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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Monday, January 22, 2007 - 6:03 pm
NT, I'll tell you, when I was working, cleaning was a pain in the neck. It always took forever and seemed to be the only thing I was doing at home when I was home. Once I was able to quit, I went through a similar process of decluttering and getting everything in tip top shape. I had imagined I'd spend all day cleaning, and sometimes I do, but for the most part, housework usually takes less than an hour a day. LOL, i remember the first time I realized how little I had to do and wondering how the hell I'd spend my time cuz I was bored to death!
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Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Monday, January 22, 2007 - 7:18 pm
Works for me NT!
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Native_texan
Member
08-24-2004
| Tuesday, January 23, 2007 - 8:26 am
I didn't see Monday's mission here so I went ahed and included it. Zone 4: Mission #1 Monday Dear Friends: Today you are to spend 15 minutes in the master bedroom clearing off the flat surfaces: the dressers, night stands etc. We have a tendency to use our bedrooms as the dumping ground when we don't know where to put things or when we are in a rush. Take the time today to take care of the stuff that has been piling up on the flat surfaces. Just 15 minutes. Remember what Flylady always says, "You can do anything for 15 minutes." Have fun and don't obsess, just do it! Love, Kelly _________________________________________ Zone 4: Mission #2 Tuesday Dear Friends: Today I want you to spend 15 minutes getting rid of anything that does not belong in your bedroom. Things that have gotten thrown in a corner, on a chair or even the floor. The things that you almost don't even see because they have just become part of the room, get it out! If it does not belong there then out it goes! This does not mean that you have to spend three hours in your bedroom, do what you can do for 15 minutes. Kelly
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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Wednesday, January 24, 2007 - 6:35 am
Dear Friends: Today is the day to get rid of the dust in your bedroom. Dust the walls and the ceilings. Have you ever noticed how the dusties seem to creep up the walls? LOL! Then grab a dust cloth and dust the flat surfaces of your furniture as well. You will be so surprised at how much dusting you can get accomplished in 15 minutes. Have fun! ~Kelly Thanks for posting those missions, NT! I think you have hit on a good plan...whoever gets here first. That way, we can all rest assured that someone will have it covered. And don't hesitate to post anything else that you think may help. I love the *Tips and Hints* thread that complements this one very nicely. Lastly, we should link to FlyLady's site every now and again so that we are covered as her program is copyrighted. (We once got into a bit of a sticky wicket concerning that.) Dipo, I just use dishwashing liquid with a little bleach on my doorknobs. (I always put a few drops of bleach in the dishpan.) Then I spray them with Lysol disinfectant spray. While I am at it, I wipe down all those finger smudges. So many people don't...have you noticed? LOL! I spent a little time at the *Clorox.com* site this morning...it was sort of interesting. Have a great day, everybody! Keep on flying, fluttering or even flubbing along. It's all good.
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Native_texan
Member
08-24-2004
| Wednesday, January 24, 2007 - 8:29 am
Would it be possible to put a link at the top of the thread to do a blanket CYA. LOL, Vee, noticing what time your post was made, even at my time of 7:34 am, I think you still will be the primary with us as backup. Forget the finger smudges! What about hairspray? I admit I've never wiped down my door knobs except when I am wiping grime buildup off the doors. That's one of those things that fall in the same category as when my ex-mil told me years ago that she had cleaned the top of the door frames. I had never thought about and since I'm not tall enough to see the top of a door frame, it never occurred to me that dust settles there. Anyway, my bathroom is very small and when standing at the sink and mirror, the door is right (and I do mean "right") behind me. Because I know there is hairspray residue on the door, I wiped it down often but maybe because I had kinda slacked off for a while I never realized how much residue got on the doorknob. It took me forever to get it off.
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Urgrace
Member
08-19-2000
| Wednesday, January 24, 2007 - 3:11 pm
NT what did you use to clean it with? I would imagine this is a good tip for getting hairspray off doorknobs too:
Removing Hairspray - This works best for curling irons that are crome plated, not the painted type. Use a paste of baking soda and a little water. Rub it on gently and wipe off with a damp, soft cloth. Thanks for the compliment on the thread I started about Tips and Hints, Vee. Many family and friends have complicated my schedule lately, but I still have my bed made every morning and shiny sinks. I'm still trying to declutter the kitchen, a project that kind of got in the middle of my 'do everything crafty room' decluttering. I figure as long as something is getting decluttered, it doesn't matter in which order. Ack, my hubby is a clutterbug. In the middle of decluttering the kitchen he brought home four boxes of candy canes, 10 jars of horseradish, six boxes of cookies, and five containers of hot chocolate. Hope he is planning on eating all that stuff, and soon.
