One Room At A Time

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No, I'm not writing a new song, it's a plan to do spring cleaning any time of the year.  There is nothing as hard as facing an entire house that needs cleaning.  It's much easier to pick one room a week and go through it from top to bottom.  If you've allowed your house to get really messy or dirty, then start by tackling the floor first.  Let's take a room apart in an ordered way.  Sometimes it helps to have a coach, and if you're not used to coaching yourself, this list might help. Here's the strategy for an adult bedroom.

  1. Pick up all the clothing on the floor. If it's been on the floor for more than an hour it's dirty.
  2. Take all the clothing you've picked up and pile it wherever you do laundry.
  3. Put the shoes on the floor in a pile next to your closet.
  4. Sort the clothing:
    bulletcolors (bright colors to be washed in cold water)
    bulletwhites (to be washed in warm water)
    bulletpastels (to be washed in cold or warm water depending on how dirty)
  5. Get a plastic bag for trash. Depending on the mess, you might get a 33 gallon one.
  6. Go back into the room and pick up all trash on the floor, looking under any furniture. Get those shoes out from under the bed too.
  7. Set bag outside room. You need room to breathe cause you're going back in there!
  8. Pick a piece of furniture; a dresser, a vanity, a nightstand, or a table. 
    bulletTake all the items off this piece of furniture (put in a box or on a TV tray). 
    bulletGet a couple sheets of paper towel. You might get a cookie and reward yourself here.
    bulletGet one piece damp and wipe down the surface.
    bulletUse a dry piece to dry it off immediately.
    bulletSort through items in box or on tray. (Can you throw any of them away?  Do you need it all?)
    bulletPut all books or magazines in a pile.  You can always donate unneeded ones to library or a hospital.
    bulletReplace all items you haven't trashed in an orderly way. 
  9. Repeat the above for any other furniture in the room.
  10. Strip the bedding and sort into the piles you made earlier.
  11. Open the closet.  Be careful not to let the contents hit you on the head.
  12. Take all clothing not hanging up and sort into the piles you made earlier. 
  13. Take all the shoes and place in pile you made earlier.
  14. Pick up any purses and pile them somewhere else.
  15. Now look at the clothing that is hanging. See the page on hanging or folding and sort clothes according to the directions here.
  16. Remove any trash that may be in the closet.  Anything that isn't clothing related should be stored elsewhere.  Put the trash in the bag and put all non-clothing items in a box to be stored elsewhere.
  17. Now fold any sweaters, sweats, vests, and put neatly on the shelf.
  18. Vacuum or sweep the closet floor. Use a clean vacuum bag or clean the tray out before you vacuum.
  19. Pair up shoes.  (Get a bag for Salvation Army or like charity.  Give all shoes you haven't worn in a year away.  Sowing brings a harvest.  Hoarding breeds a mess.)
  20. Put paired shoes on the clean floor. 
  21. Put your purses, wallets and like items in a box and store in the closet. 
  22. You will have to survey the room for items I have missed.  I can't see your bedroom so I'm considering my own.  You may have bookshelves full of junk or end tables full of stuff.
  23. After the room and closet are clean and you've replaced the shoes, purses, and the floor is clear then you can vacuum.  Do not vacuum up large items, it will munch your vacuum.