A blizzard blustery Saturday here in Connecticut, so far only two-four inches but the winds are blazing and with the steady flurry theres no getting out.
A wise homeschool mom from my group posted some great ideas on how to best prep for the storm (thank you, Jana S.) I was so grateful because I just couldn’t think. Friday coma I guess . ”Batten Down the Hatches,” she said:
“1. Move all stuff out of yard and off porches. 2. Put shovels in back entryway3. Charge all devices 4. Do all the laundry, Run dishwasher, vacuum rugs, etc. 5. Fill tubs, pitchers, water bottles etc. 6. Make a big pot of beans/rice/chili. 7.Flashlights, batteries, candles etc. 8. Bring in wood 9. Organize the coat closet, games closet, art supplies, and sheet music 10. Pray!”
Check, Check CHECK!
Now what? The snow is here and looks like a day at home. So. Do I binge watch Anne of Green Gables and Little House on the Prairie series with the kids all day OR do I deep clean this beast-of-a-farmhouse?
I’m an all or nothing kinda gal so……I’ve decided to do BOTH. 🥰Binge watching old series is going to be my reward AFTER a nine-five deep clean with the whole family. I’m challenging myself to the long haul. The Full Monty.
I started early at seven o’clock this morning and began with…..
The Tidy
(mic drop, record scratch)
The wah?……Yea, in houses as high functioning as mine no cleaning could get done without a preliminary tidy. Even professionally, during every in-home estimate I would recommend the homeowner tidy the night before a cleaning is scheduled, to save money and cut the time cleaners have to spend. For me I need to cut BOTH time and money. So this ones gonna have to be a team effort with the whole family pitching in. They trickle onto my team, one by one as they each woke up and I informed them of the prize I had in store for the best tidier: whomever stuck with me the longest, didn’t bicker their way through it, and actually put things away in their places versus stuffing them in random corners never to be found again. They happily obliged and I’m grateful as this place is an epic mess. I would need a team of two if I were to take this job on professionally and accomplish it in seven hours. SO the kids are key players for me. Most of us that clean all day every day but feel like the house is still always dirty are getting hung up on this first task. Cleaning and tidying are two very different jobs and usually can’t be done by the same person if done in the same day. Otherwise burn out before the half way mark is inevitable. Separating the two tasks makes cleaning faster, less painful and actually enjoyable. The tidy is best done night before the clean, but if it must be done the same day, send the kids ahead to tidy so the way is paved.
For the tidy we are focusing on:
•decluttering surfaces
•emptying trash bins
•doing dishes and running dishwasher
•picking up and sweeping floors
Why sweep if your gonna vacuum you may ask?
Well….number one it saves on vac bags and number two it cuts effort. Vacuuming is done with less effort when you sweep first as it avoids the repetitive stopping to bend over and pick up things too large to be sucked up = equals less time. And less frustration too. Even if you have a bagless vacuum and no large debris to pick up, sweeping first will cut down on how many times you have to stop to empty your vac canister.
Now for the CLEAN!!!!
I have a bunch of posts on cleaning. So I won’t bore you with the break down. Its already one o’clock and honestly I’ve had enough of my little darlings and they have had quite enough of cleaning (ahem, i meant tidying) so I’m treating them with a warm cinnamon bun and letting them start the binge watching of series while I get on the actual cleaning. Now that I have a clean slate to work with I can take my time and enjoy the process while they are conveniently “tied up” so to say and not undoing what we accomplished.
Aside from the routine weekly clean I’m focusing on jotting down the million and one things I notice along the way that I WON’T have time to get to today and get my spring cleaning list started. I like to spend February’s cleans doing this so that once I’m ready to start Spring cleans, I have a list ready to go versus feeling stumped and not knowing where to start. Here’s some things I noticed over the course of my clean today, that are way overdue, and a deeper clean than I will get to today that I’ve added to my spring clean list:
• vents
• inner window sills
• vac or launder curtains/blinds
•wipe down bed frames
• inside oven/fridge/freezer
• wash walls/baseboards/doors/trim
The Reward
Just sitting down finally to post this. Five-thirty already. It has been a long day and I’m sore but man it feels so good to smell the freshness of a clean home, and relax in it. There is nothing like walking from room to room with the peace in seeing everything in order, in its place and sparkling clean. The reward is big and a huge motivator to keeping me going for the long haul.
Happy Snow Storm to all and I hope yours was as wonderful as mine was. Looking forward to a relaxing Sunday tomorrow in a clean house 😃
Her House 