tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879795385972045418.post4412650710064459536..comments2024-03-26T00:26:19.756-07:00Comments on The Bluebirds are Nesting...: The World Within Our Walls. Clean.Annabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09027539528156492413noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879795385972045418.post-23894282141959495762018-04-26T18:24:09.199-07:002018-04-26T18:24:09.199-07:00I remembered reading about the Kmart mop in one of...I remembered reading about the Kmart mop in one of your posts and I've just been rereading posts until I found it. It's always good to get a personal recommendation about items, so I'm off to buy one from my local Kmart...many thanks Annabel! Mariahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12594244181463706442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879795385972045418.post-6417689741062101772018-04-11T07:50:59.050-07:002018-04-11T07:50:59.050-07:00Kelsey, the regular Dyson or big Dyson as we call ...Kelsey, the regular Dyson or big Dyson as we call it here picks up everything. We have had ours for maybe 10 years now and it is still just as good at cleaning as it was when it was new.Lanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09380649410508372279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879795385972045418.post-36134828805623394642018-04-10T20:02:45.048-07:002018-04-10T20:02:45.048-07:00Thanks, Annabel! I love the idea to redecorate the...Thanks, Annabel! I love the idea to redecorate their rooms annually! My kids are getting old enough that I think they would love the creative process. They might even be more motivated to keep it clean if they had more of a hand in setting it up. Thank you!LeighSabeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00474933260819359301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879795385972045418.post-58816069790448808142018-04-10T19:03:40.471-07:002018-04-10T19:03:40.471-07:00Thank you, Lana! Yes, that does help. I do not exp...Thank you, Lana! Yes, that does help. I do not expect a vacuum to pick up anything as big as you mentioned or at least I've never seen one!<br />Love, KelseyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879795385972045418.post-57243339349508268592018-04-10T15:08:29.267-07:002018-04-10T15:08:29.267-07:00Dear Annabel and Friends, these are all great tips...Dear Annabel and Friends, these are all great tips. What is the saying that two heads are better than one? Well, 22 heads are even better! I will add that I clean our polished wooden floors with methylated spirits, diluted 1:4 in a spray bottle, and a large industrial head polishing mop. It's one of those big flat ones. It takes no time at all, and is actually better for the floors than water. The smell of the spirits dissipates quickly, and it dries fast too. Although a hot water mop is necessary monthly, this is great for in between and really makes the wooden floors shine. Thankyou Lynette for mentioning my broom for cleaning bathrooms and tubs. It saves your back for sure. I also swear by the hottest water your hands (in rubber gloves) can stand, a teaspoon of dishwasher rinse aid in that, and microfiber cloths for cleaning windows and glass doors. Have a pile of the cloths, change the water frequently, and wipe with a cloth soaked in the hot water with rinse aid to clean, then dry with a dry cloth. Change the cloths frequently too. So quick. That's as much as I can think of at the moment. What a great discussion. Mimi xxxMimihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189100084557458199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879795385972045418.post-37868994525398022882018-04-10T15:02:36.607-07:002018-04-10T15:02:36.607-07:00Dear Annabel,
You have me inspired! Actually, I ...Dear Annabel,<br /><br />You have me inspired! Actually, I am busy spring cleaning (in bursts) around here right now. Over the last few weeks we repainted and cleaned up our guest room, which felt wonderful, and now we are busy getting the tops of mouldings cleaned and walls dusted, fan blades wiped down, blinds cleaned, etc. One of my best cleaning "friends' is baking soda...it cuts through grease like you wouldn't believe! I am going to have to revisit your page for the Miracle Cleaner and see about whipping up a batch. It sounds like an easier solution to clean bathrooms, etc. with rather than baking soda and vinegar...which works well, but can be hard for the kids to work with when they are helping.<br /><br />I agree, sunshine is both motivating and the best disinfectant and deodorizer!!! <br /><br />Lots of love,<br /><br />Jen in NSAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879795385972045418.post-25551698903889190122018-04-10T07:02:56.571-07:002018-04-10T07:02:56.571-07:00Kelsey, We have the V6 Slim but we have had it fo...Kelsey, We have the V6 Slim but we have had it for awhile so maybe they do not make that ones anymore. ??? A friend came over and tried mine out by throwing all sorts of things on the floor to check what it would actually pick up and did not like it because it will not pick up what she calls big dirt. For example it will not pick up a Cheerio unless you crush it with your foot! It also will not pick up coffee beans which is a thing here but overall I do not know how we ever lived without it. It seems to be less noise than the big Dyson but the pitch is higher so I would not call it quiet. I hope that helps!Lanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09380649410508372279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879795385972045418.post-57763879071412030712018-04-09T23:32:17.450-07:002018-04-09T23:32:17.450-07:00Dear Roseanne,
