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Post by manygoatsnmore on May 3, 2016 1:05:38 GMT
What is on your to-do list for cleaning and organizing your home, your homestead and your life? Post your helpful tips, cleaning and organization methods, to-do lists and general conversation here!
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Post by manygoatsnmore on May 3, 2016 1:08:26 GMT
This time of year, it seems my house gets a bit neglected as I try to get the outdoor tasks done. I'm really going to have to work on getting back on track again. My laundry is backed up and I need to give the whole house a good straighten, mop and dust day. If I'm inside, I think about what I need to do outside, and when I'm outside, I think about what needs doing inside! Just need to put my head down and concentrate on one area at a time.
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Post by Deleted on May 3, 2016 1:41:24 GMT
What is on your to-do list for cleaning and organizing your home, your homestead and your life? Post your helpful tips, cleaning and organization methods, to-do lists and general conversation here! In a word ... EVERYTHING.  And I want it all done NOW.  |
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Post by ketoriverfarm on May 3, 2016 2:12:34 GMT
manygoatsnmore, it is very easy to get behind inside right now. Once the weather is agreeable for working outside, we hit it hard. Since we never know what the weather will be like. We were in the mid 80's again today. DH is working hard on the garden. And I am working on weeds and flower beds. Today I started cleaning out the barn. DH came and finished up for me so I could run into town. Getting ready for our trip. Filled up the gas tank, got some books on tape at the library. Got a bag of range cubes for sheep treats. Our farm sitters love to spoil the sheep. I am saving the inside chores for too cold and wet or too hot days.
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Post by susannah on May 3, 2016 13:48:41 GMT
First on my to-do list is getting rid of ANTS. Never had them in the house before, but I do this year. Going to try the sugar syrup/borax solution that I read about. We have an insane amount of ants up here but until this year they've stayed outside. We did treat the outside but getting rid of the inside ones is job one this month.
Also on the to-do list is to dust, dust, DUST this place from top to bottom - well, as close to the top of the vaulted ceilings as I can get anyway. Living out here the dust is everywhere to begin with, but tearing down part of the interior only made a bad dust situation worse.
After attacking those two items, I can go forward with about a hundred other things that need to be done. It just never ends, does it?
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Post by manygoatsnmore on May 4, 2016 18:57:48 GMT
@kiwifarmgal, lol, I sure hear ya - some days I wish I could just twitch my nose and have my chores all done, like Samantha on Bewitched (have you ever seen that show - it was big in the 60's here). ketoriverfarm, I try to save my inside jobs for the days that outdoor chores are not as easy to get done, but sometimes I just get on a roll when I get up in the morning, and waste an entire day of lovely weather on household chores. Gotta take advantage of those days when I really get into housework - it doesn't happen all that often, lol! susannah, we have huge ant hills in the woods here, but those ants don't come in the house. However, several times a year, I will get tiny black ants in my kitchen and bathroom for a couple weeks...just a tiny trickle of ants. About the time I'm desperate enough to reach for the ant spray, they disappear on their own. I don't know where they come from or where they go, but I wish they'd not chose my house for their vacation days! Yesterday was one of those days when I felt the spirit move me to do housework. I have most of the laundry caught up, the cat box completely emptied and filled with fresh litter and a second cat box sitting there ready to fill (finally getting our kittens on Friday afternoon), kitchen nook and utility room cleaned and straightened, kitchen, nook and utility rooms steam mopped, most of the living room straightened and swept, most of my bedroom and bathroom put in order, and many more little jobs throughout the house done. I also went next door with Abby to ease her into working for our neighbors at the arena (they asked her to wet down the round pen for them), and spent some time working on a few things outside, but not a lot - I was getting tired after all that inside work, lol. Today is cloudy and cool so far, with a few sprinkles. I have plenty more to finish up inside, including filing paperwork and updating my spending log, filtering more water to refill water jugs for storage, finishing the last of the laundry, and steam mopping the rest of floors, along with getting Abby to finish the dishes completely (she always seems to leave some soaking, and I hate having dishes in the sink). |
