tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69882764434460713742024-03-05T03:10:09.704-08:00My New Cleaning ObsessionCome with me on a delightful journey, through the hills of clutter and mess to the valleys and clear plains of cleanliness.Strawberrylifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07327298472103196148noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6988276443446071374.post-77226151236347331042015-06-26T16:52:00.001-07:002015-06-26T16:52:51.626-07:00Moving house after almost 10yrs and decluttering like a maniacIt's been a while since my last post, to say the least. 3 years on and I have a new baby, 3 kids in total now. Break out the champagne/baby wipes.<br />
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And after 9 years in a 1 bedroom apartment in one of the most expensive cities in the world, I now have to move. Which means that my rent will increase considerably.<br />
Ahhhh!!<br />
*bites fingers<br />
*tries to pretend this isn't happening.<br />
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So I'm making lists upon lists..... upon lists.<br />
Lists of what to donate or sell. Lists of items that are essential vs items that I definitely will not use. I may need to put things into storage in my parents' garage for a time, so suddenly what I move needs to be worthy of prime real estate. If I haven't used it in the past two years (or more, in some cases), then what in the world is it doing in my kitchen?<br />
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I recently got rid of my juicer, for example.<br />
Oh, you sold it? you ask.<br />
No.<br />
Ok then, so you gave it away?<br />
No. No, I had to THROW IT IN THE BIN LIKE THE INFESTED GARBAGE IT WAS.<br />
*Breathe.<br />
For some time my juicer parts had sat prettily in the third drawer in the kitchen, taking up valuable space but also seeming valuable. <i>That juicer cost me $175, </i>I would often hear my brain say. The base of the juicer though, the meat of it, you could say ironically, sat on the floor behind the kitchen door. Too big to fit in the cupboards, too big to sit behind the kitchen door too, really, but that was a place I kept it, under spare plastic bags and supermarket dreams. Amongst dreams of someday becoming healthy enough to use it all the time. And in hopes that I could be bothered cleaning it for a whole ten minutes and dealing with its huge parts scattered to dry on the kitchen bench because they just won't fit in the dish drainer (it was compact but apart it was huge).<br />
So, to cut it short, i realised that roaches had been living in the underparts of the motor/base of the juicer. Like, lots of them. So many, in fact, that after banging the base on the floor a good ten times, roach poo was still quite happily and freely falling from it. Gah. I left it on the floor by the outside door for a good few days, then, realising that there wasn't a part if me that could deal with placing something roach or even once-roach infested onto my kitchen bench ever in my life, no matter how sure i was that there was no more poo left, it had to go. Into the bin where it sadly (and grossly) belonged.<br />
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So that is one less thing to move. But each time I place something into the bin my somewhat green brain says "off to the landfill.." and I cringe and feel guilty. Where does all our stuff go? We either have too much in our houses or we just keep piling it up in the dirt in the middle of yonder. I have a car boot full of bags to be donated. It has been full a few weeks but i keep forgetting to dump it. Every time i go near the charity bins here they are so dramatically full (bags literally spilling out of them and many items placed on the ground around them) that it depresses me to think that even we have too much charity to go around, meaning more stuff in our houses and then more stuff chucked in the normal bins.<br />
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But, the lists. I am enjoying the lists.<br />
Lists of forms needed to be filled out for baby's life to officially (on paper, anyway) begin. Lists of processes to go through to get her passports and photos and identification. Lists of agencies to call regarding her tiny baby life. And now lists including "Find new place to live. Cry."<br />
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I don't want to move, but I am happy to have been forced into a new direction, who knows what will happen in the next year?<br />
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I will keep you updated, I suppose. I hope to! Maybe I will read this in 3 more years and realise my failure.<br />
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Best,<br />
Sarah xxStrawberrylifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07327298472103196148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6988276443446071374.post-6117267523568282512012-03-24T17:18:00.000-07:002012-03-24T17:18:35.192-07:00My favourite new book of listsThese days I'm really big on lists. I always have been, but now I feel like I'm really getting back into them -I've got daily to-do lists, weekly chore lists, and lifetime goal lists.<br />
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My mum always tells me how I was always scheduling my time as a young girl -I'd list the things I had to do each day and the time I'd do them. It just seemed fun to me, to write out what was to be done and to work my way through it all. When I got into highshool I loved my timetable -another list of places to be and things to do.<br />
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When I worked in an office organising overseas shipments of goods, lists were my best friend too. I was praised for my efficiency and for never forgetting anything -but it was all down to lists. Each day I would write out every single outstanding thing that needed to be written or done, and I'd work my way through it in priority order. I'd put a normal box to be ticked on most items and on the really urgent items I'd circle the tick box and add a star if it could not be forgotten for a second, so that every time I looked at the page on my desk the most important item would stand out. I'd never finish a whole page of items in a day, but I always had it in front of me, what needed to be done, and it gave me a clear picture of where I was headed. It also served to give me a great feeling of achievement and spur me on to the next task, as gradually more and more of the page would be ticked off and highlighted. -a friend at another job had taught me that, highlighting things as they were done. It was like giving myself a star and it made colours where achievements had been made.<br />
