Moving House

I am so happy that I started my housework routine ages ago otherwise I never would have been able to get the house house clean for open house days. I am also glad I upped the ante - for a while anyway. It was a bit of a punishing routine for the size of the house I have. I kept up the two cleans a month instead of one until August last year then fell back to dusting the blinds and vacuuming and cleaning the odd window that got splashed when it rained and needed a bit of a wipe down. But everything was so squeaky clean that my final clean before moving out has been relatively easy.

Through the year I had cleaned under the desk, the freezer and the fridge and under the coffee maker. I had also cleaned some of the kitchen cupboard shelves. When things were moved or packed there was a minimum of dust and barely any grime so it wiped up easily.
I have a few black holes like the corner cupboard in the kitchen and the bottom and top shelves of the pantry but it was nice that there were only a few places like this.

Yesterday I cleaned upstairs for the final time. I may have to run the dust buster over the sewing room floor once the shelves and tables are loaded but there won't be much there.

Without going too fast it probably took me about 40 mins for each room. Two bedrooms, my sewing room, the bathroom and toilet, hallway and linen cupboard.

• vacuumed the wardrobe shelves
• cleaned the fan
• vacuumed the floor
• vacuumed the edges with the edge tool
• vacuumed the curtains with the furniture tool
• cleaned the windows
• dusted the walls
• wiped the skirting boards and door mouldings and switch plates
• wet wiped the floor
• cleaned the air conditioning filter and cleaned all the dust off the vents with a toothbrush
• In the bathroom I took off the exhaust fan cover and washed it under the tap.

We have so much stuff that half has to go into storage for 6 months so we can rent a small 3 bedroom house while we build our new house. The removalist suggested that we pack and store the week before the move. It has made cleaning so much easier. Nearly everything is packed in boxes and we just have a few plates and clothes and cleaning things out and half the furniture is gone too.

Here are the upstairs rooms.

bed1

bed1

bed1

sewing room

sewing room

bed2

batroom

hallway

stairs

Today I will do a bit downstairs. Since my DH vacuumed and steamed the floors I will just do the edges and fans and maybe windows, but the windows look pretty good in most rooms.
The laundry will be a biggish job but I will get started today and I will leave the bathroom until the day before the move.

Once again I know I couldn't have managed if I hadn't been following my monthly cleaning routine that kept all the big stuff under control - like windows and under furniture and appliances.

Start today! Divide your house into zones then routines and do a bit each day.

Cheers,

Val

Upping the Ante

Since the house has been on the market I decided I needed to make things a bit cleaner so when someone calls all I have to do is run the vacuum over the tiles and its done.

My regular routine runs over a month. For starters I have fitted the routine into 15 days so it all gets cleaned twice a month now.

I still divided the house into sections.

I allow 5 days for the downstairs bedrooms, bathroom and toilet and laundry.

I allow 5 days for the kitchen, dining and small lounge, foyer.

I allow 5 days for the big lounge and the upstairs bedrooms, bathroom and toilet and stairwell.

I realised today that I haven't included the back patio and the garage. I may have to do those once a month still.

I spend about 2 hours a day cleaning. I also do things that I would only normally do every 6 months such as:
clean the ceiling fans
vacuum the curtains
wash the walls and doors
dust the walls

The windows had about a 2 month cycle. That is now a 15 day cycle too.

It is a hectic routine but I am determined to keep it up til the end of the year. I have run through nearly 3 cycles and it gets quicker and easier to do the chores each time because everything is so clean. I may even be turning into a clean freak. I like to see everything shining and there are no dust bunnies in the corners or hanging on the bottoms of the curtains.

Certainly, the more I do it the more it just becomes a habit and a normal part of the day. A bit like an exercise routine. However, if you are very old or a bit frail don't even bother because it is very physical. Just stick to the one month routine and modify it to suit you ability and time.

I think another big secret to getting the housework done is to give the routine about 3 months trial so it becomes a habit and you can do it without thinking.

Cheers,
Val

Deviating from the routine

The last three weeks or so I have been packing up and cleaning up so we can put the house on the market. I have had to add lots more to the cleaning routine for each room and I have just been working through the rooms without looking at the routine.
I am really glad that I have managed to keep to my routine in the past because windows are clean with just a wipe. Cupboards and counters are clean with just a bit of extra care around the edges. The bathrooms are clean with just a bit of putting our everyday items out of sight.

The hardest part has been putting things out of sight so prospective buyers can imagine their stuff in here. I have lots of boxes stored in the garage and we have moved a couple of pieces of furniture to open up some rooms. The place looks lovely.
Before

After

We are only selling because we want to downsize and save a bit for a rainy day. We will never find a location better than this but we are ready for a new adventure. The valley we live in now is protected from the bad storms and the creek has never reached the house even in the worst floods. The wallabies hop through the paddocks and the birds are amazing. The outlook from our back porch is tranquil and green and the neighbours are friendly and considerate. Maybe we will get lucky with our new place.

