Week three of the January Cure over at Apartment Therapy is now complete and I a proud to say I have stuck with it and really tried to accomplish all the tasks. Last year I barely got the projects off the ground but this year sharing my progress with you guys has been a big motivator for me. Not that I would be in big trouble if I failed, but because I am just competitive enough that I don’t want to fail if someone is watching. So thanks for all that perceived judgement, with that in the back of my mind week three was a busy one. That means taking big steps towards a cleaner more functional home. Here are some of the tasks that I worked on this week.
Monday was The Media Fast, the idea is that for a few hours during your main block of “home time” to take a break from television, computer, tablet and smart phone. I will admit that I did not do this consciously but during one of my big cleaning days this week I got so involved I did not so much as check a text for hours, but since that was by accident I don’t think it really counts. I still plan to take an evening with the entire family to really unplug but I will not lie, I have not done it yet.
Tuesday was Bathroom Cabinet Clean Out. Let me start by saying we are in a rental and when we moved in the previous tenants left a ton of cleaning products in the house. Instead of clearing everything out I kept some of it around thinking I may need them, since the previous tenants knew the house better than I maybe these were MUST HAVE items. In my bathroom clean out this week I found a few items in abundance that are definitely NOT must haves, nor did I buy. First was the Anti Schimmel which is close to the American product Tilex for removing mildew. I have been in the house a year and a half now and have seen very little mildew which I understand can be a problem in German homes since they are stone and very well sealed. The only spot that seems to attract mildew is the ceiling in the bathroom and I am not about to stand around and spray bleach over my head (okay so I tried it once, didn’t work out so well.)
The second item that I seem to have in abundance is Ant and Roach spray. Now I don’t know what kind of living conditions the previous tenants were used to but I have not seen a single roach or ant in this house. Not even one. Flies yes, gnats sure, maybe a bee that flew in by mistake but those German cockroaches we have in the States have defiantly migrated out of this part of Germany, or at least from my house. Maybe this would explain why all three cans are almost completely full.
I decided on saving one bottle of each product just in case I should have a sudden mildew, ant, and roach infestation but the rest will have to find a new home. I need that space for the important stuff like my flat-iron!
Wednesday’s job was Create a Landing Strip and start using it, a place for things to land and be filtered as they come in the door. I really needed help moving this out of the kitchen. The kids are constantly dumping their backpacks in the middle of the kitchen floor which only adds to the chaos in this small space. I do have a landing strip elsewhere but I have to admit I have let it get a bit out of control and it does not function as well as it could. Too many coats, hats piled high, and nowhere to ditch the backpacks and bags after school. I decided the easiest fix was to move the coat rack higher on the wall and add a lower shelf for my purse and the kids backpacks when they get home from school. I of course had to leave a little room for Stella, this is her favorite spot in the house. I also did a quick sort through the coats to leave only the ones we wear every day, coats that are worn only on occasion were put elsewhere, another basket for hats and scarves and we were looking pretty good. Now lets see if we can stick to the using it part!Thursday was time to Clear a Closet. Ha, Ha, jokes on them because guess what? I don’t have any closets! I do have a few wardrobes though so I guess I don’t get off on a technicality. Really though, if I don’t get the joy of a closet should I have to suffer the misery of closet cleaning? I guess it couldn’t hurt, besides it could use little work in there and since I don’t have a closet that means there is absolutely no room for things that are not getting used. After a two bags of donation items and a lot of organizing I have my two BRIMES wardrobes looking pretty good.
Once I cleared out the excess a little organization was all I needed. I installed extra shelves for folded clothing and shoes. For jewelry I added cup hooks on the inside of the door across the top, no more tangled necklaces. Voila!
Before my clean out I could barely find a hanger when I was putting clothes away. I know I did a good job because now I suddenly have a ton of hangers left over.
My final weekend project was to show the Living room a little love. While this was just a basic cleaning project it was a big deal getting everyone to stay out of the living room on a Sunday afternoon since this is where the main TV and gaming consoles are. I managed with several “I’m board” comments from other rooms of the house. I guess I forced them into a media fast too.Since I was making everyone else miserable I took the job to heart, moving furniture, washing slip covers, and wiping down all that media. Those things get so gross with dust. By Sunday evening I was enjoying my media again in a clean fresh living room.
And of course to finish off the project I had to buy my weekly flowers. I know, I keep buying tulips but they are so pretty this time of year. One more week to go, lets see if I can finish strong.
Anyone else still hanging in there?