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Now, I love a to-do list for the housekeeping. I have a large, unlined book that I write everything in. Whether it's an address I need later in the week or a list of dusty places I need to clean (hi, under the fridge, I'm getting to you...), I have it all there. I'm going to keep the book afterwards too, to see what I've achieved this year. Perhaps the book will only last until June (it's almost halfway full already) but it'll be a nice little keepsake of this period of time as a mum and a housekeeper. <br />
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If I'm making a to-do list I might list places to be cleaned on one page, and errands on another. My errands always take longer to do anyway.... I might write 2 errands and not do them for a week or so. I have a daily to-do on the fridge that I use either for errands or food staples we need. Like "Milk" and "Send a card to Clare". That keeps it in my mind's eye every time I go into the kitchen. I check back and see what's in my notebook of listings when I am on the go. I might list that I have to wash up even though of course I will do that anyway, simply because the sense of achievement at seeing more things ticked off at the end of the day is well worth writing it. I also have things now like "Tidy kid's clothes" and "sort clothes for donation" -something in me recently cannot get enough of the decluttering bug. I want less, less, less!! That's good but sometimes I want to declutter things that I actually need!! <br />
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I've been sick the last week and so haven't been doing much in the way of decluttering or changing the house in any way. I'm still just sweeping all the time and moving miniscule particles of fluff out of my now crawling baby's reach -that's keeping me busy enough. I did make a few lists a couple of weeks ago but it killed me to see them untouched, no achievements made. I can't wait to get back to my little rabbit though -my book of lists!!! It's so tempting to look but I dare not til I have all my strength.<br />
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Do you use lists in your life?Strawberrylifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07327298472103196148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6988276443446071374.post-11701586521357286152012-03-15T00:26:00.001-07:002012-03-15T03:08:48.274-07:00Sentimentality and clutter in the homeI've come to realise that I'm quite the sentimental cat lately. I peered at the cluttered-yet-organised line of <i>things</i> on my sideboard recently and realised that there was a theme: they were things all related to my family and/or childhood. <br />
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There was the boat my artistic brother created for my daughter out of a seed pod, a ship's sail from a pop-up book and the head of a character from Ice Age he'd found. <br />
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Next to that was a glass bird paperweight he'd once given to me. <br />
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Next to that was a little wind up clock from my late Aunt's bedroom. <br />
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Alongside that was an elephant moneybox my mum's friend had given to me, which made me remember that my late Aunt collected elephants. <br />
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Then there was a jar of buttons just like the one my Grandmother used to keep. <br />
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As well as these things, the sideboard was also covered in various glass arrangements with flowers, old cards from friends and a pile of books I am supposedly (but never really) getting through. As I tried to tidy up there I found it extremely difficult to move the things that held sentimental value, and even the few that triggered the memories of the people I love or have loved. It's a strange thing, sentimentality. It's like it pulls you apart inside, this need to keep the things that hold you to your past. Like the knitted leprechaun that I stash in my daughter's blanket drawers that belonged to the same late Aunt. I just can't part with it. I don't want to see it every day either, but I would feel a terrible feeling, perhaps betrayal or disrespect, if I ever chose to part with it. The dressing gowns I have from her as well, the long silky things that she wore year round as she was ill for much of her life, I keep for my own dear love. I think of her wearing them when I see them and it makes me smile to touch them again. <br />
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The elephant moneybox is the only sentimental item remaining on the sideboard now, but it seems lonely there. The boat has been put amongst my daughter's things. The clock and the jar of buttons have been put up in the bookshelf in the corner. But I feel myself about to put them back. They say not to keep too many sentimental things, too many cluttered memories, but I think the little things don't hurt. I have perhaps 15 items in my house that are especially sentimental, including jewellery, and when things are special to me I simply cannot part with them. <br />
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I will keep the memories as part of my decor, where appropriate, and am thinking of even getting shadowboxes to showcase the finer pieces. (I'll be sure to post pics if and when that happens, because, please note, i'm slow with craft..) I think as long as you don't have your Grandmother's entire wardrobe in a box or your late mother's china cat collection taking up a full wall of your loungeroom, the memories can't hurt.Strawberrylifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07327298472103196148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6988276443446071374.post-59785245104876247092012-03-11T20:59:00.001-07:002012-03-12T04:07:16.668-07:00Decluttering, 2 children and trying to stay organised.So I just realised I haven't been on this blog for about 3 years.... um..... my excuses? I got divorced. I found love again. I've had another baby. Life got in the way and I really didn't have anything much to say about cleaning.<br />
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But it's still my obsession.<br />
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I've actually been keeping my house much cleaner and more organised than when I was married before. I've got a system happening now that I don't think I had before. My now husband isn't at all interested in the housework and I think that works for me best. I had someone else cooking and taking over my place before, but now the house stuff is all mine -and I'm loving it. The control freak in me relishes the daily washing up (that seems to never end) and I adore making the beds (yes, plural: now we have 3!!) and putting the washing away and planning meals for the family. I don't have anyone else getting in my hair about it all now and it's my little world, the cleaning, the organising, the tidying, the decisions of what will go where. <br />
