... long, deep sigh ...
New house, new (higher) mortgage, and we vowed to make some financial cuts where we could. Ian gave up the weekly lawn care service and I gave up my twice-a-month housekeepers. Those were perks that we enjoyed in our last home where we had a little more monthly disposable income! We really try to live frugally and make cuts where we can with me being a stay at home mom, having bigger rooms here to fill with furniture, and juggling costly home updates.
(speaking of home updates -- I pulled the trigger on the plantation shutters for the dining room!)
So for this Thursday installment of Home Week, let's chat cleaning and organization tips and tricks I use around the home! These are things that keep our home in order and allow us to feel proud of our little casita.
First of all, I spent hours cleaning the grime off of the wire racks in the pantry. They still leave a little to be desired but they do the job. Maybe one day I will get more substantial shelves. One thing I use to corral small items like Camille's sippy cup assortment and Charlotte's bottles are some copper wire baskets I got for $5.99 from Homegoods.
I also love this plastic bag dispenser I got HERE on Amazon. So much tidier than having plastic bags floating around under the sink, and great for the environment. We reuse these bags frequently whether it's to stick in bathroom wastebaskets or to cover my hairdo in the rain. Okay, okay, kidding about that last part, but the mental image did make me giggle.
For what it's worth, I say don't bother with the Command strips that come with it. Ours fell down in the middle of the night, waking us up. We used the screws to secure ours in the pantry!
Next is all about the floors. I always get asked about how I keep our hardwoods clean. And let me tell you, nothing will get you caring about your hardwoods like being the one to stroke the check for them! After having them refinished, and knowing how tedious that was, I want to keep these floors as healthy as possible. I use a combination of the Rubbermaid Reveal mop and Bona hardwood floor cleaner and, dare I say that mopping is a pleasure?!
Until this afternoon, our drawers in our kitchen were so disorganized. It's amazing what some good clear drawer organizers (like THESE) can accomplish. Not only do they help us stay organized with our kitchen and office drawers, but they keep you motivated to keep cleaner drawers and periodically declutter. I mean, we have like sixteen bottle openers. Necessary? NO. Ian has a mission tonight when he gets home from work ... pick out his favorite two and donate the rest!
top left - before
Cleaning-wise, we do have a Roomba (praise hands) and between that and my dustbuster, which I use on the DAILY, we stay relatively crumb-free. Our garbage gets picked up on Tuesdays so every Monday I am in the habit of running around and emptying trashcans in the house. Mopping is usually done on Tuesdays or Wednesdays during the 2:00 hour when both girls are napping. I also use that day to wipe down bathroom cabinets and windex the mirrors. Laundry gets done, let's face it, every single day. I really try to stay on top of keeping the house clean so that I don't get overwhelmed! And frankly, it's great exercise and it's saving us money, so I guess you could say I get paid to work out?
Someone asked me recently to share my master closet on Snapchat. I chickened out. It's really messy and embarrassing. I mean, not completely hoarder status, but not "broadcast it to the internets" status either. I'm working on a pretty big closet purge (sayonara, sequined shirts) and requested one of the free bags from ThredUp so I can send my items to them and see if any are worthy of being resold on their site! Anything they don't take will get donated, so it's a win/win for everyone. I clean my closet, I may get paid, and I at least get a ton given to charity without even leaving my house.
Tomorrow I'll be back here for Five on Friday and I'll be sharing a house tour as my five! Hope you've enjoyed this series!
Love these tips and to know what your cleaning schedule is like! I do most of my cleaning during nap time too. For some reason, by the time the end of the day is here, I'm just not up for it!
ReplyDeleteI have been using Bona for years after the company that redid our hardwoods and installed additional ones in our first home recommended it. It's great! I've told so many people about it. Love being organized too!!!
ReplyDeleteWe use Bona and honestly I giggle every time I see the name because I am a child. But it's great stuff!!! I found a great Nature's Promise all purpose cleaner spray that I keep under the kitchen sink to tidy up the counter tops regularly and I keep Clorox wipes in every bathroom. I find that having the cleaning item readily available makes quick touch ups way easier!
ReplyDeleteSo I just moved from my single gal studio to a two bed (#cityliving) with my fiancée. The amount of CRAP he had was insane (I tossed a ton pre move) and we are down to a manageable amount. I'm currently between jobs and keeping this place clean is a daily battle, especially when his daughter is with us. And we still have a cleaning lady every other Friday! It's an older building with hardwood and SO much dust! Kudos to you for the big house - I don't think I could do it!
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think of the roomba? We had one years ago (like 10) and it was terrible with our prior house's carpets. I've been thinking about getting a new one, but haven't pulled the trigger. I also have loved my stick vac that I got as a Christmas gift 3 years ago, but have thought about upgrading to a Dyson stick vac. Two kids is more like 4x the mess rather than 2x the mess. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteI definitely need the plastic bag holder - we have SO many under the sink!
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, I just got caught up on about six months of posts and I love, love, love the new blog name and redesign. I do have to say, that I'm a big fan of Saturday Sip & Shop <3.