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I love a clean house. - Page 4

post #61 of 90
7/3/09 at 3:51pm
i definitely find that my children thrive in a clear space. i notice that they'll reach kind of a finished point with their toys, and if i leave them where they are, they don't get played with. as an artist finishes a painting. if i put them away, they'll get started again, just as you say.

however we've been a bit sudden with our bedtime routines lately and haven't been including the tidying up part! best to get back to it!

*

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post #62 of 90
7/5/09 at 11:20am
Me too! Me too!

My mom also appreciates a clean house (although the home I grew up in was pretty cluttered) and I love when she comes over and marvels at how clean we keep our house.

Even at eight or nine years old, I remember how I enjoyed cleaning my room on a Sunday - decluttering, vacuuming, and then putting clean sheets on my bed. I'd lay out my clothes for school the next day and go to sleep in a crisp, clear room. I can still remember the feeling of lying in bed and enjoying my clean room.

I can't admit that to many people!
post #63 of 90
7/5/09 at 1:03pm
I LOVE having a clean house but it rarely stays that way so I've dropped my expectations. My thinking/reasoning is that if one room in my house actually *stays* clean for more than 5min, I'm happy. It does make me ALOT less stressed when my home is clean tho.
post #64 of 90
7/6/09 at 8:42am
I am soooo excited! Thanks to inspiration here and elswhere(and finally having energy in the second trimester here) I have really stayed on top of the house. It is saving me so much time and we are on time to places. I needed to make a bunch of dishes to bring to a b-b-q yesterday- usually that would have meant being way late and frazzled and I would have ended up w/ a messy kitchen and a sinkful of dishes. However, because i have been right on top of it I got everything made w/ time to spare and the kitchen was clean when I got home- which was good because then everything was ready to cook again. dh has even made comments about how good it is looking and he said something about how we need to invite everyone over now! I have also put lots of time into the yard and garden as well and am so proud. I am hoping to get and keep everything in tip-top condition so when baby #3 arrives I have my life more organized that things will go more smoothly and if/when it does fall apart for awhile it won't be so far to get it back up to standards. I already have 40 meals made for the postpartum period and plan to make 20 more. I am figuring out what else I can do ahead of time as well.
post #65 of 90
7/6/09 at 11:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by crunchy_mama View Post
I am soooo excited! Thanks to inspiration here and elswhere(and finally having energy in the second trimester here) I have really stayed on top of the house.
That is great! I love hearing about others' successes.

The thing is,
wanting a clean house is not just about obsessively needing a perfect pristine space, it's about being on time and being able to find stuff and being able to *do* more (in your case, being able to cook those dishes to bring on your outing.)
post #66 of 90
7/6/09 at 1:57pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
wanting a clean house is not just about obsessively needing a perfect pristine space, it's about being on time and being able to find stuff and being able to *do* more
:

And being able to FIND things.

When everything has a place and everything is IN its place you can find those pool passes from last year and your daughter's favorite sweater and the can opener.
post #67 of 90
7/6/09 at 2:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by berry987 View Post
Me too! Me too!

Even at eight or nine years old, I remember how I enjoyed cleaning my room on a Sunday - decluttering, vacuuming, and then putting clean sheets on my bed. I'd lay out my clothes for school the next day and go to sleep in a crisp, clear room. I can still remember the feeling of lying in bed and enjoying my clean room.
This. At age 43.

I love getting into bed on Sunday night, with the hung-outside-sheets and my clothes laid out for work for Monday morning. I cuts down on the stress of getting the family out the door by a lot.
post #68 of 90
7/6/09 at 3:30pm
My house feels SO clean when I have just spent an hour on my hands n knees scrubbing the kitchen floor with a floor brush and bucket of hot soapy water. Oh the yuck that a mop or swiffer wont ever in a million years get.
post #69 of 90
7/8/09 at 3:52pm
I feel soooooo good when my house is clean & organized. Even though it never seems to stay that way for long & I have not yet perfected the process...it feels so nice to accomplish order & cleanliness.

My best friend is a Personal Organizer & mother of 3... she recently said she realized what it is that drives her most nuts in her own home...it's dirty floors. Other things can be out of place & there can be laundry to get to & toys all over the kids rooms...but when the floors of her kitchen/living room get super dirty, it bothers her the most (wood floors) And when they are clean, the other stuff doesn't seem as out of control.

I had been feeling like I fell behind & was losing control of the house so I thought about that & just tried to focus on keeping the floors swept (we have all hardwood & tile). It does make me feel better...everything just feels cleaner when the floors are clean.

And we have a very small kitchen, so when I keep the dishes out of the sink & my counter clean, that also makes a world of difference.