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Native_texan
Member
08-24-2004
| Wednesday, January 24, 2007 - 3:20 pm
Grace, I used Clorox Cleaner and a of elbow grease. I did find if I let it set for a little bit, it worked better. I was reading more of Body Clutter last night and was once against shocked to read about something that I thought only I did - make up the bed as I am getting out of it so that by the time my feet are on the floor all I have to do is finish where I just stood up from and put the pillows back. Since it's just me it's not that bad anyway.
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Urgrace
Member
08-19-2000
| Wednesday, January 24, 2007 - 5:14 pm
LOL That's hilarious. I do that too! Should I sign up for this stuff?
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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Wednesday, January 24, 2007 - 5:40 pm
So do I! Why do any extra work? LOL! Grace, I was just in your folder asking about fluttering. You're off the hook now that I have found your post. :> I think I would kill a dh that came home with that much stuff. Oh my! Yup, you'll get there...never fear. Of course, this is an ongoing process...it repeats forever. But there's something very satisfactory about taking a good look at something that isn't working and setting it right without spending a lot of money or expending a lot of energy. It doesn't have to get boring or dull.
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Urgrace
Member
08-19-2000
| Wednesday, January 24, 2007 - 6:17 pm
DH has a way of doing the opposite of what I'm doing. It's in his nature. If he thinks I'm dieting he brings home boxes of chocolate candy. When I clean the garage it doesn't stay that way long, but he insists he hates it when the garage is cluttered. I'm still the one who cleans it. It's confession time. The top of my refrigerator still has a huge basket with breads and crackers in it, and the top of my pantry still has a plethora of baskets and trivets on it. But I have a plan. I just found some more space to put all that in once I get it cleaned out. The cabinet above the oven has a lot of stuff that will be removed from the house once I get it all out. All the baskets and trivets that I use will go in that space. There is a stack of oversized plates and platters that will go from that cabinet into the storage area of the sideboard. I also plan to have more room in the pantry for the bread and crackers. I am looking forward to seeing empty space in those areas above my head!
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Native_texan
Member
08-24-2004
| Wednesday, January 24, 2007 - 8:42 pm
Grace, two one of my proudest moments in my decluttering was clearing the top of the fridge (I even had bottles of nail polish stashed up there) and my bottom cabinets to the point where I had, except for one big pot, an empty cabinet.
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Urgrace
Member
08-19-2000
| Wednesday, January 24, 2007 - 8:48 pm

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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Thursday, January 25, 2007 - 5:40 am
Dear Friends: Today is the day that you get a really short mission. The only thing you have to do is grab your feather duster or dust rag and dust off the tops of your door jambs and windows. I was painting a room the other day and couldn't believe how dusty the tops of door jambs and windows could really get. Take the duster or rag and wipe across the tops of the molding and jams. Take a swipe across the hinges as well. They seem to collect little dusties as well. This is quick and easy and makes quite a nice difference. ~Kelly Gee, NT was just talking about this one! It is interesting as we go through the zones to discover how many things just haven't hit our radar screen yet. Wonder if she'll ever mention moving the piano and vacuuming it out? ;> Don't forget...before and after pictures are always fun! LOL! Have a fun day, Flybabies, and don't forget to shine those sinks! Vacanick, how are you doing?
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Vacanick
Member
07-12-2004
| Thursday, January 25, 2007 - 6:49 am
Thanks for asking Vee! As a single mom and working girl, it's all about being organized ... which I'm not. lol! But I do make sure that every night, I wash the dishes and get everything out and ready for the next morning. Then every morning, I put away the dishes and make my bed. I try to pick up as I go but usually wait until the weekend to do the big jobs. I love reading your tips and have turned several friends onto the thread. Imagine a Flybaby at 41 ... love it!!
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Native_texan
Member
08-24-2004
| Thursday, January 25, 2007 - 7:59 am
I was painting a room the other day and couldn't believe how dusty the tops of door jambs and windows could really get. What did I tell ya'll!
