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Post by manygoatsnmore on Dec 1, 2015 20:33:38 GMT
December means holiday decorating and get togethers with family and friends for many of us. Is your home ready, or are you still living in CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome)? What are you doing this month to improve the organization in your home? Share your to-do lists or just share what you are doing to make your home a welcoming, cozy place to live. MTM usually posts the flylady weekly zones and deep cleaning lists, but if you use another method, please feel free to share what works for you. There is no one right way to get and keep your home neat, clean and organized. We can all learn from each other!
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Post by manygoatsnmore on Dec 1, 2015 20:39:40 GMT
I had a down pillow explode in my dryer night before last, and I'm still looking at the mess and walking away again, not willing to tackle it yet! I smelled something hot, and when I opened the dryer, there was a flow of down out of the dryer and into the laundry basket in front of the door, overflowing from there onto the floor. I could just cry. I love my down pillows and have washed them many times without a mishap. Now I'm not even sure I can save the down and stuff it into another pillow tick....not to mention, I'm sleeping on rock hard FEATHER pillows in the meantime.
My goal for December 1st has to be to get that down corralled and the dryer cleaned out. I still have a down comforter waiting to go through the dryer, so getting the dryer back in working order is priority #1.
Along with that, I want to get more stuff moved to the shipping container and the Christmas totes brought in so I can get the tree up.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 2, 2015 19:13:03 GMT
This place is so small, everything has a place and everything has to be in it's place.
Sweetie had DS get the seasonal tote down off the storage closet. She is slowly taking fall things down. Doesn't put up Christmas tree until after her birthday on the 10th but it is starting to look more like winter in here. She put up her little lighted houses, well town I guess....church, parsonage, school, post office and covered bridge on the shelf above the wash stand. She has a lace runner that hangs down with houses and carolers on it. Always like that. Other little winter things here and there. A few little scented candles....James
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momo
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Post by momo on Dec 2, 2015 23:28:20 GMT
Chaos...I love it!
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Post by midtnmama on Dec 5, 2015 14:55:39 GMT
manygoatsnmore,@jwal10, momo, I'm a little behind this month and will be working 7 days a week until the 15th.So definately not much cleaning going on here. This is last week's Flylady zone (ends today) November 29, 2015 - December 5, 2015 This week we are in 2 Zones: Zone 5: The Living Room Zone 1: The Entrance, Front Porch and Dining Room November Habit: Menu Planning December Habit: Pampering Spend 15 minutes working on the following each day. If you have more time, move on to the detailed cleaning list that follows. Monday:Clean off your hotspots in the living room--those piles of things that belong elsewhere Tues:Clean the front porch, sweep, get rid of cobwebs, shake out the front porch mat Wed:Clean the front entrance to your home. Put away those jackets and shoes dumped there.. Thurs:Get after those spider webs in the dining room. Clean the Light fixture. Fri:Pamper yourself--have a cup of tea and read a good book for 15 min. FlyLady’s Detailed Cleaning List – Zone 1: The Entrance, Front Porch, and Dining Room Entrance Detailed Cleaning List Start at the ceiling and work your way down to the floor. Clean cobwebs Dust window sills and front door Clean switch plate of hand prints and walls if needed Put plants in to the shower and give them a good rinse. Let them set there until you are finished. Dust furniture Dust baseboards Straighten the coat closest Sweep vacuum or mop the floor Put back the plants. You would hate for DH to walk into a jungle tomorrow morning. Add your own personal touches to make it more welcoming. Dining Room Detailed Cleaning List Start at the ceiling and work your way down to the floor. Clean the cobwebs Dust window sills Clean the window Clean doors of china cabinet after you straighten dishes if they need done. Dust. Clean and straighten any drawer Clean off top of dining table and polish Rinse plants in the shower Dust