1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,640 Thanks for joining me in today's episode. 2 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:07,880 I am going to help you get started on some housework so 3 00:00:07,880 --> 00:00:13,640 that you can get a lot done in as little time as possible. 4 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:17,640 You're listening to Clean With Me, the podcast where I talk you 5 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:21,240 through cleaning your house step by step. 6 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:24,480 Let's get right into the episode. 7 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:29,240 The first thing I want you to do is make sure that you are 8 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:34,320 dressed and feeling presentable, OK? 9 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:38,800 Put on something comfortable yet presentable, maybe something 10 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:44,680 that makes you feel feminine and take a little time to do that. 11 00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:49,160 One thing that's just really transformative for me, it's 12 00:00:49,160 --> 00:00:51,760 putting on mascara. For you, it could be something 13 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:55,120 else. And of course, you may also need 14 00:00:55,120 --> 00:01:00,160 to run a brush through your hair or brush your teeth. 15 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:04,560 You know, whatever you haven't done yet, now's the time to do 16 00:01:04,560 --> 00:01:08,960 those minimums, those personal grooming tasks, plus that one 17 00:01:08,960 --> 00:01:14,840 thing that makes you feel extra good about your appearance 18 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:17,680 because when you look good, you feel good. 19 00:01:18,360 --> 00:01:20,800 Some of you might already be dressed for the day. 20 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:22,680 So I'm going to go ahead and tell you what's ahead. 21 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:27,440 We are going to be starting with getting your machines running, 22 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:33,360 meaning your washing machine and possibly your dryer, and then a 23 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:36,760 few minutes into the episode, maybe even your dishwasher if 24 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:40,240 you have one. We're going to straighten up 25 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:45,960 your front entrance and whether you just need to get your house 26 00:01:45,960 --> 00:01:50,520 under control before you run off and do something else or you 27 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:55,840 need me to help you jump start a longer cleaning session, this 28 00:01:55,840 --> 00:02:00,520 episode is for you. Hopefully you're getting up and 29 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:04,280 getting presentable. Some people like to wear lace up 30 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:07,480 shoes while they're they clean. Other people like to slip into 31 00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:11,800 some slides or flip flops. Or if you're like me, you go 32 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:15,160 barefoot a lot. The only exception is if my 33 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:18,760 grandkids get the kitchen floor sticky or something I'm going to 34 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:22,360 want to put shoes on. Or if I go out in my backyard I 35 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:24,600 need shoes because there are goat heads. 36 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:29,360 I'm my my feet are pretty tough but we have these terrible 37 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:34,360 stickers in our yard so I do have to put on shoes before 38 00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:37,200 going into the backyard. But when I'm just going out 39 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:41,280 front, taking out the trash, I'm typically barefoot. 40 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:44,520 Sometimes even in the day of winter, I just move quickly. 41 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:47,280 I guess that's part of being from California. 42 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:50,440 And if you're slow to get ready in the morning, maybe consider 43 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:54,800 laying out your clothes the night before until you're able 44 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:59,360 to get your wardrobe organized enough that you can quickly grab 45 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:04,680 something and put it on. I talked about this in a recent 46 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:07,360 bonus episode. But some of you just need more 47 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:11,880 hangers so that you can get all all those clothes hanging up 48 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:16,840 instead of having a residual laundry basket or things draped 49 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:19,600 over a chair. Another thing you might want to 50 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:24,560 