4 Weeks to a More Organized Home: Assignment #7

What the best thing to wipe the baseboards down with? Dish soap and water? Bleach and water? Just water? Something else? Clearly I haven’t done this job before…..

I saw a tip about using dryer sheets to wipe down your base boards. It helps cut down on both dust & “pet hair” if you have any.

Almost all of our baseboards have chipped paint from where they’ve been painted over and over by the townhouse management. They never chip off all the paint and then put one nice coat on, so over the last year especially they’ve begun to chip off very badly.

Thankfully though, our maintenance department gave us (for free!) a 5 gallon bucket of paint that they use to repaint the townhomes. Next month we’ll be working on repainting the whole townhouse. With that in mind, I’m just going to be catching up a few of the tasks I haven’t gotten to yet, so that tomorrow I’ll feel completely caught up!

Here’s to getting back on track and another productive day!

I use a mixture of 1/2 vinegar 1/2 water and 1 to 3 drops of dish soap and place in a spray bottle and spray down mine, then wipe. Both the vacuuming and the baseboards are normally jobs my kids do, so I think I will concentrate on the master bedroom again. The rug needs a good vacuum and it has been a while since I have moved furniture out to clean the baseboards. Now it is off to get started! my house is already starting to look better and its only Day 7 of 20!

Ugh. I hate doing the bseboards. Thanks for the nudge.

Baseboards…. but it must be done!

Baseboards are on my regular chore list and I did them last week. Here is the easiest way to do them on a regular basis: buy a $1 duster with a washable head at Dollar Tree and duct tape it to an old mop or broom handle. This baby can reach behind furniture and into corners without having to move anything and you can walk around the house and dust without bending over too. Just throw the duster in the wash and you are ready for next month. No need to wet wash them! I have walnut stained baseboards that really show the dust and this gets them perfectly clean. I am always surprised at how much dust is on the duster since I do them every 4 weeks.

My boys LOVE doing this job with an old sock on their hands

I vacuum the base boards first and then wash with a wet soapy cleaning washcloth. Small bucket with warm soapy water in the same room is very handy. Have fun :0

Do you think you could make a series “link” for this? I missed when it first started and my OCD self wants to do it from the very beginning, but I’m seven days behind! Argh.

so… we’ve been sick – all four of us – all weekend and yesterday with the stomach flu. Prior to that, the baby, who isn’t sleeping through the night even at 8 months old, was sick all on his own. Before that – we made a quick decision to put our house on the market – which meant fast and messy work getting it ready and practically empty to be shown to buyers. It sold in three days and inspections quickly followed. Now that we are beyond ALL of that it’s time to try to get back to Real Life around here! When I read “make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today,” I sat down and started thinking “What do I NEED to start with to get us back on track?” “collect laundry… wash laundry… dry laundry… fold laundry… put laundry away…” LOL! If anyone needs me – I think you know which room to look for me in today! I needed that laugh to get this day off to a good start. Thanks Crystal! (Here’s to hoping that grocery shopping and making supper make it on to the list too!!)

Oh Man! this is my Summer time discipline for the older kids when they cannot seem to stop bickering with one another after being reminded multiple times. Each get a little pail of warm sudsy water, a towel, and a different part of the house. I LOVE my baseboards in the summer! (…and my kids!)

Hate the dust too.

Anyway, check for the first one! Wear something that makes you feel great. Wore my favorite dress for home use.

well shoot i felt like i got yesterday off as our new to use van is still looking clean and new after 2 months. but at 33 days til baby #3 arrivals i think the kids will be helping with this one….though i like the comment above about using it as a punishment….though at 7 and 5 i think they would find it fun (they both love to dust and wash the walls in stairwells….totally don’t know where they get that from!!!). maybe i will have to save this one and play a little catch up as i didn’t do the fridge or freezer clean out (but i know we have nothing hiding in the fridge as i am good about tossing stuff out weekly on trash day)

Wow, am I the only one who doesn’t have baseboards in the house?! I need to focus on catching up with basic housework, so this “break” couldn’t be more timely:)