A request to any neatniks on MT

[Flea]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]I'm trying really hard to mend my slovenly ways and I could use some advice.

As I mentioned, I finally put my condo on the market at the beginning of November. I went with a realtor who specializes in staging, and at his insistence I put 16 giant plastic bins loaded with crap into storage. The place looks fantastic, if a little cold and museum-y to my taste. My issue is that I need to keep everything very manageable and sparkling so potential buyers can parade through on a moment's notice. This is not my usual approach - I'm much more used to stacks of paper and slimy dishwater.

I solved the problem temporarily, of course, by spending the month of November in Oregon. Now that I'm back and unpacked, the spotless thing just isn't working for me. I like the look, I like it a lot! But it's unbelievably time-consuming to scurry after every used coffee spoon and wayward cat hair. How do people do it? Or more to the point, how do people stay tidy and still have a life? I don't mean to be snide here, I ask sincerely. I've always wanted to clean up my act but I've never really known how. I'm presented with a habit-altering opportunity, but I need a little extra incentive. Some guidance, or cheerleading.

So ... for those among us who are habitually tidy, how do you stay that way without getting exhausted?
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[Marginal]

It just comes down to getting into the habit of putting things back/where they belong after you use them. If you short circuit the buildup you save time picking up later.

 

[Flea]

I've been told that, and it certainly helps. Maybe I need to find a happy medium, like a designated time every day to clear things out.

Case in point: one of the first things I did when I got home was pick up a new coffeemaker at the thrift store, and some gourmet grounds. I came home and sipped with great delight. The following morning I got up with anticipation, only to find the pot still floating in cold dishwater. Grumph!! Not the first activity I wanted for the day, but it was either that or pass on the coffee. So as I went through the day, I went to the opposite extreme of washing each individual dish as I used it. This occupied a lot of water and soap (not happy for a tree-hugger like me,) and above all a lot of time.

So ... a designated "cleaning hour" every day might be the way to go, if I can stick to it. I printed this off and tacked it to my bathroom mirror. I'm open to other ideas though.

 

[Jade Tigress]

I'm with Marginal, the key is getting into a habit. I keep up on little things throughout the day. I have a dish washer, so after using a dish I just plop it into the dishwasher, no dirty dishes in the sink. I tidy up everyday and do a "deep" cleaning once a week.

Tidying = vacuuming, keeping the counters crumb free and dirty dishes out of sight in the dishwasher, sweeping, removing clutter by throwing away junk mail, sales papers, etc., cleaning the cat box, making the bed, putting away any laundry. It sounds like a lot but it's really not. When you keep up on the little things daily it really doesn't take that much time because it doesn't turn into a huge job.

Deep cleaning = in addition to the above, dusting, cleaning glass table tops and bathroom mirrors, cleaning the bathrooms (toilets, sinks, shower) and mopping.

On a deep cleaning day (usually Friday for me) I spend about 2 hours and the house is sparkling. I live in a 2 level, 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath house. When I lived alone in a 2 bedroom, 1 bath, ranch home, I could do all of that in about 25 minutes.

Hope this helps and best of luck to you on a quick sale.

P.S. I hear you on the coffeemaker thing. I NEED my coffee as soon as I open my eyes in the morning. I always set up the maker sometime the day before and have it on a timer. I did the same with makers without a timer so all I'd have to do when I opened my eyes was push the button, sit down, and wait. lol

 

[shesulsa]

Flea:

It is absolutely about habit, having designated times/places/purposes for everything, and eliminating clutter.

It's also about taking the opportunity presented to you naturally.

www.flylady.com has some great hints, but they bombard you with emails. Following their plans, though, helped me get in control of clutter and at least gain some approach to daily maintenance that leaves my house largely ready for company most of the time.

For instance: when you get up in the morning and go to the bathroom, use a sanitizing wipe on your counters, another on your knobs and often-touched surfaces and another on the sink. Swish the toilet with a toilet wand (do this every day and you'll never need a caustic cleaner for it and it will always look great). Use a wanded brush and a vinegar spray in the shower. After you dry off from YOUR shower, plop your towel on the floor and give the floor a quick swab with your feet on the towel.

Start a load of laundry to wash as you're getting dressed.

Put your sundries away as you use them.

