Spring Cleaning - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Baraka_Guru · 03-24-2009, 05:58 AM

It's that time of year again! Hibernation is over! Time to clean out the den/nest/burrow....

The SO and I decided to start cleaning house. Our little apartment has become a disaster. We've become lazy/complacent when it comes to our home and keeping it clean. We've become such packrats that we now cannot believe what we have cluttering up the place. Our closets aren't functional; they're pockets of condemnation. We have junk we have needed to get rid of for months just sitting around in our way—in every room!

We're expecting to move into a condo in the next while, so we're getting a head start on getting rid of what we don't need. It's perfect timing for spring cleaning!

We've decided to attack it in waves. This past weekend, we junked our broken elliptical trainer and cleared out our foyer closet. We have yet to use the closet for hanging our coats as we come and go, because there has been no room for it with all the stuff packed in there, so we got rid of old coats and shoes: two big garbage bags full! It was just sitting there like dead weight. We then went out and bought a shoe rack, and now the closet is a functional place to hang our coats—and even the coats of guests! No more hanging them on the backs of chairs.

We're not sure what's next, but this upcoming weekend, something else will feel our spring-cleaning wrath!

Share your own stories and tips:

What are you doing for spring cleaning this year?
Any feats of legend?
Any big plans?
Anything you're avoiding?
Do you feel like an archaeologist in your own home?

I'll be sure to report back when I have more to tell.

PonyPotato · 03-24-2009, 06:02 AM

I don't feel like an archaeologist in my own home.. that old old stuff is still at my parents' house in Ohio.

I do, however, have plans to get spring cleaning done. I do a decent job of putting things away and running the vacuum, sweeping the kitchen floor, washing the floor, wiping down counters, etc.. but I need to really deep-clean a few things. I have to work on wiping down my walls and taping off so I can finally PAINT. I need to give the kitchen floor a good on-hands-and-knees scrubbing again. I need to evict the wasps living between my window and screen in the kitchen so I can open the window. And I always need to find a safe place to put my extra bedding/blankets/etc where my cat can't climb up and shed all over them. :P I might also borrow a steam cleaner from a friend so I can steam clean the carpets and maybe also the futon.

When it comes to getting rid of junk.. I really don't have that much to get rid of. I have one small box of keepsakes, and really the only thing I NEED to get rid of is my old mattress that no one wants to buy, even for $50.

ColonelSpecial · 03-24-2009, 07:45 AM

Our office is our catch-all for stuff that doesn't go anywhere else. I have been working on getting it organized. My partner pretty much refuses to throw anything (papers, receipts, old games, old game manuals to games which we no longer own) so I have to be sort of sneaky about it. I tell him what I want to throw away and if he doesn't object, I do it when he is sleeping.

As for actual cleaning, I don't like doing it in a marathon. Rather, I clean in stages. One night as I clean the kitchen, I will clean the microwave or organize the cabinets. One night as I get ready for bed, I'll wipe down the bathroom. When I get up in the morning, I tidy my bedside area. It makes it so much more manageable for me.

When I do take on major cleaning, I have to have music! Everything is better with music (and bacon). Crank up the tunes and you can dance as you clean.

braisler · 03-24-2009, 08:00 AM

We're not really that bad off. Neither of us is too bad about being packrat-ish. We do have a good accumulation of baby clothes and baby gear that our little one has outgrown. I have sold some of that off. I do need to get more of it together and put it up for sale to get it out of the house. Recapture some of the money that we have in it. Most of it was bought at garage sales, so at least we won't be losing money there.

Oh yeah, back to topic... I do want to clean the windows around the house. Particularly the ones at the back of the house. When the afternoon sun hits them, they really show the winter dirt and dust. Unfortunately some of the rear facing windows are 16 feet up on the inside and only accessible on the outside by climbing on the roof. Oh well, I can re-caulk while I'm up there, I guess.

