Saturday, September 11, 2010

A Clean Sink

A couple years, actually more than a couple years really, I came across a website called The Flylady. I like to call her a "organized cleaning machine". In reality she's more gentle than that. At the time I started her amazing program and recommended to everyone I knew (even when I wasn't using it, I recommended it). Then some where along the way I fell off the wagon.

I wouldn't call myself a slob per se but there are certain areas of my home that get more attention than others and it has kind of been driving me crazy lately. So I decided to visit The Flylady website, print off all her instructions and give it another go. Except this time I'm using my schedule and not hers. She's more of a catalyst for me this time.

The first and most necessary order of business was cleaning the kitchen sink. Not the usual fly by night cleaning most of us would do but a deep cleaning that leaves the sink sparkling. It does, look:

The whole process takes a few hours to complete. You're not standing at the sink the whole time but from start to the "oooo, ahhh" takes a few hours. And it's totally worth it. Every sink can benefit from this kind of cleaning.

For just over a month now I've been able to keep this up both in the kitchen and in the bathroom. I've made it a nightly routine. Every night the counters and sink get a vinegar and water spritz (50/50) and wipe down. I have to say it is a strangely wonderful feeling to wake up to a clean sink every morning. Jeff has even said so with no prompting on more than one occasion.

On the downside it is very hard not to get neurotic about it. On more than one occasion I've chastised Jeff for using the sink after I had wiped it dry during the day -- how dare he! But I've learned to get over it. Sort of.

Another thing The Flylady has encouraged to me do is to schedule cleaning activities. Instead of wondering when the last time something was cleaned or having to do a mass cleaning all at once. I'll clean something, then schedule the next cleaning in my computer reminders. Not only can I forget about it, I get a gentle nudge of my own choosing to clean something. This breaks things up through out the month so I don't feel like I'm always cleaning. An example would be Thursday, my reminder popped up to tell me to wash the shower curtain and wax the kitchen and bathroom floor. Done, done, done, and forgotten until the next reminder pops up.

When I feel I have settled into my new scheduling and habits I'll consider adding another one of her baby "to-do's" but for the meantime, I'm happy with what I'm doing and my incredibly clean sink.

***
Topic Links
* The Flylady
* Directions for cleaning your sink