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Post by feather on May 4, 2016 19:13:15 GMT
susannah , we have huge ant hills in the woods here, but those ants don't come in the house. However, several times a year, I will get tiny black ants in my kitchen and bathroom for a couple weeks...just a tiny trickle of ants. About the time I'm desperate enough to reach for the ant spray, they disappear on their own. I don't know where they come from or where they go, but I wish they'd not chose my house for their vacation days! We have this too. They come in the front door or the patio door and go to the kitchen or bathroom, leaving an invisible trail behind them for their friends to find their way. They are looking for water. I clean up the trails, kill the ants and it's over after a week. Tero works well, sitting right on the front step or outside the patio door. I'm still SORTING (my word for the year), hoping to have it all done sometime this year. It's emotionally taxing to go through the boxes of the letters and cards from 20-30 years ago, why did I keep them anyways? Filing, this is not that hard! Wiping down closet shelves once empty. Labeling anything we keep in boxes. Paying attention to BIG garbage day (once every 2 months), to RECYCLING (every other week). Realizing and accepting that I'll never be a size 8 again and being okay with that. I'm thinking of buying one of those gadgets ($119) that looks at my photo negatives and slides (lots of them), and digitizes them for storage. I'm hoping I can do this in the winter (summer is too busy with gardens) and have them all ready for printing if necessary and then I won't lose them (don't forget to back up the digital files!) |
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Post by manygoatsnmore on May 4, 2016 19:54:27 GMT
feather, what I don't understand is why, with all the water in the world outside, those stupid ants feel they need tap water, lol!
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Post by feather on May 4, 2016 20:02:58 GMT
feather , what I don't understand is why, with all the water in the world outside, those stupid ants feel they need tap water, lol! MGnM, actually the ants notice the lack of water during the summer, usually after a drier period, hotter weather dries out their nests, then the President of the Ants, sends the worker ants into hazardous work conditions, surely paying them hazard pay, into our homes, to find a source of water.  Silverfish also find the kitchen and bathroom sinks during this same hot drier period. I really really dislike those silverfish! |
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Post by manygoatsnmore on May 4, 2016 20:47:59 GMT
I've already had my first infestation (gone now), and it was raining outside! I think those must be the training exercises for summer, lol. I guess I'll just be thankful it's just tiny ants that go away after a bit...no silverfish here so far, thank goodness! <shudder> |
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Post by susannah on May 6, 2016 14:53:38 GMT
We did an outside perimeter spray, and I wiped down the edges of the walls and floors in the kitchen with lemon essential oil on Monday. We were gone for a few days, came back yesterday...no ants. This morning...ants are back. Terro bait stations are out. We do have the perimeter of the house professionally sprayed each spring but that will be in a few weeks. This is the first time the ants came indoors. This is also the first time the ice was off the lake and the ground was thawed this early in the year...hmmm...maybe a connection? Probably similar to what manygoatsnmore described, our sandy soil outside is home to some of the biggest ant hills I've ever seen. One good thing about the ants - it's made me more diligent about keeping everything clean, clean, CLEAN. |
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Post by manygoatsnmore on May 8, 2016 6:10:19 GMT
Today I did something a little different. I cleaned the neighbors' kitchen and did their dishes. He's in the hospital battling pneumonia and she is staying with him, and I don't want her to come home to change and have to face a sink of dirty dishes. Got everything all spiffed up (didn't need much, really), and then came home to my own house with a sinkful of really dirty dishes that Abby hadn't done. <sigh>
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Post by wildhorseluvr on May 8, 2016 14:13:23 GMT
Today I did something a little different. I cleaned the neighbors' kitchen and did their dishes. He's in the hospital battling pneumonia and she is staying with him, and I don't want her to come home to change and have to face a sink of dirty dishes. Got everything all spiffed up (didn't need much, really), and then came home to my own house with a sinkful of really dirty dishes that Abby hadn't done. <sigh> That was really thoughtful of you and I'm sure will be very much appreciated. Sorry you had to come home to a mess in your own kitchen though! |
