Time to tidy the frick up

I Know it’s not perfect. I know it’s not great it got this bad. But I need someone to celebrate my success with me. And maybe I’m only cleaning it so I can get a new mattress in here. But I got it done. Not completely, but done enough. Can that be good enough?

Marie Kondo, gently over my shoulder: why is a pair of pants you find unwearable still in your dresser drawer

me: oh shit that’s right!! The dresser is for clothes that under some circumstance I might conceivably wear!!

Marie Kondo, beaming proudly: Yes, that’s correct!! These pants must have been your favorites. How wonderful that they were so comfortable and practical that you wore them out. But now since they no longer function as pants, you should move them from the drawer where you keep your functioning pants!

me: Yes thanks I got it they’re in the fabric basket now

Cleaning and organizing your room or house has some serious benefits for you in the long run. It can help minimize your risk of getting sick, it makes you feel better after, reduces stress and anxiety, it can even make you feel proud.

Here is how it relates to studying: decluttering and cleaning will allow you to study with less distractions and thoughts about your surroundings. It is also a great way to get some frustration out, allowing you to focus better. And after, it puts you in a mood where you kind of want to just sit and relax for a bit, so you might as well at least just read over your notes then.

My mom was a maid for a while and she is a germaphobe. Both my parents are clean freaks to the point where I’ve mopped a floor with chlorine and then scrubbed the grout with a toothbrush after. So I have plenty of advice and tips to help deep clean. First I will include the best steps to take to get a really good clean, then after I will include some tips!

Start at the top. Dust ceiling fans, picture frames, curtain rods, anything close to the top. Then wash the ceiling too. Seriously it does make a difference.

Slowly work your way down as a whole. Don’t do it wall by wall.

Dust blinds then clean windows and the the windowsill. Use a q-tip to get in the corners and edges.

Make sure you wash the walls as you work your way down too. You’d be surprised with how dirty they are especially if they aren’t bleach white.

When you get to dressers and other furniture, take EVERYTHING off of it.

Clean those items appropriately and toss out anything that you don’t use/need/are attached to strongly. But that drawing your niece did of you a couple months ago can be tossed. After you organize and sort through all that, I suggest you put them in a bag or something and leave them out of the room you are cleaning.

Move the furniture (if possible. Don’t hurt yourself) to clean all sides of it. If it opens, empty if out and repeat step 6. Then clean the inside as well. Make sure to wash the walls behind it.

REMOVE BEDDING LAST. This will keep your mattress protected as you clean. Once you finish with all the other furniture, you should be at the baseboards or floor, so this is a good spot to take off bedding. Take your comforter and fold all the edges up, then grab all the sides and corners and hold it kind of like cartoons hold a blanket that had stuff on it. Your comforter will have dust and stuff on it, so doing it this way keeps you from spreading that everywhere. Take it outside and shake it out, then put it to be washed. Do the same with your first sheet. Your other blankets should be clean of debris so just take them off normally. Remove pillows for washing as well.

Clean your mattress appropriately. Avoid using soaking it and avoid water. You can try a vinegar and baking soda paste that you scrub with a brush on your mattress, making sure to vacuum it off when you’re done. Just avoid anything that can really soak in so you avoid mold growth in your mattress. Plus they take days to even get dry and I don’t think you want to sleep on a wet bed.

Baseboards are best cleaned with warm soapy water and a rag. You probably don’t know what your baseboards are made of (wood, plastic, etc.) So best to just use warm water and soap which is safe to use on basically any building material (unless for some reason you have stainless steal baseboards which I have yet to see. If you do, use stainless steal cleaner and 409 cleaner).

It’s easiest to clean the floor and baseboards if you take any furniture that can be easily moved out of the room. If it can’t fit through the doorway without taking it apart or hard to move long distances, place it in the middle of the room.

Sweep and sweep properly. It still surprises me how many people don’t know how to sweep properly. A broom is usually angled. The longer bristles are meant to be furthest from you and usually point to your right. This allows you to get into corners and have even, more covered, strokes. Start from the furthest point from your trash can or dust pan or door. Use small, consistent strokes going in a single direction.

-NOTE: IF ALL OF YOUR STUFF IS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM, CLEAN THE FLOOR ON THE AVAILABLE SPACE THEN MOVE FURNITURE AND REPEAT FOR THE FLOOR THAT WAS COVERED-

Once you swept the floor, do it again. I can almost guarantee you will still have stuff on the floor. Make sure to clean your broom before you resweep. It bothers me how many people don’t clean their brooms out either. Please clean your broom.

Mop the floor, then mop it again using polish appropriate for your flooring.

Reorganize and arrange your room. Don’t make it cluttered. Place your desk in front of a window if possible. Don’t place a dresser with a ledge in a corner. Leave some space for a trash can or a tall plant. Make it your room and make it feel comfortable to you.

Bring your items back in and place them back where they belong, nice and organized.

Wash bedding and pillows and remake bed.

And you’re done in less than 20 steps! Now for some tips and advice I learned in my two decades of cleaning:

Make sure you are using appropriate cleaners and tools. Don’t use anything with bleach or vinegar on wood, especially untreated wood. My dad was a carpenter all my life so wood is something I am very particular about. You can use warm soapy water to clean it especially if it’s painted. But bleach can discolor it and vinegar warps wood a lot better than water does. Plus wood absorbs scents so unless you want your room smelling like bleach or vinegar, steer clear.