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When I had my daughter 4 years ago, I was a little out of it, I think now. I thought I had it together but really I was lost. I didn't have a set role. My husband used to make food, buy us treats all the time, and the biggest treat -he used to leave his stuff EVERYWHERE. It grated my insides and it made me quietly crazy. This husband is perfect around the house. He's got his flaws (don't we all) but he doesn't make a mess (*I jump for joy). He doesn't try to touch all the things in the house and make it his own. He lets the house be mine, he leaves his shoes at the door and he sits quietly and watches his Turkish soap operas in silence. I bring food to him and he loves it. He lets me make my food!!! (my first husband only liked HIS food...)<br />
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Now, I have a routine in the morning. My second child, now almost 8 months old, has a bedtime and nap times and he eats on a schedule too. My first baby was demand fed until she was 18months old and it drove me crazy. I was worn out and drained. I felt like everything was up in the air. I had no control over anything. She slept in my bed and she was my every breath. <br />
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This baby is my every breath too, but I have space to breathe. He has his own cot, and has since day one. He knows he sleeps there, he likes it, and he knows I'm only across the room. But it makes all the difference. I have room to move in my bed!! I have time to myself -well, a little! <br />
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And I'm constantly decluttering now. We live in the same house (a 1 bedroom flat) but now there are 4 people. And it's the two little people who seem to have the most stuff. I'm constantly trying to get rid of toys, reorganise their clothes into the sizes that fit and find new ways to make things fit into less drawers and cupboards. Luckily our 1 and only bedroom is enormous -it comfortably fits a double bed, 2 cots and 3 different clothes cupboards. I'm so sick of having the playroom in the loungeroom though. If you offered me a house with a separate playroom in the middle of the desert today I'd probably take it, I'm that desperate to have a loungeroom that is simply that -a lounge, a television and a coffee table. Not a lounge, a television, a coffee table, a bookshelf, a children's table and chairs, an overflowing toy box, a spare dresser and a child's desk. <br />
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I'll post more soon on the specific routines that we have in place now, and on my recent declutterings and organisational solutions. It's nice to be back. I actually feel excited about blogging again. It's about time <3Strawberrylifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07327298472103196148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6988276443446071374.post-5656225816738170872009-04-12T18:28:00.000-07:002010-05-05T19:10:50.506-07:00Clothes in the morningsThis is just going to be a quick post about household organisation. In particular, it's about getting dressed in the mornings.<br />
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When I was little, I think I was obsessive compulsive. I used to make my quilt flat with a ruler and none of my friends were allowed to sit on it. I also used to lay out my clothes each night for the next day, so they looked like a little person. I don't know what my mum thought of this, but if my daughter ever starts doing anything like it I'll tell her to relax.<br />
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So anyway, as I grew up I became much more relaxed about preparing for the next day, so much so that I never prepared clothes anymore. I'd simply have a shower and then go to my room and take clothes at random and throw them together. And I enjoyed thinking that I was being relaxed about it, as if I didn't care.<br />
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But last night as I was tidying up the house after my baby girl went to sleep, I got to the bedroom and thought to lay out my husband's clothes for the morning, so he wouldn't disturb the baby while he's rifling through his cupboard. Then, while I was at it, I thought I may as well lay my own clothes out too. I didn't think much of it, but I put a pale green t-shirt out with my pink and grey track pants. I knew we'd be staying around the house today, so those clothes are perfect.<br />
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This morning as I was on the way to the shower, I just leaned over and took the clothes from where they were laid, and I cannot even begin to tell you how relaxed I felt. Just that tiny bit of work that I'd done the night before really made me feel at ease. I felt that there was no rushed decision to be made, and no searching through the cupboards while I attempted to get shower before my baby awoke. I do have to rush my showers these days with a little one. <br />
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So that's what I'm going to do each night: put clothes out for all of us here. To make the mornings just that little bit easier. <br />
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Happy dressing :)Strawberrylifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07327298472103196148noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6988276443446071374.post-19298073759224345042009-04-09T18:48:00.001-07:002009-04-09T18:56:23.298-07:00Oh my glove<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiavP9HRynjx81xQ5NqVHhhrJzvgNuYnBLE-gDKzUCEot7lwch7j3wEb0Cp_WGzlXzatfr1wXPBu4brIvk_yZSZTL8qb0FbYvYgpqYg9ns1Mnf94WelZGqZxGz33lohyWrQdetfwCBNLPU/s1600-h/gloves.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 51px; height: 96px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiavP9HRynjx81xQ5NqVHhhrJzvgNuYnBLE-gDKzUCEot7lwch7j3wEb0Cp_WGzlXzatfr1wXPBu4brIvk_yZSZTL8qb0FbYvYgpqYg9ns1Mnf94WelZGqZxGz33lohyWrQdetfwCBNLPU/s400/gloves.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322875666915590322" /></a><br />Ok, so I had a heart attack this morning.... but in a good way. <br /><br />I opened my brand new packet of Chux Extra Comfort Sensitive Skin gloves. The gloves I splashed out $4 for instead of the usual 97cent trash I buy.....<br /><br /><br />They're purple.<br /><br />They fit my tiny hands perfectly.<br /><br />The inside is thick and velvety and soft.<br /><br />The grippy parts on the fingers and palms are swirly and cute.<br /><br />There is a flower pattern and spots around the cuff.<br /><br /><br />I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love!<br /><br />Why didn't I buy $4 gloves before??