the bottoms of the chairs. Dust the baseboards Move furniture and vacuum underneath (except the china cabinet). I turned mine over one time. It was not funny. Add your own personal touches to the table (table cloth, pretty bowl, flowers) Front Porch Detailed cleaning Sweep down cobweb and spider webs (In the summer, I leave them. I feed the spiders, too, LOL.) Sweep off porch furniture. Sweep the porch. Throw away any dead plants. Prune back unruly bushes from the entrance. Repot planters if necessary (in summer) Refill bird feeders. Wipe off tables, banisters, and light fixtures. Get rid of unwanted items. Add your own personal touches to welcome friends and family (wreath, welcome mat, bell)
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Post by farmchix on Dec 5, 2015 15:15:14 GMT
I have decided I would rather work on the organization rather than putting up a Christmas tree and having the added burden of taking it down later. This year will just be the nativity and a couple of table runners. Tonight, we have a two-hour drive to the company Christmas party. Mom is staying at the house and dogsitting. Company pays for us to spend the night, then it's home tomorrow. Not much getting done here this weekend. I still haven't finished the last little bit of wallpaper stripping in the master. Busy week at work this week with a trade show and lots of time on the road, so looks like the wallpaper will wait until next weekend. Hubs got one of my longarm machines (quilting) set up last night, so I have that....working on a custom quilt for a dear friend's son who is getting married. Looks like it is going to be a very busy month for me, as I am sure it is for all, but there is no stress in getting the house ready for the kids and Christmas. We have opted to go to my son's, since his baby is due on the 17th. I'll be cooking a lot for them once the baby arrives. We do get some added days off this time of year, so I will try to get some more organizing done then. *whew* I'm exhausted just thinking about it!
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Post by susannah on Dec 5, 2015 18:11:23 GMT
The living room definitely got a good cleaning today, courtesy of the Christmas tree. Before I put the tree up, everything must be clean and in its place. Otherwise I don't know if I'd be so happy the living room is one of the zones for the past week.
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Post by manygoatsnmore on Dec 5, 2015 20:41:15 GMT
My living room is still a work in progress, but it is sooooo much further along than it was that I'm happy. The tree is in the process of being decorated, and I have totes of decorations sitting in the living room, so it looks much worse than it really is. Even the down mess is nearly totally cleaned up in the utility room - we keep finding more fluff!
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Post by midtnmama on Dec 7, 2015 12:53:30 GMT
manygoatsnmore,@jwal10, momo, midtnmama, farmchix, susannah, Week of 12 6 2015: Zone is Kitchen Spend 10 min per day o the following, then proceed to the detailed cleaning list: Mond:Clean the fronts of your upper cabinets and disinfect the handles Tues:Clean the backsplash and get rid of cobwebs under the upper cabinets Wed: Scrub the countertops getting under and behind everything Thurs:Clean the fronts of your bottom cabinets and disinfect the handles Fri:Sweep and mop the floor Kitchen: Detailed Cleaning List Empty refg/clean thoroughly Clean microwave inside and out Clean stove/oven Wash canister/knick-knacks Straighten drawers/cupboards Wipe fingerprints off walls Wash inside windows Clean fan/vent-a-hood filters and hood Scrub down cabinet fronts (only a few at a time) Clean light defusing bowls (glass globes over light bulbs) Clean under sink/throw away old rags Clean pet dishes
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Post by susannah on Dec 7, 2015 15:17:04 GMT
While I did do a really good clean of the fronts of the cabinets a few weeks ago, I'll do that again today. Rustic cherry shaker style cabinets look awesome (to me anyway) but between the knots in the wood and all the little dust-catching "shelves" on those doors, they always seem to need a wipe-down. Disinfecting the handles is a great idea as I get over my "once every three years" cold.
I think cleaning out the fridge and microwave will be today's goals.
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Post by manygoatsnmore on Dec 7, 2015 22:50:58 GMT
With all the holiday candy making and cookie baking, getting that kitchen deep cleaned is a very good goal for this week.