do to gear up for your cleaning session is straighten up your 51 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:29,000 immediate front entrance. I like to have that first 52 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:32,720 impression area looking good. For me, it's the entire living 53 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:35,320 room. And if I'm actually expecting 54 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:39,480 someone, that extends to my kitchen island, which kind of 55 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:42,520 gets cluttered a lot, but you can see it from the front door. 56 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:47,800 So I like to pick up my living room floor, which includes my 57 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:49,680 entryway. It's part of the same room. 58 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:53,880 Straighten the throw pillows on my couch and clear off that 59 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:58,240 kitchen island just so that those first several feet when 60 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:04,080 you walk into my house are clear and the view is clear. 61 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:09,520 And for those of you who don't have small children, you might 62 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:13,280 be keeping your entryway in front room perpetually clean. 63 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:16,440 But right now I have a 2 year old and three-year old living 64 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:21,160 with me, so that room gets cluttered a lot because I've got 65 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:24,160 a toy box out there. By the way, some of you have 66 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:29,720 asked about this fitness watch slash smart watch that I wear. 67 00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:33,960 It's an amaze fit and I'll put an Amazon link in the 68 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:38,200 description. Hey, I am an Amazon affiliate. 69 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:42,160 By purchasing something through my link, you're, you're paying 70 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:44,920 the same price. But I I get a little little cut 71 00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:48,600 of that. So I appreciate those who do 72 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:50,760 that. Hopefully by now you've done 73 00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:54,400 whatever you needed to do to gear up for your cleaning 74 00:04:54,400 --> 00:04:55,920 session. I realize that was kind of a 75 00:04:55,920 --> 00:04:59,760 long introduction. The next thing I want you to do 76 00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:03,080 is start a load of laundry. OK? 77 00:05:03,280 --> 00:05:07,120 That's the first machine that I want you to get running it. 78 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:10,840 Maybe you need to strip one of your beds, or maybe you just 79 00:05:10,840 --> 00:05:15,360 need to wash some underwear or some towels or some work or 80 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:18,000 school uniforms for somebody in your house. 81 00:05:18,440 --> 00:05:20,600 You know, one of those survival loads. 82 00:05:20,880 --> 00:05:24,440 Just let's get that first laundry load going. 83 00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:29,000 That way that machine is working for you while you're cleaning. 84 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:32,000 Super efficient, right? That's how you do your housework 85 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:36,440 efficiently. The order of operations matters. 86 00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:43,320 OK, once you've gotten that load of laundry going, I want you to 87 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:45,920 do a few things to get your house smelling fresh. 88 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:50,440 You've already straightened the front entrance, so your house is 89 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:54,040 starting to look better. But is it starting to smell 90 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:57,640 better? We were gone all day yesterday 91 00:05:57,640 --> 00:06:01,320 and got back and the house wasn't smelling its best. 92 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:04,360 We simply needed to take out the kitchen trash. 93 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:08,320 So take out that trash and reline it. 94 00:06:08,840 --> 00:06:11,440 But before you do that, you might want to check to see if 95 00:06:11,440 --> 00:06:15,720 your bathroom waste baskets are getting full or even 96 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:19,040 overflowing. You can always dump those into 97 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:23,080 your larger kitchen waste basket if there's room, and then take 98 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:26,920 out that bag of trash and of course, come back and reline it. 99 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:29,680 I feel like I'm treating you like my kids when I'm telling 100 00:06:29,680 --> 00:06:32,960 you to reline your kitchen waste basket. 