Nesting and purging

So, all the going in and out this winter has left my house a bit of a wreck, and although I went through a good period of keeping it neat, now there’s stuff everywhere, getting slowly worse over the winter. And so I am planning to do some spring cleaning/purging, inspired by today’s lovely weather, although it will continue when wintry weather returns. Tonight the windows are open to let in some fresh air and I'm listening to peppy music to get going.

So here is the plan:

Great House Purge/Spring Cleaning 2016
Normal cleaning --Tonight
1. Gather trash and recyclables.
2. Load dish washer and do a cycle.
3. Excavate loveseat.
4. Reverse grey boxes, dining room end table.
5. Water and rearrange plants.
6. Straighten up living room.
Normal cleaning--Sunday
1. Put water in fish tanks.
2. Wash plastic dishes.
3. Gather dirty laundry.
4. Take trash out.
5. Take recyclables out.
6. Do laundry over at my friends’ while helping them with their house.
Normal cleaning--This week (2/22-2/28)
1. Clean bathroom.
2. Straighten up kitchen.
3. Fold old clean laundry.
4. Put away laundry.
5. Straighten up dining room.
6. Vacuum living and dining areas.
7. Excavate bedroom floor.
8. Return things to closets.
9. Straighten up bedroom.
10. Vacuum bedroom.
Purging Begins--Next week (2/29-2-3/6)
1. Clean out grey totes that will now be in dining room.
2. Weed clothes.
3. Give away old clothes.
Purging Continues--Next two weeks after that (3/7-3/20)
1. Rearrange computer desk and go through papers on its shelf.
2. Weed and rearrange books a shelving unit at a time.
3. Catalogue books.
4. Run any weeded books by YKWIA in case he wants them.
5. Give rejects to the library.
6. Clean out entertainment center.
Purging Continues--Week of 3/21-2/27
1. Rearrange cabinets in kitchen and give away anything not wanted to a food bank.
2. Clean out linen/bathroom closet.
Purging Continues--Week of 3/28-4/3
1. Clean out walk-in closet and give away anything not wanted.
Purging Continues--Weeks of 4/4-4/17
1. Clean out bedroom closets and give away anything not wanted.
2. Take any electronic cords, items, not wanted to be recycled at the Lexington Reycling Centre.
3. Set up window boxes (which right now have two-year-old geraniums).

I try to do this about once a year. The plan starts with normal cleaning and getting things back to being livable. Then over time I will go through and clean out closets and cabinets and giving away what isn’t needed. This year I have an ambitious goal: weeding books. I have about fourteen bookshelves in an apartment that has about 780 square feet. I need to rearrange them. Everything’s on shelves, and about half are in order, but I’d like to get them in good order and catalogued. YKWIA gets first stab at any of the rejects; after that they’ll go to the library (I could try to sell them to Half-Price Books, but I learned a long time that you get squat for ANYTHING (books, CDs, etc.) there.

Okay, if this is going to work, I need to get to work. I’ve been doing a lot of other stuff today and the night is almost gone. But I do want to get the dishes done and the fish and plants taken care of tonight. That won’t take too long. Plus, there’s some general straightening up to do, and the living room should be in good shape. We’re not playing the game again yet, so I have some time tomorrow morning and then I’ll go over to YKWIA and A’s and help them with their house, do my laundry, watch ‘Lucifer’ with them, and then A and I plan on coming over here and working out at the complex gym. Wish us luck.