<br /><br />I don't know if I want to use them to clean though... they're too good for cleaning!! <br /><br />...Maybe I'll get another pair and keep these for "good", just for dusting :)Strawberrylifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07327298472103196148noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6988276443446071374.post-57867587408807236252009-04-09T03:48:00.000-07:002009-04-09T03:57:47.467-07:00Sweep reliefToday I found a new form of therapy; I swept my side path, well, the path that leads down the side of the house to my front door. <br /><br />I'd bought a new outdoor broom on the weekend. My husband commented to me that it was one that witches use. Well, it is, but I'm no witch. <br /><br />I haven't ever swept my side path in the two or so years I've lived here. I know that might sound terrible but it's not near any overhanging trees and the tall fence beside it keeps a lot of the dirt out. There was quite a bit of fine sand in the end, but not as much as there could have been. <br /><br />The neighbours, the people who live in the front of the house, had one of their old aunts over from the Phillippines last year and the year before and she spent her days outside, tidying the garden and sweeping with her handmade broom. She was very sweet and even used to hang my washing for me. I was very spoilt and never got into the habit of sweeping. Before this house I lived in an apartment and we had a maintenance man who took care of the gardens and paths there. <br /><br />But I feel so proud now of sweeping my own path. It might not seem like much but when we walked down it this afternoon I felt fresher and it looked so tidy that I felt proud. It makes me want to keep all the rest of my house much tidier too... some days I'm a little lax.<br /><br />I also love the motion of the sweep with this broom. It's not like using the inside broom where you just push, it's really a sweep, across the body. It's got to be good exercise. I'm going to try to sweep as often as I can. I'll leave the broom right there where I can't miss it so I can sweep at the drop of a hat, lol.<br /><br />Do you like to sweep? Have you been avoiding it until now? Give it a go and let me know if it makes you feel better :)Strawberrylifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07327298472103196148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6988276443446071374.post-69763827527673724372009-04-07T16:12:00.001-07:002009-04-07T16:33:58.865-07:00My favourite household products<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDECt5BNKo20PiYUqZNbhnvLvSJ9WtKLzUecblbHhXoR_a70Ht41qguO_1yiSyKv5Gt_pqaFpWUijIsHRS1Td3Hrvz1nYVk9EHXdFdAfaSOtQyjjirroGLWtTjUZLZWC7xLgp_CRbris/s1600-h/EarthChoiceProducts.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 146px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDECt5BNKo20PiYUqZNbhnvLvSJ9WtKLzUecblbHhXoR_a70Ht41qguO_1yiSyKv5Gt_pqaFpWUijIsHRS1Td3Hrvz1nYVk9EHXdFdAfaSOtQyjjirroGLWtTjUZLZWC7xLgp_CRbris/s320/EarthChoiceProducts.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322088936598771538" /></a><br />Earth Choice products. <br />These are Australian cleaning products made from plant derivatives. I especially love the Multi-Purpose spray. It smells a little like pear juice but very faint, and I use it several times a day on my benches in the kitchen, and when I clean the bathroom sink area. I also love their washing detergents and clothes wash. They're biodegradable and smell very fresh. These products will clean anything and leave your place smelling fresh, without harming the environment. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwD7GkOqtuohjo7IBdfBvKKvf0cbnqVzKihqCApKfHux_nDqGcAY7JS-dAOFaFknBxbAGg4SASZQzbAiltDMTtT0f0NbPpbCJ90wMrU_LLERmOj1XM5akl0AJALkMeN5kWv0Lnoha0as/s1600-h/pineocleen.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 71px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwD7GkOqtuohjo7IBdfBvKKvf0cbnqVzKihqCApKfHux_nDqGcAY7JS-dAOFaFknBxbAGg4SASZQzbAiltDMTtT0f0NbPpbCJ90wMrU_LLERmOj1XM5akl0AJALkMeN5kWv0Lnoha0as/s320/pineocleen.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322090117701642690" /></a><br />Pine O Cleen disinfectant <br />Pine O Cleen leaves your floors smelling delicious and feeling clean. I especially love the Pot Pourri fragrance for my tiles. <br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig76l-_lyVV6lHMCz4uR18gBqK4axQJaRcWhnu-nezlqaED2H0yKZX-qyscE2qOHurzGU4T8UA_E6Qk_ZA5NFms2SlTgsBMXmoLIV02jhUNwvkUOVf7eHJ_osfWeqMmz4zUxL1oMjwpD4/s1600-h/air+wick+2+in+1+sparkling+citrus.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 231px; height: 231px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig76l-_lyVV6lHMCz4uR18gBqK4axQJaRcWhnu-nezlqaED2H0yKZX-qyscE2qOHurzGU4T8UA_E6Qk_ZA5NFms2SlTgsBMXmoLIV02jhUNwvkUOVf7eHJ_osfWeqMmz4zUxL1oMjwpD4/s320/air+wick+2+in+1+sparkling+citrus.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322090934479775746" /></a><br />Air Wick Sparkling Citrus spray<br />This product makes visits to the bathroom sweeter and its citrus fragrance is heavenly. My husband suggested it and I never thought I'd want my bathroom to smell like lemons and oranges but it's actually ideal. It gives a very clean and crisp note. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jwaN5PguvGTDnC3yJ6peJChwu_2bX1-cey7GefHrBiQJ6QT248vzRrYS9E93D_7DPw-zE9LfAkqQ4RAEeAYAizhRrSro-SXXoxXh7nwXP4k89Tu70uifGJJ6r_SWil5ZzOE4146YjE4/s1600-h/JIF+cream+500mL.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 106px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jwaN5PguvGTDnC3yJ6peJChwu_2bX1-cey7GefHrBiQJ6QT248vzRrYS9E93D_7DPw-zE9LfAkqQ4RAEeAYAizhRrSro-SXXoxXh7nwXP4k89Tu70uifGJJ6r_SWil5ZzOE4146YjE4/s320/JIF+cream+500mL.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322096551011113346" /></a><br />Jif Cream Cleanser <br />My mum always used Jif, but in the powder form. Now I love the new cream cleansers, especially the lemon one in the yellow container. They smell fresh and give just enough scuff to get the stubborn marks out of the bathroom.Strawberrylifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07327298472103196148noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6988276443446071374.post-44104714741325194702009-03-26T19:13:00.000-07:002009-03-26T19:18:16.341-07:00Laundry work<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqJBOkxgLFfAkuU0T0Wga9WuNGutX_LD0e1hJgh7NwGD4hzjWI-ChZZXl_je1b8L_uIio937sRvGMaeh7fMJ0QQS1A_yh7dyCLTBX47YFyXgJhCqNByjlP0qWLRImMSfkHMohNM3Bgjw/s1600-h/laundry.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqJBOkxgLFfAkuU0T0Wga9WuNGutX_LD0e1hJgh7NwGD4hzjWI-ChZZXl_je1b8L_uIio937sRvGMaeh7fMJ0QQS1A_yh7dyCLTBX47YFyXgJhCqNByjlP0qWLRImMSfkHMohNM3Bgjw/s400/laundry.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317685154920599602" /></a><br />Today I want to write about the laundry.<br /><br />It is a place that I love to be, cleaning and handwashing my favourite things -my clothes. Sometimes the laundry space may get a bit messy and need a re-shuffle. I'm going to write this post in the hope of inspiring myself, and you, to head into the laundry room and make it a better place to be.<br /><br />If you live in shared housing, like an apartment block, you might be sharing a laundry with your neighbours. If so, the only tip I really have is to keep the machine clean by giving it an empty wash every few weeks or so. When you do this make sure you empty any filters and chuck a scoop of washing powder or detergent into the machine before you run it without clothes. This helps keep the machine fresher and your clothes cleaner.