101 00:06:33,240 --> 00:06:35,560 I know you're going to do that automatically. 102 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:38,440 And when you're done with that, you might want to take some 103 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:41,120 additional steps to get your house smelling fresh. 104 00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:47,760 Maybe you like to light scented candles or put wax in the wax 105 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:49,760 warmer. It kind of surprises me how many 106 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:54,760 people clean their house first and then light a candle kind of 107 00:06:54,760 --> 00:06:57,400 for the ambiance. Why don't you light the candle 108 00:06:57,400 --> 00:07:03,400 first so that you can enjoy that scent and that ambiance while 109 00:07:03,400 --> 00:07:05,440 you're cleaning? That could definitely boost your 110 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:08,720 spirits. If it's a nice day out, just 111 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:12,280 open some windows throughout your home. 112 00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:17,520 Another case for that is the light that comes in when you 113 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:20,760 open your curtains or you raise your blinds. 114 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:25,240 Now that you've got your house smelling fresh, your front 115 00:07:25,240 --> 00:07:29,120 entrance straightened up, your washing machine running, it's 116 00:07:29,120 --> 00:07:32,920 time to gather up any dirty dishes from around the house. 117 00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:35,600 Different people have different routines. 118 00:07:36,120 --> 00:07:39,840 Maybe you're the parent of a teenager who sometimes forgets 119 00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:44,080 to clear a plate from their little gaming area of their 120 00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:47,720 room. Or maybe you and your husband 121 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:50,280 leave coffee mugs on the night stand. 122 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:54,600 I don't know where you need to check, but it's time to gather 123 00:07:54,600 --> 00:07:58,240 up any dirty dishes from around the house and get those to the 124 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:01,640 kitchen. Even though I talk about this 125 00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:05,520 all the time, sometimes I start cleaning the kitchen without 126 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:08,760 gathering that stuff up. And that's why I like to remind 127 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:12,920 you of that on this show. Because it's super irritating to 128 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:17,720 clean my kitchen and then walk back into my bedroom and realize 129 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:22,000 there are things on both of our night stands that should have 130 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:27,880 gone to the kitchen. Or once in a blue moon, I don't 131 00:08:27,880 --> 00:08:34,080 notice that there is a plate and a fork on the kitchen table and 132 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:37,080 I'm ready to walk out of the kitchen. 133 00:08:37,080 --> 00:08:41,400 And then I realize I'm not done. So let's gather everything to 134 00:08:41,400 --> 00:08:45,400 the kitchen and get started on those dishes. 135 00:08:45,720 --> 00:08:48,320 Maybe you need to empty a drying rack. 136 00:08:48,680 --> 00:08:50,920 And of course, if you're going to load the dishwasher, you've 137 00:08:50,920 --> 00:08:53,440 got to empty that. If you're new to the show, you 138 00:08:53,440 --> 00:08:57,960 might not know this, but I'm really big on separating the 139 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:02,720 task of emptying the drying rack and dishwasher from those actual 140 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:07,080 dishwashing sessions so I don't have to do that before I begin 141 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:09,480 and then make it take even longer. 142 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:15,360 So at our house, my teenage daughter has the daily chore of 143 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:18,560 putting away all the clean dishes, which includes the 144 00:09:18,560 --> 00:09:23,880 dishwasher and drying rack. But even if it falls to you, one 145 00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:28,000 way of doing that is doing it in the morning, maybe while your 146 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:31,440 coffee's brewing. Or, you know, even if you're 147 00:09:31,440 --> 00:09:34,280 using a Keurig and it's only going to take a few seconds to 148 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:38,520 fill your cup, you can put away the clean dishes and then come 149 00:09:38,520 --> 00:09:41,960 back to that cup of coffee. It needs to cool down a little 150 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:43,480 bit. Anyway. 