I got the tree up, branches straightened and totally ignored the "pre-lit" lights after finding that most of the tree is out this year. Three long strings of multi-colored lights made it bright and beautiful instead, along with gold tinsel garland and lots of ornaments. I'm not putting it back in a tote after Christmas this year. I'll remove the ornaments and maybe the tinsel for storage, but I plan to cover it with the giant leaf bags - might need to use two bags, taped together - and then stand it in the corner of the shipping container until next year. I spend more time each year assembling and straightening all the branches, and then stringing it with lights, than I do on anything else, with the possible exception of window lights. I think it will save me hours of effort next Christmas, as well as freeing up a gigantic tote for storage.
I'm temporarily filling that tote with extra coats and other items I bought for re-sale. I haven't posted any of the items yet, and I doubt I'll get to it this month, so at least I can get a whole lot of stuff moved out of the house, allowing me some room to have the family over for a pre-Christmas Christmas. We get together before Christmas to open presents, and then go to a family reunion dinner and party at the local Grange Hall on Christmas day.
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Post by susannah on Dec 8, 2015 15:04:57 GMT
Hmm. I just re-read this week's list and saw that I was only supposed to spend 10 minutes on the cabinet fronts. Instead, I spent two hours. I love my cabinets but they are total dust catchers and 10 minutes for the uppers and 10 for the lower ones wouldn't clean half of them. I always was a "color outside the lines" person so getting me to follow directions is...iffy at best. But the cabinets look awesome!
I also removed everything and totally cleaned the refrigerator/freezer. Posted on the tightwad tips thread about what I made with some of my freezer finds. I did not get to cleaning the microwave but I figured it's only right that I save some fun for today. So that's been moved to today's cleaning plan. I did clean under the cabinets yesterday so I'll clean the backsplash today. The dark green and brown tiles are amazing at hiding grime so I'm sure the backsplash needs cleaning even if it doesn't look like it does.
I'll run the self cleaning feature on the oven today. I still get nervous doing that because I had a stove once that when I ran the self cleaner...the oven died. That happened twice before I decided it just wasn't worth it to use that feature. That stove was a piece of junk. This one seems good and has not died the few times I ran the cleaning function. And I hope I'm not cursing myself by saying that...
I have no canisters or knick-knacks (things stored in canning jars in the pantry seem to stay clean) and cedar walls show no fingerprints. Just dust. So I'll dust the walls and move on to straightening the drawers and cupboards because oh my gosh do they need it!
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Post by susannah on Dec 9, 2015 15:10:18 GMT
I ran the self cleaning feature on the oven yesterday, but I'll need to wipe down all the ashy stuff inside the oven today. So that's one of today's goals. I mean, I really need to do that before using the oven. I didn't get to the backsplash cleaning yesterday - I remembered it after I turned the "clean" function on for the oven and didn't want to hang out over a hot oven - so that's been bumped to today as well. I'll sub those in for scrubbing the countertops and everything under/behind things, since I don't keep anything on the countertops and scrub the counters down every day. Not that I earn a gold star for doing that - my countertops are quartz and clean up easier than I ever thought possible so very little effort is required. Since I'm going to be gone part of the day, that's all I'll put on my agenda. And hope I get both those things done... I did clean out every drawer and cupboard, including the pantry cupboard. Everything looks so nice when it's organized and in its place. I always say I will keep everything looking nice and organized but let's face it - it's just a matter of time before I start shoving things wherever they'll fit. Besides, if I kept everything in its proper place, what would I do when these things come up on organizing threads? Yes, I DID justify messing things up.