I love your morning routine. I thi...Dear Roseanne,<br />I love your morning routine. I think routines are great as we just do them, there is no struggle to work out what to do next! <br />I keep somewhat of a schedule except for laundry which sometimes just has to be the warm days and not the rainy days. Today is really warm so all the towels are out!<br />Also I do much extra cleaning at the change of seasons, the beginning of spring and autumn. It makes a world of difference.<br />It does all add up, thankfully. I love your pantry and how you organised it! this is additional work but with many benefits! With love and thanks, Annabel.xxxAnnabelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027539528156492413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879795385972045418.post-88012623967418502092018-04-09T23:28:29.720-07:002018-04-09T23:28:29.720-07:00Dear Nana Jan,
I agree, order brings peace. Chaos ...Dear Nana Jan,<br />I agree, order brings peace. Chaos is awful. It isn't even healthy I am sure.<br />They are starting to talk now about clutter causing anxiety... hello I could have told them that! But things being clean and nice on top of that is just lovely. Once things are in shape it isn't that easy to keep them reasonable. Thank you! With love Annabel.xxxAnnabelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027539528156492413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879795385972045418.post-33018607379898961422018-04-09T23:26:20.723-07:002018-04-09T23:26:20.723-07:00Dear Kathy,
I should have mentioned a drier see wo...Dear Kathy,<br />I should have mentioned a drier see works also in the crockpot or a baked on pan. Amazing. No more scrubbing ever. Whats left I wipe over with the magic eraser. So easy. <br />Baking soda is a good gentle cleaner. Even body exfoliant!<br />Heating the cookware also is a good idea. Such a time saver.<br />Yes, fresh air and sunshine is the best of all. Many air fresheners etc are all an attempt to just get clean and fresh. Instead I try to have actual clean and fresh! So simple! Saying that I guess it is work too... but a joy as well! With love Annabel.xxxAnnabelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027539528156492413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879795385972045418.post-63540894777628286742018-04-09T23:23:09.375-07:002018-04-09T23:23:09.375-07:00Dear Lana, Well done! This is so organised. I love...Dear Lana, Well done! This is so organised. I love my lists but it is funny I will look at my list and pick something I feel like and do that... so it still gets done just maybe in an odd order!<br />I also have a Dyson Stick! I LOVE it. It is the best thing ever. I dont think I could do without it now. A friend got one recently and she said she doesnt know how she managed before!<br />The way you did the attic is good advice for anyone. Even ONE box a week would get it done sooner or later. I do not like things mounted up. So that is great you got through all of that. It feels good. Thank you for wonderful tips! With love Annabel.xxxAnnabelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027539528156492413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879795385972045418.post-69825878499403027972018-04-09T23:19:20.723-07:002018-04-09T23:19:20.723-07:00Dear Jane,
Well there are plenty of times Im in a ...Dear Jane,<br />Well there are plenty of times Im in a mess and if someone comes I want to crawl under a rock! haha!<br />Terrible weather doesnt help. Especially wind I find.<br />I love what you do with the curtains! This is a really good idea! <br />The method to clean bottles is really good too! Thank you!<br />Dishwashers dont tend to get inside anything so much so you are not missing out there.<br />I hope the weather improves. Its too warm here and making everyone grumpy! (me included!) with love Annabel.xxxAnnabelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027539528156492413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879795385972045418.post-54321007155510898542018-04-09T23:16:33.423-07:002018-04-09T23:16:33.423-07:00Dear Earthmotherwithin, Yes! The House blessing ...Dear Earthmotherwithin, Yes! The House blessing is a lovely thing. The car one is good too as it is so nice not having messy car. It is surprising how fast it can be done. You would be like me with "creative messes" I would think... projects just mean stuff is out! This is my biggest issue! With love Annabel.xxxAnnabelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027539528156492413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879795385972045418.post-49168894738019905622018-04-09T23:14:52.737-07:002018-04-09T23:14:52.737-07:00Dear Leigh, Well done! Well I do have a tip kind ...Dear Leigh, Well done! Well I do have a tip kind of... when the girls were young and from about that age we used to about once a year have a whole day or more of the school holidays where we would "re do" bedrooms. It would involved a complete room change, re arrange, re decorate... of course this meant a spring clean, going through stuff, boxing thing sup etc. The girls loved it! They were so excited as it usually meant the bed in a new