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Post by Polar Bear on Oct 12, 2009 21:00:40 GMT -5
I have been in maintenance for a few months now. Most of my house is clean most of the time. I wouldn't say Level 0, more like Level 1.
The only real problem area is the hall closet. I have a few boxes of "odds and ends" stacked in there. But it is a contained mess.
I do have "ghost squalor." I still panic if I think someone is coming to the door, and I still need to have everything spotless if I am having company. I guess I am worried that if one thing is messy, they will know how messy my house used to be.
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Post by Lucky Laura Loving Life on Jan 14, 2010 11:08:00 GMT -5
I totally relate! I still get a thrill each time I can vacuum "Where no woman has vacuumed before" Love,Laura & Ford {The source of new vacuum mania}
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messymum
New Member
Joined: December 2009
Posts: 27
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Post by messymum on Jan 14, 2010 12:52:29 GMT -5
I am in maintenance and have been for a year. Starting to feel pretty comfortable but now feel the need to step it up a notch for me to feel better. (mainly "beautifying" my home and concentrating on other things)I deal with alot of shame and self esteem issues.
I actually used to be quite neurotic and a clean freak when I was younger. So I guess I kind of go in either direction depending on anxiety/depression. Thankfully I recognize this now and am able to stop the cycle before it starts.
wind- with little kids, yes! things must be cleaned often. daily sometimes! I am working with my kids to clean up after themselves. unfortunately they haven't had a great example until now. It is definitely a process that's for sure.
My main goal everyday is to keep up on dishes and 2 loads of laundry/sweeping/mopping. I clean the bedrooms and bathrooms once a week (sometimes more if needed but that's the minimum). This is working for me! Plus once I start doing one job I tend to do more(like sweep the hall or take out the trash), so just getting into a routine helps me keep the squalor away.
Glad I found this thread!
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Post by breakingfree on Jan 14, 2010 15:40:16 GMT -5
Messymum, Your schedule sounds very much like mine. I do the upstairs bathroom (clean toilet, tub, wipe down countertop, sweep mop) one evening, vacuum and dust master br the next night, sweep/mop/dust the lr the next, sweep/mop/wipe down kitchen, etc. I also make it a point to do laundry at least every other night, and dishes get done every night. If I don't follow a schedule I tend to think stuff like, "the toilet doesn't LOOK bad, so I'll pass on it for now..." Um, HELLO, the toilet isn't SUPPOSED to look bad! Great thread! BF
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Post by Rory on Jan 14, 2010 16:24:16 GMT -5
I'm not yet at maintenance but nearly there. I will have to learn what to do and how often to keep my place clean and well organised. So far I usually do the washing up each day and putting the kitchen rubbish out, keep the kitchen surfaces clear and clean, wet wipe the kitchen floor once a week and do the clothes washing and put dirty clothes in the laundry bag. Actually that is not a bad start is it?
Thanks for starting this thread it is helpful to me to know what to do next.
Rory
Edited to correct some of the spelling mistakes Rory
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Post by charis on Jan 15, 2010 17:33:23 GMT -5
I don't clean everything every week.
When I clean the bathrooms, I alwys scrub the inside and outside of the toilet, clean the shower floor and soap dish, clean the sink, counter, and mirrors, and quickly wipe the floor.
I don't do the baseboards, cabinet fronts, light fixtures or window sill every week. I do them when I notice dust or any gunk on them--which is maybe every three weeks or so.
To me, the daily maintenance is the key. Keep laundry current, don't let dishes pile up, keep all "public ares" picked up--dump people's abandoned stuff back in their bedroom and let them deal with it. make bed every morning and if you bring anything into the house, immediately take it to its new home.
When I am working, if I do the laundry, dishes and keep things picked up, then all I have to do on the weekend is clean the bathrooms and vacuum, and quick mop tiled areas--about 2 hours worth of work if done with a non-perfectionist attitude. I seldom dust more than once every three weeks if I am working--I dust every week if i am off.
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Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2010 13:02:33 GMT -5
I am easing into maintenance mode. I started out here in Level 2 (cluttered & messy) but slipping into Level 3 at times (due to trouble keeping up with my sickly old cat's messes). Now I would say I'm mostly in Level 1 with one very cluttered room still in Level 2. The house isn't embarrassing but I have trouble keeping everything clean. And there is still plenty of clutter to clear out. Breakingfree said, " If I don't follow a schedule I tend to think stuff like, "the toilet doesn't LOOK bad, so I'll pass on it for now..." Um, HELLO, the toilet isn't SUPPOSED to look bad! "This is something I've just recently learned. That you have to clean things even if they don't look dirty. It goes against what I remember reading in a book by cleaning expert, years ago. That expert advised readers NOT to clean anything that didn't look dirty. Well, I've learned that this particular advice is TOXIC to me (and probably a lot of us here.) I've learned that I need to do every chore on my list on a regular basis, to *prevent* dirt from building up.
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Post by Rennie Ellen on Jan 18, 2010 23:23:07 GMT -5
Yay! I made it to the maintenance thread! I can post here now!
After a year of floundering due to physical issues, I can report my bedroom, kitchen and bathroom are now in maintenance mode. *sheds tears of joy*
My living room still has two or three small piles of stuff to sort through, but these piles are out of the way of major traffic areas. I can sit and go through those when I have to rest and take it easy. But other than that, it's looking pretty good.
I couldn't have done this without my aide, Amy. I tell her that over and over again. She did the bulk of the work -- the stuff I couldn't do. And I did what I could do as well, because I'm not one to sit on the sidelines.
The cardiac rehab is helping me regain some strength and on the days I don't have CR, I do my household chores so I can maintain my strength and endurance. I still have to be careful not to overdo, because last Wednesday I had a bout with atrial fibrillation. I had CR, then went to the store and got groceries, then came home and lugged it all in instead of waiting for Amy to bring in the non-perishables. Basically - I overdid. I called the Heart Failure clinic and was told to take it easy for the rest of the day -- NO housework. It was hard for me to just sit while Amy did the chores. I'd been feeling sick and yucky for so long. Now that I'm starting to feel better, I'm chomping at the bit to get active again -- but now I have to always be careful not to overdo.
So because I have to watch myself and because my home is now in maintenance, I'm still in a bit of a daze about what to do. I thought a schedule for M-W-F for me and Amy, then on T-Th and weekends, another schedule for me would work out. I'll work on that tomorrow.
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