Thinking Creatively About House Cleaning

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kay Van Hoesen on December 9, 2011 at 1:36pm

What a friendly dining room you have. I can smell the cinnamon and vanilla. I can almost hear an antique clock ticking. Do you have one? 

I'm just the opposite. Once a room is done and decorated, I don't enjoy changing it for the seasons, etc. To me, that's just more work and one more thing to keep up with. As a matter of fact, I don't decorate for Christmas (or if I do, minimally). One of the reasons is I dread putting everything away. 

As for house cleaning and chores ... those are two of my least favorite things to do, and I usually takes the tough of company arriving for me to get busy and get things accomplished. But I absolutely adore puttering with plants and flowers outside. I find yard work therapeutic. And I love creating outdoor living spaces. I'd love to see photos of outdoor spaces people have created, though admittedly, it's not the best time of year to take those pictures.

Permalink Reply by Bobbie Horowitz on December 9, 2011 at 11:08pm

I love this article Keddy! I find that wen I follow a routine, a routine that includes a minimal amount each day - enough to insure that the week's cleaning gets done - it becomes fun for me! I actually like to clean my apartment. I work from home and a neat apartment helps me think clearly. Of course, I'm just dealing with me. Airing out the bed each morning for a half hour and spraying a drop of perfume on it each morning makes me feel luxurious. Cleaning spots from the floor, furniture, glass top tables, etc. as they occur helps too. I have Bloomingdales clean my light cream and peach area rug and light cream upholstered furniture once or twice a year when they run their sales and having them Scotchguard what they've leaned helps me get spots out of these item very quickly with some water. I only have towels and sheets (fir the most part) in my laundry. i ways most other things by hand. I also wash my underwear every night. It does make the week's load very simple. My clothes are also organized in my closets.  I had a closet company build compartments in my closets when I moved into the apartment. That makes a huge difference.in terms of neatness. It may sound weird, but cleaning helps me clear my mind.

Permalink Reply by Keddy Ann Outlaw on December 10, 2011 at 11:25pm

Thanks, Bobbie - Good to see you here again. Not weird at all, cleaning is good for the min! And I agree with you, ScotchGuard is the way to go. Love the perfumed sheets idea! (I'm in the mood to go sample perfumes in the dept. stores for some reason.) Closets - me too; I love seeing my clothes all organized by color and season. I am also guilty of same with my sock drawer. For some reason I just love having a rainbow array of socks, especially now that I'm retired and don't have to wear hose very often.

And Kay, yes, yes, yes on the yard work - so good for the soul. Sweeping, raking, weeding, even mowing - I'm there. We'll have to get people to post those patio and backyard photos come spring.

Permalink Reply by Bobbie Horowitz on December 11, 2011 at 2:42pm

I'm with you on the years work too. My years is in my apartment. I have plants for over 6 years and they're three times as big as when I received them. I maintained a building roof garden in my previous apartment.    I gives me energy.  I guess I always feel the need to be a mommy, soI take care of plants.

Permalink Reply by Keddy Ann Outlaw on December 11, 2011 at 9:35pm

Maybe plants are pets too! I love taking care of my plant babies and watching them grow and multiply.

Permalink Reply by Devin on December 11, 2011 at 12:28am

I'm with Kay on house cleaning, especially of late.  Work and reading take up most of my time these days, but I keep things flowing and "file 13" often comes in handy.

I'll take a on a project outdoors over an inside chore any day of the week, except when it is really cold out.  I think it does help clear the mind.  I sometimes procrastinate on the bigger projects too, often because I rethink the process several times before deciding the best steps to take to acheive what I see would work best.

I love having flowers outdoors and having fresh ones inside, when time permits.

I enjoyed your post. 

Permalink Reply by Keddy Ann Outlaw on December 11, 2011 at 9:38pm

File 13 - love that expression.  Thanks for the appreciation! Good to see you here.

Permalink Reply by Kay Van Hoesen on December 11, 2011 at 10:57pm

I posted your blog on the HWT Facebook page and asked if anyone likes house cleaning. I liked this response from Christina E Mitchell 

Actually, yes, I do. When I was raising my daughter (I was a single parent), cleaning the house, doing laundry, and doing the grocery shopping on Saturdays was our ritual. It kept me organized and allowed my daughter and I more time together. When she was grown and out of the house, I went back to university. I would take "cleaning breaks" from a paper I was working on, or use the cleaning time to memorize facts for a test. I like how the house feels once it's clean. (P.S. I use natural cleaners...mostly salt, lemon juice, vinegar, and baking soda...I don't like chemicals.)