Start your new life with a nice home, part 2!

Today, I decided to deep clean my home myself since I was teaching you guys how to. I want to do it WITH you so we're all on the same page. :)
I think you should always start with your kitchen when cleaning your house. It's just much much nicer to walk in to the kitchen when you cook when it looks and smells amazing. Then all you have to worry about are your dishes! Some people might be inclined to start on their living room, which is perfect if you have guests often, but my family really doesn't. My next post will be about the living room, because that's where I clean next.
A little bit of background on my home life: My husband and I are newlyweds, and in order to save money to have the house of our dreams, we moved from Florida (where I am from) to England (where he is from) to live with the in-laws. Because I can't work in this country, I am just a tourist, I help out by doing all of the household duties. There are six people in this house: My husband and I, his two brothers (aged 19 and 21), and my husband's parents. You can imagine how messy and cluttered it gets! I decided to help people using the knowledge I acquired about how to do this without going crazy!
The kitchen could be my worst nightmare. It gets hard to keep up with, not only because 1/2 of us don't eat meat (which causes chaos in the kitchen), but because here in England, it is very common to have the washing machine right next to the sink. So the kitchen gets messier faster than any room in our house.
Remember my last post about supplies? You need even LESS supplies to clean the kitchen.! Besides a mop and broom, you only need the following:

A few towels, dish soap, a couple sponges (one for cleaning up counter tops, tiles, oven, etc. and one solely for dish washing.), a feather duster, a pair of rubber gloves, and some ammonia-free window cleaner or white vinegar. For stuck-on stains, you can use baking soda and water mixed to a paste, but it's not completely necessary, sometimes the window cleaner will work!

I took some photos before cleaning the entire kitchen top to bottom. It may take you more than one day to do this (especially if you have a job, kids, or hobbies!), as it did for me. I will post the after photos, as well as what I did to clean them.

These are all the things I have to sort out. Now, it may look overwhelming, but as I said, don't stress about it if it's not done in one day! Work from top to bottom, right to left, and it'll go by faster than you think. For the first bit, just getting it decently clean and organized, go through cupboards and throw away anything that is out of date, donate nonperishable food you're not going to eat (that isn't out of date, obviously) to a homeless shelter, clean and sanitize counters, wash windows, and clear your sink of EVERYTHING. Clearing your sink (and cleaning it!) discourages you from throwing things in it. It's a focal point of your kitchen, it'll make you feel better once it's all done. I'll go in to more details later!

How to start your new life with a nice home, part 1.

As you already know, keeping a house isn't an easy job. If it were, you wouldn't be here, now would you?

I remember when my mother used to have us "deep clean" our rooms maybe once a year or so. It was a hassle. There was always an argument or two, I got bored of it, I absolutely hated it. but it doesn't have to be that way! I want you to see this as something that will make you and your family feel better, not a chore that just HAS to be done. Here are the things I want you to do on your first day.

Firstly, I want you to get a spiral notebook, a few sheets of paper in a binder laying around the house, even just a few napkins you can stick together with a paper clip. Anything you can write down on that you don't have to run out and buy (because my number one rule: don't buy stuff that is just going to add clutter to the house! But we'll talk more about that later...).
I want you to write down a list of all of your rooms, starting from the entrance. Then, I want you to write all the things you like about any aspect of the room. For example:

Living Room
Likes: The artwork, potted plants, wall color, etc.

Now, I want you to note that if you like these things, I want you to emphasize these points. Try and find ways that you can make these things stand out. For example, washing the walls of any markings, dusting potted plants, cleaning the glass on the art frames. Stuff like that. Now I want you to take the same living room and write down the dislikes. This list will probably be a LOT longer! Note everything you dislike at the minute. Not things you have to change by going to a home and gardening store, things that are easily changeable. Things that you can easily tackle.

Dislikes: The clutter under the staircase, the dust on the mantle, the grime around the baseboards, the junk on the coffee table, etc.

Now, I want you to do this with every single room in your house. Got it? Good! Do this, relax for a while, then do the next step, which I am about to explain.

Remember my number one rule? Don't buy anything? Well, the only exceptions to this rule is if 1) it's going to help you with the upkeep of your home or 2) you throw away/donate something in its place.

These are items that I find absolutely essential to deep clean my house.

