Category: Homekeeping (Page 1 of 21)

I’ve always been a proponent of cleaning, decluttering and organizing. There are lots and lots of posts here on the CHK blog about those topics. It was important to me as a young wife and mom because I had a house full of people to keep organized and clean. I like a clean house on a daily basis and an organized home helps me feel peaceful.

I never have liked the trend where young moms complain about how they can’t get their home clean and organized and seem to be proud of that fact. It’s as if some of those women want to brag that they’re home is dirty and they’re proud of it.  I don’t understand that mind-set.

What I do understand is how stinking hard it can be to clean regularly and keep a home clean and organized, especially with a bunch of kids in it. Goodness, it is overwhelming sometimes. And sometimes it just can’t be done consistently no matter how much you want to.

It’s just me and my husband at home now.  A couple of grandkids are here in the afternoons after school, sometimes they eat supper here.  So really, there isn’t much going on in the house these days. But I STILL have trouble keeping it clean!

What is up with that?

I guess now it’s because I have less energy, I’m older, I have less stamina and my back hurts like crazy some days.  I dunno.

But still I struggle with keeping it done. So I went looking for motivation. YouTube to the rescue!

I found some videos on YouTube that are very motivating. One is Scandish Home, this lady has her stuff together and I like her home very much. She has two teen boys, a husband, a business and a home to run. She does a good job and you know what? She is minimalist. I am not minimalist but I do admire it. I like her recipes too, they’re very simple and healthy.  It was from her channel that I made the decisions to go back to cleaning with rubbing alcohol and baking soda.

The other channel is Olesya and House. She is in Belarus in the country, she has one son and a husband and they have another channel where they are renovating an old house. Olesya’s world seems to be a small kitchen/dining room and she makes some magic with cooking, cleaning and sewing.  Her personality and home are warm and comforting. I really enjoy her channel and that of her husband where he shows what he is doing with the old house.

One other is Feral Tradwife. Oh my, it bothers the fire out of me that this lady waits so long to clean her house, that she doesn’t seem to keep up with it on a daily basis. She waits for it to get unbearable and then tackles it all in one day. I guess if she didn’t let it get dirty, she wouldn’t have a channel, right? She gets it done though and I admire that.  Anyway, she works hard and her videos are sped up a bit.  I like how she works.  Her marathon cleaning in her children’s rooms reminds me of when I had children at home.

Finally, I watch This Mainer Mom. This is the channel of my friend Karen and she has some great motivation to clean and organize and keep her home working smoothly. Karen keeps it real, she has a way of making you feel like you’re her friend and she really does give great cleaning and organizing advice.

Those channels really motivate me to clean these days. They are part of my morning routine. Feed animals, start breakfast for husband, make coffee, pray, watch videos. Then I get busy in my own home. Sometimes I stop a video and go do something that I need to do in the house!

I made a vow to myself that I would do at least ONE thing every day that I didn’t particularly want to do. And I’ve been keeping that vow.  I have gotten quite a lot done in the house. The videos help me to stay motivated and give me ideas about how to go about cleaning or decluttering/organizing. Sometimes a video will suggest  cleaning/organizing an area that I had not thought of and that is needed in my home.

I know how to do all the things. I wouldn’t have written all these blog posts about it if I didn’t. But it really helps me to have some motivation to actually WANT to get things done. This is just the season that I am in right now.  And right now, these videos are filling that need.

Check them out, I think you’ll like them!

I will be working on the main cleaning of the Master Bedroom today. If you’d like to make your own cleaning solutions, you can find my recipes here.

Here is how I clean my bedroom.

First I take everything out of the bedroom that doesn’t belong in there.  
Next, I ……

Clean off tables, organize drawers and storage containers that will stay in the room.

Fold up and hang up all clothing and put it away.

Take down pictures and put all the doo-dads in a box, take it out of the room for now.

Take up the rugs. Shake them out and wash them.

Put the curtains in to wash. If yours are not washable. you can take them down and shake them outside.

Sweep down the ceiling, walls, window frames and door frames. I use a soft tool made for this or pin a soft, old t-shirt or dishtowel over my broom and use that. Take care with textured ceilings.

After I’ve dusted, I’m ready to clean. I start with the walls and window frames and work from the bottom to the top so that the cleaning water doesn’t stain the walls as it drips. I wash down the walls, window and door frames then clean the baseboards.

Next, I give the floor a good sweep or vacuum.

Mop the floor.

Now I’m ready to clean mirrors, pictures, doo-dads and nic nacs.

I clean and polish all the wood furniture, next.

Return all the doo-dads, mirrors, pictures and nicnacs to their places.

Rehang the curtains.

