clean my house

I have been home for only 2 days in the past two weeks, and my cleaning motivation has been zilch. I made dinner for Brandon on Sunday—lentil soup. Well, I was also cooking some other stuff at the same time, not paying attention, and the soup boiled over onto the extra hot stove, immediately forming a blackened crust on the glass cook top. I still have to clean that up. It’s going to be a real yuck-fest when I get home from my current trip to NY. On the upside, Brandon and I finally split up the chores (I do the living room, he does the kitchen, etc). This is kind of a grade school approach to chores that might seem more typical of siblings than bf/gf’s, but it works for me. If I know that I only have a certain amount to get done, it is easier for me to get it done. Otherwise, it seems that the cleaning process will be unending, and I don’t even want to start it.

I love reading other peoples lists and entries and getting ideas:

“I have a trick that 9 times out of 10 gets my engine revved when cleaning is the last thing I want to do. I take a baby wipe and find something that needs cleaning, dusting, wiping.

Something quick: the computer desk, the bookshelf, that weird stain on the fridge, a dustbunny convention along the hall floor, a few doorknobs, the TV screen, soap curds in the bathroom sink… something like that. Bam! It’s done in a second. Easy.

Repeat this 3X & I’m usually looking at things thinking “hell, I can do a better job than that… it’ll just take a few seconds more”. Next thing I know, rubber gloves are on, sponges are out & I go into the Cleaning Zone.

And if I don’t… well, I’ve still cleaned up a few little things which eventually adds up.

Try it.”

I think I will.

Well the kitchen is dirty again—big surprise! Stupid, stupid stupid. This is my last weekend at home before I leave for a week. I really want to do a big clean this weekend, then if Brandon can keep it that way while I’m gone, I’ll come home to a nice clean house. Clean and pack. Yup.

Last night at about 9:30 is was suddenly inspired to clean. My boyfriend and I cleaned until about midnight. He got the kitchen all clean, including the plethora of dirty dishes sitting in and around the sink, while I did laundry, straightened up the living room, and tackled one of many horrible closets. The closets holds cleaning supplies, several nicknacks that have no place, Christmas decorations and wrapping paper, and mainly lots and lots of papers that need to be filed or shredded. There is still a lot to do in that closet, but now it is broken down into a few managable bins that I can go through one at a time, instead of an intimidating mountain. I threw away a lot of crap. I need to do this with each closet. I also need to get more file folders, and a shredder. I shred everything at work, and it’s a pain to lug it all in.

...and I hate it! This has got to stop! Can’t wait for it to be lovely and clean, organized. The very, very few times in my life I’ve had a really nice clean house it is so great. I feel calmer, happier, I go out more and have people over more. It’s going to be great.