Cleaning and Organization
 

Ok, I've committed myself to spend at least a half hour each night to some kind of chores, be they everyday cleaning or long-term organizational.

Know you know how lazy I can be - I come home and do nothing. :D For days!

Anyway, LSPE mentioned that she also is working on being better on this. Anyone else want to join the club?

Since I've been home during the week, I've tried to commit to getting more done around the home. Like you, I can skip many days in a row before I get motivated to get back in the game again. So yeah, I'll bite!

Oh, I will join the club!

I will need support, too, I'm a paper clutter hoarder and general all purpose slob (Oscar Madison in Drag minus the nasty cigars and interest in sports).

I'm striving to be better!

I've been wanting to for the longest time now, but with the still-outstanding plumbing disaster aftermath in the way, I haven't been doing much lately, since it's pretty moot.

However, we did overhaul the entire office and organize it. It's shiny! :)

A half an hour each night? Good lord, I really don't think I could cut back to anywhere near that level. Seriously.

Do I have a option?

Moonie: You need a hobby, my friend! How about getting a DL annual pa-

oh yeah :P

No kids and <1200 sq ft. of living space. 30 minutes is overkill.

I don't think so, really. Those 30 minutes can save hours to entire days having to be set aside to get stuff done. Plus, your home will always be inviting to guests, allowing for more spontaneity and actual relaxation time. Having someone over for dinner will be simple and relaxing, rather than having to spend hours prepping, etc.

I'd rather spend 30 minutes a day rather than killing an entire weekend day each month to clean.

Meh, I'm good with my mess.

Although for a while at least I'll be spending my half hour gardening anyway, so I think that gets me credit.

Totally. If you do 30 minutes outside while CP does the inside, then you've only spent 30 minutes. And, your place would constantly look awesome with not much effort. :)

Ken and I always try to do the cleaning simultaneously so it technically eats only half of the total time.

I would totally love to have someone come over and clean for a half hour every night (or day: I'm flexible)

Now that I've calmed down I can post this here without being overwhelmed with bile.



I value my time at approximately $40/hour. Therefore I can't afford myself for housework.

That said, I can't quite stomach embracing my position in the oppressor class by paying someone else to clean up after me.

Therefore, since clean messiness (as opposed to dirty messiness) doesn't bother me much I am content with the status quo.

I should really join this club. The house is messy... always. The kids do chores but not to the extent I want them clean. (i.e. wiping down counters with an icky sponge is not what I had in mind.)

Think of it as a jobs program. Think of it as spending, not saving, as Pres. Obama has asked us to do. Does that help?

I live in a two against one arrangement; I clean the place and the two short people trash it. The pets contribute to the mess. I never get off the hamster wheel.

Not really. I think I am constitutionally incapable of hiring a house cleaner.

That's part of why I rarely let housekeeping clean my hotel room while I'm still staying there.

Think of it as what God, Our Lord in Heaven wants you to do.

Does that help?

It might, considering what a Righteous man Alex is.

Sure, you can pick any of the 256 tasks we have available.

Gardening totally counts.

Ok, let's get this ball rolling. Tonight, I intend to COMPLETE the filing. Yes, COMPLETE. We pulled the file box out and got rid of all the useless crap, did so much shredding we killed our new shredder (lesson being, don't buy a cheap shredder) but have yet to truly implement a new system. My new car forms need to go somewhere.

Hear my organizational battle cry: IMPLEMENT!!

Today I commit to vacuuming the living room, plus one "project". Probably hauling a storage tub upstairs (which may involve the removal of items from said heavy tub, therefore qualifying as a project)

Okay, today I commit to getting crap off the bedroom floor (and in the appropriate place) so I can vaccum said bedroom floor. I will strive to also do a load of laundry!

I changed my mind.

I took the 2008 calendar off my cubicle wall. Now I'm beat. Baby steps...

That's why God in His wisdom made bonded cleaning services.

Ever since I remodeled, my pack-rat days have been over.

I'm always very neat and organized, except when working on a project. But I live alone, so who cares? I clean up when the project is through.


