Purging & Cleaning

I had a comment asking about how I got started on my purging and cleaning journey so I figured I’d shed some light on it!

Let me lay some groundwork first:

1. I don’t hold my possessions dear to my heart. On two separate occassions (without going into details) I have had to leave all my stuff behind in moves. At a young age I learned things are just things.
2. We live in a small space so storage is minimal and tiny. Less space = less things.
3. I never really learned "how to clean" so I always felt like it wasn't for me so I did it begrudgingly and sporadically. It took a mind change to get me to appreciate that cleaning things wasn't a chore so much as an expression of love for my family and pride in our home. That switch in thinking was KEY.

Purging |

I started purging after I came across Allie Casazza’s Declutter like a Mother course in January. It was such a great motivator! I threw away unnecessary paperwork, donated toys, clothes, craft supplies, and games. We upcycled books and went through DVDs and CDs (what are those? Haha) By the end I donated like 10 bags and consigned eight. The purging process is always ongoing; you can always find a few bags holding donate/consign items in two different (designated) corners of our house. Yes, it kinda adds to visual clutter but I don't bring them to my car unless they are full otherwise I'm wasting time and gas taking half-empty bags to Goodwill. I learned you gotta find the balance that works for you.

I found that getting rid of the excess freed up mental space and I felt freer and lighter. It is amazing. 

Some resources to check out:

Declutter like a  Mother mini course

The Purpose Show podcast episode 19: 5 Things that are hard to declutter (and how to handle it)

Cleaning |

Come February, after clearing counter tops, shelves and closets, I was ready to tackle cleaning. Like I mentioned above, I never was instructed on the ins and outs of cleaning and it really isn't an innate ability so I just felt lost and defeated. I finally saw (heard?) the light when I was listening to The Simple Show podcast with Tsh and cohost, Kendra talked about how to clean. I finally found my muse!

After some minor trial and error (using a premade but untailored- to-me cleaning schedule, getting overwhelmed with making my own cleaners- there are so many options out there! White noise, indeed)  I decided to join a one week clean it challenge hosted by Kendra of Clean Mama since the first crash course gave me that desired momentum. Well, it worked!
***How crazy is it that both women who specialize in cleaning are named Kendra?!***

Since then, I have mapped out my own rooms, categorized what needed to be cleaned on a daily/weekly/monthly schedule, assigned days of the week per room and cleaning finally became purposeful.

Resources:

Clean Mama's #justcleanit Instagram challenge

The Lazy Genius podcast episode #51: cleans the bathroom | #17: cleans the house

Practical Essential Oils 

It’s April now and my cleaning schedule is still going strong. Sundays are my favorite cleaning day- its the bathroom and it feels so good to clean and I've gotten it down to 20 minutes or less (another bonus to smaller homes, smaller rooms, faster cleaning times!)

I hope this helps to inspire! I’m going cliche and saying if I can reform my bad cleaning habits than anyone can!