When you make coffee and/or cook, clean as you go - wipe down surfaces from one side of the kitchen to the other. Put your clean clothes in the drier or hang them up. If you live alone, you can either follow JT's suggestion of putting your dishes in the dishwasher or just get a dishwashing rack, wash your plate, silverware, cup and pan when you finish eating and let them drip dry for the day.

Go to work.

After work and a relaxing moment, get your dusting and vacuuming done (just high-traffic areas), take a moment to straighten things and sanitize your often-touched surfaces, put your clean laundry away.

When you make dinner, make your lunch for the following day, wash your dishes after you eat.

Before bed, put clean dishes away, get things ready for the next day.

Deep clean crevices and deep clean on Saturday or Sunday morning.

Keep a swiffer around and use a wet washcloth instead of spendy wet wipe refills to damp-mop your floors each evening or each morning to keep floors generally clean.

Have a day for paying bills, a day for organizing, a day for deeper cleaning (this is when you move your furniture to vacuum, move your fridge and washer/dryer to sweep and mop), a day for clothing repair/dry cleaning, a day for cleaning supply maintenance, a day for oiling wood and washing windows and a day for grocery shopping.

Some people separate their homes into "zones" or rooms/areas they concentrate on once per week and deep clean them at that time, so spring cleaning never really comes. I tried this, but with my children, there's just no way to isolate the mess in this manner. I can't leave scrambled eggs to crust on the wall for a week or not wipe down that toilet seat my son ... er ... loves. This may work for you, though I found it to be an exhausting task. I felt like I was working my butt off all the freakin' time. Well, of course, I still am, but obsessing on two rooms each day was daunting and I didn't like it.

So ... create timed habits, create routines, follow them diligently, and rid your life of clutter.

Heh. HAVE FUN!!!

 

[Jenny_in_Chico]

I'm definitely a clean and tidy freak. Every night before I go to bed I tidy the house. Then I snuggle deep into bed feeling virtuous and smug. But I have always naturally been this way. I'm not sure if a natural slob can really change, deep down. I think natural tidy freaks feel deepy offended or profoundly distracted by dirt and disorder, and we must set it to rights before we can relax.

 

[Flea]

I'm definitely a clean and tidy freak. Every night before I go to bed I tidy the house. Then I snuggle deep into bed feeling virtuous and smug. But I have always naturally been this way. I'm not sure if a natural slob can really change, deep down. I think natural tidy freaks feel deepy offended or profoundly distracted by dirt and disorder, and we must set it to rights before we can relax.

Can't change? I don't know. Addicts can change, and so can criminals. It's a matter of hitting bottom and making a solid decision that relapse = death. It's not always that dramatic when it comes to housekeeping, but the level of determination is what counts.

Check this out. My home is nowhere near this magnitude, but I find it very inspiring to see how people turn their lives around. That, and the photos put the fear uh gawd in me to keep cleaning. Today I shredded the month of junk mail that accumulated in my absence, worked out another week of receipts from my trip, wiped surfaces, vacuumed, swam at the Y and went to an evening church service. I am pleased to say that under the clutter of unpacking my place is quite sparkly. :angel: More sparkles when I pull out my holiday decor tomorrow.

 

[jks9199]

You can learn habits; I've done it myself. I'm not a neat freak. Not at all! Never have been. But, when I've been required to, I can do it. It means putting stuff away as soon as you're done with it. I open the mail over the trash, so that junk mail gets appropriately deposited immediately. Don't let the dishes sit... DO THEM. (I do habitually clean as I go, cooking or doing woodwork or anything else. It's just easier... and can be essential to having good results.)

The key is to realize that, unless you're one of those sick people who are natural neat freaks, you cannot give yourself an excuse. Because "I'll do those dishes in the morning" becomes "after breakfast" which moves to "after lunch"... and next thing you know, it's "in the morning" all over again. Only there's more of them! Excuses, whether they're about cleaning or training, have a nasty tendency to multiply...

 

[Stac3y]

I live with a slobby husband, two young boys, and dogs that a) bring in leaves through the dog door and b) shed enough to build new dogs each week. I also work full time. Wish I could help you, but I have a hard enough time keeping things SANITARY. Sparkling is waaaaay beyond my reach.

 

[shesulsa]

Flea, there are people who are born organized ... we are not them.

One other thing I'm in favor of is making the list and checking it off every day. You can use post-its on your mirror, too.