Cleanliness? That's another story. I never let things get grungy or gross, but I absolutely should clean and dust and vacuum more often than I do. Ugh, my place is like the Golden Gate Bridge. No sooner do I go through all the cleaning, stage by stage, area by area ... then it's time to start all over again at the first stage and area. BAH.


But I will NOT commit to half hour per day. Nope, not interested. I'm pretty useless after work. I manage to do my work out most days. Housecleaning is NOT happening at night.

Hey: don't be hi-jacking IMPLEMENT for your cleaning obsession!

The noun or the verb?

I don't have a half hour a day to clean. I clean when I can and have a house cleaner do the rest. But, on days when I have extra time, I will do it.

Plants are planted. Leaf lettuce, Basil, Carrots, Italian Parsley. If all goes well we're going to have an awesome bunny buffet out there. Also got two Coleonema pulchrum (Pink Breath of Heaven) shrubs in the ground, hoping those take and cover the ugly garage wall. Definitely looking forward to this spring.

I achieved my goal today. Got the living room vacuumed, started a load of laundry (a "project").

I wouldn't have even thought about planting "rabbit food". What a great idea! You can let the bun-buns out in the backyard for some sun and they can nibble while they're out there. Neat!

(Would clover make a good ground cover for open spaces?)

Open spaces? You've seen our patio. There's no "extra space" in those planting beds.

I just meant between veggies, since clover wouldn't root too deep.

I need suggestions to organize pots, pans their lids and baking pans.

Pots and pans are in one cupboard, baking pans are in another. Both are corner cabinets. I can't drill into them.

I don't know, but if you find a solution, please share! Lids are the worst for me.

I had to fire my cleaning service because of our finances.....things have changed, maybe I should hire them back. They can take care of the 30 minute a day commitment.

Actually since they left I do at least a couple things every day...at least 30 minutes, so I'm in the club! I'm getting used to it, so might just leave it this way for now.

We have one of these, which we use for baking pans and large lids. Leave a little space next to the wall and you have a fifth space. It's perfect for our large upper pantry space which has no shelving.

I would have to be seriously wealthy to hire a cleaning crew. Not my thing.

I got the filing done. :) My commitment for tomorrow night - clean the bathtub. CLEAN THE BATHTUB!!!

Thanks CP!!!!!! I'll check them out.

We keep our baking pans nested within each other, stowed inside the oven. We're used to it, so it's no big deal to pull out the stack before turning the oven on. :)

I'm not seriously wealthy in the least but I am seriously busy and I'm completely into delegation if i can manage it. I don't do deep cleaning of my house, I don't watch TV and I don't do a lot of other things because it sucks away time I want to use to do other projects. It's well worth my time and money to have someone do the cleaning. in fact, it is a GIANT relief in my life.

As long as the Gefilte fish is ready.... :D

We have found that planting some mint around the veggies helps to keep away the various critters that like to eat them.

But then the mint takes over EVERYTHING!!! Be very very careful with it!

Moonie: does that work on aphids? My roses are getting chewed UP

I don't think so, but I'm not sure on that one and what are you doing up at 4:30 in the morning?

Ladybugs.

True, mint does take some tending, but it also makes good mojito's and ice cream...

Mint. Yummy but soooo invasive. Once you plant mint you have mint forever. Take it out and looky there - it's back. But since mojitos have a magic spell on me at the moment, I might just put some in the side yard. It's fabulous to walk through a big patch of it.

Soapy water will supposedly take care of aphids but you have to then strip them off and wash away the soap.

Gardening - I remember those days. I really enjoyed doing that.... and you say if I garden I don't have to clean house? :evil:

Hmm. Bunnies eat mint too.

Meh, I could kill it.

I'm doing a pretty good job killing my basil plant at the moment. And the hyacinth.

Okay, got the laundry done last night. Made no inroads on my room. :(

Guess you've already got your commitment for tonight!

Today's baby step. I threw away the half-consumed bottle of Coke Zero in my cube from yesterday.

Of course, on my way in I bought a new bottle of Coke Zero so it may be that tomorrow I need to repeat this baby step.

