There are still some issues that need to be addressed. We still need to clean out the fridge. Some larger appliances need to be wiped down. Some odds and ends still don't have homes or are in temporary spots we find we just don't like for them. I'm pretty sure all of this will be handled within the next couple of weeks.
I would like to discuss some highlights of this Great Spring Cleaning in the hopes that at a later point I'll look back at this post and, if I'm back to my old habits, I'll find a way out of them again.
- Practical and centralized locations. Before, we had tools in the back bedroom, tools in the laundry room, tools in the living room. Whenever things would go wrong (as they are wont to do at night), we'd have to look all over the place for the right tool. And then go to another location to get screws or nails or whatever. Now we have all the indoors tools in one location. A shelf down from that, we have all the other things you need for the tools. No running to other rooms just to get a nail.
- Location based on function and importance. Clearly some things are put into rooms because they only function in that room. You don't stick the portable dishwasher in the living room. However, there are other items can float from place to place. We decided, as much as we could, to move things to the area where they served the most purpose, such as putting the tools in the front part of the house, as it's usually the front part of the house that needs the tools.
These two points are also illustrated in our gift wrapping stuff. We kept wrapping paper in the back bedroom because it's where it best fit. However, we kept the box containing gift bags, paper, tags, and other items in the living room office area. A whole box that is used maybe six times a year was in the living room. There was absolutely no need for it to be in here when it got so little use. The box is now sitting in the back room, on top of the location of the wrapping paper, so both can be used on those rare occasions when they need to be. - Removal of items that promote bad habits. I used to keep all of my knitting stuff right next to me. It was organized, but not attractively so. It also encouraged me to dally with projects and switch whenever the mood struck me. I moved the knitting things to the hallway. They look good in there, occupy space that nothing else really needed to, and insure that I can only do one project at a time, meaning of course, that I have a better motivation to finish said project . . . at least that is the theory.
- Organizing space in ways that encourage good good habits. Both my roommate and I exercise in our rooms. Whenever our rooms are disorganized and piled with stuff, it become annoying (and in some cases, difficult) to work out in there. One of the things we both did when we worked on our rooms was to make sure we had the space to work out with ease.
As we're heading into warmer weather, a lot more vacuuming will be needed. It was always quite annoying to get to every place in a room because we had so much stuff piled all over the place. The stuff, most of it, is out of the house now. Everything else has been placed in ways that will allow for easy moment whenever vacuuming is being done.
I think the best part of all of this is that I feel like we have a whole new house. Yet, all we bought in this process were a couple of cheap poofs for my windows, cheaper curtains for his, and a new duster (our old one was falling apart). Every other change we made was just a matter of rethinking locations and then, well, carrying, pushing, and/or shoving things into other rooms. In the end though, the house feels great. It smells and looks clean. And I am quite happy.
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