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Post by susannah on Dec 12, 2015 15:06:21 GMT
Since I ended up going out of town (again) this week, I didn't quite get to everything on the list. I'm happy with my progress though, especially when it comes to cleaning and organizing the refrigerator and cupboards/pantry. The remaining items I DID get done: I did clean under the sink. I did not throw away the rags but ran a small bleach load to wash the 7 (yes, 7) rags that were hiding out there along with the rags that I'd used this week. Since we try to sub in rags for paper towels, a rag has to be pretty nasty for me not to attempt a bleaching or washing. I normally wash a load of rags every two weeks. Sweep and mop the floor - sweeping is an at-least-once-a-day thing here, and I "wash" the floors at least three times a week. This is due to having sand/gravel soil and hardwood floors. As I have no desire to refinish my floors each year, I sweep and wash (okay, mop with Bona sprayed on the floor) quite often. It really doesn't take a lot of time and it's pretty much automatic. I figure since I don't have carpet anymore, there's no vacuuming to do so it all evens itself out. As far as washing the inside windows, the window over the sink is a casement so the screen is on the inside. I didn't want to go outside to wash that window (or remove the screen) so I'll live with a little dirt there. The bay window in the kitchen - same thing for the two end casement units, but I did clean the big picture window part - there are no screens there. So, 50% on that one. Did not get to the vent hood. At all. Same with overhead lights. I WILL try and remember to clean the coverings on the flame-like bulbs on what I call the antler-abra over the kitchen table. No guarantees on the lights, though. And definitely no guarantee on the range hood. No indoor pets so that was a free pass for me.
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Post by manygoatsnmore on Dec 15, 2015 6:19:25 GMT
I seem to be working just a bit behind the flylady schedule...still working on the kitchen. The counter tops are done and I've cleared off the clutter that accumulates on the bar. I still need to take everything out of each cupboard, wipe down the liners and put everything back - NEATLY! That's on the list for tonight and tomorrow, along with cleaning out the fridge to make room for defrosting the turkey and ham for Sunday. Still on the list for this week? Totally cleaning the dining room, including shelves, cupboards, table and chairs, moving out the seed starting shelves that have been there since last Spring (I'd just leave them, but I need the space for the family Sunday). I have a TV that is still in the box - it needs to be set up this week. And since my master bathroom is the only one with a working toilet, I need to complete cleaning and decluttering my master bedroom that everyone will have to walk through to get to the bathroom. The guest bathroom needs a scrub, so that if someone needs to use the sink, it looks nice. Oh, and I still want to put up lights in the windows or somewhere outside, need to cut and bring in firewood, and finish wrapping the last minute gifts. AND, there is still a freezer in my front yard that needs to be moved to the pump house...it's full, so I have to empty and defrost it, too. If I were triplets, I couldn't get all of this done. I think I need to prioritize and then just dig in and not quit! eta: susannah, love the "anter-abra" - I'd love to see a pic of it. Wonder if it would match my mental image. You've really done a great job this past week. Inspires me to work harder!
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Post by susannah on Dec 15, 2015 14:59:00 GMT
manygoatsnmore , I just went through my remodeling pictures and realized I never took a picture of the kitchen from an angle that shows off the antler-abra and the antler-lier. I misspoke (mistyped?), what I referred to as the antler-abra is actually an antler-lier (or maybe antler-ier?) since it's a light fixture that hangs from the ceiling -making it more like a chandelier. No worries, though. I do have an antler-abra too, it's the centerpiece on the table. The antler-lier is made of fake deer antlers - dh fell in love with it at Menard's a few years ago and it came home with us to replace the...interesting...shiny brass and glass chandelier that came with the house. The true antler-abra IS real, though. After seeing arrangements in a cabin-decor style shop where deer antlers had little glass votive candles in among the antlers (and priced high enough to give me the vapors), we thought "we can do this!" I mean, we had a number of sets of antlers that had been sitting in the shed for years. On the "Christmas tree picture" thread, you can see the antler-lier (not sure I like that name) in the background on my post. The antler-abra is on the table but barely visible. I'll be taking a kitchen table angle picture this week, now that I know I'm lacking on in my online albums. And I'll post a picture on this forum when I do.
