at low-cost grocers. You can put together a full brunch for under $20. The key is to prep and organize ahead of time—so you can enjoy your guests without stressing about the mess. If you want to get your space cleaned before guests arrive, Jikas Cleaning can help.

Make-Ahead Dips and Toppings

Roast jalapeños and mix them with cream cheese and sharp cheddar for a spicy spread. Slice vegetables and bagels in advance. Use reusable food covers to keep everything fresh. This way, you just set it out and let people build their own bagel. And when the party’s over, don’t worry about the cleanup—just book an appointment with a trusted Chicago cleaning company to handle the rest.

More Ways to Keep Your Home Clean and Organized

• Use clear stackable boxes for party supplies or seasonal decor—they’re versatile and easy to label.
• Keep a small toaster and tongs on the counter during brunches so guests can toast bagels and serve themselves.
• Repurpose thrifted wicker tables or mirrors for a cozy, eclectic look that feels intentional.
• Try decoupage on plates or trays for a custom look in your bathroom or kitchen.
• If it all feels overwhelming, it’s okay to ask for help cleaning my place—professional cleaners make it easy.

The best part about these projects is that they don’t require perfection. A little creativity and a few affordable supplies go a long way. Whether you’re styling a vanity tray or throwing a party, your home should feel like a place you love coming back to. And when life gets hectic, remember that you can always rely on cleaning services in Chicago to take care of the heavy lifting. You deserve a clean, happy home without the stress.