<br /><br />If you have your own laundry it will be easier for you to keep it tidy and you won't need to run an empty wash as often. I do one once every couple of months, and try to empty the filter more often. I also notice a lot of lint that builds up around the edge of my machine and I try to wipe it off using a cleaning spray as often as possible. The best way to do it is to give it a spray and then a quick wipe with a piece of your dark dirty laundry and then put the wash on.<br /><br />If you have a dryer, make sure you clean the lint off the cover every time you use it. I can't stress this enough. If you have too much lint your machine may overheat and spark into a fire. Also make sure the room your dryer is in is well-ventilated and never leave the dryer on when you're not home. It's a hot appliance and should be treated like a stove, iron or toaster. Always stay so you can stop a fire should one ever start. I know too many people who go out and leave their dryers on. If you burn your house down you'll never get it back, and if you live in an apartment block that's just irresponsible. Safety first.<br /><br />I have a lot of clutter around my machine sometimes too. I have too many bottles of stain sprays and half empty bottles of washing detergent. Here's what to do<br />-find a box you can sit beside your washer or under the sink and put the items you love in it. For example, in a red container next to my machine I have my Earth Choice washing liquid, a bottle of stain removal spray, and a bottle of conditioner. I try to use up the leftovers of spare bottles every now and then. They seem to build up because just before I've finished using something I buy another one and then I start using the new one before I've finished the old.<br /><br />If you have any additional things you don't have places for, like fabric soap, see if you can attach a small shelf to the wall above your machine or sink. I have a metal shelf attached to the wall in my laundry and although it is small I can fit the plug for the basin and the wierdly shaped box of laundry powder I bought on special a week or so ago. It is very handy for odds and ends, even things I find in my husband's pockets.<br /><br />Make an effort to keep the area tidy and sweep and mop your floor in there every week or so. That's something I should definitely do more often, but because my laundry is outside it's easy to forget when I'm doing the house.<br /><br />To make your clothes clean you want to start with a fresh and clean space.<br /><br />Happy washing!!<br />(I love doing the laundry!!)Strawberrylifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07327298472103196148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6988276443446071374.post-72043208572988156762009-03-22T22:02:00.000-07:002009-03-22T22:17:12.633-07:00Occasional ants<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF1q2NGPSWKPjQ2O4t86AVYpaxZRmWgpmJCkNaz5DnWaSWFGiZVlR9UKeK6btuZL-lNimXoJA6QB_b8rGCT4kncDHOC1dY_NsvS_LrKnuJQbg0taHdBuP2fP1798GoDTMQ70Fj81-St-M/s1600-h/ant.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF1q2NGPSWKPjQ2O4t86AVYpaxZRmWgpmJCkNaz5DnWaSWFGiZVlR9UKeK6btuZL-lNimXoJA6QB_b8rGCT4kncDHOC1dY_NsvS_LrKnuJQbg0taHdBuP2fP1798GoDTMQ70Fj81-St-M/s400/ant.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316247156399546322" /></a><br />This post is not so much about cleaning as it is about something I have observed in my house.<br /><br />I have occasional ants. That's not to say that I occasionally see ants, but rather that I see the occasional ant, here or there. <br /><br />There are no crumbs around, there is no water (it's hot like summer here despite our current season of supposed autumn). There is nothing for them to do. I simply see them walking around, as if they are but strolling in a pretty meadow. Perhaps an ant who came here once when there was food around thought it was a nice place to be. Perhaps he put up fliers in his hometown and sells maps to our place to ants who like to go on holiday. It might read "Are you looking for somewhere to go, away from the ant-race? One bedroom secluded getaway packages available for the adventurous ant. Call Tony, on 555-HOUSE-2-WANDER."<br /><br />I can imagine them now, ants who just like to stay home and read, packing up their little rucksacks and climbing hills and crossing roads alone to get to our house, their little maps held out in front of them.<br /><br />Don't get me wrong, I love having a guesthouse for ants. I love that they love coming here. What I don't get, is that I'm not getting anything of the profits. Little Tony's got it all set up and I don't know where to find him. <br /><br />But gee they're cute, my occasional ants. I point them out to my baby daughter and hide them from my husband. If he saw them, he'd put ant sand all around the place. He'd ruin their getaway completely. <br /><br />They're just our secret. You and me and my baby girl and the occasional ants.Strawberrylifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07327298472103196148noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6988276443446071374.post-49027865053641561032009-03-07T23:58:00.000-08:002009-03-08T01:11:32.082-08:00Cut clutter with piles<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3f5oWkf1azzMOGicOHugItN4Jf9WLTmXlN69QtI4wgugCay_LVpoW8q9qWSgmSpC3i-MTOyOX_UjqxDuR7g4ckiLT3_45KPoEHmDVRvvV-pyFZoEKTOUQLP8ZMw7YvKP8nE2uVYD2Es/s1600-h/stack.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3f5oWkf1azzMOGicOHugItN4Jf9WLTmXlN69QtI4wgugCay_LVpoW8q9qWSgmSpC3i-MTOyOX_UjqxDuR7g4ckiLT3_45KPoEHmDVRvvV-pyFZoEKTOUQLP8ZMw7YvKP8nE2uVYD2Es/s400/stack.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310740161122889122" /></a><br />One of the best tips I can give for removing the sense of clutter from any room, is to make piles. <br />-After you have de-cluttered the area initially, of course.<br /><br />I have a friend who is a clutter maniac. She hoards everything, but she does it very well. And while I don't condone what she does (the hoarding) at least she does it neatly.<br /><br />In her loungeroom you can find a plethora of rugs. Even too many rugs for a 5 seater lounge, you might say. But they are pretty rugs, and they are folded and stacked neatly at one end of her L-shaped lounge. They look neat and attractive and it makes me want to come home and pull rugs out of my cupboard to stack neatly.<br /><br />In her bedroom, you will find an enormous array of clothes. I think she has kept every dress she bought since 1985, when she was 7. Yes, she's a pretty dress kind of girl. But she colour-co-ordinates her wardrobe and folds the jumpers she can't fit in her drawers neatly on a mat in the corner of her room. It looks more like a display than clutter. It is pretty, and it makes me want to buy a pretty display mat for my room.<br /><br />In her bathroom, she has an excessive amount of bath toys that belong to her nephews. She piles them into mesh bags that suction onto the walls above her bath. They have become organised mess rather than a pile of clutter.