Project Clean Up 2020...Week 16: Lower Level Foyer/Stairs

Alright everyone, remember how I was behind? Still am by one week (this is week 16, but should be on week 17) however, it is all cleaned out and done!

See how it is was done....here we go....

__  Dust light fixtures

__ Wash walls and trim

__ Wash doors, knobs and switch plates

__ Wash furnishings. Launder any pillows. 

__ Clean or replace entry mat, if applicable.

__ Sweep and scrub (or vacuum) floors

__ Reseal grout lines, if applicable and necessary.

I also added my own cleanings...

__ Wipe down each spindle of the stair railing.

__ Go through kid's DVD's. Sell or donate those no longer watched. 

__ Rearrange decor on shelves to change things up.

__ Dig out black fabric cube drawers you got a few Christmas' back and put to use! Ready to organize a lot of the kids' small sets of toys.

__ Add a fresh piece of wall art or decor to the walls. Reattach any that had fallen.

__ Add a light in an area with a plug so the overhead light doesn't have to be used as often.

__ Use a Shop Vac to really get each crevice of the stair carpet.

__ Remove all items from the art wall to wipe down and ready for the next art projects. Keep cards along ledge until Easter decor is removed.

Have to get the Upper Level Bathroom done (week 17) and then will be back on track for the week ahead which is week 18. I may be able to get it done in only a few days time and then I will be back...fingers crossed! 

See you soon! 

Project Clean Up 2020...Week 15: Laundry Room and Purse

So...I'm behind!!!!

I just finished the laundry room so I am a week behind considering that I should have already done the lower level foyer and stairs this week. Well, quarantine, believe it or not can screw things up even being at home. I could have sped through it, but I wanted to do it right so...here we are!!!

Here is how it was done...

Don't forget that I already did a week a where I cleaned all large appliances so I did not have to clean the washer or dryer since they were already done. 

__ Open windows

__ Wash windows and window sills.

__ Take out and wash window screens

__ Wash cabinet doors

__ Wash inside cabinets

__ Wash laundry sink, shine faucet, clean drains.

__ Wash switch plates

__ Wash walls and trim

__ Wash doors and door knobs.

__ Wash floor registers and other vent covers.

__ Sweep and wash floors.

__ Reseal grout lines, if applicable.

Some of my additions...

__ Dust down wall decor

__ Wash all jackets hanging from hooks.

__ Go through items hanging. Anything no longer wanted, sell or donate.

__ Get new basket for laundry supplies

__ Clean out all baskets on shelves

__ Wipe down shelves

__ Tighten knobs on closet doors

__ Go through decor and sell or donate any unwanted items.

__ Toss any filled notebooks

__ Go through restaurant menu folder and toss any outdated menus

__ Go through return address labels and separate into seasons/holidays.

__ Wipe down organizer and stack everything back neatly.

Purse:

__ Dump entire purse

__ Throw out all garbage; old receipts, non-working pens

__ Sort items into sections; wallet and store card holder into one section, makeup into center section and keys, photo holder into last section. 

__ Wipe down outside of purse if wipeable.

I can wait to get busy and back on track. Hopefully you will hear from me mid-week on the next task and then I will no longer be behind. 

See you soon!! 

Project Clean Up 2020...Week 14: Recipes

Whoever thought that they would need a week to clean out recipes? This mom does! I am a non-conventional mom of 8, guys...As much as I run, you would think that I would hit the freezer for chicken nuggets or pizza rolls every chance I get, but I actually do like to cook and sit down at the table so...quick, but gourmet meals are what I am all about! Did you know that I also have a recipe blog that I have been writing for many years? Check it out at www.dede-kneadarecipe.blogspot.com

With that comes a ton of recipes! Not necessarily cookbooks, but tear outs from magazines, little freebie recipe cards, etc... Where does one store all of those while waiting to use?

That would be a 17"H x 14"W x 11" D trash can. Seriously! Guess what? I have not done any kind of a filing system in years so, you can imagine how many tear outs are in this container. Think about how thin paper is....and this is clear full!!!! 

