Tidying up your space is also one of the best first steps you can take when you're looking to upgrade your space. Disclaimer: I find cleaning to be cathartic - it's also my number one form of procrastinating. Giving a room a good scrub can help you feel accomplished and give you a new perspective on just how much stuff you have (and how much you really need). I have been on a major minimalism kick lately after moving out of my little apartment. At least, I thought it was little but apparently I also lived in a black hole because the second moving boxes appeared suddenly so did ALL THE THINGS. Seriously nothing makes you want to give up all your worldly possessions quite like moving. Another thing about moving - at least out of an apartment - is leaving it all sparkly and shiney in an attempt to get back that elusive deposit. A normal person would hire a cleaning service (a normal person would probably also hire movers...) but since we're far from normal around here I thought to myself "it can't be that bad to clean it myself." Flash forward a solid 72 hours of non-stop scrubbing and let me tell you if I weren't so dead set on my career as a designer I'd be a pretty great maid. I came out of that marathon of dusting and disinfecting with some serious tips for you guys. I'm not saying you all need to drop everything and dust your floorboards, but if you were so inclined here are my top 5 clean-the-house-top-to-bottom cleaning helpers.
1. Windex. No not just any blue spray. Windex. The brand. No this isn't an ad either but after cleaning all the windows and mirrors in my apartment twice because the first cleaner left streaks. Just buy the Windex. Someone help. Find me a greener glass cleaner? Does vinegar really work? Until then, Windex just works so well!
2. All-Purpose Cleaner. I love Method's stuff bc I feel good using it around the house and it smells great and I'm pretty sure it won't give me cancer or make me grow a second head. Clorox also makes a green all-purpose cleaner that I think is really spectacular. Use this for all things: wiping down countertops, non-wood/laminate furniture, etc etc. Quick and easy.
3. Two words: Magic. Eraser. How have I never used these? Yes maybe I sort of thought my finger skin was slowly being melted away by who knows what black magic is in these (gloves ftw.) but oh my goodness. The tile floor that took me an hour to scrub on my hands and knees a year ago? Clean in 15 min. That soap scum on my tiles that clearly only demon fire could remove? Clean! (For shame....I totally had soap scum, and I openly admit it. I'm only human.) Spotted chrome? Clean! Smudged walls? Clean! CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN. While I am 110% committed to switching myself to a greener less toxic cleaning regimen, I openly admit when the job really calls for it, I will whip one of these bad boys out of my back pocket. (While google-image-searching this I found out that washing your face with a magic eraser is a thing. I'm not doctor, but I would advise against this.)
4. Clingy Duster. I went with a reusable fluffy thing. Nothing dusts the dust off those ubiquitous multi-paneled apartment doors better. And ceiling fans and baseboards and anywhere dust could lurk! Gone! Yes, perhaps it's just shoving it onto the floor, but thats why you dust before you vacuum. Anything that doesn't stick to the fluff gets sucked up into the vacuum.
5. This is my favorite thing I have ever learned. You're saying to yourself, "A squeegee? But we already cleaned the glass!". NO. This is for your carpet. I have a dog and this dog is cuter than all get out, but he's also a giant fur factory on legs. While I hope to never again have wall-to-wall carpet, sometimes it's a situation that cannot be avoided. By running the rubber squeegee over the carpet, particularly around the edges where the carpet meets the wall you can start to scrape together all the hair that gets trapped along the baseboards - a place vacuums have a real issue with. Picking up the hair this way ahead of time also cuts down the burden on your vacuum and keeps you from emptying the vacuum bag nearly as often. If you have a fur-baby this will change your life.
I hope adding these products to you cleaning arsenal helps you get your space spic and span in no time - and one dust-free step closer to a space you love coming home to. So tell me, what are your favorite cleaning tips? How do you green your cleaning routine? Do you have a product you love? I would love to hear from you all - let me know in the comments!
PS: Again, let me say this isn't an ad, no one is paying me to say anything - this is just my experience with cleaning up after myself and trying to be an adult. :)