You *can* get out of the mess rut. Sounds like you're on your way. GOOD FOR YOU!!!

 

[Jenny_in_Chico]

Can't change? I don't know. Addicts can change, and so can criminals. It's a matter of hitting bottom and making a solid decision that relapse = death. It's not always that dramatic when it comes to housekeeping, but the level of determination is what counts.

Check this out. My home is nowhere near this magnitude, but I find it very inspiring to see how people turn their lives around. That, and the photos put the fear uh gawd in me to keep cleaning. Today I shredded the month of junk mail that accumulated in my absence, worked out another week of receipts from my trip, wiped surfaces, vacuumed, swam at the Y and went to an evening church service. I am pleased to say that under the clutter of unpacking my place is quite sparkly. :angel: More sparkles when I pull out my holiday decor tomorrow.

Ok, I'll admit it...one of my secret shames is my morbid fascination with people who hoard. I watch that show "Hoarders" on A&E and just sit there, wide eyed, gaping at the screen like a goldfish. If I wasn't trained to do something completely different, I would develop a business where I would go into hoarders homes and clear them all out and help them. Although animal hoarders really bother me.

At any rate, I'm very proud of you for working so hard to change your habits! You have always seemed to me to be a person who strives to improve herself in every way, so I think that you will succeed in this case.

 

[Cryozombie]

I find that the only way this is gonna happen for me is a flamethrower and an insurance policy.

Hehe.

 

[Flea]

Interesting you should mention that. I grew up in a very cluttered house, and sometimes my mother would look around in despair. "Anybody got a match?"

It makes more sense now that my parents have split up. My father's house is so bad that once he discovered a squirrel had shimmied through a window crack and made a winter nest in a stack of books. (He'll never ever live that one down!) My mother's apartment is Martha Stewart perfect. My personal comfort level lies somewhere in the middle but I'm really happy for her, because she feels liberated on a very profound level from all that mess. Now that I'm forced to the Martha Stewart level, I'm understanding her side better. It is liberating both psychologically and physically.

 

[shesulsa]

Now that I'm forced to the Martha Stewart level, I'm understanding her side better. It is liberating both psychologically and physically.

Isn't it???

I used to defend my mess with the rationalization that I could find anything I wanted when I wanted to. Things changed for me when my first child was born. I reverted back to my old ways after I split with The Mistake, though, and even though I could find anything at anytime, the weight of the mess was on me, even though I didn't realize it.

The elimination of the clutter, the place-for-everything mentality has simplified my life A LOT - and believe you me ... I NEEDED IT!!!

Enjoy, Flea!

 

[Ken Morgan]

after I split with The Mistake

I've heard all kinds of "terms" used for one's ex's, but I love this one! I may have to use it...

Sorry Flea, but this wouldn't be MT if we didn't vere a thread off course a wee bit....

 

[Flea]

Isn't it???

The elimination of the clutter, the place-for-everything mentality has simplified my life A LOT - and believe you me ... I NEEDED IT!!!

You ain't kidding! What amazes me is that since I had to stow now sixteen (sixteen!) giant plastic bins of crap in my friend's basement, I barely even remember what was in them. Now that the possessions within arm's reach are laid open to view, I'm still constantly hauling things off to the Goodwill. It has me utterly conscious of every item and whether I actually use it or not. If not? Don't waste my space!

I see now how my previous clutterriffic ways were a form of paralysis; I couldn't unload anything because I couldn't see my possessions clearly enough to make any first steps. Wow. Dude.

 

[Jenny_in_Chico]

I've heard all kinds of "terms" used for one's ex's, but I love this one! I may have to use it......

I refer to my mistake as "The Drama Queen".

 

[shesulsa]

I refer to my mistake as "The Drama Queen".

I refer to mine as "Donor" in private circles.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I refer to my mistake as "The Drama Queen".

These days I do not refer to my ex at all... but a few years back she was known as "back stabbing evil untrustworthy cheatin *****"... when I was feeling kind.

 

[celtic_crippler]

Clean as you go. If you do daily maintainence then it's not so bad doing the serious cleaning once a week or so.

Dirty a dish...put it in the dishwasher. Of course that requires it be emptied after use.

The key is to not let things get piled up (I know... easier said than done)

BTW, my ex is affectionately known as "Parasite."