We are going all out in today’s video
with ideas you’ll actually use. First up, we’re going to grab some of these lanterns. These
are always in stock in every Dollar Tree I go in. Check out this hack for your front porch. Perfect
for summer. The DIYs of this video are so easy, anyone can do them. From an opulent brunch with
a $20 budget to luxury organizing products. But first, we have to start out with our outdoor
lantern. Grab a lantern and some window vinyl or window film. I’ll be sure to link a ton of
affordable options for less than $10 on screen. I like this one because it looked like stained
glass. Lay your lantern on the side and trace around it with a pen. Cut it out and then peel
the backing away. Then I grab some adhesive dots. These are NanoDots. I use them all around my
house. And put it in the four corners of your lantern. This vinyl is meant to be laid over
glass, but when you attach it to the NanoDots, this is a waterproof and really sturdy method
for all of the openings of your lantern. I cut out three more pieces and adhered them with more
NanoDots. Now, here’s where it’s going to look magical. Once you have three of your panels
installed, grab some battery operated fairy lights. You can get these from Dollar Tree. Attach
the last panel at the top. And then at the bottom, cut out a small archway. This is just enough so
you can stick fingers through to adhere the final two corners. Then you have a little opening for
your cord to go through, too. I leave the battery pack outside the lantern and hide it behind.
You can put this on any setting you want for a magical stained glass glow. This DIY can be done
in less than five minutes and it’s perfect for a back patio and I had to share with you my amazing
luck in the thrift store. I found a pair, yes, a pair of wicker side tables. And y’all, these
were $14.99. I had to take these back home and stick them in my patio. I love how they add some
contrast. Everything on my back patio was from the Dollar Tree and thrifted. Before I show
the lantern reveal though, I have to show you some other Dollar Tree ideas. They have so many
glass boxes, mirrored trays right at Dollar Tree, and you can use the leftover film in some creative
ways for organizing around your house. I set this mirrored box right on top of a beautiful spot of
the window film. I traced around just like I did for the lantern. When applying to glass, give it a
little mist of water set on top and then squeegee out the excess. This was even more beautiful,
I think, than the lantern. I don’t know. Let me know which one is your favorite. I thought this
would be beautiful to keep on a vanity. It would make a great gift idea. But look at how stunning
this look when the lights come through it. And it looks so cool on the tray. I followed the exact
same process, giving it a light misting and then squeegeeing out the excess water. This one I could
do even faster. Like once you get started with this, you’re going to want to use it all over
your house. If you have other creative uses, please share them with me. But one roll goes a
really long way. And I promised you I would show you the beautiful lantern at night. I decided
to put this right on one of the wicker stands. I’m so looking forward to having people over and
hosting this summer. And this just adds an extra layer of ambiance I absolutely adore. And when
it comes to hosting this summer, I have lots of ideas and items I have been gathering all from
the Dollar Tree and I can’t wait to share this next one with you. I don’t know if you’ve seen it,
but there are incredible bagel bars on Pinterest and you can buy bagel bar stands to put up all of
your bagels on. You can put donuts on these. But did you know you can make this at Dollar Tree
literally right here. Look right here. All you need are a couple of candlesticks
and you need these dowel rods. Now these come in a pack of two from the Crafter’s Square. I’m going to
share with you with one other product. Come here. Oh yeah. Right here. And a little bit of ribbon.
This is going to be so cute. To make an elevated bagel or even a doughnut stand, we’re going to use
the dowel rod inside the glass candlestick. First, start with a bit of hot glue at the bottom. Add
in your dowel rod and stabilize. And then you’re going to fill up the well of the candlestick
until the glue reaches the rim. To add a sweet and dainty touch, I’m going to take these wooden
beads. I got these at Dollar Tree along with some pretty ribbon. I used six beads and then tied
together in a bow and slipped it down over the top of the rod. These would be great for weddings,
baby showers, graduation parties. What are you celebrating this summer? Dollar Tree also has a $7
glass drink dispenser that is absolutely awesome. And stay tuned because I’m going to share with you
the complete reveal and how I saved so much money. But first, we’ve got to talk about some organizing
projects and some ideas you’ve never seen before. These organizers, I love these for drawers. I use
these all over. But if you take these organizers, some Mod Podge, and a napkin, check out what
you can do. I have a lot of these at home. How many do you think I have at home? Let’s count and
see. How many do you think? Kathy probably knows. She’s gonna air my dirty secret. 15. You think I
have 15 of these? Yeah, in different varieties. Of course. Like the dishwasher safe and like all
of them together. Big ones, little ones. At least 15. 15. Okay. It’s a conservative guess. Oh no.
I’m in my head. I’m like I have like six. It’s not that bad. Okay. Grab a pretty napkin you love.
I got mine from Walmart. You could get them from Dollar Tree. And we’re going to put this on the
back of the organizer. This is an old school Mod Podge DIY. By the way, how many Mod Podge bottles
do you think Catherine has? Think about it because I’m going to reveal it in a second. Okay, so I
like to rip down the napkins and then I put them on kind of in crisscross patterns. With a napkin
