I’ve started my spring cleaning and instead of rolling my sleeves and getting to work I’m here blogging, and reading about other people who clean 🙂
I really like the idea of the Apartment Therapy cure: in one month you get to clean, organize and improve the space you live in by doing something every day.
There are some things that I like but I wouldn’t do, such as buying flowers. Not because I don’t see the point, but because my house has a lovely terrace with plenty of plants and flowers, even in winter (one of the perks of living in Barcelona 🙂
Other things seem to be central to “the cure”, such as framing a picture don’t work for me as I already have lots of things on shelves and I fell that my walls would thank me with for the white space.
However, I do like the idea of assessing your space, what you own and how you use it, then making changes and enjoying it, either alone of with friends.
Some ideas I really like from the cure:
1. Using green cleaners for your home
I’ve started to use vinegar and baking soda for a while now to clean surfaces and the inside of the fridge and now I’m testing this spray solution with one part water, one part vinegar and baking soda: it cleans just as good as the stuff you buy (you might need to scrub a bit more in difficult areas, but you could count it as exercise :), and it doesn’t hurt your hands or the environment.
2. The Outbox
Inventing an outbox, a neutral area to store objects you’d want to throw away but are unsure of. You just keep them for a week in there and if you’re still unsure you keep it for one more week and so on. A little prison for things you could trash, give away or sell.
3. The therapeutic idea of cleaning
Cleaning is well… a chore. Maybe you listen to music when you do it, maybe you sing on the top of your lungs, or maybe you just do it and keep your mouth shut about it. Yet “the cure” talks about cleaning as a way to get to know better your house: your remove all the expired food in the pantry and you clean it so you can enjoy it better, you thoroghly and passionately (sic!) clean the floors so you can sit on a bit floor pillow and read a book or have a cup of tea – just something you don’t usually do.
What about you? Is having a clean house important for you? Have you ever used green cleaners?