Last night as I was making supper I asked JR if he could clear off the counters and wipe them down. JR tends to do this thing when we are cleaning that I like to call are-you-seriously-working-on-that-right-now-that-is-obviously-low-priority, or AYSWOTRNTIOLP for short. We will start to put our laundry away and all of a sudden the oil needs changed. I’ll get the vacuum out and the hedges need trimming. Or my personal favorite as of last night:
Kylie: JR can you clean off the counters and wipe them down.
JR:(reaches for the rag then stops and walks across the kitchen to clear the timer on the microwave)
I can’t make this stuff up. I called him out on his AYSWOTRNTIOLP and we had a good laugh. The countertops got cleaned. Ha!
Speaking of cleaning I am in full-blown spring cleaning mode. No joke, this afternoon I literally opened every window in my house and blasted music while I did my happy dance. I walked outside onto our deck (stepped on a broken light bulb – totally panicked, no blood, thank God!) and breathed in the fresh air. I got my hammocks ready to bleach, made a full deck cleaning list for JR, a house cleaning list, and may possibly have a garage sale this Saturday! (Yeah, I didn’t let that light bulb get me down!)
So if you are in a rut and want to get into that spring cleaning mood here are a few tips to get you (or your distracted hubby!) started.
- Watch the documentary Minimalism. It was on Netflix when I watched it but no promises.
- Start with your fridge. I weirdly clean my parent’s fridge out for them every few times I stay there. It’s therapeutic!
- Store away seasonal items. Pack away winter sweaters and swap out your fleece winter sheets for a light and airy spring and summer option.
- Open your windows – there is no science backing this, but it worked for me.
- Read the most popular home organization book – The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.
- Not down for a whole book? Check out this article on Swedish death cleaning.
- Hide the wires. Even just clearing a few areas of visual clutter can help you get started.
- Evaluate your mess. Check where things end up piling up or getting thrown. Young House Love stores their kids’ socks in their mudroom and John’s running pants in his office!
- Buy new cleaning supplies. I am way obsessed with this multipurpose spray from The Honest Co. It smells SO GOOD.
- Turn it up! Find a favorite playlist, set a timer and blast through a clutter-clearing power hour. This one is always a good go to. A time limit usually helps to keep the hubby on track too.
- Purge your closet. I did this a few weeks back and hit up Plato’s and made a quick $50!
- Work room by room. We like to make small piles for items that go in a different room and then take them to each designated room once we are completely done.
- Get garage sale ready. Clear off a space in the garage or basement and work through your whole house to purge things you no longer need. If you don’t have time for a sale, take pictures of larger items and list them on Facebook Marketplace.
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