Friday Faves...Tips for Spring Cleaning and Decluttering

Spring has officially arrived! Have you started your spring cleaning yet? I've deep cleaned my  kitchen and pantry, which is the most daunting job on my spring cleaning list. Getting the rest of the house spring cleaned shouldn't take long. I'm reposting my three part series on cleaning and decluttering for those of you interested. Happy Spring Cleaning!

Cleaning and Decluttering Part One

Cleaning and Decluttering Part Two

Cleaning and Decluttering Part Three

Have a happy Friday

and

a safe and blessed weekend!

 

             

Friday Faves...Cleaning and Decluttering, Part Three

I had every intention of posting the final post of my cleaning and decluttering series last week, but as those of you who read here regularly know, or those of you who follow me on Facebook or Instagram, last Thursday our second born daughter was hit by a pickup truck while out jogging. Your prayers for her full and complete recovery from all effects of brain trauma and damage to her ear and hearing are much appreciated. I am so thankful that our girl is still with us. Times like these remind us of the fragility of life and of what really matters, which is NOT our house and decor and decluttering but IS family, relationships, and our walk with God and eternity. With that said, here is the post I had almost completed last week and finally finished today.

While I declutter frequently, I've been inspired to declutter even more since the holidays are over. With our kitchen being updated not that long before the holidays, the kitchen cabinets had already been totally decluttered. But, I hadn't cleaned out our pantry and our bathroom cabinets and drawers so I did those.

I've also simplified my decor in some areas and gotten rid of decor that I no longer love or need. (One of those projects was removing the old ladder from my kitchen, that I was using as a pot rack, and hanging iron wall mounted pot racks, for a neater and more streamlined look as seen in the first photo of this post.  My daughter is going to use the ladder for a project in her farmhouse.)

I've even tackled some projects I've been procrastinating about-hip, hip hooray! I finally put some shelving in our master bedroom closet and got rid of even more clothes and shoes.  Our closet, is finally neat, clean and tidy! If I was richer I would put in a fancy closet system, but for now some simple shelving is sufficient.

For our always messy nightstands, I've discovered that the cure is containers.  I found the perfect lidded box for my husband's nightstand, (on clearance at Homegoods), to hold remotes, chargers and other small items that tend to collect there.

My final big challenge is to go though all of the boxes of photos and memorabilia and organize them. These are the most difficult things for me to deal with as there are more emotional attachments involved.  Mainly, I want to get those things better organized.

For those of you who may have missed it, here is part one of my cleaning and decluttering series and here is part two.  Today I'm going to end this series by writing about what I typically do when I spring and pre-holiday clean. These chores can be divided up and spread out over time as you wish.  I'm usually a "get 'er done" type person who gets in there and tries to get as much done as humanly possible all at once.

Pre-holiday/spring cleaning-

-get rid of decor that you no longer like or use whenever you get out your fall, Christmas, or other holiday decor

-Clean out kitchen cupboards and drawers, pantry and refrigerator.  Take all items out, wiping down the cupboards inside and out, getting rid of items you no longer need or use and any outdated food.

-With a long duster dust ceilings for cobwebs

-Wipe down light fixtures

-Clean carpets as needed.  (Hallelujah for wood floors in all of house except the bedrooms and my office!)  Vacuum all carpets including edges and under furniture. 

 -Mop all other floors moving furniture as necessary to get under everything.

-Wipe down all baseboards, doors and door frames

-Touch up paint any areas on walls, frames or moldings that have taken a beating or are chipped.  (I keep a small tupperware of our wall paint in my cleaning cupboard and some wall putty handy so that I can instantly repair nail holes if I move things on the walls.)

-Clean inside of windows, clean blinds, (wash/iron curtains as needed)  

(I only wash the outside of windows once a year in the summer.)

-Clean out and vacuum closets. Don't forget those edges that gather dust!
 Donate  items you no longer need, or use.

-Clean out all bathroom cupboards and drawers. Get rid of anything you no longer need or use and old or outdated products such as old makeup or medicines.

-Clean out the cupboard or closet where you keep your cleaning products. Again, get rid of anything you no longer need or use.

-If possible, clean under and behind stove, refrigerator, washer and dryer. Clean the oven, vacuum refrigerator coils, clean dryer vent, etc. (In my current house, the stove and refrigerator is impossible for me to move so I was sure to clean behind and under them well when the painters moved them to to paint our cabinets!  I'm not sure when I'll ever be able to clean under or behind them again, which kind of grosses me out.)

-Dust and wipe down any objects you keep out on display. (For example, I wash all of the ironstone I have out on display and the pots that are hanging on my pot rack.)

