8 Weeks to a Cleaner, More Organized Home-Week 1-Part 2
8 Weeks to a Cleaner, More Organized Home
Week 1 -Part 2
The Inside Entry and Hall
Hopefully we have had beautiful weather and you have been able to tackle the outside entrance to your home. I don’t know about you but I love, love, love coming home to a clean, decorated entry way (inside and out).
If you missed the first post you can find it here.
Now we are going to tackle the interior entry area and connecting closets and hallways.
Remember to start with the assessment plan found here.
Because everyone and every entrance is different we will be listing tasks in the order that poses the most sense to our home.
Your area should already be “picked up” if not refer to the assessment list and remove any and all visible items that do not belong.
Use a Swiffer or Broom with Old Sock to Dust Walls, Ceilings, Doors, and Trim making sure to remove any unwanted cobwebs and dust piles you can see on walls, trim, doors, etc… (furniture will come later)
(Yes, I do this. It takes less than 10 minutes and keeps down the amount of dust, dirt and cat hair in our home.)
Clean your interior door.
Tip: I simply use a damp rag, spritz bottle (water) and when needed a magic eraser (it is perfect for removing scuffs and abrasions)
Check out these great tips from the pros.
Tackle all hanging hooks, furniture and shelves.
Remove and dust each item, wipe down furniture and remove anything that doesn’t belong.
For some great organizing ideas click here.
Tip: If this is overwhelming break it into smaller sections. ( Hooks, shelves (individually or by row).
Move any and all furniture from the wall and dust/vacuum behind and under.
(You will be amazed at what treasures you may discover both behind and under your furniture)
Wipe down all walls, light switches, pictures, door frames and baseboards with a damp rag.
(Yes, you heard that right. Wipe it down. I know, I know, we just ran the Swiffer over it but the Swiffer didn’t get the fingerprints, scuff marks and daily wear and tear).
Tip: If you have trouble removing any marks (crayons, markers, scuff, transfer, etc…) check out this list on how-to tackle the spots.
Sweep, mop or vacuum the ENTIRE floor and edges.
Tip: Use the narrow end of your attachment to reach the edges of your trim base and tops (You may be amazed at the amount of dust and dirt collected there).
The Closet
Yes, folks it is THAT time of year. You will need to be able to actually use your coat closet for something besides a drop zone.
What you may accomplish here will depend on the amount of time you have and what kind of a disaster you are looking at. If necessary you can slide it to the end of our to do list remember you are doing this project because you want to not to create more stress for you and your family.
How you tackle your closet is up to you but I am happy to share my method.
I begin with removing everything from the floor and rod then sweeping, dusting the trim and mopping the floor.
I then return ONLY the items that belong on the floor, hooks and rod. Everything else gets PUT in the appropriate place in our home, garage or donation.
(Or sits in a box by the door until I have the time to deal with it again)
IF I can complete this and have time remaining I will tackle the baskets and items on the top shelves. This time of year we trade the swimwear basket for a hat & glove basket as well as add a boot tray for winter boots.
Bonus Projects
- Dust light fixtures and replace bulbs
- Use small paint brush to touch up damaged wall areas
- Touch up damaged furniture (nicks and scratches)
- Add or change the entry rug (entry rugs are great for keeping down the amount of dirt tracked into your home each day)
- Add hooks, baskets or bowls for organization (Check out our Entry Way Organization Board for great entry organization ideas).
- Add a boot tray to trap all the loose shoes.
Tags: Cleaning, Cleaning Plan, Decluttering, Entry Way, Organization
8 Weeks to A Cleaner More Organized Home | Tina Miller | 
October 5, 2015 9:30 pm
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