A closer look down in. I keep this in the garage (excuse the dirt in the crevices) so I don't trip over it, but am constantly adding to it. Did you know there are that many different recipes in the world???

So, did I tackle this in 1 week? No way! Not even close! I need many more weeks if I were to do this and nothing else all day long. I mean, there have to be thousands upon thousands of recipes in this bin!!! I did get a system going though and have been working an hour every evening on cutting them down neatly and filing under what they are. I started with a few of these expandable file cases. 

There are a TON of sections in this. So far, I have used only one file case, but there is another in case I need it. I have sectioned them off the way a cookbook would be...

Brunch, Cakes, Cookies, Salads, Pork, Fish, Beef, etc....you get the drift. It is amazing all of the different sections there can be! This is very relaxing for me so, although it could take years at only one hour per day, I am up for the challenge! 

I am well into Week 15 at this point and that is: Laundry Room and Purse. Since the Pantry was already finished a few weeks back and then the cleaning of the larger appliances (washer and dryer), there really isn't much left so this room should be a piece of cake :)

See you soon! 

Project Clean Up 2020...Week 13: Kitchen

OMG! Next year, I need to designate 2 weeks for the kitchen as this room took so much time (and that was after doing appliances last week!)

You guessed it though....it is finished...finally! Here is how it was done...

__ Open Windows

__ Remove and clean window coverings

__ For each cabinet or drawer: Remove items, wipe out drawer, sort through items for yard sale or donation, place kept items back neatly. Donate or sell unneeded items. Toss anything in bad shape. 

__ Wash and sanitize cutting boards.

__ Sharpen knives

__ Wash cabinet doors and knobs

__ Wipe down oven top and outside of stove and range hood (thorough cleaning of oven/stove was done during last week's Project Cleanup) 

__ Wipe down outside of dishwasher (thorough cleaning of dishwasher was done during last week's Project Cleanup)

__ Wipe down outside of refrigerator (thorough cleaning of fridge was done during last week's Project Cleanup)

__ Wipe down outside of microwave (thorough cleaning of microwave was done during last week's Project Cleanup)

__ Clean crumbs out of toaster

__ Clean kettle

__ Wipe down any other counter appliances (Keurig, can opener, air fryer, blender, wine bottle opener)

__ Wash counters and back splash

__ Remove dust from corners or ceiling. Also, from ceiling fan and pulls.

__ Wash and shine sink. Shine faucet. Clean drain.

__ Dust light fixtures.

__ Wash windows and window sills. Remove window screens and wash.

__ Wash switch plates.

__ Wash walls and trim as needed.

__ Wash doors and door knobs.

__ Wash floor registers and other vent covers.

__ Sweep and wash floor.

__ Reseal grout lines, if necessary.

Towards my largest counter area....

Other jobs added on my own:

__ Sort through hand towels and dishrags. Save any with holes to be used on outdoor furniture. House these in a drawer in the garage. Any that are really bad, toss.

__ Wash all pot holders and oven mitts. Any that are burned, throw out.

__ Wash throw rug and replace.

__ Wipe down flour and sugar canisters.

__ Add new pot holders to hook for spring.

Towards stove area...

__ Remove old towels from stove handle and add new ones for spring.

__ Fill all spice containers and make note of any that you need to shop for.

__ Make sure all cookbooks are still in good shape. Toss any that are not. Stack or line up neatly.

__ Look through counter top utensils. All in good shape, arrange in holder on counter. Toss any no longer usable.

Towards fridge area....

__ Make a list of canned goods, dry goods needed in cabinets.

__ Wash throw rug.

__ Clean out office supplies drawer. Make sure you have a nice separator for pencils/pens, erasers, rubber bands, tape, paper clips, etc....

__ Clean out tool drawer. Use separate containers with lids for different sizes of nails, staples, thumb tacks, etc....

Towards the table/window area...