-As you go through your spring or pre-holiday cleaning be mindful to look for things you can get rid of.  Lightening the load of excess stuff is freeing! For example, I recently got rid of all but a handful of old decor magazines that I had hung onto but never looked at since the first time I read them!  I've donated books I don't plan to ever read again as well, and probably could stand to get rid of even more! Old craft, hobby and sewing supplies that you never use are another thing that can just take up valuable storage space. Don't feel guilty for getting rid of and donating items/gifts the someone gave you that you never use or don't love.  They aren't doing the gift giver or you any good taking up space in your closet or cupboard.  Let it go!

Well, friends, thanks for your support and encouragement about this series.  Remember, my home is not perfect and neither will yours be.  Real life and real living happens within our walls.  For me keeping things neat and tidy evokes a more peaceful and welcoming atmosphere.  At the same time, expecting perfection is not peaceful or welcoming to the people that have to live in your home.  I have to continually self correct in this area and remind myself to let my husband relax, and not expect him to measure up to my sometimes unrealistic expectations of neatness.

Have a happy Friday

and

a safe and blessed weekend!

 

             

Friday Faves...Cleaning and Decluttering, Part Two

Welcome back for part two of my little blog series on cleaning and decluttering.  Last week was part one which you can access by clicking here.  That post was mainly about daily tidying and how to stay on top of excess and clutter.  This week I thought I'd write about my weekly cleaning routine.

Just a reminder of last week's disclaimer.  I am not a self-proclaimed expert on cleaning.  I have areas that I struggle to keep tidy-like the closet my husband and I share.  (We definitely need to invest in some sort of closet system-and we both might like clothes and shoes a wee bit too much.) I am not a minimalist.  I LOVE minimalist decor and blog stalk many people who decorate that way. But, while I declutter and get rid of junk on a regular basis and try not to bring anything new into our home that doesn't have an immediate place and purpose, I am far from a minimalist. In other words, minimalism inspires me, and I glean a lot from their decluttering tips. That's what I want these cleaning posts to do for you-inspire without bringing condemnation. Everyone has different standards for their home.  Everyone has different standards of what is too cluttered and what is clean enough.  My goal for my home is threefold-I want it to always feel calm and peaceful and quiet, (not necessarily meaning the noise level but the feeling), to feel welcoming and to feel cozy.

Because my husband is a pastor, he spends most Saturdays in his office at the church making sure everything is ready for Sunday. (Our day off is Friday.) For years, Saturdays have been my house cleaning day.  I suppose it stems from years of wanting our home to be ready in case I decided to extend any last minute invites for Sunday lunch. Now we mostly eat out on Sundays after church and rest on Sunday afternoons/evenings. We are more likely to have people over on other days of the week-but old habits die hard so I still clean house on Saturdays. You should do what works best for you.  Perhaps dividing cleaning chores up on different days would work best. I just like to get it all done on one day.

Here's what I do on my Saturday house cleaning day-

(I like to listen to something while I clean-music, podcasts, the news, or even a movie that I've watched before.) 

I start with the chore that I dislike the most.  That way when I'm done with that, I already feel I'm on the downhill stretch to being done.  For me that chore is... 

CLEAN THE BATHROOMS-

-scrub the tubs, shower, toilets and sinks  

-wipe down the countertops and the cabinet and drawer fronts 

-clean the mirrors and shower doors

-wash any dirty towels and rugs

-scrub the floors 

CLEAN THE KITCHEN-

-wash all dishes

-wipe down countertops taking time to move and to clean underneath anything on the counter 

-wipe down all appliances-clean stove top, clean out and wipe down refrigerator, (don't forget to clean the top of the refrigerator which is a place that collects dust and grease)

- clean microwave

-wipe down cabinets-I wipe down my white cabinets weekly using a vinegar water solution or other mild cleaner. (This is much easier than waiting until grease and dirt have made a grimy layer!)

-vacuum and damp mop wood floor 

(This is my favorite tool for vacuuming my wood floors. I have the older version which is not cordless. To damp mop I use a microfiber mop and a spray bottle of vinegar water or other mild cleaner.)

CLEAN THE MASTER BEDROOM-
Wash sheets
Dust all surfaces (I try to declutter the top of our nightstands when I dust-but it feels like a losing battle!)
Vacuum


CLEAN THE GUEST ROOM AND HOME OFFICE-
Dust all surfaces (My office desk top is another challenging spot to keep clutter free.)
Vacuum

CLEAN THE ENTRYWAY, DINING ROOM AND LIVING ROOM-
-Dust all surfaces
-Vacuum or wash all area rugs
-Damp mop wood floors 
-Wipe down leather furniture with leather wipes

That's about it for my weekly house cleaning routine. (I do make sure all of the laundry is done as well, which isn't a huge deal since I do laundry during the week.)  Next week I'll end this series by writing about deep cleaning, spring and pre-holiday cleaning, and decluttering excess.