spot etc and a general improvement. But this massive clean was very refreshing and they loved to keep it nice. <br />Other than that I say just dont have too much out, have routines and dont have food in bedrooms. Kids will generally help if you do things with them... and are bad at doing it alone (until bit older) so we would do things together and it would get done. Keep it very simple. It is so good you feel so happy with how things turned out! It IS a good feeling! With love Annabel.xxxAnnabelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027539528156492413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879795385972045418.post-87246200187118170242018-04-09T20:32:39.937-07:002018-04-09T20:32:39.937-07:00I just have to say thank you, as I read this post...I just have to say thank you, as I read this post this morning and it motivated me to get a TON of cleaning done today! I even deep cleaned my 7 and 9 year Olds bedrooms, which is a major chore that I've been putting off (if anyone has tips on getting kids to keep their rooms clean...that would be handy :). I feel so accomplished now and am sitting admiring my mostly clean house!LeighSabeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00474933260819359301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879795385972045418.post-14958747949472723882018-04-09T20:08:02.183-07:002018-04-09T20:08:02.183-07:00HI Annabelle. Yes, I learned a lot from Flylady, a...HI Annabelle. Yes, I learned a lot from Flylady, and still call our cleaning routine 'house blessing'. earthmotherwithinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506831989357088817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879795385972045418.post-8461237594745559552018-04-09T19:55:49.765-07:002018-04-09T19:55:49.765-07:00Dear Erin,
I drier sheet soaked in hot water in a ...Dear Erin,<br />I drier sheet soaked in hot water in a casserole dish also works. They are amazing! <br />I love when the underlay is just done. Bedding is so beautiful... even as a child I loved climbing into a fresh bed. I still love it. These are the simple lovely things in life! I should get more on the line today as it is hot one more day. I have done some towels so far! With thanks, Annabel.xxxAnnabelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027539528156492413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879795385972045418.post-28646505171626066042018-04-09T19:54:07.977-07:002018-04-09T19:54:07.977-07:00Hi Annabel. Seeing your sparkly clean home had me ...Hi Annabel. Seeing your sparkly clean home had me look at mine with a critical eye. Now the pesky cyclones have died off and the wind is lessening, I am seeing all the salt crust on the windows. Yukky! Today I started the preparation. All the curtains and wooden venetian blinds have been cleaned. As I have tiled floors, the curtains came straight out of the washing machine and were rehung. The weight of the material pulls out any wrinkles. A simple mop under the curtains gets any drips sorted. The venetian blinds were putrid! No wonder I have been sneezing so much lately. Tomorrow the windows and screens will all be scrubbed. <br />I too use a soft broom to clean the bath and shower. My MIL showed me this trick over 30 years ago. It is brilliant. I do find that giving the bath a wipe out as the water goes down the drain helps keep the high tide mark from forming.<br />I use denture tablets to clean my long narrow vases and glass bottle with narrow necks. Pop the denture tablet in, fill with water and leave to soak. I dont own a dishwasher so this is the best way to get these items clean.<br />Life is less sneezy good.<br />Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06964345893499561504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879795385972045418.post-66683151533829988282018-04-09T19:52:58.368-07:002018-04-09T19:52:58.368-07:00Dear Sewingcreations,
I also go from one room to a...Dear Sewingcreations,<br />I also go from one room to another carrying something! This helps a lot! Mum aught me that! Take something with you she says!<br />I am also trying to avoid ladders since I had a bad fall a few years ago. I need to really stop myself using ladders... my one main issue is light fittings... <br />I find clearing the kitchen/dining table and making it look nice has a miraculous effect on everything and then I dont dump stuff there. <br />I use the vanilla too.... I put a bit in a cup of water in the microwave, set it to boil... the house smells like vanilla and then I wipe out inside the microwave and it wipes clean as the steam softens it up. Overall I love vanilla!<br />It is a compliment if people notice how nice you have your place. We just have to keep at it. Routines help. Also with working outside and gardening etc this adds to the dirt coming inside. I wash my vies outside in the garden and this helps!<br />Thank you for your great tips! With love Annabel.xxx<br /><br /><br />Annabelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027539528156492413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879795385972045418.post-9891890725133829512018-04-09T18:28:19.360-07:002018-04-09T18:28:19.360-07:00Dear Kelsey,