I totally get that. I just....don't like people touching my stuff, and seeing my place in too much disarray. It's too personal for me. I know it's my own issue and most people aren't like that. It's weird enough to me that I now need bunny sitters for extended time away. They're in my place, seeing my mess, going through my medicine cabinet!

I think it's because I babysat as a kid and I was nosy. Only the guilty suspect others. :D

No, it is weird, I don't like it either. Not that I could afford help -- but even if I could, I'd likely spend as much time tidying up before their arrival, that I may as well just do the job myself. Cleaning up pre the clean up person seems silly, and I can totally see myself doing it.

If I were in a position right now to pay for a monthly deep clean, I would. While I count myself among those who clean before the housekeeper comes (when I had a housekeeper), having someone else take care of some of the load is fantastic. If I can get a housekeeper again into the monthly budget, I will, I loved it.

I'm always worried that I am not recycling, so I just let them accumulate on my desk. Currently I have had to move three times because my desks become unusable due to the bottles

That I do, once I get home from dinner!

While I have definitely developed a routine of cleaning up behind myself immediately (i.e. dishes straight into dishwasher, counters wiped right away after cooking, etc) - I don't do deep-cleaning either. We tidy up/wipe/swiffer/etc our day-to-day, but we have cleaners in every other month or so to do the deep cleaning. I agree it relieves stress a great deal.

But I DO organize. I've been trying to tackle the house room by room (this has been a challenge among the renovation that is, alas, STILL happening in our master bath, and about to continue to the two others. Funny how something like that can turn a house upside-down.)

We are guilty of being those people who clean for the cleaners. Not that we wipe stuff down (well, sometimes, if it's really gross) but we tidy and put everything back in its place. Then all they're really doing is the heavy-duty work we don't have time for.

I LOVE organizing. I don't rely on Adrianna to do any of my organizing, or laundry or redecorating. I actually like laundry - I just don't like putting it away.:D

When it comes to organizing "stuff" I'm a binge and purge type. Let it all build up until I run out of room and then go all Stalin on it, purging like mad.

What am I missing here? Is there something stopping you from recycling?

Now mind you, at home I have a 'collection' of cans because of the hours of the recycling place, but they're mostly in one corner of the garage, in bags...

He doesn't like to talk about it, but Kevy has a phobia of the color blue. He can't put anything in a blue bin.

I have a cleaning person that does all the deep cleaning of the bathrooms and kitchen, the range hood and all the baseboards....the stuff that is time consuming and I just don't want to deal with anymore, I figure it's that point in my life that I can spoil myself by handing off those chores I dislike the most to someone I know can use the extra money and who, IF she's out bad mouthing me about what a bunch of slobs we are, it won't matter cuz we don't have any other friends in common...and my house gets nice and clean and I get to spend my time doing something I enjoy rather than dread. If our circumstances change I can go back to doing it myself but for now I'd rather give up some other disposible income activity than give up the cleaning service

Speaking of recycling, does anyone know the name of the place that is behind grocery stores that takes bottles and cans? They are a chain but I don't know their name and I can't find one near me.

I was responding to Alex's post:His post, as well as mine were (mostly) in jest.



Well, that and my apparent blue phobia

What about purple... you know with printing and all you should have a healthy fear of both right?

Purple has enough red in it to make it manageable.

I think you and my husband have the same school of thought. It drives me knucking futs!!

I'd rather organize as we go instead of getting a wild hair and tossing half the world just to realize later we needed that which was tossed and having to repurchase said item:rolleyes:

Sure that happens some, and every now and then we lose that scrap of paper that had great aunt's Sadie's recipe for stuffed prunes scribbled on it, or some similar national treasure but my view is we can never find that type of stuff when we want it anyways because of all the other stuff so what's the point? A good purge now and then at least saves you time because there is a lot less stuff to look through before you can give up and go have a nap.

Mrs. Moonie is of the "keep it if we might have a use for it someday" mentality, whereas I'm more of a "What have you done for me lately" frame of mind. Nothing? Right, out you go.

Move every two years. If something is still in a sealed box from Move A when you get to Move B, then toss it.