__ Wipe down legs of table and all chairs.

__ Replace table cloth with a fresh one for spring.

__ Add elements to your normal centerpiece for spring/Easter.

__ Remove wall pieces and dust behind. Rehang items.

Woo-Hoo!!!! All done! 

I set up Week 14 as a resting one after this room. Will be working on organization of my clipped recipes this week. See you soon! 

Project Clean Up 2020...Week 12: Large Appliances

Oh my goodness!!! What a huge, grimy, yuck job!!! Large appliances. So glad this is done too often, but hopefully more often than as long as I waited. All appliances are cleaned inside and out! See how I did it:

Stove/Double Oven

It is so hard to keep the tops of these clean, especially when my daughter accidentally recently cooked granulated sugar right onto the burners.

__ Use Bartender's helper and some elbow grease to clean the stove top.

__ Remove knobs. Use an SOS pad for the area where knobs belong. Scrub knobs separately and replace after drying.

We have used the self cleaning mode in the past and our stove almost broke. Seriously! It locked for 2 days and then we finally got it open so went the spray route this time. Sprayed and left overnight. Amazing!!! 

Did you know that these racks now roll out on their own? They do...that clean! 

Range Hood

I am constantly cleaning down my range hood, but never this piece. P.S. I hate this piece.

__ Spray inside with oven cleaner including the racks

__ After letting sit overnight, pull out racks. Wipe down with clean rag. It gets very grimy quickly so rinse rag in between wiping. Wipe down bottom and all 4 sides.

__ Wipe down window. 

__ Use a chopstick or skewer to clean out harder to reach crevices. 

__ Scrub down racks in the sink, wipes all wire and rinse thoroughly. Put back into the oven.

__ Pull over from wall as far as it will reach. Sweep with broom behind and anything that pulls out from moving it. 

__ Scrub down each side. 

__ Vacuum behind. 

__ Scrub down range hood inside and out.

__ Take filter out. Soak for 30 minutes in a rub of vinegar, water and a few squirts of dish soap. Scrub with a toothbrush. Let air dry. Replace.

Refrigerator

I LOVE a clean fridge...as often as I can. Look at it sparkle...isn't she pretty?

We are short a door shelf (kids pulled on it to close the door and it broke) and the top door shelf is cracked. Both ordered and should be here Wednesday...woot!

__ Remove food from each inside shelf separately, remove inside shelves and scrub down in the sink. 

__ Wipe down inside fridge while inside shelves are drying.

__ Remove drawers, contents and scrub them out. 

__ Remove bottles from door shelves, remove shelves and scrub down in the sink. 

__ Wipe down inside door while door shelves are drying.

__ Remove frozen foods and inside shelves to scrub in sink.

__ Wipe down inside freezer while shelves are drying.

__ Remove items from door shelves of freezer and scrub down in the sink.

__ Wipe down inside door while door shelves are drying.

__ Replace baking soda box fresheners in both the fridge and freezer.

__ Wipe down entire top of the fridge, sides and front. 

__ Pull out from wall and vacuum the back. 

__ Pull further out in different directions and broom sweep everything that has gotten caught underneath.

__ Take off foot vent piece and scrub down, replace.

Dishwasher

I am not sure how I missed a pic of the dishwasher, but who cares. It's a boring appliance. Clean no less! 

Microwave

The most used appliance we own, especially with college and high school kids.

Ahh....lovely! Don't mind the 2 little scuffs on the right. 

__ Microwave a bowl of vinegar for 2 minutes. 

__ Remove plate and rotating piece. Scrub down both in the sink.

__ Wipe down entire inside including roof with a wet rag. 

__ Replace plate and rotating piece.

__ Wipe down entire outside. 

__ Move and scrub counter underneath.

Washing Machine

My 16 year old overfilled our washer with her comforter, 2 throw pillows and a rather large teddy bear the day before cleaning and then we found water leaking underneath. Turns out, she had just off balanced it and all is now well with the world. 