<br /><br />And in her kitchen, she stores an enormous array of food. It is almost too much food for someone who lives alone, you might say. But she does this neatly too. She piles her food up in the refrigerator and in her cupboards in labelled Decor containers. It looks inviting, it looks colourful and interesting, and it makes me want to invest in 1000 decor contsiners. But I think she bought all the ones they made in the last year.<br /><br />So she is an example that you can have a lot of stuff, if you just keep it neat and tidy. Stack it in piles, organise it well in groups of like things, and your house can look very homely. When I go to her place I always feel like I'm in a very rich space. I don't feel claustrophobic, as I can see the floor and the windows, but while she's got a lot of stuff she stores and displays it well.<br /><br />Tips:<br />Store like items together<br />Try storing like colours together for better presentation, here and there (don't do your whole place because that could just look weird.... a green corner and a red corner... not like that! Don't go overboard.), or just stack all sorts of colours together to create a tidy rainbow.<br /><br />At the moment I am employing this strategy to get stop the clutter my baby's many books are threatening to create. I simply stack the books at the end of my dining table (this time in size, one pile for extra large, and another for middle sized)<br />and when I look at them they seem inviting, not a burden or annoyance. Piles make you want to see what's in them, not hide the things. If you can fold and stack neat enough, away you go!!<br /><br />Clear clutter by creating piles<br />xxStrawberrylifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07327298472103196148noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6988276443446071374.post-64461739089274413372009-03-07T20:36:00.000-08:002009-03-07T23:49:37.506-08:00Keeping the kitchen tidy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWz-uugsqMffw7nSoT5OWDbW1YL42ll6yHcEJIeZyVado0ppK_zUVnGs0Nn57l2mWe5_0HF2yMNnB6v-LhlT0x08sBHKzD8zQ5IriNLxFpcvx4yvEucpjp16Ioijt1j7PuQXXP2ZVQzs/s1600-h/kitchen.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWz-uugsqMffw7nSoT5OWDbW1YL42ll6yHcEJIeZyVado0ppK_zUVnGs0Nn57l2mWe5_0HF2yMNnB6v-LhlT0x08sBHKzD8zQ5IriNLxFpcvx4yvEucpjp16Ioijt1j7PuQXXP2ZVQzs/s400/kitchen.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310720923562776034" /></a><br />I have a very small kitchen. It's new, but it is very tiny. I found it difficult to keep it tidy for a very long time, until I recently de-cluttered it and created a cleaning up system.<br /><br />When I was single I lived in the same place, and it was easy then. I ate toast for dinner and had cooked breakasts in the morning before work. What I essentially did was tidy up once a day and it was easy. It was just me, and I wasn't very messy. I didn't have much stuff. <br /><br />What makes it harder for me to keep the area tidy now, especially since I have a husband who is oblivious to his constant creation of mess and a baby who is forever going through my drawers, is that the kitchen is just inside the front door. It's the first room of the house. We live in the back of an actual house and our front (and only) door is at the side of the main house. This means that when my husband comes home from work he dumps his dusty work bag beside the refrigerator or in the doorway to the loungeroom. Ok, it is a small house, but it;s not so small that we can't put things away. We actually have an enormous bedroom straight off the kitchen which has more than enough space for his bits and pieces of an afternoon. <br /><br />So anyway, back to the kitchen, the task at hand.<br /><br />I cleaned up my kitchen a few weeks ago by doing the following:<br />-I got down on my hands and knees and emptied cupboard after cupboard until they were de-cluttered. I threw all the junk out. I organised where the saucepans should go, where the cleaning products fit under the tiny sink, and I threw away boxes of teabags I haven't touched for 2 years. <br />-Then I took all the clutter off the benches. After a while some things had just stayed on the countertops when they could have been put away. For example, I use my toaster now about once every 3-4 months, I'm just not eating much toast at the moment, so I put it in the corner cupboard next to the sink where it's no longer in the way. I kept my kettle where it was and now I have much more room to chop vegetables without the annoying toaster and the sugar container that I've since moved in with the teas and coffee I'm currently fond of. <br /><br />On the other side of my oven I had a nice lot of bench, but it was constantly cluttered with muck. I had a tray I used for fruit but it just kept piling up with receipts and there was never much fruit around there anyway. <br />-What I do now is that I makes sure any important receipts, for returnables or clothes, go straight into my receipt drawer in my desk. And I have taken all the bits and pieces of clutter away, either put them in the bin or put them in pretty display bowls in my loungeroom if they were cute enough. <br /><br />And a big problem I used to have was with washing up clutter. With my husband and baby girl here I just never got into a good routine before.<br />Now, I wash up after breakfast, and each other meal throughout the day, and as Flylady advises I make sure that my sink is sparkling before I go to bed. This way I wake up to a clean kitchen and I try harder then not to let it degenerate over the course of the day. I wash up regularly, I put the dry things away when they're dry, and the whole place just feels cleaner. I've found a home for everything and, most importantly of all for me, my benches are clear so that I can use the space better when I need to prepare dinner.<br /><br />So, in summary;<br />-Keep your benches clear from clutter. Don't allow it to build up.<br />-Find homes for all your stuff. If you don't have room in your cupboards, go through and chuck out what you haven't used in a while. You'll definitely be able to clear up some space.<br />-Find a system that works for you, depending on your schedule. I'm home all day but if you can't wash up after breakfast due to shortness of time, at least stack the rinsed dishes neatly until you do get to them. <br /><br />And try to sweep out your kitchen once a day if you can. The floor won't look half as bad when the crumbs and rice have been cleared.Strawberrylifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07327298472103196148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6988276443446071374.post-13714913031241504752009-03-06T16:04:00.000-08:002009-03-06T16:32:29.179-08:00De-cluttering<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxYhdwNgcnE09wQckVGyeXqfeFrJAZpq49MpoD8cJvB9RUZLU9CMEXcdotvcLpdjVka7GXXl3c8jO6ek5X0C9q3PiDaS98zIF72w66H0L-kCYYfmkwyzq6O8C9uMZUakxK4Rk16u7G0gc/s1600-h/butterflies+clutter.