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Post by manygoatsnmore on Dec 18, 2015 14:50:26 GMT
susannah, thank you - I'll have to go take a look at the Christmas tree thread again. I haven't made much progress since I last posted. PT felt wonderful Wednesday (had a massage on my rt shoulder muscles), but I've been sore and hurting ever since. I only have 2 days to finish getting ready for the family...they may just have to overlook a few things.
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Post by manygoatsnmore on Dec 21, 2015 22:02:59 GMT
I spent all day Saturday getting things organized and moved out of the house, and then had the family here yesterday. Other than a sink full of dishes for Abby to wash today, I had everything straightened up and looking pretty again before I went to sleep last night. I love how my living room, dining room, and kitchen all look now. My bedroom is still a bit of a work in progress, and the den and utility room still need some attention, but I can see light at the end of the tunnel!
This week's goals for me are to get the dishes done, finish cleaning and straightening my room, scrubbing the guest bath, and organizing the den and utility room. I also want to keep the areas I have already cleaned and organized looking the way they do right now.
I also have to shop for and make a fruit salad, as well as making my fudge and other goodies for Christmas, and I have a couple appointments in town (MD and PT), plus I need to shop for new phones for Abby and me, and order one last gift for her.
What's on the list for the rest of you, cleaning and organizing-wise?
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Post by jupiter on Dec 22, 2015 2:57:51 GMT
I plan on dusting, cleaning our guest bath, & cleaning our guest room. I sweep the floor at least once a day & I will scrub floors Wednesday night.
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Post by manygoatsnmore on Dec 23, 2015 7:41:21 GMT
I have to share this! Usually company seems to drop by when things are a mess...but today, when Abby's dad dropped by unexpectedly, I didn't have to cringe. Other than the dishes Abby hadn't done yet, every place you could see was neat, tidy, and decorated for Christmas. It was so nice not to be embarrassed. I'm battling a upper respiratory infection right now, so I don't know how much of my list for this week will get done, but I'll do what I can in between naps.
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Post by jupiter on Dec 24, 2015 4:51:35 GMT
Manygoatsnmore, I hope you feel better soon! Have a Merry Christmas! (:
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Post by midtnmama on Dec 26, 2015 14:17:58 GMT
Join me as I get back on the wagon after a month of 7 days per week work schedule and 25 houseguests last week. I'm still standing and it's only because I was doing flylady all year and it was not a nightmare to face!!! This year, I'm going DEEPER! I'm going to FLY!
Week of 12 20 15:
15 minute zones Monday through Friday:
Declutter in the master bedroom and bath (or your main bathroom). When you have decluttered, move on to the detailed cleaning list below:
Master Bathroom Detailed Cleaning List
Wash area rugs Straighten up makeup Straighten drawer cabinets Clean shower/stall demold Wash shower doors
Master Bedroom Detail Cleaning List
Polish Furniture Clean off the desks Clean cobwebs Wash mattress pad/dust ruffle Flip mattress Empty trash Wash windows Cull some books from bookcase Straighten drawers Clean under the bed Closet Detailed Cleaning List
Straighten the top shelves Arrange the shoes Take Suitcases to basement Dust shoe bookcase
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Post by midtnmama on Dec 27, 2015 13:39:42 GMT
Had a wonderful time with friends from work. I invited them to my home and did not stress as flylady has helped . There were a few "lived in" areas, but since they wanted to see everything, I showed them. My new mantra is. "I don't believe in shame." Someone said that to me last week in relation to my basement and I love it.
My work friends and I are going to encourage one another to do flylady this year. Woo hoo. I'm going to soak the toilets in comet while at church and clean them as soon as I come home. Also, putting in a load of clothes before church.
During the work week, If I can push myself to do one chore a night in addition to cleaning the kitchen after dinner, Ill really be ahead of the game.