Gorgeous....can you just scream it?!!! 

__ Run a load of vinegar through the washing machine.

__ Wipe down underside of door and all edgings. Use a chopstick or skewer to get to anything unreachable. 

__ Wipe down entire outside of washer.

__ Pull washer from wall and vacuum behind. 

__ Broom sweep up anything that comes out from under after moving the machine.

Dryer

And the washer's lovely sidekick is clean as well! 

Inside has seen more clothing than a mall! There are some dark marks simply from a huge amount of clothing over the past 10 years. Other than that, clean!!! 

__ Spray vinegar and wipe clean.

__ Vacuum out lint trap as far down in as you can go.

__ Wipe down inside door and around opening. Use chopstick or skewer to reach areas unreachable. 

__ Clean entire outside of the dryer. 

__ Pull dryer from wall and vacuum behind.  

__ Broom sweep up anything that comes out from under after moving the machine.

__ Replace old basket with a new one.

__ Convert any half empty bottles together, toss any empty bags or bottles.

__ Fit all supplies into basket, set on top of dryer.

Whew!!!! My goodness....done, done and done! 

Til next week....Kitchen! 

Project Clean Up 2020...Week 11: Pantry

My pantry! One of my most favorite (and most used) rooms in my whole house. This is where our extras are kept, shoes, backpacks, paper products, etc...I love getting this area cleaned out.

Here is how I did it;

__ Toss all expired and unwanted items. This includes bags with only crumbs left. 

__ If you have multiple containers of the same product open (chips, cereal, spices, etc..), check the containers to make sure they are still good and then combine them if possible. Then implement a one-at-a-time rule: Don't open a new container until the old one is empty or discarded. 

__ Gather loose packets of food (snack bars, single-serving bags of chips) and put them in storage containers such as a basket or stackable container. Use one storage container per category.

__ Sort through the remaining items and group like things together; canned veggies, soups, spaghetti sauces and pasta, snack foods, cereals. Create a zone for each category. You'll be able to find things faster and know when you are out of items. 

__ Organize your pantry from most used items to least-used items. Place the least-used items in the back and the most used-within easy reach.

__ Pantries are usually smaller spaces so make the most of your vertical space. If you have few shelves but lots of space between them, buy racks that will let you use the space between the shelves. 

__ If you shelves are set far enough back from the door, you can buy an over-the-door organizer to hold more food items. 

__ Set up a checklist for pantry staples. This could be a computerized printout or a small dry erase board. Keep a list of the staples you use and put an "x" next to those you are in need of. This way, the next time you head to the grocery store you will know exactly what you need. Here's an example checklist:

__ Canned veggies

__ Pasta

__ Rice

__ Olive Oil

__Chicken/Beef Broth

__Condensed Soups

__ Condiments

__Spaghetti Sauce

__ Cereal

__Baking Ingredients; sugar, flour, vanilla

__ Snacks for school or work lunches

Here are some specifics I added for my own pantry:

__ Clean all containers and lids. Be sure all containers are still labeled.

__ Line items in baskets neatly.

__ Write up shopping list for any items that are low.

__ Take extras in pantry and fill current containers in the kitchen.

__ Go through specialty cookbooks basket for keep and sell items.

Shoe Area:

__ Be sure all shoes still fit and are in nice condition. Toss any that are torn or not cleanable. Any that do not fit or no longer interested, clean and put into the sell box.

__ Be sure all shelves and crates are labeled per person or for play shoes.

Hanging area;

__ Be sure backpack area is still labeled per person.

__ Hang all backpacks and lunch bags neatly.

__ Hang adult windbreakers.

__ Go through aprons. Wash, donate or sell any unwanted based on condition. Hang ones being kept.

__ Go through hanger or most used purses. Toss any with tears. Donate any unwanted. Rehang ones being kept.

__ Clean out diaper bag and hang on hook.

__ Sweep and mop floor.

Onto Week 12...Clean Large Appliances. See you next week!