like this, I think it adds some dimension and depth. And since the napkin is on the back, the organizing container is not compromised and it can hold anything without
ripping or tearing. I like to use a dishwasher safe Mod Podge, but look how beautiful this turned
out. I’ll show you in a minute exactly where I use this. It adds such elegance and dimension to your
house. But first, I want to show you that you could use this with any items from Dollar Tree,
from candlesticks to plates. I’ve done versions of this many times over the years, but I really
liked it with this blue and white pattern. Peel back the ply. I put a layer of Mod Podge on the
plate and then I set the napkin on top. Then I add more Mod Podge because I think it looks
better with two napkins. And again, you want these to be single ply. What’s exceptional about this is
not only is it quick, but you don’t have to make this look perfect. Like on all of these DIYs,
all you have to do is wait for it to dry and then you can peel off the edges by tearing them gently. Use some super glue to attach a candlestick base
and this is perfect in a bathroom. I would also love to know how you would use this. You could
put cupcakes on this. And because the Mod Podge is dishwasher safe, you could really use it anywhere.
The acrylic organizers are perfect in my bathroom drawer. The blue and white print adds buckets of
whimsy. And I just love how these look together, especially on the countertop. I definitely have
to know your favorite spot to use something like this. Kitchens, vanities, maybe even a bedroom.
Let me know in the comments below. And we’re here to count the Mod Podge. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Mod Podge bottles. That’s not too bad. That’s really not too bad. Brand new. The Crafter’s Square also got
these labels. Again, you get 20 labels and they come with the little drawstrings. This is amazing
for organizing projects. Brand new. I was shocked to see 20 very high quality and yes, these
are made of cardstock tags along with jute ties. The easiest way to put these with a Dollar
Tree bin is by using a seam ripper. I stick this through the bin and attach it with some jute. I
tie in a double knot in the back so it stays nice and sturdy. I love bringing you fresh organizing
ideas like this. Or maybe you already have some of these bins and containers, but you didn’t know how
to label them. I’ve used this all around my house, including inside of my closet. I’ve been really
loving thrifting lots of finds and combining it with Dollar Tree ideas. For my closet, I thrifted
a really pretty dresser as well as a mirror. And I love how this looks so cohesive and truly
elegant together. And now this calls for some celebration. Dollar Tree has some really cute
stuff right now. The graduation items are out in full force. A couple of new products I want to
point out are these boxes. These are stackable, but you don’t just have to use these for
graduation. I like that they’re clear. You could put lights inside of this or use this for
any type of party. This is so cool. All of Dollar Tree’s party decor is out in full force right
now. Please, if you have a celebration coming up, baby shower, wedding, graduation, let me know so I
can celebrate with you in the comments. But we’ve got to get back to this bagel bar because I hope
whatever you’re celebrating, this one is helpful. For our elegant bagel bar, I just need a couple
more things. And I want to do this for less than $20. All of the decor and these coverups came from
Dollar Tree. And all of the food came from Aldi. Aldi has basically Dollar Tree prices. Bags of
bagels are $1.95. Their cheese is just $1.65. I like to buy the blocks of cheese. So that way
I can just grate this down and save a little bit of money. Aldi cream cheese is only $1.39 a
box. This is a great price and it beats Walmart. But hold on, I’m not going to grab the low-fat
cream cheese. No way. We are getting the real stuff. Plus, I love all these vegetables. For
things like parsley and cucumbers, even tomatoes, you can spend less than a dollar for significant
portions. I also had to grab for 79 cents some fresh jalapenos. And I like to make a jalapeno
cream cheese. All you need is sharp cheddar, three jalapenos, and a block of cream cheese. I
like to roast my jalapenos, mix it up with cheese, a little bit of garlic, salt and pepper,
and you have an amazing dip. I will link the recipe down below. I cut down the vegetables,
which were all less than a dollar a piece. And all of these bags of bagels were $1.95. That means
I can put together an entire brunch bar for less than $20 for everything you see here. And that’s
not even including the plain cream cheese. And I have some extra cream cheese in the fridge ready
for when we need it. This was such an amazing way for me to be able to host Mother’s Day this
year. And it’s so affordable. You can see all of the decor is from the Dollar Tree. I always add
the toaster in case people want to toast up their bagels. These Dollar Tree tongs are some of my
favorite. You get two for $1.50. I love how this bagel bar turned out. It’s so fun to use and then
people can top it with whatever they want. I love a bagel. You cannot keep Catherine from a bagel.
You could also do this with donuts though if you wanted something a little sweeter, something
unique. The sky is really the limit. And I have to share with you these SureFresh coverups. They
come in three sizes inside the box designated by color. These are perfect for your extra cream
cheese. You can stick it in the fridge. I do not like wasting food. Nothing goes to waste.
And I really secretly deep down hope you could even take some things you already have and make
life feel a little lighter, a little prettier, and a little more lived in in the best way. For
me, deciding that a little beauty is still worth making. People are still worth inviting over. Your
home is worth caring for even when it’s imperfect. It’s these little touches you really can do on a
budget. If you enjoyed this video, show it some love, my beautiful friend. If nobody has told
you today, you are enough. I’ll catch you soon.