Do you own or rent? Moving is a tad more difficult (ie costly) once you have a mortgage, kids, etc...

Still all in all, I agree with your central tenant. We have some boxes in the garage/basement/storage room from out last move (5+years) that I'd be more than happy to toss without even opening.

Rent, and I certainly don't move every two years.

But the general idea is one I do seriously advocate. When we moved into the current place there were plenty of iffy boxes that Lani insisted were things we needed and would use. So I put them out on the patio and told her that if they were still there and open in 6 months I would throw them away. In realilty it was closer to a year before I got around to it but that just made the demonstration stronger.

Really though I am a pack rat with little emotional attchment to my possessions. I accumulate stuff I don't need, but I know I don't need them, and when the time comes I deassession (to use a word from library school) them with without any difficulty.

And if there is any conflict between Lani and me, I just say "ok, we'll put it over here and if it is still there after X time without having been used I will be free to toss it then."

And there be the sticking point. Mrs. Moonie won't agree to any viable value for 'x' because whatever it is could one day be useful in some MacGyver'ish senario.

Well, it helps that your wife is of the "Travel light" persuasion, Alex ;)

She most certainly is not when it comes to the home. She's most certainly willing to go to Europe for two weeks with just 12 pounds total of luggage each (which we really did last year).

But anything that enters our house will stay there forever unless I intercede.

Regarding pack-rat-ism, I am still "in process" of scanning all my old notes, cards, ticket stubs, etc, and tossing them. It's something I touch very rarely, but when I do, I get a lot done and it's very satisfying to see it go.

At the rate I'm currently going I'll be done in 10 years.

I'm surprised at the number of people who have cleaning crews on hire. Count me among those who would have to clean for the cleaners. Only I wouldn't be content to tidy - I'd be polishing the furniture and scrubbing the tub and basically making sure there was absolutely NOTHING for them to do. Because, after all, they might know my mother and report back on how untidy I am. And since she's flying down in two weeks, I guess I know what all my free time will be spent doing until then.

Whereas I have no hope of being able to hire a housecleaner UNTIL I get my house... um... cleaner. Like it would just not be possible for them to work around my clutter, I don't think.

I'd love to pay someone to come in once a month and clean the big stuff (toilets, tub, counters, floors, sinks, areas I don't vacuum regularly)

Including guests?

Does that equation allow for the accumulation of new junk or is that just to get through the existing stuff?

I ended up buying this for my tickets. A friend of mine has this. They are slightly different, but I found it was much easier to buy the book and file them (and have a neat little display) then to scan them in and probably forget all about them.

I have one of these for my tickets.

Looks just like mine. :blush:

ah but see that's the beauty of my particular situation, no in laws left alive to tattle to and my mother lives 3000 miles away and we speak at most once every six weeks...no big problems between us just not that close and I'm OK with it. The only one my cleaning person could gossip with would be people I have no interaction with and therefore don't give a rats arse of their opinion of my lack of desire to be the one scrubbing the base of my commode.

My really big project is framing all my SCC and miscellaneous hockey stuff. But I need frames and a creative streak.

Much like the old Jewish joke:

"Ma, what are you doing? Sit down, you're 82. You have a service."
"Sit down? The girl is coming today. You want she should think I'm a pig?"

Fortunately it hasn't come up enough to test the possibility to be sure they're safe.

If I've counted right, excluding apartment building maintenance people, in the 10 years we've lived together we have had exactly 12 people in our home who didn't live there.

And 9 of those are only once and covered by two separate events.

I love socializing with friends, I just view my home as a place where others people don't intrude. It is a very select list I'd invite over without qualms.

So I think guests would be safe, but if Lani thought you'd fit under the couch for permanent storage possibly not.

My rate of accumulation has greatly declined in recent years. I don't send too many handwritten letters anymore...

Update....last night, helped GD with evil grapevine, today, cleaned bathtub! I hope to get some lunch, do some shopping, and scan some stuff today.

Well, it looks like we'll be overhaul cleaning the entire living and dining rooms this weekend, including cleaning and wiping down every last inch of the furniture! :rolleyes:

Somehow this sounds like a metaphor-laden student film project.