1. A vacuum. Make sure IT is clean beforehand. It will be just like washing your car with muddy hands if you don't. If you're just starting out with a home (or don't have a working vacuum), I suggest buying a high-quality one (NOTE! "high-quality" doesn't always mean "high-priced"! Check out EBay!), preferably bag less (for those eco-friendly people (like me), it is totally worth it, not just money wise, but for our planet), and if you can (especially if you or someone you live with are asthmatic), a HEPA filter. BUT don't go out and buy one if you have one that picks up stuff fairly well!
2. A big bottle of white vinegar. You know, the stuff you boil Easter eggs in! It is eco-friendly, obviously not tested on animals, and is amazing at cleaning glass/windows/mirrors and tabletops. For an all-purpose spray, mix a bit in an empty, clean spray bottle with seltzer water. You can use this for just about anything, I swear. Newspaper is a great alternative to paper towels for cleaning windows, too!
3. A bottle of dish soap. Antibacterial if you can get it, but if you are concerned about it (which you should be!), it should state that the company does not test on animals. I, myself, am a huge fan of Method's line of cleaners. They state right on the bottle that they are "against animal testing", which is a huge relief. My favorite scent of their dish soap is French Lavender, but whatever your preference is will do, obviously. You can purchase Method's products at Target in the US or Sainsbury's in the UK. Or you could go directly to the source and order form methodhome.com. They might be a bit pricey for some, but the cleaners work wonders and you can have the reassurance that you are purchasing a product from an ethical company. Plus, the packaging is so darn cute, you won't feel bad about leaving it out!
4. Several dish rags/towels. Anythign you don't mind getting dirty. I say several so that if one gets dirty, you can throw it in the washing machine and you will have one on hand!
5. An apron. Not essential, but definitely gets you in the mood to clean! Get one with pockets on the front to carry around trash, supplies, whatever, until you put it in its proper place. You can buy them from Etsy.com from people who really deserve the money, or make one your own from an old sheet.
6. Rubber gloves. You know, those stereotypical yellow latex things. I like mine in pink, but whatever you fancy! It keeps your hands from getting pruney while doing dishes, and from smelling when cleaning windows. Put a bit of talc/baby powder on the inside so they don't stick to your hands, and cuff the wrists of them, so that if water drips down them, you don't get the water down your sleeves!
7. A duster of any kind. I prefer the static dusters made from man-made material because they're animal friendly and pick up things like crazy. Simply shake the dust out of it outside to get rid of the nasty stuff.
8. A good tile cleaner. Method has one I love, but again, whatever you fancy. I am very much against bleach! It isn't biodegradable, which means when you rinse it down the drain, the chemicals still exist in the sewage. Most sewage ends up where cute little critters live, and can destroy nature. So don't use bleach!!!
9. A pack of sponges. If you have a dishwasher, stick them in the top rack to disinfect every night. Otherwise, fill your sink or a bowl with boiling water, put a dirty (but rinsed out) sponge in it, a bit of vinegar, and let it soak. Then wring out thoroughly and lay out to dry to ensure that all the germs get out of it.; There is nothing grosser than a dirty sponge!
10. A broom and mop. For obvious reasons. I don't like Swiffers. They don't clean properly and they're costly/wasteful.
11. A bucket to both keep all your cleaning supplies in while traveling from room-to-room and to make mop water with.

Once you have all this together, rest. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow/whenever the next day you have free might be. I can ensure you that, although it might not be the most fun you've ever had, but it'll be SO worth it when your home is livable!

Welcome!

Is your home a little less than exciting? Are you willing to make a change in your life without sacrificing your hip personality? Do you think housekeeping requires dumping your personal or ethical beliefs? Are you just too embarrassed to have anyone over? Look no further than my blog!

I used to loathe keeping up with the daily duties of cooking and cleaning, all while still doing all the things I loved to do. I used to be ashamed of everything I didn't do - I was slobby, lazy, and didn't take care of myself. Now I find pleasure in ensuring that my home is full of love! Grabbing inspiration from many sources, I set out to change my life, and decided to put the various tips and tricks I learned to good use, sharing them with the world.

Being a good housewife (or even working woman who just wants to keep her house happy and inviting!) doesn't require you to go out, don a dress and apron, buy chemicals and products from unethical corporations, and accept it. You can simply do things the way you want to do them!

My husband and I are both young, vegan, ethical consumers. I myself am also a devout Christian. I have learned to balance my beliefs with keeping my home, and I am very proud to say that I can do that effortlessly. I am also proud to share this with you.

So feel free to peek around! Have fun! That's what life's about. It's far too short to pace around, pulling your hair out, isn't it? Right!