Category Archives: Cleaning Time

Jul 18

The All Too Messy Upstairs Closet

I have three cleaning projects in my house that I need to do, but I really truly dread doing. The Utility Room storage needs to be cleaned out, pared down, and re-organized. The Scary closet downstairs needs a lot of work. It is home to holiday supplies, and odds and ends that I throw in there when I have no idea what else to do with them. Lastly, the upstairs hallway and closet are in need of some serious cleaning.The closet is packed, and the mess is piling up in the hallway.

I walk by the upstairs mess several times a day, but I could never see a good time to clean it, or where to even begin with the huge mess. Last weekend James surprised me by pulling everything out of the closet, and well, it was decided we were going to tackle the mess right then and there.

It took several hours. We cleaned out at least eight large boxes of papers/stuff/things that made us say just why did we keep that. We also hauled out two very full contractor bags full of clutter.

We stopped, and took a little break and went shopping for some supplies. We picked bins and totes to organize what we would be keeping.

These two large bins are filled with the boy’s papers from school.  I think I need a few more of them, I might have another box or two hanging out in the scary downstairs closet.

The end result looks fantastic. We cleaned out so much, and we have room to store more bins if we need to. We are planning on painting the shelves, and I’m going to make a curtain to cover the closet.

It was one of those projects that I really didn’t want to do, but I am so glad that it is done. It’s nice to have the upstairs a little more clutter free. Now on to the next mess.

May 15

Summer Housework Schedule

I can feel the lazy days of Summer creeping up on me…

With these three home all of the time, I had better get a plan together fast.

I’ve made up a little housekeeping schedule to help me stay on track.

  • Monday: Grocery shopping, and errands
  • Tuesday: Dishes and Laundry
  • Wednesday: Cooking/Baking
  • Thursday: Dishes and Laundry
  • Friday: Catch-up Day
  • Saturday: Home Projects, painting and gardening
  • Sunday: Cooking, Baking, making shopping lists, and prepping for the weekly errands

We’ll see if I can keep the house tidy. I am a little bit ahead of the game this Spring. I spent last Friday deep cleaning the boys room. I cleaned out a lot of clutter, and it looks ready for Summer.

Better get back to it, I’ve got laundry to fold…

Mar 22

Spring Cleaning: The Kids Aren’t Happy About It

Yesterday the weather was cold, snowy, and windy. We were stuck indoors anyway, so it was time to clean out the kids closets and dressers. Nobody really wanted to do this chore, but it needed to be done.

I worked with the kiddos one at a time, and they tried on every piece of clothing that they owned. It took a bit of time, but we got the job done.

We even cleaned out five bags of outgrown clothing to be donated. Dylan was really excited about it.

I did a few Spring Cleaning tasks around the house. I deep cleaned the dish drainer, and garbage disposal. I still have a lot of Spring cleaning to do, but I think the tasks will have to wait until next week.

Today was going to be “Pick a Park and go”, but it is freezing. It is only 36F out, so I don’t think a day at the park sounds like a good idea. Instead of the outdoor adventure, we are making another batch of homemade ice cream. The kids finished off the mint chocolate chip last night, and I think I’ve got enough supplies left to make a small batch of Vanilla. We made a chocolate cake yesterday, and some homemade vanilla ice cream would be fantastic to top it off.

The kiddos are going a bit stir crazy this afternoon. This has been a funny Spring Break. We have been at home, and keeping warm. I really hope the Spring weather gets here soon. We need to get back outdoors. The kids will be back to school on Monday, and maybe then I’ll get caught back up.

 

Mar 11

The Big Clean Before & During Spring Break

Spring Break starts this Friday. I have a few things to get done before the kiddos are home. I’ve got to get to the grocery store, and get stocked up, and I have a few cleaning projects to do too.

The big question… Do I clean or not clean the boy’s room before Spring Break? On one hand it would be nice to clean out the toy bins, and tidy up a bit. On the other hand, they will trash it all Spring Break week, and I’ll have to do the job all over again. Tough call.

I do have a few Spring cleaning jobs to get to this week, if Agnes will let me.

  • Deep clean the bathroom
  • Sweep upstairs all bedrooms and hallway
  • Sweep downstairs
  • Clean out the toy bins (kids rooms, living room, and mini van)
  • Clean out and organize my closet

During Spring Break:

  • Have the kids try on all Spring/Summer clothes
  • Clean out the closets and dressers
  • Take outgrown clothing to be donated
  • Weather permitting… Clean up the front yard, clean up the back yard, and flower beds
  • Clean out kitchen cabinets, and reorganize kept items
  • Clean out and reorganize the kitchen pantry
  • Have the kids help out with small tasks: dusting, vacuuming, pet care, and toy pick-up too.

I am looking forward to having the kids home from school for a bit. It is nice to get a little break, I just hope the weather cooperates.

 

 

Feb 2

2012’s Clutter Count

2012 was the year of de-cluttering. I kept track every month of just how much clutter I was getting out of the house. I’m pretty happy with the results too.

  • January 507
  • February 481
  • March 55
  • April 343
  • May 300
  • June 178
  • July 266
  • August 156
  • September 139
  • October 59
  • November 391
  • December 160

If I did the math right, 3035 pieces of clutter were cleaned out of our house in 2012. The house is looking so much better too. This year I think I’ll make 2013 the year of redecorating our little home, now that the surfaces are cleaner.