Cleaning

You're doing great!

Also: giiiiirrrrrrrl you have a PORCH? We are going to jibber jabber for so long on that porch.

now i have to do this every two weeks
i will celebrate when i have successfully done it every 2 weeks 6x
that's what, 3 mo of clean? that's enough to build a habit on i think.

we have a front stoop area and a little SUN PORCH off the kitchen -- both are v conducive to jib jab :) i can't wait til it warms up tbrr

I think after whatever period of vigilance you set for yourself, you can get to a place where you just check the floor every two weeks, and maybe sometimes it doesn't need washing, but it's a reminder to look at it? That sort of thing.

LL, one thing I have tried that helped (& would have continued to help if I had kept up with it) was writing chores on post-its and coosing one or two of them to do every day.

There are/were routine ones like "wipe down counters," and "scrub toilet," and special ones like "hang curtains," and "sort junk drawer," and "repot plant."

It's nice to have a list of options you can choose from. For me it staved off not knowing where to start and doing nothing.

Good idea! I like it.

Yeh, I'm inspired to reinstitute that system now.

um you guys I totally made my bed this morning

THIS IS THE DAWNING OF THE AGE OF AQUARIUS AGE OF AQUARIUUUUUUUUUS

You *deserve* it.

aquair
i
uuuuuus

in laws are here, have not complained about any found filth so far
they haven't taken a good look at our bookshelves yet though hehehehe

i cleaned the toilet and wiped all the soap scum off the shower walls but i'm never gonna get the rust out! how does one use CLR? dilute w/ water and use spray bottle? i should have gotten one.

Hmm

Can I put CLR in a spray bottle?

No, CLR is acidic in nature. When using CLR it in a spray bottle, the solution could "spray back" on your clothes or in your eyes and the spray could drift.

That sounds like a "Yes, but be careful" to me.

Just sponge or blot it on?

It also says not to leave it on the surface for more than two minutes, so it's probably OK just to put it on a sponge or something since it doesn't have to cling too long.

xp

i don't have any gloves either. google is broken! i feel lost!

NO SPRAY BOTTLE

How do I use CLR?
In a well-ventilated area while wearing household rubber gloves and standing on a non-slip surface, mix equal amounts of CLR and warm water. Test the solution on a hidden area before applying to the entire surface. Apply directly to the calcium, lime or rust stain with a brush, cloth or sponge and rinse promptly with cold, clean water. Never leave CLR on an area for longer than two minutes. If the stain does not disappear, use CLR full strength and then wipe and rinse promptly with cold, clean water. Never mix CLR with other household cleaners or bleach and never reuse the bottle.

How do I mix CLR?
CLR can be mixed with warm water, 1 of three ways depending on the stain. For light stains and buildup, a diluted mixture is recommended. For more stubborn buildup, full strength is recommended, but only when diluted has been tried first. Diluted 1 part CLR to 8 parts warm water, 50/50 with warm water and full strength. Rarely, depending on the situation, a 1 part to 12 part dilution has been recommended and that was in a water fountain made with rocks. And always rinse with cold water to neutralize.

Can I put CLR in a spray bottle?
No, CLR is acidic in nature. When using CLR it in a spray bottle, the solution could "spray back" on your clothes or in your eyes and the spray could drift.

just mix it up in a bucket or something

oh wait je55e already posted that lol

it does sound like you can do it straight full-strength though, if the stains are really bad maybe just go that route and see what happens

lol @ cleaning the bathtub then soaking the dirty blinds in it. soy idiota.

lol :)

I think I understand dusting now. It has been a week, and I figured it was time, so it took ~ 20 min to do the whole place and I just listened to some music while I did it and it was actually rather pleasant!

What didn't you understand about dusting?

Those Swiffer dusting devices are really good for maintenance dusting, BTW. My apartment gets insane amounts of dust due to cats and living on a busy street, and so I whip out the Swiffer duster for a 1 or 2 minute dusting every few days.

how to do it, what to do it with, how frequently to do it, how vigorously to do it
the usual questions lol?

i got this white duster thingie and it's like touching everything with thousands of tiny white fingers. i think i was using paper towels before, something incredibly ineffective like that.

hallo!