151 00:09:44,200 --> 00:09:47,720 I had one person write in that she knows she's not going to 152 00:09:47,720 --> 00:09:51,800 empty her drying rack in the morning, so she does it at 153 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:54,880 night. And that's fine too. 154 00:09:55,120 --> 00:09:59,800 But the reason I suggest people do it in the morning is because 155 00:09:59,800 --> 00:10:02,960 some of you are doing dishes right before bed instead of 156 00:10:02,960 --> 00:10:07,360 right after dinner, and the items simply aren't dry yet. 157 00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:12,080 I know when you watch an old show from the 1950s, they stand 158 00:10:12,080 --> 00:10:15,640 there and dry their dishes with a towel, and maybe you do that, 159 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:19,320 but I didn't come from a household that does that, so I 160 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:22,800 don't do that. By the way, you don't have to 161 00:10:22,800 --> 00:10:26,760 use the drying cycle in your dishwasher if you don't want to. 162 00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:28,840 If you're trying to save money on your electric bill or 163 00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:32,680 something, you can put it on that setting where it doesn't 164 00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:36,400 heat, dry the dishes, and then you can just kind of crack it 165 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:42,720 open afterward if you want to. Maybe some of you were emptying 166 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:46,560 your drying rack and dishwasher while I was talking. 167 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:50,440 The next step is to get any difficult items soaking. 168 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:55,880 I'm talking about pre rinsing a pot or pan under running water 169 00:10:56,120 --> 00:11:00,840 with a scrub brush or maybe an abrasive sponge if that's what 170 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:04,440 you have on hand, Getting that food out of it and then filling 171 00:11:04,440 --> 00:11:08,520 it up with hot water and liquid dish soap, setting it on the 172 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:11,040 counter to soak. You know, maybe there's a 173 00:11:11,040 --> 00:11:16,400 casserole dish that you baked a lasagna or enchiladas in and it 174 00:11:16,400 --> 00:11:21,440 it's it's going to be a little bit difficult to wash. 175 00:11:21,920 --> 00:11:26,200 You might want to also use the secret weapon where you drop one 176 00:11:26,200 --> 00:11:30,240 of those like Cascade platinum dishwasher pods. 177 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:34,440 That's another thing I've got an Amazon affiliate link link for 178 00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:39,440 is the Cascade dishwasher pods, but of course you can just pick 179 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:41,840 them up in the grocery store as well. 180 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:46,280 But by dropping that dishwasher pod in there, it's going to work 181 00:11:46,280 --> 00:11:52,280 hard on getting that cooked on food loosened from the pan and 182 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:54,600 then you won't have to scrub as much. 183 00:11:54,600 --> 00:11:58,720 OK work. Work smarter, not harder. 184 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:04,760 Just don't let kids handle dishwasher pods because if 185 00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:07,840 they're trying to pull apart the ones that are stuck together or 186 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:11,800 whatever, that stuff can get in their eyes and it's super 187 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:14,080 dangerous. That's how powerful those pods 188 00:12:14,080 --> 00:12:15,640 are. Like you should not let children 189 00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:18,320 handle them. Little safety tip there. 190 00:12:19,440 --> 00:12:23,720 Once you've gotten those difficult items soaking, it's 191 00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:30,000 time to either load your dishwasher and maybe start a 192 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:33,400 sink load of whatever didn't fit in the dishwasher, or maybe 193 00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:37,400 items that are hand wash only that you like to hand wash. 194 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:41,280 Because I don't want the larger items taking away valuable real 195 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:45,360 estate in my dishwasher. OK, I don't want doing dishes to 196 00:12:45,360 --> 00:12:49,840 be tedious, so I put what I call the small stuff in the 197 00:12:49,840 --> 00:12:53,640 dishwasher. I'm talking cups, mugs, glasses, 198 00:12:53,960 --> 00:13:00,600 plates, bowls, silverware. And I do pre rinse those long 199 00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:05,440 like cooking spatulas and place those strategically in the top 200 00:13:05,800 --> 00:13:08,640 rack. But what I usually don't do is 201 00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:10,520 put large pots and pans in there. 