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Urgrace
Member
08-19-2000
| Thursday, January 25, 2007 - 8:49 am
Well.. if you are going to dust the tops of the doors/frames, you might as well do the window sills, picture frames, wall sconces and ceiling fans while you're at it. I delegated that whole job to my dh a few years ago. Of course, after all those surfaces are dusted off you have to vacuum the floor under where all that dust fell! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<urgrace runs>
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Urgrace
Member
08-19-2000
| Thursday, January 25, 2007 - 7:03 pm
Okay, the interior of the pantry is finished and there is no room left for the bread and crackers, but I found a better way to store the foil, saran wrap, wax paper and zip bags, so I will probably put the bread and crackers in the basket on top of the microwave. It will be in a more convenient spot and the top of the fridge will be clear. DH was informed he needs to dust the doors and other things tomorrow!
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Native_texan
Member
08-24-2004
| Thursday, January 25, 2007 - 7:06 pm
Grace, can your method of storing the foil, etc. be useful for the rest of us?
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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Friday, January 26, 2007 - 6:05 am
Dear Friends, This is one of my favorite missions: Toss your underwear! LOL! When was the last time that you went through your underwear drawer? How many pairs really need to be tossed? Pantyhose? Bras? This is one area that SHEs really have a tendency to ignore for themselves. Wearing nice underthings, makes you feel good! Toss what you can and make it a promise to yourself that you will replace them when you can. Release the tattered, holey, and just plain worn out underthings! ~Kelly My suggestion? Shop first. Ha! Vacanick, sounds as if you have a plan that's working well for you. I just hope that you aren't as busy cleaning on the weekends as you used to be before FlyLady. That way you have plenty of time for family fun day and renew your spirit day. Yes, Urgrace, after dusting the first time, it's always good to vacuum. But! If we keep up with it, we'll never allow it to get to that state again. I don't think I do the real old-fashioned kind of dusting more than once a month and I am proud to report that everyone thinks I have no dust. Not true, but as long as they think that. And this is all done through the magic of an excellent feather duster used every other day or so. It takes me less than ten minutes to sail through every room in the house. Yes, less than 10 for the entire house. Not kidding. I use the inside of a lower cabinet door for my foils and things. *This One* looks interesting if one had the little cabinet flap to cover it all up. Otherwise, I think it's unsightly, but it appears that the wraps dispense directly from that unit without having to pick up the box. On second thought, that sounds like a tangled bunch of plastic wrap waiting to happen. :> Eagerly awaiting Grace's report...
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Vacanick
Member
07-12-2004
| Friday, January 26, 2007 - 6:12 am
Actually Vee ... one of my favorite things to do during the week is clean on Friday night. Crazy huh?? I'll do laundry, mop the kitchen floor, clean the bathroom, dust etc. And anything that I miss, I'll do Saturday morning. Saturday afternoon and Sunday are for time with my family. I love toss your underwear day. I can so do that & goodness knows it needs to be done!! How fun!!! 
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Urgrace
Member
08-19-2000
| Friday, January 26, 2007 - 8:23 am
The foil and other wraps fit nicely in a drawer, the one beneath the microwave and above the slide out trash can, except the extra long box of heavy duty aluminum foil that wouldn't fit. Of course the darn thing had ended up on top of the microwave - a place that has that 'clutter wannabe' area. SO I found a box that these extra long foil boxes fit in and sat them inside the cupboard under the drawer with the others. I'm going to go to Lowes and see if I can find a more appropriate container or shelf, but that is where I put it for now. Yeesh, the tossing of underwear is pretty easy. Wear them, get a hole in them, toss them immediately! LOL Why don't we do that? Okay,done.. that really didn't take up two minutes of the day.
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Urgrace
Member
08-19-2000
| Friday, January 26, 2007 - 8:37 am
The good news about the pantry being finished is that I was able to find room to put the cat food and most of those 'extras' my dh brought home the other day.
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Native_texan
Member
08-24-2004
| Friday, January 26, 2007 - 9:05 am
Grace, I thought about you last night as I worked on my pantry which included the foil and wrap and stuff. It started with me finishing up the dishes and deciding that I was sick and tired of the break sitting on the counter that has been its home since we moved into the house. I'm happy to say the bread is finally out of sight and in the pantry.
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Urgrace
Member
08-19-2000
| Friday, January 26, 2007 - 9:41 am
Maybe I should look for an under the counter breadbox that will fit above the microwave?
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Sia
Member
03-11-2002
| Friday, January 26, 2007 - 1:18 pm
Here's a wonderful organizational tool I bought for $99.99 at Sam's Club: an expandable clothing rack I put into my son's bedroom to hold both his and his sister's shirts, sweatshirts, sweaters, and some of their sweatpants and jeans that they wear most often this winter. This is one of the best things I've bought in the last year, because neither child's bedroom has a closet. (House was built in 1863 and is anything but "modern!")
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