My Cleaning Lady

My cleaning lady came today. She looks and talks exactly like me.
This morning I hired myself for the job.  My payment is an early bedtime for the boys and a clean house for me.  So when you clean sometimes you run into disturbing things.

Take this tabletop for instance.  This my friends, is what we like to call a "Hot Spot."  Clutter gathering clutter.  Wompy jawed tissue box, candle lid, jar with two piddly pens...I can't even remember how long this table has looked like this.  I started to move the things to dust and then leave them when I remembered something.

Have nothing in your house you don't know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.

 

Clearly this is not pleasing to the eye, so I cleared the table and felt a million times better about the spot.

So here is my tip for the day.  As you go through your house, picking up or cleaning, keep a watchful eye.  If there is an area or an item that you think is U.G.L.Y. give it away or throw it away.  Your house will start to slowly take shape and you will be so happy with the results.

5 Minute Fluff

You should be able to take a room from drab to fab in 5 minutes or less.  Here are some secret weapons for you to get the job done. 

Secret weapon #1: Feather duster

Secret Weapon #2: 5 minutes (set the timer)

Secret Weapon #3:  Move quick!  You are only making the bed and clearing surfaces and floors of clutter that needs to be taken to proper rooms and spaces.

Secret Weapon #4:  Vacuum lines.  I better not even get started about how much vacuum lines make my heart swoon.  When I was growing up, if I had just vacuumed a room I'd ask my family to kindly walk the parameter of the room as not to mess up the lines.

A room can be fluffed and transformed in 5 minutes or less.

The only way to make this happen is if the room is decluttered to begin with.  Now, what you don't see in this picture are some drawers that are a little too overstuffed.  There are some odds and ends under my bed that need to be culled.

Deep cleaning and major decluttering are not the goal of a 5 minute fluff.  The goal of the fluff is to make your room sparkle which adds a layer of peace and calm to the atmosphere of your home.

The end result of spending 5 minutes fluffing.  The room sparkles.  The blinds are open.  The surfaces got a very quick feather dust.  The floor got a quick vacuum.  It smells good, looks good and adds motivation to be productive today.

Go ahead, try it. Pick a space, set the timer for 5 minutes and see how fast you can fluff the room.