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Post by midtnmama on Dec 27, 2015 23:15:06 GMT
Cleaned and organized my retaining wall garden. Easily created my worm bin by dumping the pulled dead branches and leaves from this garden (considered "browns") and sprouted weeds from warmer weather("greens") I didn't even have to dig for worms. They were all over next to the retaining curb as they had climbed out because of all the rain. So I scooped up any mud and worms next to the garden and put in the bin.
Put down cardboard so that we can just move this aside and plant as early as Feb (as the retaining wall makes this warmer then our retaining wall.
Also put down cardboard next to my trellises so that we will be ready to plant peas in March!
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Post by manygoatsnmore on Dec 28, 2015 6:40:44 GMT
midtnmama, I had to read your Comet in the toilets post twice - I thought for a moment there that you were cleaning the CHURCH toilets. I thought, well that's certainly nice of you, if perhaps a bit over the top, lol! I have done nothing, but try to get healthy since my last post. This bug really packs a whammy! Finally, today, I am feeling better, although I sound like I'm dying of TB. Despite all the home remedies and several prescription meds, I'm still hacking up a lung pretty much continually. Trying hard not to cough until there is actually something to be coughed up - the dry hack is just irritating. I think I'll try to just work on one small area each day until I'm 100% again. At least the main areas are remaining presentable, so if anyone else drops in, it's no big deal.
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Post by farmchix on Dec 28, 2015 11:45:31 GMT
Finished scraping wallpaper in the master on Sunday. Painted two of the four bedroom walls and part of the hallway. Skim-coated the former wallpaper wall. (They put the wallpaper directly on the drywall without painting.) If all goes as planned, I hope to finish painting the other two walls one evening this week.
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Post by susannah on Dec 28, 2015 15:18:08 GMT
Okay, let me do a quick run through the to-do's for the week of the 20th. We were gone for half that week so at least the house stayed clean! Master bedroom: No desks. Washed the mattress pad last week. Mattress is a tempurpedic with only one side that can be slept on. No flipping although we did "spin" it to reverse the head/foot part last week as well. No trash can in the bedroom, and no bookcase either. Let's face it - the king size bed and triple chest pretty much take up all the available real estate in that room! And I cleaned under the bed last week as well. Almost like I knew this was coming, right? Seriously though, it's so dusty up here that I have to clean the dust bunnies (although I think they're more like dust BEARS) out from under the bed quite often. What I WILL be doing today: Polish furniture Straighten drawers Straighten top shelves and arrange shoes in the closet. I swear the shoes like to play tag or something when I'm not looking. They never seem to be where I put them.
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Post by susannah on Dec 29, 2015 15:34:34 GMT
Okay...well, at least I did arrange the shoes in the closet. I'll look on the bright side - more things for me to do today! Guess I need to set my goals a little lower. I hope to get the bedroom furniture polished, at the very least.
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Post by midtnmama on Dec 29, 2015 16:00:18 GMT
susannah: You are inspiring me! I have the same issue with the mattress but will try later this week to turn when I change sheets.
I got the following done: Cleaned the master bathroom, toilet, sinks etc.. (except bath, shower and window) Dusted the master bedroom and attacked spiderwebs on ceiling and wall Swept the master bath and bedroom Decluttered (some) Emptied trash washed bathroom floor and washed throw rugs
When cleaning, I saw that I really need to get under the bed and do a little cleaning there!
I'll try to post this week's tasks today and will move onto those. I declare this the year of FLYLADY!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2015 16:45:48 GMT
I should rent my better half - he's the one who insisted we clean under the bed. We stripped the bed, removed the mattress & box spring then moved the frame. I dusted the baseboard as well as the part of the bed frame you can't regularly reach. He vacuumed then we put the frame back and put humpty-dumpty back together again. New Year's day will be the move the living room furniture, vacuum, mops wood floor, and rotate the large area rug. Not sure if we'll pull out the frig as we recently replaced it and that area got a good cleaning before the new frig was installed.
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