I've thought about doing something like 30 minutes a day but my evenings are so short already it never seems to happen. I have a long commute and after stopping at the gym (that's my 'must do' this year) I barely have time to have some dinner and then it's time for bed.

I'm working on this long, long term project trying to get my condo to the point where it's easy to clean regularly. When you have to move everything in order to vacuum it just doesn't happen. I've gotten rid of a lot of clutter but there's more to deal with. I'm also in the middle of a filing project which will probably never end.

I make a point of making my bed and cleaning up the kitchen every day. Then every once in a while I get some energy and thouroughly clean one room or (more likely) part of a room.

But mostly I notice the bookshelf needs dusting as I'm running out the door. I just don't spend much time at home. I have errands to run on weekends and going out to dance on Saturday night is a treat and a necessity. I usually don't get any good cleaning time unless I'm on vacation from work.

My house cleaner came today. I went to work. I came home to a beautifully clean house (except for the office stuff that is still in construction). She is coming back while we are on vacation, specifically the Friday before we return, so the house will be glorious upon our return.

This weekend, we will organize the office and do laundry. I can't wait!

I'm hoping to continue my streak tonight, even though it's a working Saturday for me.

Hmm, tonight I'll work on the boxes in the second bedroom.

Mrs. Moonie is out of town. The Moonie Juniors are also. I have cash in pocket and I'm off to the largest computer show on the east coast. Life is good.

I should probably start doing this. It's easy for things to get out of control here, since we have so much crap.

Sometimes I sneak cleaning in so I barely notice what I'm doing. For example this morning I noticed some dust up near the ceiling when I was getting dressed so I got out the duster and took care of that and dusted over the door and along the wall above the closets. All that in less than a minute but it was progress.

Instead of thinking I have to dust the whole room sometime and good lord how long will that take, I grab the duster and do the lamp as soon as I notice it. And then I do the shelf the lamp is on and then I stop.

Of course I notice how dirty the mini blinds are every day and I just keep on moving...

I'm usually much better at catching jokes than that (especially given the reputation of the poster!) But recycling around here is a real issue - they still haven't restarted curbside recycling after almost 4 years and there is absolutely nothing to do with glass (you can bring other stuff to 1/month collections at a Parish building)

Hmm, wondering how many computers you'll clean at the show. Soooo? ;)

I like LH's method. I try to run with my self-diagnosed ADD and just do what comes to mind. If I don't grab the moment, it slips away.

I think nouns are more fun than verbs. One can verb a noun but not so much the other way 'round.

Very nice!

Joe and I have a housekeeper come in every other Thursday. It's not that I can't clean, Lord knows I was my mother's housekeeper, I just hate the losing battle that is cleaning up after someone else. Clutter, however, is another thing altogether. Maria doesn't disappear clutter. As for the half hour a day thing, I already feel like I do that just to get the kitchen and bathroom up to where I can stand to use them in the morning.

Hey there, remember me? The Cleaning and Organization thread? Remember all that resolve you had, three weeks ago?

Yeah, April was tough. Yosemite and Coachella and MouseAdventure. But now it's over. There are more roadblocks in May, of course, but there are always going to be some.



I washed some dishes tonight. Yay for me. :p

I dusted the fish tank!

I cleaned up a pile of clutter next to and on my desk

I straightened things up in preparation for my house cleaner coming tomorrow.

We're going home on Saturday, Y'all can stop cleaning your houses then. ;)

Better start cleaning your house for the LoT invasion!

Oh. :blush:

Um, we DO have a LAPADIGI to make sure you all don't come at once, don't we? huh?



Stoat, Stoat !! Did we fold the ends of the toilet roll before we left? And did we hide the pile of washing-up under the tea-towel? We may have guests coming.

I've done a great job of making sure there is PLENTY at home to be cleaned and organized!

Our house cleaner doesn't do cat boxes, so that's tonight's chore.......for Chris. I've had my fill of cat poop today.

My "cleaning and organizing" right now is to catch up on paperwork. I'm sitting down for at least 15 minutes with Quicken each evening until I catch up. Again.