202 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:15,240 That having been said, if you go to your kitchen and maybe you've 203 00:13:15,240 --> 00:13:20,520 been using disposable plates and silverware and all you have to 204 00:13:20,520 --> 00:13:24,480 wash is pots and pans, by all means pre rinse them and place 205 00:13:24,480 --> 00:13:27,040 them into the dishwasher. And you probably even have a 206 00:13:27,040 --> 00:13:31,040 pots and pans setting. I'm not telling you not to do 207 00:13:31,040 --> 00:13:35,000 that, But when I have a lot of small stuff to wash, to me it's 208 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:41,160 easier to wash maybe three large items than to wash a bunch of 209 00:13:41,160 --> 00:13:44,080 small stuff and put the bigger things in the dishwasher. 210 00:13:44,720 --> 00:13:47,800 And sometimes those bigger items need more scrubbing anyway. 211 00:13:47,840 --> 00:13:51,880 By the way, it's OK to go through a phase of buying more 212 00:13:51,880 --> 00:13:57,720 disposable things, paper plates and so on, if that helps you, 213 00:13:57,720 --> 00:14:02,320 because arguably you're going to be using less hot water, less 214 00:14:02,320 --> 00:14:06,840 electricity for running the dishwasher, less soap, things 215 00:14:06,840 --> 00:14:10,320 like that. And especially if you buy those 216 00:14:10,320 --> 00:14:13,280 disposable plates, bowl, silverware, whatever it is 217 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:17,960 you're buying, you know, in bulk, maybe at a Sam's Club or 218 00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:22,320 Costco, it might be a lot more affordable than you think. 219 00:14:23,240 --> 00:14:28,080 I even like to buy the I don't have one of those big box stores 220 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:30,200 in my small town. For those of you who know me in 221 00:14:30,200 --> 00:14:32,480 real life, you, you know the struggle. 222 00:14:33,200 --> 00:14:38,720 But when I did live near a Costco, I used to buy several of 223 00:14:38,720 --> 00:14:44,560 the aluminum pans in bulk for things like lasagna, and then I 224 00:14:44,560 --> 00:14:47,560 sometimes washed them and reused them, but I reserved the right 225 00:14:47,560 --> 00:14:51,400 to throw them away, for example, if I cooked a lasagna one night 226 00:14:51,440 --> 00:14:54,600 And just be washing dishes. Whatever that means for you, 227 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:57,920 whether you're loading the dishwasher or washing a sink 228 00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:01,920 load of dishes. If all you had were those items 229 00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:04,200 that were soaking, of course, just be cleaning the kitchen. 230 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:06,880 But a lot of you are washing dishes at this point. 231 00:15:07,120 --> 00:15:10,240 The important thing is that you stay in the kitchen and you do 232 00:15:10,240 --> 00:15:12,720 what needs to be done in the kitchen. 233 00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:18,160 For example, if you fill up a sink of hot soapy water and you 234 00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:21,640 pre rinse some items and submerge them, but you need that 235 00:15:21,640 --> 00:15:24,440 water to cool down a little bit before you want to put your 236 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:27,280 hands in it, that's a great time to start straightening up the 237 00:15:27,280 --> 00:15:30,360 kitchen. Just try to stay in the kitchen 238 00:15:30,640 --> 00:15:33,160 the whole time. That's the key. 239 00:15:33,160 --> 00:15:37,440 You want to avoid distractions of wandering off and starting 240 00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:40,440 some other project around the house because doing your dish is 241 00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:45,400 such a springboard task that's going to kind of lift a weight 242 00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:49,400 off of your shoulders. Because for a lot of us, that's 243 00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:54,000 one of our least favorite jobs. And cleaning surfaces is kind of 244 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:58,520 fun compared to the tedious task of washing a bunch of dishes. 245 00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:04,240 So let's get that over with, OK? Like I was saying, I used to buy 246 00:16:04,560 --> 00:16:09,360 those disposable aluminum pans. And what I would often do is I'd 247 00:16:09,360 --> 00:16:12,880 cook a lasagna, put, you know, put what was left of it in the 248 00:16:12,880 --> 00:16:14,840 refrigerator after covering it with foil. 249 00:16:15,160 --> 00:16:19,720 And then maybe the next day for lunch, pop it back in the oven 250 00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:23,480 in that same aluminum container. Well, once you've cooked it 251 00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:27,720 twice in the same container, it's going to be hard to clean. 252 00:16:27,720 --> 00:16:31,800 OK, That's, you know why I talk about the dishwasher pod going 253 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:33,440 into it. I do that when I cook it in a 254 00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:39,080 glass casserole, and I try not to ever double cook it like 255 00:16:39,080 --> 00:16:41,920 that. It's better to put the leftovers 256 00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:44,320 on a plate and microwave it in my opinion. 