Home: Chores.

Hello lovely!  I hope your day is fabulous as ever.  Today I really wanted to talk about keeping a neat, tidy home.  The way your house looks can seriously have a major effect on your mood as well as the perception others have of you.  Think of every fabulous person that you know.  What does their place look like?  Come on, I know we've all seen at least one episode of MTV's Cribs.  Always imacculately clean, everything decorated in a very detailed and carefully-placed fashion, stylish, modern, and organized.  Now, I realize that not many of us have a lot of funds to work with.  I am in the same boat, but there are so many ways to decorate your home on a budget.  Pinterest has a ton of wonderful ideas.  The most important thing is to work with what you have.  As long as you keep your home tidy and organized, people will feel comfortable in your home.  You'll be able to find things so much easier.  You won't wake up in a stressed-out mood.  Good chi will flow.  One of my favorite books about living the fab life, "How to Walk in High Heels," by Camilla Morton describes the ultimate chore list.  It's a short enough list to run through every morning and it really covers all the bases.  I would love to share it with you.

"Once a day

 

Bed:  Make it.

Phone:  Charge it.

Laundry:  Dirty--wash/ launder; clean-- put it away.

Windows and curtains:  Open and air room.

Cushions:  Plump.

Write 'to do' list:  Do you need to go to the grocery store, get fresh milk or tea?

Tissues, clutter, junk mail:  Take to garbage or recycling, and empty.

Kitchen garbage:  Empty.

Washing up:  Load and empty dishwasher or, if not part of twenty-first centurey, ensure washing up is done daily, if not after each meal, to avoid build-up and growth of mold.

Wipe down:  Worktops, the kitchen table, and any frequently used surfaces.

Sweep room:  If time, or dustpan and brush.

Water plants:  Indoors and outside, and check shelf life of cut flowers.

 

Once a week

 

Duvet covers and pillows:  Change them.  Note: pillowcases and duvets must always be part of a matching set.

Carpets and rugs:  vacuum.

Get your mop out and take it for a spin, particularly in the kitchen and bathroom, and on any linoleum flooring.

Toilets:  Disinfect. 

Washerwoman:  Get your laundry up to date.

 

Once a month

 

Wipe, dust, and polish:  Your lair from top to toe.  Yes, this does include windows and windowsills.  For wooden furniture use beeswax polish; not only is the smell heavenly, but the furniture will repay you for your care and attention.

Vacuum or sweep:  (Flooring dependent) under the sofas and beds.

Fridge:  Ruthlessly eliminate any foods that are past their sell-by date.  Apply this to magazines and old papers; will you really want them in three years?  If yes, file; if not, relegate to recycling bin.

Stove inspection:  Have you used it?  If so, clean it, and the same applies to your microwave: give it a wipedown inside and out.

Dance around:  with a feather duster, and midroutine try to get corners and ceilings and any cobwebs that are being spun.

Feeling energetic?  Flip the mattress on your bed.

 

Once a year

 

Outing:  Manuals and well-groomed housewives recommend an annual trip to the cleaners for duvets, quilts, and rugs.

Curtains and blinds:  Take down for annual spring clean.

Dust: Attack the tops and bottoms of all the nooks and crannies that you neglect in a weekly or montly blitz.

Investigate: Exactly what you have stored under the stairs.

 

 

 

All of these wonderful tips should really keep your place in tip-top shape.  Thank you Ms. Morton!  Happy cleaning day, beautiful!  :)