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61Yeo58R%2BwL.jpg

The feather duster has always felt so fun to me - when I was a kid I used to dust my Grandma's house all the time! I have my own now :D

This thing is more fun because it works better than the feather duster! It doesn't just get dust in your face, it collects it! Then you can go outside and shake some of it off and it's like new again.
Please tell me this isn't wrong. How often does one replace these things?

I used to have a feather duster and it got dust all up in my face, so I think that was when I made the brave switch to...paper towels. :-/

I have a feather duster, but even w/ dusting spray, it mostly scatters dust around.

I was skeptical of that type of duster, LL, b/c I thought it wouldn't collect dust, but it's good to hear that it does.

afaict it totally works
i don't do the white glove test or anything but i guess i could if it would convince you!

thinking about those magic erasers -- are they to get fingerprints off walls and stuff like that?

OH MY GOD THOSE THINGS ARE AWESOME

But be careful b/c they will remove paint and you'll wind up with off-looking spots.

But they are truly fucking miraculous. I thought they would be a scam, but they are completely amazing.

And don't mind the haterz who say shit about "oh but they're made from *chemicals*! and a toddler touched one and it burned the toddler to the ground!" They are made from glass (not a joke) and that toddler had been scrubbing its skin with the sponge, which is very effective at removing what it rubs.

I get tons of marks off walls just by lightly scrubbing with a damp sponge btw, so maybe try that first?

if i do that there are always drips and slop marks around the place that i scrubbed -- am i doing it wrong? the paint is super matte and shows little marks very easily
i want to paint eventually (know when and where and how i'm starting, but it's just not that time yet) and in the meantime all i see are fingerprints on the wall

i thought maybe the magic eraser would be the solution to my problem

It will probably work better than a sponge. Glad you're going to paint. Super matte paint is a ridiculous thing to use on the walls of rooms where human beings will exist and likely touch things. That comment is directed towards every cheap ass landlord I've ever had.

yeah maybe try a magic eraser gently in an inconspicuous spot first just to see if it works. but they work really well, I use them to get scuff marks out of the vinyl floor all the time...and sometimes I use them to clean the stove when I'm feeling lazy :D

IME the Magic Eraser will fuck up super matte paint and leave shiny spots.

I use a dusting mitt like this:

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/public/UaGLS1Kucc16ItBF5sA7DTVOgulU-gHfO0SdN9DXRHas51hb399IyGZLsdiAcFEmxiH4CvSRw_5qPyQhNomt6pr6EGsTyvZ8Q0Yo4gF0xrWVMn1z5vpqMLD1lBcyj8oz2SOqt7FKjUQTQDKHHtprmIJBvTqad5d31QUxW2qtZezc73eCQaZTz1vGkWU9KdNU83K29MiNo3D7wRC1AO7IJz7WgrRG_jwPZNuF0Bt__IzliK9tx9zAML6SryzfBMltJstOx_NuILOXgI-xQxuVF3MY4fj4G700SH2zWakRHjgqjohXfNv8iCOS211FF7sdIdcPzzCf2dqtOuxp1on3he70aUUhdgHly3hJ0jZ7aYaOHR0RgO1LidfOC_3O7iocaHzl1mdYuwXV8-YoRxLcB5C1cPOlbyWGTQnlzZbSTmISBp2TIauIa5RaJKD8fNQZrwmuBwKll-jnRth1=s220-c

It's pretty sweet!

ooh I got a microfibre dust mop from the CloudMop line ...damn that thing works great on hardwood floors. Catches SO much dust! Even when you think it looks kinda clean already.

i have a steam mop and i really like it

i bought a mr clean eraser mop - it worked great on my scungy vinyl floor! except I could only use it once becuase one of the little plastic attachement screws was stripped, and it kept popping out of the mop!
so I have to send away to the company and get them to replace it for me. jerks.

on the calendar for tomorrow: mop floors, clean tubs
have already dusted and swept floors 1x this week

if it gets to be too tedious, i may ask you tell me about this steam mop
atm i am still mildly enjoying the physical act of mopping but at the corners of my vision i can see it getting old

i have never been much of a fan of mopping either, feel u LL

i have been wiping down the bathroom sink every day with paper towel ... it's feeling habit forming!

honestly making a concerted effort at tidiness & it's not as boring as i thought

Cleaned the bathroom woodwork with a magic eraser this morning, especially where the cats rub against the door frame and paw frantically to GET IN THERE.

