It's War!

Clutter. Funny word, not a funny issue for some of us though. I have it bad. It should be classified as a disease. It spreads like poison oak and can cause all sorts of symptoms. Itchy hands, blindness (not seeing what is sitting right in front of you), restless leg syndrome (wanting to get the heck out of the room that the "disease" is in.

Clutter is a creeper. It creeps up on one when one is least likely to notice it. You know, when you're busy at work outside the home or right in the middle of little league season. Clutter is like bunnies, thus the name dust bunnies, it multiplies with abandon.

The disease of Clutter has no real cure. There is no magic elixir that we can take with a silver spoon to make it go away. There is however, a treatment of sorts for the symptoms. This is where the going gets tough. Now the question is are you the type of tough that gets going or the type that looks the other way and lets the clutter disease get worse and worse until it reaches the "hoarding" stage?

I've been guilty of the "looking the other way" method. Didn't work. Clutter didn't take offense and stalk off to find another home to invade. It just dug in and now to quote Bugs Bunny, "Dis means war".

As with any war, you have to have a strategy. You can't just go blundering in. You must gather your "troops" (in my case this is my pet name for my cleaning tray) and do your reconnaissance.

Location, location, location! Yep, it applies in the clutter war too! I'm going to start with my Master Bathroom.

Order of attack:

My bathroom is divided into two rooms. Both are tiny! The main part is the bath part. This is where the bathtub and toilet live.

A. Remove everything! Bottles, cups, empty bottles of shampoo, used razors, hair bands, rug on floor, basket on back of toilet.
*Done

B. Give the tub, tile and surround a good cleaning. Put back only the necessary items. Keep it to a minimum.
*Done

C. Give the toilet a good ole cleaning as well.
*Done

D. Remove curtains from window, shower curtains, rugs. Give them a good washing. Yes you can wash the plastic part in the washing machine, just don't run it through the dryer. I usually just hang it back up to dry.
*Done

E. Sweep and mop the tile floor.
*Done

F. Clean the window (remember the inside ledge too!) and rehang the curtain.
*Done

Now for the outside, or the Vanity part of the bathroom.

A. Here again remove everything from the top of the vanity. Remove the light fixture globes. I run the globes through a light rinse cycle in the dishwasher and while they are going I do the rest of the vanity.
*Done

B. Wipe down the outside of the light fixture. Clean the counter top and sink. Don't forget to shine the faucet!
*Done

C. Drawers? Empty! As you are putting things back, be strong! If it isn't something you use at the very least weekly, get rid of it. In most bathrooms real estate is at a premium and something there "in case" is just ridiculous.
*Done

D. Under the cabinet: This is where my clutter is stationed the most. I store my "extras" in there. So, I gathered all of it up and put only the towels back under. I have a "linen" closet in the hallway and that is where I will be storing the extras from now on.

E. Last but not least! Clean the mirror with, are you ready for this?, Window cleaning fluid from the automotive store. Yep, the very same stuff you put in to the plastic container under your car hood to squirt on your windshield. It works wonderfully and cost pennies as compared to the Windex type cleaners. Some of them also keep the mirror from steaming up!
*Done

Well, that is was my plan of attack on the Master Bath! It worked! I removed two trash bags full of junk and trash. So, now it is on to the Master Bedroom!

TOWANDA!!!!!!!!!

My Ducks.........have been out of quack!

Life has been crazy since my last posting. Illness, illness and did I mention illness? Well, it has been a nearly constant visitor until the last month or so and that has been spent trying to gather all my ducks and get them back in a row!

Life has moved on though, I have a new (to me at least) motorcycle. A Harley Davidson Sportster 1200 Low. I simply LOVE it! I sold Ms. Minnie to a very nice couple that were purchasing it for their daughter who is in college in Milledgeville. I hope she loves it as much as I did. I cried as I watched her ride down the driveway on a trailer....

Anyway, I will bring this blog out of mothballs and get back on track now that I'm over the creeping crud that has been my companion since December 26th!

The only thing I'm facing now is having time for writing when I'm riding so much! LOL!

Blessings~
Kat