audrey
New Member
Joined: September 2008
Posts: 1
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Post by audrey on Sept 7, 2008 15:00:46 GMT -5
Hello Everyone! This is my first post and I am SO excited to have found this board. I want to begin getting out of life in squalor and could use a few tips.
I have identified some of the major areas where I have problems that perhaps you could address in your advice to me:
-we have 2 dogs, 1 sheds, the other has the occassional accident in the house
-my husband has had the house ripped apart from renovations for almost 3 years; the office is in the living room, the pantry doesn't exist anymore so I have all my dry goods tossed in a box, the main bathroom is not operational so we are using the one downstairs with a cracked shower and mold growing up the walls (shower walls and on the drywall, whole thing needs to be ripped out). I have pretty much given up on housework due to the renos and having tools etc. strewn all over the house. However, I want to take a stand and do what I can to make our house liveable once again. Seeing this mess everyday is really taking a toll on my emotional (and probably physical) health!
- When I do clean or organize, it seems to take forever and it doesn't even look like I've really done anything when I'm finished. How can I find more time and really make a dent in cleaning up this mess?
There you have it ladies. Where do I begin? Thanks for listening!
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Post by mellowyellow on Sept 7, 2008 17:45:35 GMT -5
Hi and welcome Audrey
Renovations are infamously terrible.
Perhaps regarding the "tools strewn everywhere" you might have a large bin/tupperware in each room that is being redone.
Any tools HAVE to be placed in this bin, or put away. That way, they don't stay on the floor, possibly causing danger or being damaged. Once they are in a contained and movable bin, you can push them aside if you chose to vacuum or sweep. And if you don't want to see them, you can throw the lid on top.
One thing I DO know is that when professionals are using tools (especially that they bought with their own money), they are very, very careful with them and they put them properly away each time, even if it takes ten extra minutes. It really does save them time because they stay clean, sharp and untangled.
Regarding the rest... How about you just pick one single room that needs some serious help. Maybe your bedroom or kitchen. Make that one space your oasis... chipping away little by little. And then, no matter what chaos is surrounding you, you will have that one spot that is calm and peaceful. I promise you that you will feel ridiculously proud to have an area that is well maintained. Even if that spot is a small space of only a few square feet or meters.
Just one tiny spot. And keep that spot clean. When you feel good... you can try a second spot of "peace". Good luck!
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Post by pegasus48 on Sept 7, 2008 18:38:29 GMT -5
I second mellowyellow's advice. Corral those tools so you can vacuum, and create an oasis somewhere (no matter how small) that is chaos free. Even a corner of the bedroom would lift your spirits.
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Post by BDG on Sept 7, 2008 18:52:13 GMT -5
Hubby and I have been living in a renovation project for 17 years.  As soon as we get one thing done something else tears up, or another project has to be started. Hubby seldom picks up his tools or cleans up the mess. I bought bins like Mellowyellow suggested and put many of the tools in there and stack them, if you can try and write what tools are in each bin, so that you don't have to continually go through bins. I did this, but hubby never put the tools back in the right bin, so I gave up. I also store a lot of stuff under my beds since I have dust ruffles around them making it possible to hide a lot of stuff under there. For cabinet space and dry goods look to what you can remove, if you hav too many dishes toss the ones that are no good and in your way, hang up your pots and pans freeing up cabinet space, look for some sort of storage rack like a bakers rack to store more stuff in and that you can move around when need be. You can actually store flour, sugar and cornmeal in the fridge, helps keep out those annoying bugs that get in them sometimes. You can also buy those stacked plastic drawers, they come in one drawer all the way up to multiple drawers built into a small system, most of them are under 20.00, for clothing or office use and put them in a corner for more storage for dry goods. I have lots of counter space so I have one small drawer for spices on my counter, I am looking for a better system, but for right now it works. I also can relate to how depressing it is to clean up after a huge job and having to do it daily or on an ongoing seemingly endless renovation. |
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Post by brainjam on Sept 8, 2008 18:58:14 GMT -5
For the mold in the shower problem--
I bathe with the window open.
You can open the window after each shower if it is not raining out or even put a fan in the window facing out instead of facing in.
Also, pour bleach on a washcloth and leave on the moldy spot. Then scrub, using rubber gloves. (Just pouring the bleach on will cause it to run down the drain faster).
On moldy walls, a bleach water solution in a bottle with a bit of white vinegar will at least keep the problem down to a manageable level until the (if there are any, we are getting our subfloor beneath the leaking toilet checked when the toilet is getting replaced) rotting subfloor/structure plank things are replaced.
Husband belongs to leave-it-in-the-last-place-I-used-it-club. I recently rearranged the bedroom so that way he can mess up the top of his bureau instead of the top of mine. And yeah, I have boxes near the places that he clutters. In times of company or tiredness, I admit I sweep his clutter (say on the coffee table) into the corresponding box (an old wooden chest in this case which fits under the coffee table).
Brain Jam
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Post by DJ on Sept 9, 2008 7:24:58 GMT -5
audrey- regular grooming can help with the shedding.. just taking time every day to brush, brush, brush.. easier said than done but it doesn't need a marathon even 30 seconds of brushing is fur that's contained and tossed rather than strewn everywhere... way too many ways of dealing with housetraining and my brain is sleeepieee tea tree oil can help with mold too, mixed with water and some rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle.. not as effective as bleach but not as harsh either.. it can be toxic to animals too though so it's not a totally safe bet with pets. i'm agreeing with everyone else with coralling reno mess.. and with picking a place and taking a stand and trying to make it inhabitable.. something i've found with men is sneaky, underhanded, and manipulative and tends to work one way or another- just do their job for them, either it gets done because you do it<and this is by far the least preferable outcome really> or else they- feel guilty and do it<not nice, but it gets done> worry you won't do it right, and do it<not nice either, but it gets done> feel motivated watching you and start and do it<much nicer, and it gets done> can be not so observant.. and not realise that the gaping holes in the floor and mold growing on the wall is a problem until they see you doing something about it and realise they should address the problem <very good, it gets done..> well you get the idea. and i think after 3 years of living in a ripped apart home i couldn't manage even if i wanted to.. well. i'd call it quitz on most attempts at housework and put on a hard hat and start learning to do the reno work myself as long as it wasn't anything that was going to damage the structural integrity of the place or electrocute me and my loved ones. I don't know what all is going on housewise or what kind of impediment finances are.. but I've got faith that you, google, and motivation could make progress... i'm also pretty tired though and feeling down and get forcefully optimistic when i feel like that;) and i've got that saying by archimedes about "give me a point to stand on and a lever and i'll move the world" and john f. kennedy's appropriation of it for a speech stuck in my head- "These proposals offer no quick and easy solution to the problems of peace. But they are essential tools. "Give me a fulcrum," Archimedes is reported to have said, "and a place to stand—and I will move the world." The tools I have suggested can be our fulcrum—it is here we take our stand—let us move the world down the road to peace. " however you deal with things, whatever ends up working, welcome to the cheering squad:) |
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