@evelynandtheodore

Operation Clean House: General Upkeep, Organization, & Purging

Cleaning.

We all hate it, we all procrastinate when it comes time to do it, but it has to be done. Lately, I've just gotten tired of how much stuff I have to clean around. I have far too much decorative crap, too much stuff stored in bins, and too much stuff just not where it belongs. I'm tired of it.

Every time we have people over, there's a good half hour cleaning frenzy of "just shove it into the insert-room-here," and it's made the house very unorganized for no good reason. So the time has come. I need to clean, and I need to clean A LOT.



And I need someone to hold me accountable to this, so I actually make an attempt to stick to my plans. So this isn't a typical post, it's more of a "I'm telling you what I need to do and why so that I can't keep putting it off" type post.

And maybe, if we're lucky, I can remind/inspire someone else to make their own game plan to a cleaner, more relaxing house.


I want our house to just need a quickie clean when people come over, and for it to be an easy, breezy process. But in order to accomplish that, a lot of stuff needs to go.

I'm going to try to clean one floor every day or so, making sure to get rid of a ton of extra junk I don't need. I'll make sure to have a donations section, a trash section, and a keep section.

After finally figuring out how I want our house to look, style wise, I want to make it happen, and there's no better starting point than a clean slate.

So here's the game plan:


Upstairs

Bathroom
  • Organize under the sink
  • Organize hobby cabinet- update possible
  • Wash all towels
  • Clean all shelves
  • Clean shower & tub
  • Windex the mirror
Linen Closet
  • Clean all shelves
  • Throw out all expired medicines, makeup, products, etc
  • Use storage bins to organize all leftover products
Bedroom
  • Vacuum
  • Laundry - purge clothing!
  • Dresser transport & replacement
  • Nightstands?
  • Clean out cedar chest, possibly Space Bag some bedding
Second Bedroom
  • Closet clean up- purge heavily. Clothing, fabric, etc.
  • Dusting, window cleaning

While guests only see the bathroom on a regular basis for this floor, we see the other parts of this floor on a daily basis. No one wants to have a messy day at work and then come home to a messy bedroom as well.

Not to mention how much space is simply taken up by a ton of closet ornaments that I will never wear again or are only for special occasions. Why let those pieces take up precious closet space when I could be looking at clothes that I would actually wear when I open my closet?

Someone out there will wear these clothes, just not me. And I'm tired of pulling a Pheobe on a daily basis.



Main Floor

Front Closet
  • Clean out- throw away vacuum box, move toilet paper upstairs, fill shelf with board games
  • Deodorize- spray some faux Febreeze, put baking soda on shelf to absorb
  • Wash coats, add more hangers for guests
  • Store only vacuum, shovels, salt & shoes/boots on floor
Living Room
  • Move MCM dresser upstairs- place dryer sheets in each drawer
  • Rearrange for Thomasville dresser
  • Finish coffee table makeover
  • Wash all blankets & pillows, store/purge extras
  • Vacuum
  • Dust
  • Store holiday decor
Dining Room/Kitchen
  • Dishes, dishes, dishes
  • Organize cabinets & carts
  • Remove storage coffee table- may fit back in living room with new layout
  • Clean microwave & fridge
  • Organize under the sink
  • Clean floors, counters, and sink
  • Shopping list

This is the floor that guests see as soon as they come over, and for the majority of their visit. Therefore, this floor needs to be the cleanest, the most organized, and the most presentable.

No one wants to visit a friend when their house always has piles and piles of mail, laundry, dishes, and cat toys everywhere. And no one wants to open your fridge to get a drink & instead see Chinese take-out that you ordered the last time you had a Netflix party a month ago. Talk about unappetizing.


Basement

Office
  • Go through paperwork & file
  • Clutter control
  • Take pictures of end tables & any other unwanted furniture pieces. Consolidate
  • Reorganize photo boxes so that they make sense
  • Purge any craft supplies, fabric, etc
  • Vacuum & clean carpet
  • Finish client desk & breakfast table
  • Relocate additional dining chairs & leaves
Laundry Room/Storage
  • Laundry
  • Go through all boxes & purge
  • Put baking soda in freezer
  • Hang shower curtain in front of toilet
  • Add storage shelves above washer/dryer
  • Vacuum

Admittedly, this is the floor of the house that I'm least worried about, but the one that needs the most attention. We mostly pass through this floor to clean the litter boxes, switch laundry, and print things, but it was supposed to be so much better than that.

Somehow it went from being a great sanctuary for office and craft supplies to be organized and happy to being a great big mess. Half finished projects, ruined projects, extra dining chairs, storage bins, and various other odds & ends have taken over my office/craft room. I no longer have a clean desk to file paperwork on, or a big space to work on projects. Instead I have a maze to get to the laundry room.

Our laundry room also has its problems, but they are less severe. This room simply has an overabundance of stored items that I don't need anymore. So into the donation & trash piles they shall go.


I'm hoping to have all of this done in one week, though I know it will probably take longer with so much to go through & get rid of. But I can put on some tunes, make some frozen pizza, and get through it within a reasonable time frame. 

With the holidays over, and friendly gatherings mostly behind us for the meantime, I should be able to get through it all fairly quickly. When spring comes along, I'll be able to open the windows to let some fresh air in, and my spring cleaning will already be done!


So there it is. The ultimate challenge- cleaning and organizing the entire house in one week. Feel free to join me in this adventure of hellacious proportions, and maybe we can hold each other accountable so that there's a cleaning movement. 

Misery loves company, right? ;)



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