Keeping House

And my housekeeping tip of the day is brought to you by my maid-less existence: When cleaning the microwave, check the "ceiling." I thought I had gotten my microwave to sparkling, lemon-y fresh levels (using a damp microfiber cloth, an eco-friendly surface spray, and a dollop of some heavy-duty surface cleaner for tough spots)--until I bent down and looked up to see the remaining MoMA-worthy spaghetti sauce splatters.

We normally have a maid come over once a week, but she's been on vacation for the past three weeks. (Buti pa siya.) So I had to come up with a manageable system--given my full-time job and packed weekends--that would keep the house from falling into total disarray while the trusty help is on her extended leave. My solution: housework as my morning workout.

To keep things from getting too overwhelming, I try to do one or two little things a day, right after breakfast. Day 1, for example, is for sweeping and mopping; day 2 for cleaning the kitchen counter and organizing; day 3 for setting aside our freshly laundered clothes; day 4 for cleaning the microwave. (Making the bed and washing the dishes are givens.) Vacuuming is for free time during the weekend.

Save for vacuuming, I do enjoy most of it. I like scrubbing away stains and seeing a pristine surface after I'm done with it. I like walking on our shiny floors. I like the smell of clean. Still, I think I'm going to like it even more when our helper comes back! She is AWESOME at her job (and, more importantly, she's incredibly trustworthy), and I love her to bits.

Penitensya

Today was supposed to be Big Cleanup Day. Since we don't have a maid, we were supposed to spend this day cleaning the house, top to bottom. I decided to start with the dressing room, particularly my vanity. This was halfway through the cleanup, when I had removed a lot of the drawer's contents, thrown a few things out, and was still deciding what to do with the rest...

Good grief. I had to keep telling myself that it was going to get worse before it got better.

I just have so much stuff, and even though I've trained myself not to be a pack rat, there are still remnants from my pack-rat past. I found love letters I wrote more than 10 years ago, an invitation to a party in college, negatives, old P10 and P5 bills, three boxes of bandaids (whut?), high school grad pics, and many other random things. I threw out a lot of old makeup, trying not to think it was sayang because, really, who would want to use orange-colored lipstick that's been in my drawer for three years? I'm not even sure it was orange when I first dumped it in there.

The most difficult part about cleaning up is finding paper, because rather than making an immediate decision to keep, toss, or give it away, I actually have to read the damn thing before deciding. But despite all the dust and sweat and the sometimes weird trip down memory lane, I got through it. Two hours and two bags of trash later...

Ahhh

What a relief! It's still not as pretty as I would want it to be--I intend to streamline the jewelry I have on my dresser so that I could just keep one jewlery box, then put all those ostrich and peacock feathers in a slim vase. (Those I cannot let go of--they were part of my bridal bouquet, and I painstakingly dismantled it so that I could keep the feathers.) But for now, it's functional, pretty uncluttered and, above all, clean!!!

Of course, I had neither the time nor the energy to clean up everything else, but it's a great start. I've decided to break down the house projects over the next few days so I won't end up feeling overwhelmed. Tomorrow is general sweeping-vacuuming-mopping day. And I'm hoping that a chair that I had reupholstered and repainted will be delivered. Check back soon for a before and after (and some other home projects I've got lined up)!

I Won! I Won!

A couple of years ago, I won a vacuum cleaner at an Electrolux event, but it has strangely, mysteriously disappeared. Today, I was at another Electrolux event and went home with...

...an even more bad-ass vacuum cleaner, the 75 Tornado!

Hamil and I had been meaning to get a vacuum cleaner to give our black shag rug a thorough cleaning. (Our customized couch, upholstered in a textured mocha fabric to keep it from looking all funky and dusty, would benefit from a good vacuuming too!) Today, Electrolux had Trivia Day, and my team emerged victorious. We had to answer three rounds' worth of questions about the brand, appliances in general, and Scandinavia. I was happy that we won, but was ecstatic when I found out what the prize was!

Hurray for free stuff! And a double hurray for free stuff that I actually need!