For the past 24 hours, I have devoted myself to cleaning and organizing.
My love JS and I decided to hole ourselves up and stay out of the -8 degree F. below zero weather, and to extreme clean, marathon style!
As I talked extensively in my previous post, we got prepared, we told all of our peeps about our plans, turned off the phone and the internet, and got cleaning.
So, now here it is 24 hours later, and it is time to recap.
OK here are the things I wanted to accomplish in 24 hours. The things I did accomplish are big and bold. The ones I didn’t accomplish are plain.
- Clean kitchen - wipe down all cabinets. Scrub floor. Clean fridge - inside and out. Super clean counter tops and all other kitchen surfaces. Find a new place for Tupperware. Move plates and bowls into Tupperware cabinets. Organize alchemy shelf (photos soon). Get rid of any unwanted kitchen items.
- Clean bathroom - wipe down shower, mirror, light bulbs. Scrub floor. Super Vacuum floor mats. Scrub bathroom sink and other fixtures. Polish brass fixtures (as best I can). Wash out pedicure foot bath.
Almost Done! I got half way through the bathroom. I was able to totally organize the bathroom and all of the bathroom toiletries. This was a bigger job than I thought, but I am really happy with the result. The cleaning can and will be done tomorrow. - Organize donation items - Done!
- Organize recycling items - Done!
- Put recycled paper into paper bags - Done.
(I have 2 full bankers boxes of paper right now)
Update: I now have 6 grocery bags full of paper (most of it is shredded stuff!)
- Organize Trash - Done!
- Vacuum floor - Almost Done! The only room that didn’t get the vacuum was the bedroom. We plan to get really Extreme Cleaning in the bedroom tomorrow so no worries there.
- Steam Clean floor - not done. totally not even close.
- Open up windows for air and ventilation - We opened the door a few times, and noticed that it was so cold that the snow had frozen to the door!
(just a little bit - it will be COLD out there!) - Organize nightstand - totally not done. Tomorrow.
- Find a new place for a Heidi desk - Not done. See below for details.
- Make a list of things we need to buy/build/create for the apartment - Still working. We made a LOT of progress together. We had some awesome discussions that we didn’t expect to have that left us feeling very optimistic and excited about our next steps to organization.
- Make a list of cleaning supplies we need to replenish - Honestly we did more organizing than cleaning today so not a lot of cleaning supplies were used. I think we will need another half-day or full day to do deep cleaning.
- Do a little “space clearing” - probably an informal ceremony - not done. Probably tomorrow.
- Finish by burning sage for a ceremonial end to our cleaning - not done. Probably tomorrow.
Vision and Reality are Two Different ThingsI started with an awesome vision, but when we got started things happened very unexpectedly, in a good way. Mainly the discussion about what furniture we need was the most important aspect of Extreme Cleaning. Both JS and I have been talking about finding a new “desk” situation for each of us. And we both have come to a big realization:
There. I said it. We hate classic tables, and we hate standard chairs. Chairs are never comfortable and tables are rarely the right ergonomic height.
So after exploring our options, we are going to try some various furniture experiments to find a solution for both of us. Stay tuned for our experimental discoveries to come.
Other than the whole anti-desk revelation, it was time for deep cleaning and organizing. Time to put all the boxes away that I have been slowly plugging away at for the past few weeks. Time to put all the charitable donations all in one place. Time to shread all of our various papers that need to be cut up into tiny little pieces.
And my favorite, it was time for some furniture moving.
The Glorious Feeling of Rearranging Furniture
Ah. I love furniture moving. I can’t explain why, but my theory about my adoration for occasional furniture moving is that I like to move the energy around. Keeping furniture in one place gets energy quite stagnant. And even if you’re not into such a “woo-woo” energy philosophy… go to some old person’s house, or a nursing home. There you will find the most stagnant energy around and it will make you feel uncomfortable.
I have always been very sensitive to energies, and moving furniture has helped keep me feeling good.
The other reason why I love moving furniture is that it is a constant evolution of functionality. Now that JS and I have been raw foodists for so long, we have evolved our food, our living habits, our lifestyle. And our furniture has needed to reflect that.
In the end we didn’t move many things, but it was enough to change the whole feeling of the entire living space. Everything feels so clean, new, refreshed.
This was exactly what I was hoping for. I am thrilled!
I will admit it was a little tough to start the first moment of Extreme Cleaning, but once we got started we were on a roll that has lasted until now, a little over 24 hours later.
I am so very totally excitedly satisfied with the results of our work. I love how everything looks… with the exception of all the donation/recycling/eBay areas we have set up.
But I know they will be gone soon.
In fact we were feeling so satisfied with our work that earlier tonight around 8PM we thought we could pack the car with either recycling or donations. But it was cold. And the garage is far away. We stayed inside instead. It was fun.
And at midnight we bundled up in our warmest clothes and took a little time outside until our faces felt numb-y. It was -11 outside. Brrr!
That is the final finish line of Extreme Cleaning that we are running towards.
“The finish line is when you have touched everything in your life, evaluated it, and chosen what you want to do with it. Every single possession, everything. That is the goal you are reaching for.”
- Heidi Ohlander
If you feel called to do some Extreme Cleaning, you are always welcome to try it out for yourself at any time, starting right now, or any other time you choose.
The important thing is that you try it. Try Extreme Cleaning.This experience has been amazing so far. It has surprised me by how incredible I feel afterwards. I feel so hopeful right now. I feel really happy.
And I feel very accomplished.
I can’t wait to totally complete our Extreme Cleaning because I feel like something wonderful is going to happen!
More updates on Extreme Cleaning to come!XoXo
~ Heidi