Our biggest issue is the dining room table-that's where mail, DH's work space & work papers, & other clutter I need to deal with sits. I am trying to spend 5 minutes a day now to deal properly with what ends up sitting there & it is helping. I will admit to a small basket I put receipts & mail in that I am not ready to shred or deal with yet. But they have their spot & get dealt with when I can.
post #70 of 90
7/8/09 at 4:10pm
some floors look dirty faster than others - my last flat looked bad right after you swept! my stairs are white, and always covered in hair :: i really don't know what to do about it, i feel like i should put some doublesided tape down somewhere to catch it all!!

well, i had a well-tuned routine going, and now i've added something to it - getting back to working at home - and everything has fallen apart. i *know* i could seek some balance by setting timers and following routines, but i'm on a roll in my drawing and i don't want to stop! hopefully i can find a balance very soon

*
post #71 of 90
7/8/09 at 7:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mommaof3boz View Post
My house feels SO clean when I have just spent an hour on my hands n knees scrubbing the kitchen floor with a floor brush and bucket of hot soapy water. Oh the yuck that a mop or swiffer wont ever in a million years get.
Well today I spent around 3 hrs scrubbing my floor on my hands and knees. Mommaof3 -you inspired me to do it. What a job. I did my entire condo-around 1100 sq ft. The floor is light tile and although I wash quite often it still looks dirty. I used some simple green today and two scrub pads since I didn't have a brush. Usually I just use dish soap w some vinegar and EO's. It looks so much better. I totally agree with the other post about how much of a difference a clean floor can make. In the future I know to get minimal grout. I just cannot imagine having carpet. My tile gets so grimy even though I have everyone take off their shoes. I know when I had my tile professionally cleaned and the grout sealed it looked awesome and I felt less stressed for months. Well I feel relieved but I know I will be achy tomorrow. My friend is coming for lunch so that got me going too!! :
Now I still need to p/u things from the store, get some flowers and do laundry.
post #72 of 90
7/8/09 at 8:15pm
es1967-Doesn't it feel great?? I ALWAYS make a yummy chocolaty dessert before I scrub. After its done I sit in my fresh, clean kitchen and enjoy a piece of chocolate yumminess. Barefoot, so I can swish my feet across the floor under the table and feel the deep clean. AAAHHHH. It is the little things ya know.
post #73 of 90
7/8/09 at 8:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mommaof3boz View Post
es1967-Doesn't it feel great?? I ALWAYS make a yummy chocolaty dessert before I scrub. After its done I sit in my fresh, clean kitchen and enjoy a piece of chocolate yumminess. Barefoot, so I can swish my feet across the floor under the table and feel the deep clean. AAAHHHH. It is the little things ya know.
Yummmmm. Great idea. I'm off to get something chocolaty at the store.
post #74 of 90
7/9/09 at 7:17am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
It is the little things ya know.


After everyone is in bed, I pick up everything in my living room, get it in order, turn on our fountain so water is trickling in the background and sit in there reading a good book -- just so peaceful and calming. Enjoying the clean vibes.
post #75 of 90
7/9/09 at 9:48am
ahh - had company over this morning, and had a rapid clean + tidy, it took less than an hour to put things in order.

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post #76 of 90
7/9/09 at 9:59am
I just love laying in bed knowing the house is clean! We had some concrete work yesterday(my brother and his crew did the work) and I brought them in to show them the bathroom dh had been working on and it was so nice not worrying about this or that being dirty and being so proud of how nice it looked. It really is so much easier to keep things up rather than to play catch up. I get aggravated that I let it get away from me sometimes.

On the agenda for today is mopping the kitchen and dining area then spot mopping the rest of the house. Most of the house still looks awesome since I just scrubbed all of it but I want to keep it up. The kitchen honestly could be mopped 2x a week but that is too much for me and it still looks presentable now just not great.

I have a very, very, very long and tiring day tomorrow so I really want to make sure I get everything tip-top today since we won't be home. I also need to plan and make our meals as well. I will have to take breakfast and lunch w/ me and pack the kids meals. I will probably try and keep it simple.

I was so proud as well as yesterday I was feeling rather depressed and stressed and when I am like that it is easy to start to let things go, but I didn't give myself permission to do that. I knew today would be better and I would be happy that I still kept it up!
post #77 of 90
7/16/09 at 4:39am
post #78 of 90
7/16/09 at 12:08pm
Add me to the love a clean house club. I am lucky enough to be married to a man who feels the same way and loves to clean. He is great at putting things where they belong and organizing and I do the clean thing when he is done.

Anyone ever notice that all those people who tell you they don't clean b/c they are playing with their kids, etc, spend quite a bit of time online? LOL

Now that my kids are older, they all have chores and it really helps out with keeping the house neat and orderly. I also love the swiffer brooms and mops b/c they are light and simple enough for the kids to use.
post #79 of 90
7/16/09 at 1:44pm
how old are your kids, mar? i started introducing more responsibilities for my little ones, hm, what happened to that? it is really helpful, just to feel like i'm not the only one pushing against the tide.

you are amazingly blessed, having a tidy partner i love mine just the way he is, mind

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post #80 of 90
7/16/09 at 2:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Crunchy*VT*Mom View Post
:

And being able to FIND things.

When everything has a place and everything is IN its place you can find those pool passes from last year and your daughter's favorite sweater and the can opener.
Seriously! I hate when my friend comments that I'm such a neat freak. I like being efficient & cleanliness & order are so important for that to happen. I spend a fraction of the time cleaning & organizing that my friend does in just looking for her wallet

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