Messy Home Challenge

**madhen** · 10-05-2008, 09:15 PM

FINALLY!! Pics in my album.

I have now cleaned out and re-organized all the cupboards. I moved a lot of stuff around, and tried to put the rarely-used items in the out-of-reach areas. The rest of the kitchen is now VERY user-friendly.

I also washed and oiled all the cabinets and the wood floor.

What is really great is that I actually ended up with a couple of cupboards free, so I will be able to store home-canned things in there.

Next challenge: the upstairs bedroom....

**beks37** · 10-05-2008, 09:47 PM

Great job on the kitchen. I checked out the pictures and it looks great! Do you have any before pictures? Maybe on the next project (room), take before and after pictures so we can see the transformation. It is very inspiring what you are doing. I too need to start doing this!!

**madhen** · 10-05-2008, 09:56 PM

Yes, I thought about that AFTER I started cleaning. It was kind of a disaster area, so I was more geared toward fixing it than memorializing it.

I'll try to take a "before" pic of the bedroom.

**madhen** · 10-11-2008, 11:50 PM

Intended to go for the bedroom next, but because I had to have a plumber come in for the kitchen, I ended up working on the dining room and livingroom.

I recently purchased an H20 Mop and gave it a whirl on the carpet in the livingroom and WOW! It did a GREAT job, pulling up a number of stains that I have never been able to get out.

I am about 90% done on both. (Yes, I didn't take before pics - the mood just kind of hit)

**madhen** · 10-13-2008, 03:35 PM

I actually started on the bedroom late last night. I did think to take pics this morning, and about the only difference is that the bed is moved, the bedsheets are in the laundry, and a few cleaning supplies have been brought up. Pics of the "before" are posted in my album.

First thing I did was move the REALLY HEAVY STUPID bed!! About SEVEN times! Until I finally settled on where it sits now. Then I went to bed.

This morning, all the bedsheets went into the wash. Meanwhile, I sprinkled baking soda spritzed with a bit of natural insect pesticide on the bare mattress and let it sit for about an hour to deodorize and to kill off any dust mites that might be hanging around. Vacuumed it off a minute ago and then realized that I needed to take pics.

My intent is to make this a room that I can relax in and knit, read, watch t.v., etc, but ALSO have a separate area for sleeping. The bedroom is decently big, so I think I can do this.

One benefit in winter/detriment in summer is a HUGE window placed on the slanted roof that faces southwest. Wonderfully warm in winter; intolerable oven in the summer. Because of the slant of the roof, it is almost impossible to cover the thing. (Suggestions happily considered.) I typically end up tacking a blanket over the whole thing and living in semi-darkness all summer.

It is on a hinge, so you can open it slightly, but it makes no difference in the summer. It is like trying to live inside a hot car.

Off to tackle the mess....

**madhen** · 10-13-2008, 04:14 PM

To add an autumnal dash to the room, I mixed up another batch of baking soda, and added cinnamon to it. I wanted to use lavender, but didn't have any around, and I *did* have some cinnamon in the spice rack that was getting a little old. Sprinkled it over the bare mattress and let it sit for about 15 minutes, then vacuumed it off.

Smells very nice, quite subtle but definitely there. I suspect that if I left it all day, the smell would be more pronounced. Because it is on the bare mattress, I may not even notice it after putting on the mattress cover AND the fitted sheet.

In addition to the lovely aroma, cinnamon is an odor inhibitor and is reputed to be a mild aphrodisiac.

Seems appropriate for a bedroom.

**madhen** · 10-18-2008, 10:34 AM

My goal for this weekend is to get the bedroom done. Once it is picked up, organized, and vacuumed, I am thinking about repainting it. I started repainting LAST year, and got the livingroom and dining room done, and that was it. The rest of the house still has the same boring beige paint that was probably slapped on just before I bought the place.

I am thinking very light lavender for the bedroom, with some darker accents. I want to find a new bedspread, so I am hoping to find one with some light purple in it to use as the palette for the walls.

**madhen** · 10-25-2008, 11:27 PM

I got sidetracked with my BIL's party, but am back on track! The kitchen got trashed with me doing all the cooking for days on end, but I spent the day getting it back in order. So tomorrow, my goal is to get the rest of the bedroom picked up. If I have the energy, I *might* go look at some paint samples for the walls.

I found my knitting chair, but it smells like cigarette smoke, so it is sitting outside, cooking in the sun every day. Today, I mounded baking soda on it and left it to sit some more, but it still smells. I may look for some fabric cleaner to try on it. Hate to take a perfectly FREE chair and start spending money on it.

**madhen** · 10-25-2008, 11:28 PM

I did splurge and buy some new pillows for the bed. The ones I have had a permanent head indentation. I found some BOGO deals on king-sized, so I bought four.

**kittykatstrong** · 10-26-2008, 01:35 AM

I took a look at the pictures. Great job! I sould try baking soda on the mattress as it is of needed freshing.

**madhen** · 10-28-2008, 12:11 AM

Checked the chair - still smells like cigarettes.

Moved all the clutter out of the bedroom, so I have a clean slate to work with. I have arranged my "entertainment center" (tv and radio) and am trying to set up an area for knitting/needlework/beading without making things too cluttered.

**Goodwin17** · 10-28-2008, 07:54 PM

Sounds like you are doing great. I simply don't know how you find enough hours in the day to do all that you do. Keep up the good work!

**madhen** · 10-28-2008, 11:13 PM

Still hunting for the perfect bedspread. I just got a coupon for Bed, Bath, and Beyond, so maybe I'll check it out. I've checked Target, WalMart, KMart, Mervyn's, Macy's, eBay, and a number of on-line sources, but the perfect shade of lavender eludes me....

I don't want to buy the paint until I get the bedspread.

**madhen** · 11-02-2008, 10:17 PM

Still working on the bedroom. I keep moving furniture around.

Gave up on finding the perfect bedspread, so I'm looking into making it. Right now, I'm crocheting a blanket in a light purple. It's a start.

**madhen** · 11-03-2008, 07:20 PM

I've got the carpet cleaners coming tomorrow, so that gave me a little kick in the pants to get the bedroom picked up.

I am still crocheting that blanket. That sucker is going to take a little while, but I really like the colour. I am thinking of doing the same thing in a dark purple, then joining the two with a border to make it reversible. My only concern is that it would be so bulky, it might not be easy to clean.

I keep moving the television around. Can't decide on a home for it.

Have added pots to my "winter salad" garden under the demon window and planted lettuce and tomatoes. If they grow, it will be a cute little indoor garden.

I also want to find two matching, self-watering pots to replant a couple of houseplants in, so they can live in the same window. One is a good-luck plant - can't recall the name of it off-hand, but you see them for sale everywhere. Five leaves on each frond, and the plant is usually made up of five plants that have been woven together. Mine was growing like a weed, but is now suffering from needing a bigger pot. I'd like to move it and possibly either my other blood orange baby tree or my baby snake plant into the bedroom window. I like having green things around me.