Living Simply October Challenge: Day 16 Cleaning

     Today's challenge, which you can do any day this week, is to really take the time to get in some good, deep cleaning around the home. Before the holidays come, you'll want your home to be clean for when your guests come visit. It doesn't take much money, in fact, if you search online you'll find thousands of recipes for cleaning products that only use household items like lemons, baking soda, white vinegar, and things like lavender, rosemary, or essential oils for adding scents around the home.
Here's a list of some "forgotten" areas of the home that only take a few minutes. You can set aside a morning or afternoon to do all of these, or just do a few minutes each day working through the list until they're done:

1.  Porch/Entryway/"Curb Appeal" - This is the first area people see when they come to your home. If you're in an apartment it's outside your door, and the entryway. In a larger home, it may include the foyer. For this area, remove all things that don't belong there & put them away. Get rid of piles of leaves from the corners of the porch or entryway. Clear away cobwebs (unless you're decorating for Halloween, then this can wait). Dust the railings, wipe your door clean, replace any burnt out light bulbs, sweep, mop, or vacuum your entryway, depending on the flooring you have. Make room in your coat closet for guests' coats, and add a welcoming, simple touch - maybe a wreathe made from twigs, pine cones & leaves, or a welcome mat, or a funny sign, maybe a plant on the porch, just keep it simple and inexpensive.

2.  Next work on the next room guests enter. This could be your living room, dining room, or even your kitchen. Work on the other 2 areas after that. This may be done a little each day for a few days so it's not overwhelming.

Living room - clean out the clutter, wash the windows, wipe the walls and baseboards, remove cobwebs in the corners, dust the window sills, clean under the cushions, do the floors, polish furniture, straighten out bookcases, entertainment centers, and shelves, dust artwork/photo frames.
Dining room - clear the table, find a pretty, simple centerpiece, remove what doesn't belong there, dust the china cabinet if you have one, dust & water plants, do the floors - especially under the table.
Kitchen - Clean out your fridge, toss outdated/old stuff, wipe down inside and out, clean out your microwave, clear the clutter from the counter tops and island if you have one, wipe your stovetop, clean fingerprints off walls, dust lights/ceiling fans,

3. Guest/Hall bathroom(s) - Clean the tub/shower, wipe counters, clean mirrors and mirrored surfaces like faucets, clean the toilet, empty the trash, remove whatever isn't absolutely necessary from the counters, have clean towels int here for drying hands after guests wash them, clean the rug, mop the floor. You may want to add either an air freshener or a can of air deodorizing spray. Stock towels for guests to shower if they'll be staying overnight.

4. Guest room/spare bedroom - Dust & clear cobwebs, vacuum or sweep the floor, wash the window, make the bed so it looks "ready for guests", clean mirrors, empty any trash, polish the furniture, put away any stray items, wash curtains if necessary.

5.  Last - your own bedroom, because you deserve to live and relax in a nice, clean space too. Just follow the steps for the spare bedroom for your own, including putting away those stray items. Maybe straighten your closet out too, or some drawers.


If you also have a laundry room, office, den, 3 season porch, etc - you know what needs to be done there as well once you've gone through this list. If they really need it, you could shampoo the carpet in your home too. You could find a local service offering a good deal this time of year before they get busy, or rent a machine and do it yourself. A quick google search should help you find somewhere close to home pretty quick.

Once your home is not just de-cluttered, but also CLEANED, you can relax more when everyone else is scrambling to get it all done at once. Begin the challenge today - it's so worth it when you're done.