Cleaning house for the new year

[Sigrid]

I got this brilliant idea to clean the house so we can start the year off "right."  Oh boy, oh boy, what have I gotten myself into?  Our boys share the master bedroom and that's where we decided to start. We got rid of so. much. junk.  We spent quite a bit of time on it, moving the beds around, cleaning underneath them, cleaning out all the shelves and drawers and the closet, wiping the blinds down, all that jazz.  Tomorrow we will conquer the rest (or most, hopefully) of the house.  I'm excited to have a neat, clean house again, but am exhausted already thinking about all the work that needs doing.  

Anyone else doing the same? 

Done it before? Got any tips?

[Liz Spears]

I'm currently doing the same! So well wishes to you. I feel like i've bit off to much also. It's so worth it. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
 

[ariahsmum]

We are doing the same, for a variety of reasons.  I have been giving considerable thought to what "Simplicity" means to me.  I think my cluttered (by my own standards) home is preventing me from so much emotionally, spiritually, and even physically.  I do not think that all the stuff we have packed in here, disorganized, never knowing where anything is, or what we truly need (we buy multiples of things which is wasteful to us financially) is serving me or my family.  I hope that sorting, moving things out that are not needed, and organizing will help us clear our plate for the abundance we are asking for in 2013.  We have a clean slate this new year to ask for what we truly want/need from this life, to intentionally add items to our home if we wish, and take charge rather than just be swept up in the unsatisfying life of being encumbered by so much mess and chaos.  Sometimes we spend the whole day just shifting sh*t and dealing with chaos rather than enjoying the things we choose to have in our home to the fullest.

I am writing the following mantra on my wall:

Use it up

Wear it out

Make do

Go without

Today I sorted the pens and junk drawer and old homeschool magazines I have been keeping for 10 years to "read when I have time".  They simply went to the recycling.

What are you all doing?  How do you make sure not to burn out on sorting and cleaning and add fun to the mix of the day?  I do just a few jobs a day.

And I'd be really curious to see if getting rid of stuff and organizing brings more peace and more time to my home in the long run.  I'd love to hear if it does for you!

[PeacefulSeams]

I really like the idea of putting the mantra on the wall. I get to a point where I burn out and give up lol.

I am starting in my room because it generally sets the tone for the rest of the house. We have accumulates so. much. stuff. since we moved here a year ago. My room is the "catch-all". Everything end up in here and usually all over the floor. We did a quick declutter at the end of the year. I hoped it would make a difference but I was wrong.

Tomorrow it begins....

[skreader]

It's part of the traditional prep for Chinese New Year.

So, I will be taking 2 days off from work  on Feb 7th & 8th and clean up on the 9th too, before the first day (Sunday the 10th).

Plan -

Thursday 7th - Kitchen & Living Room

Kitchen

Clean out the cupboards in the kitchen & pantry. Throw out/recycle old empty stuff not being used; check expiry dates; wash & dust. Get kids to polish silver. Wash window frames & floors.

Living Room

Look over shoe cabinet and make discards. Sort through books and set aside for May flea market

Dust tops of all shelves

Clean & dust light fixtures

Wash windows, window frames, & ceiling as necessary.

Have kids dust & polish furniture.

Wash floor.

Friday the 8th - Bedroom

Bedroom & Bathroom

Sort through clothes in wardrobe again & discard/ recycle  stained/destroyed/ last-legs clothes

Have kids sort through books & other possessions & tidy and throw away as needed

Dust & polish furniture

Vacuum & wash floor

Wash  window frames & ceilings

Finish stuff from day before if I was over-ambitious

Saturday the 9th

Kids bedrooms

 - Make the kids do their bedrooms (they are teens)

Bathrooms

Sort through cabinets & discard as necessary

Clean cabinets

Wash fixtures

Wash ceiliing

Wash window frames

Wash floors