Monday, August 5, 2019

Saying No to The Zone

Thank you everyone for your responses yesterday. I especially appreciate Janette's take on the mental health issue because it is very much out of my area. I only had one regular reader who left something profane and said something about how this was not what she came to read. To her, and anyone else, I did make it clear that I would continue to advocate and express on the blog, especially on topics that I consider to be areas of human rights: refugees, racism and the like. Hopefully a blog a month or so will not keep you away.

I honestly cannot believe I am about to discuss something housework related here on the blog. Seriously people. Housekeeping is NOT my life. I can list twenty five million things I would rather do (and often do instead of) than housework. I am such a poor housekeeper that my husband used to deep clean the house on Sundays when I would take the offspring to church. Even when I was working part time or less. If I ever do another post on love language, let me tell ya..............

However, some cleaning has to be done. Such is life. I donut want to hire it out, although I revisit that every so often. And I am the only person who is not working at the moment in this house (I don't allow this situation to come into play or affect much, just a few things here and there). Which is why one of my two monthly goals at the beginning of July was to try out the fly lady zone cleaning system and report back how it worked for me after a month.

Unfortunately my vote is no. I understand there are many people who love it, the theory being that your house is divided into zones and you work on one zone each week of the month. I suspect my dislike falls into a few areas...my rooms are VERY different in terms of cleaning and decluttering needs even if I move the zones around a bit. I want to expend the same little amount of energy weekly. There are somethings that I feel need to be done more than monthly, but may not need to be done weekly. My weekly cleaning is simply twice a week vacuuming and sweeping of hardwoods (something that should probably be done more often by a woman with two dogs but there you go).

Instead I'm sticking with my own system. Which as they say, is the same yet different. Every day I try to spend the time to bring the kitchen half way back to normal after dinner. We try to pick up as we go, and when I think about it I wipe the bathroom sink at the end of the

morning.

Other than that I allot fifteen minutes or so to a room a day. I guess my zones are daily rather than weekly. Today's room was the hearth room-that fireplace space with the small dining table in the middle of it and two chairs on either side of the fireplace. I attacked with the feather duster, I wiped windowsills and baseboards, I changed the table cover, and I dusted the book case with real dusting cloths. And that's it. Next week on Monday I'll dust again, but the other fifteen or so mutes may be spent on something else. And twice a week someone in this house will vacuum and sweep (using a Bona dist mop sprayed with the Bona spray liquid).

Anything other than the above gets included in quarterly or twice a year cleaning (my sister cleans her own areas and works on all the outside beautification). And that's it.

I do declutter, but I only need to do that in my bedroom and the sewing room and each holiday I do the holiday stuff. And that's it. I realize that to many of my readers this would be barely considered cleaning. Many of you deal with the potty daily, even. But so it goes. 





As an aside, I've started going outside in the morning with the dogs, sometime between nine and ten after I've had my breakfast. In my nightgown more than often. It gives me time to read and enjoy the outdoors before the heat comes in now-and I'll probably continue it as long as the weather works, which in Colorado is most of the year. I do have that umbrella for the table for rain, and I'm getting a table top heat to complete the all weather patio until we decide if we really need a Sunbrella or rolling shade
I'm


All and all, it's the lazy, crazy dog loving life for me!

22 comments:

  1. It seems like it all works for you. Why change just because other people think you should. I cannot do over 30 min total all day long in here. I never realized your son and sister live with you.

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  2. You are more conscientious than I am! Other than doing laundry, changing beds and cleaning up the kitchen after each meal I do what catches my attention as needing to be done.

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    1. In theory this is what I do as well. But since I tend to not notice things until I reach the "oh shir mushrooms are growing under the bed stage" I'm tryi g to be a bit more proactive

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  3. I tried the Fly Lady approach once and didn't like it enough to even remember the details of her process.

    The only time I clean anymore is the day before my cleaning service comes when I'll pick stuff up and return it to the room/place it belongs to. I suppose I use feel guilty about not cleaning but I don't. Did it too many years and did it well, but now I'd rather be doing other things.

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    1. I may be looking ar this every other week once we are done with th wedding. I can see it happening.

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  4. When I checked out the Fly Lady approach I knew it would never work for me and this house. Like you I have my own way of doing things and I know things will be done.