Have a happy Friday

and

a safe and blessed weekend!

 

             

Friday Faves...Let's Talk Cleaning and Decluttering, Part One

Last week I posed a question to my readers asking if there was any interest in some posts about cleaning and decluttering.  I received quite a few responses saying yes, so this post is the first. 

First of all, I feel a bit trepidatious posting this.  I do not think that I am the queen of clean or that I have reached the pinnacle of perfection in homemaking. 

I definitely DO NOT have it all together when it comes to cleaning and decluttering my home. I am disciplined in cleaning my home most of the time-but I definitely have my areas of weakness in this as well. 

I no longer have children living at home. When our three daughters were younger, keeping the house clean was definitely more challenging, yet I still had the same standards I do today-the public areas of our home were to be kept tidy. Don't ask me about how their bedrooms looked at times though!

I AM NOT a minimalist.  Yet, I love the clean, simple minimalist look that I see online. I love home decor and kitchen cookware a bit too much. I have more pots and pans and mixing bowls than one cook could ever use. I love home decor.  I love clothes and shoes and handbags. To keep things from taking over my life I declutter and purge often and try to live by these rules-for anything new I bring into our home something old has to be given away. Also, I must have a place and purpose for something before I buy it.  That keeps me from buying something just because I like it-it must have an immediate place and purpose for it to take up valuable space in my home.

You can be sure that REAL LIFE is happening in our house. But, the goal that I live by is to have the main living areas of our home ready for any pop-in visitors.  Here are some of the ways I try to make that happen.

-Keep the public areas of your home picked up daily. (In my case this is the entry, living room, kitchen, dining room and guest bedroom and bathroom.)  I am a habitual tidier and clutter picker-upper!  (To a fault in fact...sometimes my husband isn't finished with something and I've already put it away! Or, I have been known to put a cup or glass in the dishwasher before he has finished the contents!) My personality doesn't rest well if things are chaotic and messy, so I do keep our bedroom, our master bathroom and my home office picked up as well, but I tend to be less perfectionistic in those spaces.

-Have a place for everything and everything in it's place. Always put everything back where it belongs when you're done with it. For example-Every shelf in the pantry has a purpose-small appliances, baking items, breakfast foods, snacks.  Every cupboard and drawer has a purpose. Coffee, tea and cups, pots and pans, spices, everyday plates and glasses, baking items.  All like items in our home are stored in the same place.  For example-there is one place where all of our candles are kept, one place where you'll find lightbulbs, one location for all small decor items, (and large decor items have a place in the garage).  Decide where the best spot is for each item. Figure out what works best for you and then always put things back where they belong.  If you get into a habit of delaying dealing with putting things away or throwing things into any cupboard or closet where you find some space then you will inevitably find yourself living in clutter and chaos.

-Have a daily pick-up routine. It takes less than an hour for me to tidy up the main living areas of our home. What I do-make bed, tidy our bathroom after my shower, scan the living room to see if anything needs picked up or sofa pillows need straightened, check dining room and put anything away that's been left there, do dishes and wipe down kitchen counter, dust mop wood floors and vacuum rugs as needed. I both begin and end the day making sure everything is tidy and picked up.

-Don't procrastinate. Deal with dishes, messes and clutter and mail right away.

When we get the mail I immediately put mail where it belongs, put junk mail in recycling and destroy anything with personal information on it.  Mess happens when we handle things more than once or procrastinate dealing with things. It only takes a minute to deal with mail and other clutter right away. 

You opened a package or emptied a jar?  Don't delay, put it in recycling right away. You spilled something? Wipe it up right away.

Clean up as you cook. Put the dishes in the dishwasher and wipe down the table and counters after every meal. (But be flexible! This strength can also be a weakness. After Thanksgiving dinner I turned down a walk with my family so I could get the dishes done.  Sometimes you need to choose people over tidiness and I fail in this too often. For our Christmas breakfast I used cute Christmas paper plates so I could relax and enjoy our time together more.)

-Declutter often.  After Christmas I did a declutter.  New things came into my home, so it was time to get rid of the old.  I went through my closet and got rid of anything I haven't worn in quite some time.  That way I had room for some new sweaters when they were on post-Christmas for eight dollars each!

I did a complete pantry and and refrigerator clean out.  I took everything out, wiped everything down, and threw away anything old or outdated.

I got one new coffee mug so I got rid of several old ones. I have one whole cupboard of coffee cups and mugs and teapots!  I told you I'm not a minimalist!

I got rid of some home decor that I no longer love and use.

-Daily tidying and frequent decluttering makes the need for deep cleaning less daunting.

But next week I'll be sharing more about that.

Next week I'll share a bit more about decluttering and deep cleaning.

Have a happy Friday

and

a safe and blessed weekend!