As I've mentioned, we hire a housecleaner to clean every other week. However, IMO, in between her visits certain areas of our house get pretty scrungy, especially the bathroom. I have devised a way to in-between clean the bathroom in about 15 minutes that may be useful to some of you. This is also good for when you you have company coming and don't have time to clean for real.

You will need:
Broom or vacuum
Two rags
Toilet cleaner and toilet brush
Disposable cleaning/disinfectant wipes (like these, but any brand) of at least two more rags
Spray cleaner of your choice

Step one:
Close the shower curtain. You're not going to clean the tub since it's probably fine until the next time you properly clean and closing the curtain makes the bathroom look neater and also hides the 28 different kinds of conditioner you've accumulated in the last six months.

Step two:
Take all of the linens out of the bathroom. Bath towels, hand towels, guest towels, wash cloths, bathroom rugs. Throw them in the hall. PRO TIP: Buy two washable cotton bathroom rugs so you can have a clean one ready to go.

Step three:
Take everything that is on the floor (except the toilet brush) out of the bathroom and put it in the hall. Scale, trash can, space heater, decorative toilet paper cover in the shape of a cat wearing a prairie dress. Then take everything that is sitting on the sink or the back of the toilet (soap dish, toothbrushes, jar of cotton balls) and put it in or on the side of the tub.

Step four:
Put some toilet cleaner in the toilet.

Step five:
Thoroughly sweep or vacuum the floor.

Step six:
Take one of your rags and use it dry to wipe off the sink and the toilet. This and the sweeping with get all of the hair and weirdness that gets stuck to bathroom surfaces and makes wet cleaning so gross and frustrating. Throw the rag in the hall with the dirty towels.

Step seven:
Use the disposable wipes and wipe off the sink, paying extra attention to all the water spots on the faucets. Throw used wipes into a pile in the hall as you go. Wipe off the outside of the toilet, then the lid, seat, under the seat and the rim. (Goes without saying, but don't use those wipes on anything else.) I will often take this time to really get at the light switches and outlets in the bathroom, too, since the house cleaner can be a little cavalier about these (she has other things to do, anyway) and those wipes are good for that kind of thing. You can also use spray cleaner and a rag for this - just make sure you do the grossest part of the toilet last and put that rag in the dirty pile right away.

Step eight:
Use the wipes or a clean rag to wipe off all the stuff you took off the sink and the toilet and put it back where it goes. If you use an electric toothbrush, this is a really good time to pull the brush off and clean all that nasty gunk out of it. Wipe off all the stuff that normally sits on the floor that you put out in the hall back in step three.

Step nine:
Clean the toilet.

Step ten:
Wet the other rag and squeeze it out. Using the spray cleaner, spray a section of the floor and wipe it with the rag. Something like this will make this easier, especially if your bathroom is larger than ours. Spray and wipe until the floor is clean.

Step eleven:
Put all the dirty linens and rags in the laundry. Throw away the used wipes. Put the broom or vacuum away.

Step twelve:
The floor should be dry by now, so put down the clean rug, bring the trashcan and what not back in, and hang clean towels.

DONE. Your bathroom looks shiny and smells clean!

rmde

"of at least two more rags" should be "OR at least two more rags"

"This and the sweeping with get" should be "this and the sweeping WILL get"

i have been doing ^^ that a couple of times per week, only minus the wipes and + the good-smelling vinegar solution i made

just finished sweeping/mopping/wiping (?) the whole place
so glad to be done
enraged at my dog b/c he pooped in the basement

two more weeks til this happens again!!

also that is a good step by step guide carl!!

also i am totally going to get a croissant when i go to the grocery store after FINALLY taking a fucking shower