LISTERINE® 21 Day Challenge Update!

As you guys might remember from this post, I'm taking the LISTERINE® 21 Day Challenge this month! In addition to my regular brushing habit, I've been using mouthwash twice a day to amp up my oral care routine and kill the germs that brushing misses. I'm on day 13, which means that my gums are up to five times healthier now than they were when I started. Not too shabby!

And I've definitely noticed a difference, just in these few weeks. I've always loved that feeling of having a clean mouth right after brushing, but it never seems to last long enough. Sure, my mouth feels clean and fresh right afterwards, but ten or fifteen minutes later, I hardly notice a difference.

That's actually the biggest change I've noticed so far, now that I'm using LISTERINE® Antiseptic. When I brush my teeth and then use mouthwash, that clean feeling lasts a lot longer. It's a huge difference that really feels great, and I noticed it right away, after the first day or two.

But fresh breath and a healthier mouth isn't the only goal of the 21 Day Challenge: I'm also receiving organization tips from Peter Walsh, a professional "Clutter Organizer." Chad is really neat and I'm sort of messy, so organization is something I constantly struggle with. I've found his tips to be extremely helpful, and wanted to share a few of my favorites with you guys!

Keep Flat Surfaces Clear: Oh my gosh, this one has changed my life. I have this terrible habit of getting the mail or some papers or magazines or whatever junk seems important to me, and leaving it all on our kitchen counter. This drives my husband insane because our kitchen is the focal point of our home and literally the worst place in the world for clutter. So one day, I went around our house and took all the papers that were randomly piling up on our tables and counters and desks, and sorted through them. Do you know how long it took? Less than an hour. Do you know what a difference it made? An unbelievably huge difference. So thanks, Peter, for helping clear our clutter and also strengthen my marriage!

Spend 5-10 Minutes Every Day: This was another huge one. I tend to let things pile up for weeks, and then clean everything up in one giant effort. And then things are tidy for a day or two, and then they start piling up again, and after a few weeks, I go through the whole cycle all over again. Instead, I'm trying to set aside a few minutes a day to clean out the clutter in a couple of spaces, establishing it as a habit. (Just like mouthwash!) I'm hoping that by the time Day 21 rolls around, this will be a lasting change too.

So, that's where I am so far! Have you guys been participating in the challenge? What are your favorite tips so far?

If you haven't signed up yet, you can still do so by clicking here! Once you sign up, you’ll receive daily personalized emails from an expert in fitness, nutrition, or home organization *and* be entered to win some amazing prizes like a Fitbit®, a $100 Container Store® gift card and an Amazon Fire TV! So what are you waiting for?

Disclosure: I received LISTERINE® Brand products from Johnson & Johnson Healthcare Products Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc. as part of my participation in the LISTERINE® 21-Day Challenge. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own.