03-24-2009, 05:58 AM	#1 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru warrior bodhisattva Super Moderator Location: East-central Canada	Spring Cleaning It's that time of year again! Hibernation is over! Time to clean out the den/nest/burrow.... The SO and I decided to start cleaning house. Our little apartment has become a disaster. We've become lazy/complacent when it comes to our home and keeping it clean. We've become such packrats that we now cannot believe what we have cluttering up the place. Our closets aren't functional; they're pockets of condemnation. We have junk we have needed to get rid of for months just sitting around in our way—in every room! We're expecting to move into a condo in the next while, so we're getting a head start on getting rid of what we don't need. It's perfect timing for spring cleaning! We've decided to attack it in waves. This past weekend, we junked our broken elliptical trainer and cleared out our foyer closet. We have yet to use the closet for hanging our coats as we come and go, because there has been no room for it with all the stuff packed in there, so we got rid of old coats and shoes: two big garbage bags full! It was just sitting there like dead weight. We then went out and bought a shoe rack, and now the closet is a functional place to hang our coats—and even the coats of guests! No more hanging them on the backs of chairs. We're not sure what's next, but this upcoming weekend, something else will feel our spring-cleaning wrath! Share your own stories and tips: What are you doing for spring cleaning this year? Any feats of legend? Any big plans? Anything you're avoiding? Do you feel like an archaeologist in your own home? I'll be sure to report back when I have more to tell. __________________ Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

03-24-2009, 06:02 AM	#2 (permalink)
PonyPotato Soaring Location: Ohio!	I don't feel like an archaeologist in my own home.. that old old stuff is still at my parents' house in Ohio. I do, however, have plans to get spring cleaning done. I do a decent job of putting things away and running the vacuum, sweeping the kitchen floor, washing the floor, wiping down counters, etc.. but I need to really deep-clean a few things. I have to work on wiping down my walls and taping off so I can finally PAINT. I need to give the kitchen floor a good on-hands-and-knees scrubbing again. I need to evict the wasps living between my window and screen in the kitchen so I can open the window. And I always need to find a safe place to put my extra bedding/blankets/etc where my cat can't climb up and shed all over them. :P I might also borrow a steam cleaner from a friend so I can steam clean the carpets and maybe also the futon. When it comes to getting rid of junk.. I really don't have that much to get rid of. I have one small box of keepsakes, and really the only thing I NEED to get rid of is my old mattress that no one wants to buy, even for $50. __________________ "Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark." — Henri-Frédéric Amiel

03-24-2009, 07:45 AM	#3 (permalink)
ColonelSpecial Insane	Our office is our catch-all for stuff that doesn't go anywhere else. I have been working on getting it organized. My partner pretty much refuses to throw anything (papers, receipts, old games, old game manuals to games which we no longer own) so I have to be sort of sneaky about it. I tell him what I want to throw away and if he doesn't object, I do it when he is sleeping. As for actual cleaning, I don't like doing it in a marathon. Rather, I clean in stages. One night as I clean the kitchen, I will clean the microwave or organize the cabinets. One night as I get ready for bed, I'll wipe down the bathroom. When I get up in the morning, I tidy my bedside area. It makes it so much more manageable for me. When I do take on major cleaning, I have to have music! Everything is better with music (and bacon). Crank up the tunes and you can dance as you clean. __________________ "Mommy, the presidents are squishing me!" "Using the pull out method of contraceptive is like saying I won't use a seat belt, I'll just jump out of the car before it hits that tree." Sara

03-24-2009, 08:00 AM	#4 (permalink)
braisler Addict Location: Midway, KY	We're not really that bad off. Neither of us is too bad about being packrat-ish. We do have a good accumulation of baby clothes and baby gear that our little one has outgrown. I have sold some of that off. I do need to get more of it together and put it up for sale to get it out of the house. Recapture some of the money that we have in it. Most of it was bought at garage sales, so at least we won't be losing money there. Oh yeah, back to topic... I do want to clean the windows around the house. Particularly the ones at the back of the house. When the afternoon sun hits them, they really show the winter dirt and dust. Unfortunately some of the rear facing windows are 16 feet up on the inside and only accessible on the outside by climbing on the roof. Oh well, I can re-caulk while I'm up there, I guess.