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Post by midtnmama on May 16, 2016 12:26:08 GMT
FlyLady’s Detailed Cleaning List – Zone 3: The Bathroom and One Extra Room Mon: Clean out your health and beauty aids. Check the expiration dates. Throw out old makeup.; In the other room, declutter 15 min. Tues:Clean your sink and countertops; sweep or vacuum one other room Wed:Wash your bathroom shower curtain, rugs and curtains;Spend 15 min decluttering your computer room. Thrs:Clean your tub/shower and spend 15minutes decluttering in another room. Fri: Make a supply list for the bathroom; Spray and clean all the doorknobs in your home. This is FlyLady’s Detailed Cleaning List for Zone 3. If your home is still cluttered, you are not supposed to do detailed cleaning yet, just declutter for 15 minutes a day in this area. Do not get blown away by how big this detailed cleaning list is! We do not do all of it in one week. Each month we focus on a different room, and only do just a little in the other rooms. After a few months it will be very easy! BabySteps! It did not get dirty overnight and it is not going to get clean in a day! Print each room on a separate sheet of paper. Copy and paste into a word processing document. You may need to add a few of your own details that apply to your home. Bathroom detailed cleaning list Wash area rugs Scrub/wax floor Straighten drawers/ cabinets Clean shower stall/ wax (not the floor!) Wash shower door Clean medicine cabinet Clean scale Throw away empty bottles Extra bedroom detailed cleaning list Polish furniture Straighten drawers/closet Clean cobwebs Wash mattress pad/dust rug Flip mattress Wash curtains Wash windows Clean window Clean bath tub Clean top of sewing machine Straighten bookcase Straighten computer desk Clean out the closet Put away stray items Fertilize plants Children’s bathroom detailed cleaning list Wash area rugs Sweep/scrub/wax floor Straighten drawers/cabinets Clean shower/tub stall Wash shower door Scrub bath toys Wash down outside of toilet Throw away empty bottles Children’s bedrooms detailed cleaning list Polish furniture Straighten drawers/closet Clean cobwebs Wash mattress pad/dust rug Flip mattresses Wash curtains Clean window Straighten toy shelves Clean under the bed Clean out the closet Put away stray items Sort out-grown clothes Vacuum under bed/closets Dust baseboards Clean fingerprints off door/walls Rearrange videos/games/books Office detailed cleaning list Clear off the surface of your desk Throw away pens that don’t work Sharpen pencils Throw out all the trash Put items to keep in a pending file for Wednesday (desk day) Do not stop to pay bills Straighten one drawer at a time Toss out old receipts from over 7 years Clean off the monitor screen Fill printer caddy with paper Establish a place for current bills Vacuum under desk and the whole room Dust furniture Clean windows Remove cobwebs Check supplies of paper and printer cartridges Stamps and envelopes Laundry room detailed cleaning list Wipe down the top of the washer and dryer Clean the gunk from under the washer lid Throw out empty bottles and boxes Empty the garbage can Check supplies of laundry detergent, softener, spot remover Sweep and mop the floor Remove the cobwebs Put away all clothes Look behind appliances for odd socks manygoatsnmore,@kiwifarmgal, ketoriverfarm, susannah, feather, wildhorseluvr, |
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Post by midtnmama on May 21, 2016 13:25:38 GMT
On my list of things to do today is some emergency landscaping stuff. I don't have time to do it all, but I'm going to hit the worst things--trees sprouting in my flower beds. chopping down dead bushes, laying down paper under my trellis to plant runner beans, pulling poison ivy. Plant okra in the vegetable garden.
Indoors: I am working on the clutter and forgetting the deeper cleaning for now. Just don't have time. If all I do is get the frig and kitchen floor done I'll be happy. The rest I'll do as I can.
I know that I was my worst enemy for years--not doing things unless I could do them fully or well. You can imagine that a whole lot didn't get done. Fly lady really works for me! Turned everything around! I don't beat myself up or feel stressed by what didn't get done. Flylady has taught me to have a healthier outlook on this and to feel good about myself and my home.
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What do you use to clean wood floors. I have some sticky aphid stuff from a plant I had in the corner that has made the floor sticky. I don't want to use something that will take the finish off the floor, but will get the sticky stuff off.
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And I want it all done NOW. 