257 00:16:44,760 --> 00:16:49,040 But when we'd have like half a lasagna left and decide to eat 258 00:16:49,040 --> 00:16:52,840 it for lunch the next day and we had it in an aluminum pan, I 259 00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:55,680 didn't mind popping it back in because then I could just toss 260 00:16:55,680 --> 00:17:00,600 that pan after we ate. OK, but if I didn't end up doing 261 00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:05,720 that, I'd wash the pan and reuse it and I treated it as semi 262 00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:09,480 disposable. OK, Hopefully you are chipping 263 00:17:09,480 --> 00:17:13,200 away at those dishes, not chipping them, but you know what 264 00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:15,200 I mean? Of course you're going to want 265 00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:18,440 to spray and wipe down the surfaces in your kitchen. 266 00:17:18,760 --> 00:17:20,839 I'm not going to get into detail with that. 267 00:17:20,839 --> 00:17:23,160 You know what's what needs to be done. 268 00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:30,160 But what I will say is one of my financial supporters recently 269 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:34,400 asked a question. She was saying how her cabinets 270 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:37,600 were not getting clean with a multi purpose spray. 271 00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:42,600 Sometimes you need to use some hot water and dish soap. 272 00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:45,640 You know, basically you're diluting the dish soap because 273 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:49,040 you don't want to just put it on the cabinets at full strength, 274 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:51,800 right? So you could fill a bucket or 275 00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:56,720 your sink or some other basin with hot water and a little bit 276 00:17:56,760 --> 00:17:59,080 of liquid dish soap. And then you're going to take in 277 00:17:59,080 --> 00:18:03,400 a a sponge that has both an abrasive side and a soft side, 278 00:18:03,760 --> 00:18:07,080 like a scrub mommy or a Scotch Brite sponge. 279 00:18:07,880 --> 00:18:15,120 You'll scrub first to remove any chunks, if you will, and then 280 00:18:15,120 --> 00:18:18,560 you'll use the other side to remove any greasiness. 281 00:18:19,240 --> 00:18:23,560 It's it's the same way you wash your dishes, but you can do that 282 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:27,960 on your wooden cabinets, assuming that the dishwashing 283 00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:31,840 liquid is diluted and assuming that you're going to dry your 284 00:18:31,840 --> 00:18:35,400 cabinets afterward. Anytime you're getting wood wet, 285 00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:40,440 you want to dry it afterward. So that's my tip for wiping down 286 00:18:40,440 --> 00:18:44,200 cabinets. I tend to do it that way on my 287 00:18:44,200 --> 00:18:46,520 lower cabinets. I don't know why I haven't 288 00:18:46,520 --> 00:18:49,200 talked about it in a while on the show. 289 00:18:49,440 --> 00:18:53,760 The upper cabinets stay more pristine, but little fingers 290 00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:58,280 touch those lower cabinets and they can get food on them. 291 00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:03,040 So if you are wiping your upper cabinets, you do that before you 292 00:19:03,280 --> 00:19:05,200 wipe the countertops. You know, you want to kind of 293 00:19:05,200 --> 00:19:09,560 clean from the top down. Not that your cabinets are that 294 00:19:09,560 --> 00:19:15,160 messy, but when area where it is important to clean from the top 295 00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:18,760 down in your kitchen is when you're cleaning the inside of 296 00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:21,600 your microwave and it's one of those elevated microwaves. 297 00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:23,200 Like maybe it's above your stove. 298 00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:28,480 You might be brushing crumbs down onto the stove top and 299 00:19:28,480 --> 00:19:32,360 that's when it really matters to clean from the top down. 300 00:19:32,720 --> 00:19:39,960 OK, so don't forget to wipe all the surfaces in your kitchen. 301 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:42,400 Maybe this is a day that you're cleaning the inside of the 302 00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:46,400 microwave. But if it's not using a glass 303 00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:51,360 and surface spray of some kind on the fronts of your large 304 00:19:51,360 --> 00:19:56,280 kitchen appliances like your dishwasher, your oven, your 305 00:19:56,280 --> 00:20:01,600 refrigerator, and maybe a microwave can make your kitchen 306 00:20:01,600 --> 00:20:04,360 look a lot cleaner. Than if you skip that step and 307 00:20:04,360 --> 00:20:07,920 lift those fingerprinted up and then just wipe the countertops, 308 00:20:08,120 --> 00:20:14,640 stove top, sink and so on. OK, once you get those kitchen 309 00:20:14,640 --> 00:20:19,000 surfaces sprayed, scrubbed, wiped down. 310 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:24,320 It's time to focus on your kitchen floor after this 311 00:20:24,320 --> 00:20:26,680 episode. You might need to sweep and mop 312 00:20:26,680 --> 00:20:30,880 your kitchen floor or vacuum and mop your kitchen floor, but it's 313 00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:34,080 an important finishing touch when you're cleaning the 314 00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:39,000 kitchen. OK, if you live in an all adult 315 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:43,560 household and don't have dogs, you might not be sweeping your 316 00:20:43,560 --> 00:20:48,360 kitchen or vacuuming your kitchen as often as those of us 317 00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:53,800 with kids and pets bite. If it needs to be done, be sure 318 00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:58,040 to do it after this episode. A great way to end your kitchen. 