For anything made of wood or stainless steal, I recommend using cleaners and polishes made specifically for that material. Same goes with leather and any other delicate material.

Use rubbing alcohol to clean anything glass or ceramic. It leaves no streaks and is a great cleaner/disinfectant.

Polish wood after you clean it. The best polish I have used honestly has to be that lemon scented Pledge polish (which can easily double as a cleaner for wood too). It’s less than $5 for a can and a little goes a long way with that stuff.

To use less of a product, apply it to a rag first before cleaning. Especially do this with rubbing alcohol since it is a chemical that dries super fast.

Once you have cleaned your windows, open then to clean under them and to clean the screen. It will also help air out the room.

You can use soapy water to wash walls, especially if they have paint or wallpaper on them.

Only use scrub brushes on tile, grout, mattresses, toilets, tubs, and wicker furniture. For almost everything else, you can use a rag.

Most things require just a simple dry dusting to clean them. That means you use a clean, dry cloth and just wipe them down. This goes for fans, blinds, curtains, curtain rods, closet doors, lights, lamp shades, bed frames, etc.

Use the right cleaners for the right items. Multipurpose cleaners are great for this, but do invest in some specialized cleaners for wood, stainless steel, and fabrics. The difference will be noticeable. Trust me.

When wiping things down with polish, it’s best to work with small, counter clockwise circles or long, one pass strokes. Regardless of what you do though, be consistent across the whole thing. And only pass over a spot once.

If you need a gentle scrub brush, go to the dollar store and get those packs of soft bristle toothbrushes. These work well for corners, edges, grout, etc.

If you make your own cleaners, be picky about what’s in them and be careful. Bleach and chlorine mixed is not good. So read up on your chemicals and safety hazards. No one needs to die in the name of cleaning.

If you have pets, keep them out while you clean. Children count as pets too.

Do laundry while you clean.

Light scented candles or put on some gentle light after to fill the room with a gentle glow.

Take a nice shower after so you are clean too.

To clean a microwave easier, put some vinegar, water, and lemon juice in a bowl and microwave it for 5 minutes and then let it sit for another 3 minutes. Then wipe it down and wash the plate in it.

Use vinegar and baking soda as a paste to clean the bottom of your oven. Scrub with a scrub brush.

Open curtains and windows to let fresh air and light in.

Vacuum and clean couches and seats. Then scrub them gently and vacuum again. This goes for the bottoms too.

Avoid using water on anything porous.

If you have frames or things hanging directly against your wall, don’t bother removing them to wash behind them.

Clean your pets as well.

Throw away things. If you haven’t used it in a couple months, toss it.

Empty your fridge completely and clean it. You can use bleach to clean it. Do the same with your freezer.

Deep clean appliances too.

PAY ATTENTION TO EDGES AND CORNERS. Spend extra time and effort at those spots. They hold dirt and dust like crazy.

Add a few plants to your house. They help clean the air and add a lively touch to any room.

Expensive doesn’t mean better. Especially with cleaning products. Go to the dollar store and check out what they have there.

To make a rag last longer (aka not get as dirty everywhere) fold it until you have a palm sized square and use that. When that part gets dirty, refold it for a new, clean side. This also allows you to use more vigor and hit trouble spots harder.

Use the toilet before you clean it.

Use gloves if you are disgusted by something.

If using bleach or chlorine, get a mask. I coughed my lungs out and puked so much after mopping with chlorine because I was a dumbass and didn’t cut it as much as I should, all the windows and doors were closed and I didn’t wear a mask. So wear a mask. Don’t be me. Don’t be a dumbass.

Be safe. Seriously. Safety first. Don’t move anything too heavy. Don’t mix chemicals without knowing that it (and the ratio) is safe. The ratio matters too. Some chemicals are safe mixed in certain ratios.

Keep chemicals away from food.

If you have pets, only use pet safe chemicals.

Be gentle around plants too.

Don’t use bleach near fabric or porous material.

Or it did until this weekend, when we all got together and sorted it all out!

This was extremely freeing!

We formed a human chain up the steps and removed everything from the basement (except things we knew would stay like a big toolbox), and put it all out on some cheap plastic tarps in the back yard.

Once everything was out, we started sorting through it as a team. If no one wanted something, or even better, if no one even knew who something originally belonged to, it was immediately trashed or put in a donation bag, depending on its condition.

For things like my stuffed animals, I did the whole Kondo method of thanking them for their time with me, and it made me feel better about giving them up or throwing them out (mildew damage).

We made little “keep” piles for things we wanted that needed to be stored neatly, washed, etc.

Once we were done, nothing, NOTHING we didn’t individually identify as something we wanted to keep went back into the house. What we did want was in a labeled box or bin.

That was what made us so victorious. The most important part was getting everything out and then being strict on what went back in.

It was SO MUCH LESS stressful than trying to sort through a big mess while you’re still STANDING in that mess.

If you don’t have a back yard, you can bring things to another room, a little at a time, and use the same method. Nothing you don’t want/need goes back in. Nothing you do want goes back in until it’s stored neatly and labeled.

At the end of each sorting session, take the trash to the curb or the dump, and drop off the donations. Don’t let anything accumulate from one round to the next.