    God bless.

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  5. I do more cleaning in the winter months than summer months; there's just so much outside stuff to do. I was thinking about my prn (as needed) cleaning style. I know people who go through their houses weekly, dusting, cleaning bathrooms, washing floors, vacuuming. The one room that gets dusted and vacuumed on a regular basis is my bedroom, the room I spend the least waking hours in. Go figure. I do like a tidy home and spend time almost daily tidying up, the a place for everything and everything in its place. I host monthly house concerts in the winter months and in the word of my predecessor - it's a good excuse to cook something nice and clean the house.

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    1. Unfortunately dogs retire cleaning up after even more in the summer.and I cannot stand dust. Otherwise it's mainly what I see to ffo. I'm still evolving with this stuff and routine is not my middle name.

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  6. I had a party/gathering/picnic here once a month for two years. Since I live alone, I could clean my house once a month and each month it got cleaner and cleaner. I did do bathroom when it needed it, cleaned up messes on kitchen floor as it happened, but there was no cleaning the whole house each week. It worked to keep the house clean. And, I was happy. I could not do fly lady.

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    1. There is a certain amount that must be done with pets, no matter what. And even when I lived alone I have always had to do a weekly cleaning of the bathrooms and dust and such. I am not willing to have dust

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  7. Since I've retired I do far more cleaning that I used to, and even more so now that the house is listed for sale. As you say, with pets there is certain things that need to be done...I wish I'd done more of that before I retired.

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    1. We're behind on soem of the semi deep cleaning issues and once I get those caught up I will probably just spend a total of ahalf an hour a day in the whole house. as it is it's five minutes here and ten minutes there when I am in the mood.

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  8. Barb, I don't know what kind of central heating or cooling system you have but here, if your house gets dusty allthe time it's often caused by not having your heating/cooling pipes and registered cleaned. People go for years ignoring them but it makes a huge difference. I went from having to dust weekly to only needing it every 4/5 weeks after having my system cleaned. IT hadn't been done for six years.

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    1. Thats often an issue. Here its mainly because the weather is such that even in the winter you can leave the windows open and do and stuff gets seriously tracked in. We vaccum our vents as well but they rarely have dust on them, although they will probably need to be cleaned in another year,

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    2. And we live in a climate with a max of ten degrees relative humidity which makes dust

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  9. I HATE TO CLEAN!
    That is all.
    When we move in four years the house will be sp clean you can eat anywhere. Until then, take your chances- the dust bunnies keep the floor warm.

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  10. Have you ever checked at Coldwater Creek for a dress?

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    1. They are not one of my favorite stores, no. Even when they still had a storefront. It actually doesnt even hit me to do so because their clothing is not generally my style. I prefer more flowy modernthings.

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  11. How DARE someone tell you what to talk about in YOUR OWN BLOG! Good grief! Block them! They don't deserve you.

    Ha! We have all tried Fly Lady! My method is when it gets to a state where it bothers me, I clean. Or ask the others to declutter. Our main area is very busy. Dining table is a drop spot for all four of them. Piles of stuff ... kids art, Dad's gardening books, Mom's current hobby, whatever. Sweat shirts piled on two chairs. About once a month (when it doesn't look inviting to have the boys enjoy a meal ther) I issue a command. I keep my room clean. I keep the bathroom clean (except tub ... can't get down there any more) ... sink and vanity and toilet daily. Shelves every other week.

    Cleaning service every other week is the best luxury in the world!

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  12. Anyone who doesn't want to hear your opinion on your blog is definitely advised to head elsewhere. Shame on them. Anyway, just wanted to say that people inside and outside the USA feel the same way, really a bit of despair in the way the whole world is headed. One day at a time...plus there are still good people in this world willing to fight the good fight and we have to support them as best we can.

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  13. I hate housework too. Tried Flylady but it was way to regimented. I try to keep tidy and cleanup as things look like they need it. Looks dusty? Ok i’ll Dust it. too much dog hair flying around? Guess it’s time to sweep and vacuum.

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Thanks for stopping by! I love to hear from others, and I also love to hear all points of view.. Just leave the profanity and insults at home, OK? Thanks!!