319 00:20:58,040 --> 00:21:02,120 And I know you're probably still working on surfaces or even if 320 00:21:02,120 --> 00:21:05,000 you're still doing dishes, if you get all your dishes done 321 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:09,440 during this episode, I've done my job because I feel like 322 00:21:09,440 --> 00:21:12,400 you're going to automatically wipe down the surfaces after 323 00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:15,720 doing dishes. It's it's just kind of automatic 324 00:21:16,760 --> 00:21:21,320 that you know you would do that because that's the fun part, 325 00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:25,080 just the surfaces. I mean, ask any kid if they'd 326 00:21:25,080 --> 00:21:28,400 rather do dishes or spray and wipe down surfaces. 327 00:21:28,720 --> 00:21:31,160 They're going to want to spray and wipe down surfaces. 328 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:34,680 And as adults, a lot of us are the same way. 329 00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:39,680 But a great way to end this session when I'm done talking is 330 00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:43,800 to sweep and mop or vacuum and mop your kitchen. 331 00:21:43,800 --> 00:21:48,520 When I do dishes and wipe down surfaces, I'm often listening to 332 00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:53,640 a podcast with earbuds. But then when I'm working on the 333 00:21:53,640 --> 00:21:59,720 floors and, you know, really getting active, I like to switch 334 00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:05,080 to a large Bluetooth speaker. It's super fun to clean along 335 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:09,720 with some music. I can't emphasize enough how 336 00:22:09,720 --> 00:22:14,680 much I love keeping track of my steps using this watch because 337 00:22:14,680 --> 00:22:18,240 I'm able to compare how many steps I do when I'm doing 338 00:22:18,240 --> 00:22:23,120 housework versus when I'm working as an administrative 339 00:22:23,120 --> 00:22:27,480 assistant at the school and like going up and down stairs all 340 00:22:27,480 --> 00:22:29,800 day. When people, you know, bring 341 00:22:29,800 --> 00:22:33,760 their kids lunches and things like that, I get a call, I need 342 00:22:33,760 --> 00:22:36,920 to go downstairs and unlock the door and, you know, collect a 343 00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:40,160 lunch and I'm moving around a lot. 344 00:22:40,160 --> 00:22:45,520 The other day I got in the same number of steps at home because 345 00:22:45,840 --> 00:22:50,160 I did a bunch of housework. So so, you know, getting in 346 00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:53,240 those steps isn't always about going outside and taking a walk. 347 00:22:53,520 --> 00:22:55,920 Now I'm really big on that because you need sunshine and 348 00:22:55,920 --> 00:23:00,400 exercise and you know, that's that's super good for your 349 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:06,600 physical and mental health. Maybe you want to sit on your 350 00:23:06,600 --> 00:23:10,160 patio and drink a cup of coffee in the morning to soak in a 351 00:23:10,160 --> 00:23:14,160 little bit of vitamin D and then spend the rest of the day 352 00:23:14,160 --> 00:23:17,000 cleaning your house. That way you're getting the 353 00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:21,120 sunshine and the steps in, but getting caught up on housework. 354 00:23:22,360 --> 00:23:25,880 So some days I do skip the walk if I have a lot to do around the 355 00:23:25,880 --> 00:23:28,560 house. But until I got a fitness watch, 356 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:34,000 I didn't realize how many steps I was actually getting in with a 357 00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:37,560 serious housework session. By the way, I'll put a link in 358 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:40,800 the description to this watch because it's a lot cheaper than 359 00:23:40,800 --> 00:23:45,760 getting an Apple Watch, and for me, it's easier to use and I 360 00:23:45,760 --> 00:23:48,160 like that it holds a charge a lot longer. 361 00:23:48,360 --> 00:23:53,040 I can't reply to a text or phone call on it, but I get notified 362 00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:56,720 of them and then I can decide whether to go get my phone and 363 00:23:56,800 --> 00:23:59,080 reply there. Especially if you work somewhere 364 00:23:59,080 --> 00:24:02,640 and you don't want to constantly be looking at your phone because 365 00:24:02,720 --> 00:24:05,080 that's not a good look when you're supposed to be working. 366 00:24:05,760 --> 00:24:08,200 What's normal is looking at your watch. 