Change the bed linens, make the bed.

Replace rugs.

That’s it! It takes me about an hour and a half to get it all done.

The living room (or family room) should be a place where the family can gather and be comfortable and relaxed.
Often, with all the traffic that rushes through it, it becomes more of a “road hazard” than anything else.

We tend to leave things lying around, such as mail, magazines, games, video cases, etc.
Often, the coffee table is even used as a dining table.

To get us started:

*Evaluate the situation. What’s working in this room? What’s driving you nuts? What changes would you like to make? What goals do you have for this room? How can you attain these goals? (And, are they attainable at all?)
Make sure the goals you set are realistic. Don’t set yourself up for failure.
It’s often good to make a series of goals; short, medium, and long-term.

*Clutter.
Deal with clutter and misplaced items as you go. Keep a basket handy and place all items that need to go to another room (or be thrown out, donated) in it.
Take a little time each day (or several times a week) to deal with clutter as it happens. Don’t let it build up. The children can help with this too!
Even 10 minutes a day can make a huge difference.

*Do you need to remove clutter from your end tables or coffee table? What do you have on them/in them? Why is it there?

*Do you have storage issues? If so, try to think in terms of “decorative storage” and get creative! Usually items that need to be dealt with in this room are cd’s, dvd’s videos and books. You can use anything from store bought containers and baskets, to decorated boxes, or even furniture pieces (such as and old pie safe for dvd’s) to organize these items. An old cedar chest makes a great storage area for blankets, and can be used as a coffee table as well.
~If you have any creative solutions we’d love for you to share them with us in this thread!

*Stereo/TV/Entertainment center.
Do you need to tidy this area up? Do you have movies and video games everywhere?
Would making a movie inventory be something useful for your family?

*Computer.
Is your computer in this room? Take a few moments to organize your computer desk. Clean your keyboard. (Compressed air is great for dusting off/out your computer).
Wipe down your monitor screen. (I use a mixture of rubbing alcohol and water).

*Books.
Do you need to dust off any books? Book cases? Shelves? Is it time to re-organize these shelves? Donate some unused books?

A few last tidbits to keep in mind…
~Deal with clutter as you go.
~Clean underneath everything! Furniture, tables, etc.
~Take the opportunity to listen to some music as you work!
~You can also light some scented candles or place some potpourri around to make your living area more relaxing and inviting.
~If you have a magazine holder in this room, take this opportunity to go through it. Organize. Discard/donate any magazines you no longer want. Make the ones you do want to keep more accessible, so you’ll actually look at them!
~Keep your lifestyle in mind! Every home is different. For instance, a home with pets or children will be organized, decorated and kept differently than a home without them.
~Magazines a problem? Tear out the pages you want to keep and make binders/idea books out of them. Recycle the rest.

I know I know … wooden spoons and the like are cheapo. I could buy a new set every month. But I like my wooden spoons that I’ve had since we were married. 42 years y’all. 

I’ve broken one over the years and warped one pretty good from stirring. One has a burn mark, which I’m pretty sure was achieved the first year I had them in our first apartment.

They were made in the U.S. which isn’t totally necessary but I like that.

My girls probably won’t want them, they’re a whole lot more practical than I am, not nearly as sentimental as me. I don’t know what happened to me to make me like that. 🤣  It’s just me.  So I plan on using them up and to do that they need to be cared for.

An important thing you should remember about wooden utensils is NOT to run them through the dishwasher. It won’t ruin them but it will weaken them over the years. It water-logs them and they might not ever get really dry if you keep running them through the dishwasher. That could lead to them being weakened and breaking or to bacteria and mold growth.

I wash them off and even scrub them after use. I sometimes dip them in water with some peroxide in it and then air dry then to sanitize them if needed, after washing.

Let them dry thoroughly before storing them.  overnight is best, maybe even all day the next day too.

If you happen to have a utensil that is black with age and water damage, sometimes the best thing is to take a small sharp knife and scrape it along the grain, gently, to remove all the black. Don’t actually cut the wood, though.  Then sand it.

About once a year I sand them all and oil them. Be sure they are completely dry when you sand them. If you sand them while they’re damp the wood is soft and can be damaged and misshapen.

I use a rough grit sand paper, usually 120 and then a finer grit, usually 220. After they’re sanded really well I wipe them down with a clean cloth and get all the sawdust off. You could use a tack cloth for this.

Then I apply a good oil like avocado or coconut oil. I rub in the oil really well, let it sit and soak in over night and then polish the utensils to a shine with a clean cloth. This takes some time, so just get your tools together, sit at a well-lighted table and enjoy the work.