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxYhdwNgcnE09wQckVGyeXqfeFrJAZpq49MpoD8cJvB9RUZLU9CMEXcdotvcLpdjVka7GXXl3c8jO6ek5X0C9q3PiDaS98zIF72w66H0L-kCYYfmkwyzq6O8C9uMZUakxK4Rk16u7G0gc/s400/butterflies+clutter.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310237175376451698" /></a><br />Today I will write about my favourite thing: De-cluttering.<br /><br />I've read a lot of books on de-cluttering and I feel that many of them are way too indepth. They talk of getting a specific number of baskets or boxes and then systematically working through the clutter. <br /><br />But my advice to you is as follows.<br /> <br />I think it is best to start with a fresh bare space, and build it back up from there. So if you want to de-clutter your desk, take everything off it and out of it, put it all on the floor, and choose what you want to keep. Put the things you don't want into a big trash bag to be sorted out later. Don't look at them again.<br /><br />Once you have chosen what you really need/want or love from the pile, find homes for things. Stack the drawers neatly with your notebooks and files, and use an oganising tray to keep all those fiddly pens, erasers and pencils and stickers tidy while they are out of sight.<br /><br />Make sure you tackle each area individually. Set yourself a goal to tackle the mess one place at a time; the desk, the kitchen bench, the bathroom cupboards, or your wardrobe. And do each job properly before you start the next. If you stop and start all over the place you'll never feel a real sense of achievement and then you'll give up halfway through. Finish de-cluttering each post before you start the next.<br /><br />And then with your spare junk, sort it out. Work out what is good enough to give away, what can be recycled, and then what needs to be chucked. I've read some advice that tells you to sort these things while you're cleaning up the space but I feel it is much better to do this step afterwards. Once your space is clear and clean and de-cluttered you will have much less of a feeling of attachment to these rejected things and it will be easier for you to sort them out. If you try to sort them while you're still cleaning, chances are you'll try to incorporate them into the space again. That's a no no!<br /><br /><br />I find it really easy to de-clutter, as I enjoy clearing junk out, but I have sentimental attachments to lots of little bits and pieces. I find special drawers and nooks and crannies for these special things, but sometimes I find myself holding onto items just for the sake of it. I have a green ornamental pot, for example that I still cannot part with because it says it was made in Italy and I found it at a charity shop. It is cute, but doesn't go with any of my stuff. I feel sick just thinking that it is still here, and I know that the day that I relinquish my attachment to it I will feel as though wings have been given to me. I should plan for the day to come soon!<br />-if you have anything like this that you are attached to, particularly if it is of a large size, try to plan for the day when you will rid yourself of the burden. Remember, a good way to tell if you should keep something or not is the way it makes you feel; if you look at an object decorating your television and it makes you feel a pain in your heart, it is a burden on you. Set it free!!<br /><br />Happy de-cluttering!Strawberrylifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07327298472103196148noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6988276443446071374.post-88836599160976717172009-02-27T17:03:00.000-08:002009-03-07T23:55:27.933-08:00Cleaning the floors<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcSfVs16aTLgbnLhdCGHoDJG1xA28Uxb9QKmZ2xzk0pq3fmS0x0_UjTjJ8ms8kq0EYFwG_KnM4DYVxcCP1i8lcc0uF-KxKakWh8e1t4rhQt2p9tTl9YNloou8j6tVNcaz9wC5XkCID2Tk/s1600-h/floors.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcSfVs16aTLgbnLhdCGHoDJG1xA28Uxb9QKmZ2xzk0pq3fmS0x0_UjTjJ8ms8kq0EYFwG_KnM4DYVxcCP1i8lcc0uF-KxKakWh8e1t4rhQt2p9tTl9YNloou8j6tVNcaz9wC5XkCID2Tk/s400/floors.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310722416265432994" /></a><br />Ok, today I'll write about cleaning the floors because I just did mine, and I feel fabulous. And tired.<br /><br />Anyway, my floors are all tile. That's right: our landlord is Italian. So what I do is first run a vacuum over the whole apartment, and then I get to the mopping (Don't you just love the pinoclean scented boiling-hot water?).<br /><br />My advice for cleaning the floors is this: <br />-Try to tidy up as much as you can BEFORE you start vacuuming or mopping. This stops you having to do what I just did, which is hold the vacuum cleaner at bay while you one-handedly put toys away and try to tidy your bookshelves.<br />-Always have the additional spots you vacuum already clear from toys, like the lounge. I like to vacuum my lounge (ok, a lie, I think it is necessary to vacuum my lounge, to get all the crumbs from the baby's biscuits off it) so I try to have all the clutter from the lounge put away before I begin.<br />-Try to wipe down your coffee tables or benches and even do a little dusting before you begin vacuuming. There's nothing more annoying than cleaning your floors and then realising you haven't dusted for a year and then when you try to dust you get dirt all over your fabulous new tiles or carpet.<br />-Try to have already changed your bed or put your washing on for the day before you start cleaning the floors. That way you avoid additional dirt spillage (or in our case, hair from my husband) from coming out of the bedding onto your floor, or grass and lint from your washing from littering the way to the laundry room. <br /><br />And when you are vacuuming, if you're thinking about something that needs to be cleaned but you think you'll just leave it for today (AGAIN) -just clean it!! Pull out that lounge and vacuum behind it. If you see that your skirting boards need dusting, go and get that damp cloth and wipe them. The little extra bits and pieces that you do today will save you thinking about them for weeks, and then in a few day's time you can do a quick once over, knowing that the spot behind the lounge is already bare. I avoided cleaning the chocolate milk off the tiles under our lounge for a few days (I had already wiped the visible lot) and by the time I got to it it was a hard sticky mess, like a candy stuck to my tiles. It took a hell of a lot of hot water to melt it down, and by the time I did I'd ruined my mop. If I'd done it the day it happened it would have been much easier, and I wouldn't have been thinking about it for days. I call this the guilt of cleaning procrastination; It will eat you alive from the inside!<br /><br /><br />When I mop my rules are just this:<br />-Only mop what you've already vacuumed or wiped. Otherwise, you get those dreadful wet dusty things all over the place -annoying!