Just a bit more super cleaning then it is back to the regular routine so I can keep the place nice for people to view. I still haven't done posts for all the days of the month so I will keep posting. Can't wait to make up a new routine for the new place.
Cheers,
Val

Posted with Blogsy

First Friday

The first Friday calls for cleaning the upstairs toilet and bathroom. I took 15 mins to wipe the walls, clean the mirror and basin and wipe over the floor. With the floor wet I popped I to clean the toilet and little basin and clean the window. About 5 mins. Later in the day on my way to the sewing room I cleaned the window and sill in the bathroom. Another 5 mins.

I keep the kettle and some tea and cups upstairs near my sewing room just in case I need some refreshing while sewing.

I hope your routine is working for you.

Cheers,

Val

 

Posted with Blogsy

Fourth Thursday and Friday

I have to be honest that I didn't feel like doing any housework this Thursday. I looked at the routine and it said vacuum the kitchen/dining and steam this floor and dust the four long venetians in the dining room and the one in the kitchen. Ho hum.

I cleaned up the kitchen and did a load of washing. After lunch I got out the vacuum cleaner and the steamer. They just sat there. My husband and I watched a James Bond DVD and I did some sewing and book reading. No. There was no motivation to do the housework. I felt a bit bad about it because I could see the floor badly needed vacuuming and steaming.

The fourth Friday is 'sponge the edges'. Now this can be left for a while so I decided to do the vacuuming and steaming and dusting on Friday instead. I felt good again. The dust was gone and the floor shone. Great.

None of this means that my routine is not working. Quite the opposite really. Having set things for set days allows me to juggle and massage a bit without losing track.

I love my routine :)

Cheers,
Val

Fourth Tuesday

I had Monday off as per the routine and we did the shopping.
This Tuesday I was feeling a bit sluggish. It has been pretty hot for ages now.
I got a bit of second wind in the afternoon and did a load of washing and vacuumed the bedrooms. At some time during the day I remember emptying the dish washer and doing the kitchen tidy up.

I didn't look at the schedule til today  (Thursday) and since I was feeling pretty good after finishing my January mini quilt I checked the schedule and dusted the lounge room blinds (Tuesdays chore). There are still the window and door to clean but I am looking at them now and they still look pretty shiny so they can wait another month. I don't want to knock myself out playing catch up. That is SECRET NUMBER 3 and it is good advice.

Kitchen tidy up
My kitchen tidy up happens everyday and includes washing up my stainless steel cutlery that I don't like to put in the dish washer and washing up those pesky plastic containers that don't fit in the dish washer very well. I wash the two cutting boards and wipe the counters under them and around the hot plates and the splash back behind the hot plates.

If the scourer is getting a bit worn I use it to clean out the sink and plug hole then throw it away.

I wipe up the few things I have washed up.

Sometimes I do all this while my porridge cooks.

A load of washing
I find that for the two of us washing three times a week is enough.

I collect the tea towel and hand towel from the kitchen. and the counter mats I use in the kitchen.
I collect any clothes left in the bathroom and the two hand towels we use.
I collect any clothes I have left beside my bed.
Anything in the clothes basket also goes in.

Clean hand towels
I really love having clean hand towels every second day. Before I got myself sorted the hand towels just got changed when I thought they needed a wash and I used the kitchen tea towel for several days just letting it dry out. Now I get a new tea towel everyday.

I started putting out a bathroom hand towel for each of us a while back because I noticed that the bath towels were getting grubby from us wiping our hands on them. Neither of us really wanted to use the shared hand towel. Now the bath towels stay clean and I use one end of my hand towel for my hands and the other end for my face. Washing them every second day they never actually get dirty and they always feel nice to use.

Cheers,
Val

Third Sunday

"What happened to Saturday?", you say.

Well, I just couldn't be bothered and I didn't even look at the routine. Since I didn't have much on today I did a bit of catch up by putting in a load of washing and changing the sheets. 

I did not catch up with vacuuming the lounge and steaming the lounge floors. I may suck up a few of the big bits of fluff when I get the vacuum out on Tuesday to do the bedrooms, but only if I feel like it. The steaming can wait til next month.

I was still feeling a bit lazy today so I did short spurts.

I spent 10 minutes tidying the kitchen and putting on the washing.

I spent 20 minutes cleaning the patio table and the front door. No before and after. They just had some dust and a few cobwebs.

I spent nearly 20 minutes cleaning the long windows inside and out. I did not do the top part inside because it requires taking down the blinds to get the screens off. Maybe next month I will do that.

You will just have to take my word for it that the windows are clean. I didn't feel like pulling the blinds up again.

The first time I cleaned these windows there was mildew on them and a dirty grey film that I just couldn't believe. It took me 3 months or three cleans to get them looking respectable. Now there is just the odd bit of fly dirt and some dust that comes in when the windows are open. When people have come for a meal and I open the blinds for more light I am so pleased the windows are clean.

At the time of writing this I still haven't made up the bed, but the sheets are sitting on the bed waiting.

I can't think of any more secrets. I guess you just have to give it a go and you will find that it is not that hard to stick to it. I will keep posting at least until I have covered a whole month.

Cheers,

Val