The oil coating keeps moisture out of the wood and keeps them looking good. They can be as smooth or rough looking as you want them to be. The idea isn’t to make them look new, but to keep them in good shape for using. I think there is a beauty in that. 

I know it’s more trouble than most people want to go to but I like old things and the durability of a tried and true tool. I also like the idea of using things til they can’t be used any more. 

The master bath or family bath, children’s bath or guest bath….matters not to me. Which ever one needs your attention the most. We just have one so I guess that’s where I’ll be cleaning today!

So don your bleach wear and let’s get busy in the bathroom. At least wear some socks so you won’t track up the floor when you’re washing it.

This is one room where you will really use those natural cleaners you’ve been making!

First Things:
Pick up the room. Take out all dirty laundry and towels.

Take down the shower curtain. Put the plastic one in to wash.

Wash the cloth one if you have one. (Remember what I said earlier in the week about taking care to read your labels and only wash things that are supposed to be washed.)

Take down curtains. Prepare them to wash or just air them outside.

Take out the trash, fill the trash can with cleaner and water to soak of needed, if not give it a quick rinse and set it outside to air while you clean.

Second Things:
Get yourself a box or basket. Pick up all the nicnacs, soaps, lotions, etc that are sitting on the counter-top and tub, put them in the basket.

Sweep the floor, shake out rugs and take them to the laundry or air outside.

Use your natural cleaner and spray the tub and sink and commode to let it sit a while.

If you use commode cleaner of some kind, go ahead and put some in the commode to let it soak. A good natural cleaner for the commode is borax.

Pull everything out of the linen closet and under the sink area. Go through it carefully and throw away what is out of date or old or unused. Find yourself some storage containers like baskets or small plastic trays to keep your bathroom items in. Try using a medium sized basket to put blow-dryers, curling irons, etc, in.

Take everything out of the medicine cabinet too and go through it ruthlessly! Throw stuff away that is expired and truly useless.

Put your linens out on the dining room table while you work.

Make yourself a sink of hot soapy water or hot water with your cleaner of choice in it. Get your rags ready.

Now the Nitty Gritty Cleaning!

Wash the inside of the cabinets and shelves in the linen closet. This is a good time to line them! Don’t forget the floor of the closet. Refold the linens and replace them in the closet. Consider spraying them with some nice lavender water or other light scent.

Wash out the medicine cabinet.

Wash down walls and window frames, door frames and tile if you have it.

Take down blinds if they are dirty and soak them in the tub in warm water and dish soap while you clean.

Wash the ceiling if it needs it.

Wash the walls. Use caution if your walls are papered or painted, be gentle.

Wash the baseboards or the area where the floor and wall meet.

Scrub the tub if you’re not using it to soak the blinds. If you are, just wait on this. A scotch brite is great for cleaning the tub if your tub is not resurfaced porcelain.

Scrub the counter tops, commode tank and outside of the commode.

Scrub the floor.

Scrub the shower. Don’t forget the walls of the shower or tub area.

Change your wash water if needed.

Scrub your blinds with a brush, rinse them and take them outside to dry while you clean the tub, inside and out.

Wash the windows and mirrors using glass cleaner.

Wipe down shelves and inside cabinets, cabinet tops.

Wash the sink.

If you are going to disinfect, this is the time to do it. If you’ve been using a disinfectant cleaner, you can skip this part. If you have been using a cleaner that does not disinfect, you can use rubbing alcohol or one of the antibacterial sprays.

I periodically use bleach all over my floor because I have tile with grout that gets yellowed. I open the window and pour bleach over the grout, spread it with my sponge mop, close the door and let it sit for about 20 minutes.
Then I go in and mop it up with water and dry it with a towel.

Here is a tip about getting rid of mold from this web site:
The Good Human – Kill Mold Naturally

“You can use Borax and white vinegar to make a spray that you can aim directly at the mold in the tub or shower. Once you spray it, leave it to sit for 30-60 minutes and then go back in and wipe it off. Presto, the mold will start coming off and you did not have to inhale toxic chemicals to do so. Just mix about 2 ounces of Borax and a cup of white vinegar and you are ready to go.

As a back up and a maintenance tip, you can also periodically spray the moldy “areas” with straight vinegar and just let it sit there and soak in. The vinegar will kill the mold that might be growing and it will halt the growth of new mold.”

Please be careful if you use bleach.. Don’t let me hear that you have mixed bleach with other household chemicals and cleaners!

Get your rugs washed and dried and back in the room.

Replace your nicnacs and notions, lotions, potions. Wash the bottles with a cleaning rag before putting them up.

Rehang the shower curtains, rehang window curtains.

Light a candle and just look at that clean bathroom!