It is wonderful when some advice help...Dear Kelsey,<br />It is wonderful when some advice helps and just clicks with you. Terri's advice was so sensible too. I am so glad it helped. given cleaning is never ending knowing where to start and even when to stop is needed. Just to have the feeling of being on top of it is huge. We dont have to do everything on one day!<br />I love my feather duster. When I shake it out, outside, I am amazed and it only took a few minutes and this has removed so much dust, cobwebs etc. Oh yes I should think of mine as a handmaiden also! <br />If you have time try Love Meg. She is really nice. These channels seem miles better than TV to me. Thank you so much Kelsey! With love Annabel.xxxAnnabelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027539528156492413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879795385972045418.post-66815931854967100082018-04-09T18:14:17.488-07:002018-04-09T18:14:17.488-07:00Dear Glenda, I am so glad you like the miracle cle...Dear Glenda, I am so glad you like the miracle cleaner. It has a very cleansing and refreshing effect and not chemicals. the house smells so nice.<br />Even when I mis it up in a bucket the house smells good before I have actually done anything! <br />I do like to settle down on to some craft projects in winter. I love it! With much love Annabel.xxx<br />Annabelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027539528156492413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879795385972045418.post-35836793342107373432018-04-09T18:12:33.649-07:002018-04-09T18:12:33.649-07:00Dear Lynette,
Thank you for these tips. The dentur...Dear Lynette,<br />Thank you for these tips. The denture tablets then would also work wonders on the inside of a tea pot. I drink tea so stained cups are always annoying!<br />The broom is a great idea. thousands of bristles work much faster than we can by hand. Plus less bending over. <br />Actually this somehow reminds me of the power of soaking something, leaving a product to work. I cover my show base with cleaner then go away and do other things for a while, then come back and mop it out. A soak does many things good.<br />I do the same Lynette... in winter if the sun comes out for a while during the day I will still open things up for fresh air. Even if its just for a little while at the warmest part of the day. I cant stand stale air or stuffiness. I am convinced it isn't healthy either. <br />Thank you so much for your tips. With much love Annabel.xxx<br />Annabelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027539528156492413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879795385972045418.post-29491621967377708632018-04-09T18:09:39.944-07:002018-04-09T18:09:39.944-07:00Dear Lana,
I am so glad you mentioned your Dyson ...Dear Lana,<br /> I am so glad you mentioned your Dyson stick vac because I am in the market for one! Our old vacuum doesn't work very well and I think one of these would work well for us as I could just zoom quickly over the whole house without dealing with a cord. Plus it would be easy to carry up the stairs. Do you mind sharing which model you have? It is quiet like they say?<br />Love, KelseyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879795385972045418.post-3242342280213393912018-04-09T18:02:01.501-07:002018-04-09T18:02:01.501-07:00Dear Kaye,
Yes this is our big chance to get thing...Dear Kaye,<br />Yes this is our big chance to get things sun dried and aired. Its really good for that at least! There are some great you tube channels. Its better than TV... I find almost nothing good on tv! Except I like Masterchef and I think thats coming soon! Inspiration is good and encouraging. <br />This week so far is catching up. You have a very good week too. With much love, Annabel.xxxAnnabelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027539528156492413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5879795385972045418.post-85507057113925112352018-04-09T09:44:10.796-07:002018-04-09T09:44:10.796-07:00You have so many wonderful tips here!
I have fo...You have so many wonderful tips here! <br /><br />I have four week long cleaning chore lists that rotate. They pretty much get all the cleaning chores covered. I operate by lists and no other way works for me so I just do what is on my list each day and it gets done. It really gives me peace of mind. People come to our home and comment that it is so clean but the lists really keep up with everything and it rarely takes more than 30 minutes a day other than laundry. The lists also allow me to just roll with a bit of dust since I know that the dusting chore is coming up in a day or two most times. We love microfiber too and use it everywhere in our home. Our most favorite cleaning tool is our Dyson stick vac that stays charged in it's dock so all we have to do is grab it and we can clean floors messes so quick and easy. We also love Shakley Basic H concentrate. I have been using a quart bottle for literally 10 years and still have a good bit to go and it has no scent which means clean to us. Now that my husband is home every day we are a cleaning and chore dong team and the lists are easy for both of us to facilitate getting it done each day.<br /><br />We cleaned out 22 years worth of stuff from our attic by going through 3-4 boxes every week until it was done. It seemed to be too big a task but it was one day finished and it felt so good. Next was our garage because 5 kids left so much stuff behind when they grew up. We do many things that way and it just makes life so much easier.<br /><br />Happy housekeeping!<br /><br />Lanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09380649410508372279noreply@blogger.com