<br />-Mop well, mop quickly<br />-And make sure your water is boiling hot! If you're mopping wooden floors maybe don't do it too hot, but for tiles the hotter the better. And the hotter the water is, the better it cleans and the faster it dries, so you don't have to tiptoe around hoping you don't skid over for too long. <br /><br />In conclusion I'll just summarise. Tidy up and clean up before you vacuum or mop. Then vacuum and mop well. Don't avoid things you know need to be cleaned. And if you do do the floors and then realise things need to be dusted or wiped, use a wet cloth to grab at the dirt and put your hand under the edge of your benches to stop extra spills.<br /><br />Happy mopping!!Strawberrylifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07327298472103196148noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6988276443446071374.post-22752131280982158752009-02-18T19:40:00.001-08:002009-03-07T23:31:43.740-08:00Tidying the Bathroom<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegnFVbyslSA2DnawCFplIGVBzRWEwL0mrX_AFwJfZOtGqisShYG1GfRKBvs7btFGglzBE2ymzbbNBEZVZkgPh9RAV668AyhHZM6oH2wz0GuysuYuAt4tTW7bN5cWlrDaEHkX9giEKlhs/s1600-h/bathroom.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegnFVbyslSA2DnawCFplIGVBzRWEwL0mrX_AFwJfZOtGqisShYG1GfRKBvs7btFGglzBE2ymzbbNBEZVZkgPh9RAV668AyhHZM6oH2wz0GuysuYuAt4tTW7bN5cWlrDaEHkX9giEKlhs/s400/bathroom.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310716248878486402" /></a><br />We will start with the bathroom because that is where we all feel most vulnerable. This is the room where the truth really comes out.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />The bathroom sink area</span><br />Don't you love walking into a good quality hotel bathroom? Isn't it the nicest thing to see a bench with only the soap and a handtowel on it and all other mess out of sight (or not yet created by you)? So why not have that everyday in your own home?<br /><br />Here's how.<br /><br />I'm not going to give you a list of things to take away, piece by piece, until you're left with a smaller pile of mess. I see no point in that. What I will say to you is this:<br />Put everything from your bathroom counter on the floor. Study it. Decide what looks pleasant and what looks nasty. Then decide what you never use, and chuck it out or put it Freecycle. <br /><br />Then simply place the few things you <span style="font-style:italic;">love</span> back onto the counter and put the things that look a bit nasty or embarrassing or just plain boring into the cupboards and drawers. <br /><br />Here's what I kept on my bathroom sink when I cleared it yesterday: <br />-A vase with fake flowers (for that feminine touch)<br />-my husband's 2 favourite colognes (for that sexy touch) <br />-the stylish cream and green tooth brush holder<br />-a pretty square jar holding cotton balls<br />-my perfume<br />-some gorgeous body balm<br /><br />And that's it! I put everything else either away in the cupboard or in the trash.<br />Now when I walk into the bathroom I see a pristine place to wash and clean myself.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Bathroom cupboards and drawers</span> <br />The area under and around the bathroom sink is often full of clutter, forgotten items and unused medicines. Get rid of it all. What you should keep is your stash of toilet paper(of course), bathroom cleaning supplies, the beauty products you cannot use every day, things like bath salts and scrubs and fake nails, your hoards of perfume for just in case there is ever a stink plague and you need to cover it, and your medicines. <br /><br />The best idea is to stock your cupboards in some kind of order. For example: keep the toilet paper next to the bathroom cleaning supplies, and keep your medicines in a drawer all by themselves. This helps for easy access and helps prevent a build up of new clutter when you're rummaging around for things you can't find. And I've heard this rule many times before, and it is so so true: If you haven't used it in a year THROW IT AWAY!! That rainy day is never going to come so just chuck it out and give yourself the piece of mind just knowing that you have 5cm extra space in your bathroom cupboard. <br /><br />In the drawers you should keep the beauty supplies that you use daily and some medicine. I went for a long time showing off my beauty products to all my visitors. I'd have my Clinique face wash out there and my Clinique toner and all my perfumes and makeup bags cluttering the stage. Now, I've got my everyday makeup in a bag to be pulled out of the drawer in one easy swipe, and it can be returned with the same amount of ease. That's the tip to keeping everything all sparkly and new like a hotel bathroom: when you've used it, put it away! Everything should go back in it's place. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Bathroom clutter<br /></span> The bathroom is a great place to find clutter of the clothing kind. There may also be newspapers and books there too (ok, I'm guilty). <br /><br />So here's what to do. <br /><br />When you've had your shower in the morning or at night, or you've just bathed the kids, look behind you before you turn off the light. Take the clothes hanging over the clothes rail and either put them in the wash or take them to be put away in the bedroom. And if you must read on the toot, make a place for the papers. I have a friend who even has a clothes rail next to her toilet where a magazine can be hung. Or you could put a cute wooden chair in there, as I have, and put a little pile of books on it to amuse yourself. And if you don't have room to do these things, simply take the books back out of the bathroom when you've finished with them. Try to leave the room as you should find it on a good day.<br /><br /><br />For all other clutter surfaces, such as the side of the bathtub or in the shower or around the toilet, use the method as described above: clear and start fresh, then chuck out what you don't need and store what can be used later under the sink.<br /><br />Happy Bathing!!Strawberrylifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07327298472103196148noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6988276443446071374.post-78497616104133122462009-02-18T18:19:00.001-08:002010-05-05T19:13:05.722-07:00IntroductionWelcome to my new blog. <br />
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This is to be a refreshing space, a place to find ways to clean the various parts of your house. I have just turned an obsession with finding my place in life into an obsession with cleaning, and I feel much relieved, full of optimism and ready to tackle the jobs that need to be done. I hope that you will join me.<br />
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I will be posting as often as I can to let you know of my current cleaning and clearing situation, as well as to advise on the ways I see best to tackle individual problem areas.<br />
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Onward and upward: I can hear the clutter calling.Strawberrylifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07327298472103196148noreply@blogger.com0