367 00:24:08,520 --> 00:24:12,440 It's like, you know how long till I need to complete my next 368 00:24:12,440 --> 00:24:15,360 task at work but you're getting a text or whatever. 369 00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:20,760 I love it because if my husband texts I'll go over to my phone 370 00:24:20,760 --> 00:24:23,680 and reply. But if it's not my husband, it 371 00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:25,800 can probably wait because I'm at work. 372 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:29,520 There's a little tip there for you ladies who work outside the 373 00:24:29,520 --> 00:24:33,440 home, but even if you're a full time homemaker, you're going to 374 00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:37,640 want it for tracking your steps and not getting distracted by 375 00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:40,760 your phone. Hopefully you're doing dishes or 376 00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:43,640 scrubbing your kitchen surfaces right now. 377 00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:46,840 Maybe you've got all all three machines running. 378 00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:49,400 If you did a laundry switch at the beginning, if you had 379 00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:53,240 something in the dryer, I do give you permission to start a 380 00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:56,760 load of laundry before going to bed if you're going to remember 381 00:24:56,920 --> 00:24:58,760 to put it in the dryer the second you get up. 382 00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:01,680 If not, it'll be in there too long, it'll stink. 383 00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:03,440 You're going to have to re wash it with a little bit of 384 00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:07,480 detergent and vinegar. But sometimes I start a load 385 00:25:07,480 --> 00:25:11,120 right before bed and I'm too tired to stay up and put it into 386 00:25:11,120 --> 00:25:13,600 the dryer. But maybe you did a laundry 387 00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:15,400 switch at the beginning of this episode. 388 00:25:15,400 --> 00:25:19,640 So your washer, dryer and dishwasher are now running. 389 00:25:19,960 --> 00:25:24,040 How good does that feel? Your house is working for you 390 00:25:24,360 --> 00:25:27,280 while you're working for it, so to speak. 391 00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:34,240 Anyway, special special thanks to those who support the show by 392 00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:37,720 unlocking bonus episodes for a small monthly fee. 393 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:42,040 That helps me more than you know, but I realize not all of 394 00:25:42,040 --> 00:25:45,280 you are able to subscribe. Even just listening to these 395 00:25:45,280 --> 00:25:49,400 free episodes helps me. But the subscription will really 396 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:52,680 help you. You won't be on my full program 397 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:56,880 and have an Immaculate home unless you're listening to bonus 398 00:25:56,880 --> 00:26:00,600 episodes too. And yes, you can re listen to 399 00:26:00,600 --> 00:26:04,400 episodes and I encourage you to do that during your daily 400 00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:09,680 cleaning sessions, but you're going to have access to a lot 401 00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:14,760 more episodes and have to listen to fewer reruns if you become a 402 00:26:14,760 --> 00:26:19,040 subscriber. So there is my little plug for 403 00:26:19,040 --> 00:26:21,120 subscribing to the bonus episodes. 404 00:26:21,120 --> 00:26:24,080 They're typically longer. I get more personal in those 405 00:26:24,080 --> 00:26:26,760 episodes. But there are also ways you can 406 00:26:26,760 --> 00:26:29,400 help me without, without spending a dime. 407 00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:33,200 You can give me a five star rating and review on whichever 408 00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:38,520 app you listen on. You can follow me on social 409 00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:42,960 media. I'm trying to increase my social 410 00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:47,040 media following. So if you're on Facebook, look 411 00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:50,280 up Clean with me podcast and follow that page. 412 00:26:50,920 --> 00:26:55,040 If you're on TikTok, also look up Clean with me podcast. 413 00:26:55,840 --> 00:27:00,520 Also look up Clean with me podcast host on Instagram and 414 00:27:00,520 --> 00:27:03,400 follow me. I haven't been posting on 415 00:27:03,400 --> 00:27:07,120 Instagram as much as I should, but I promise I'll start if you 416 00:27:07,120 --> 00:27:09,240 follow me. By the way, make sure you click 417 00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:13,720 follow or subscribe on whichever app you're listening on so that 418 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:17,040 you don't miss it when I post a new episode. 419 00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:22,520 Regular episodes do come out on Mondays, and then at some time 420 00:27:22,520 --> 00:27:25,960 later in the week I also post a bonus episode. 421 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:30,520 I guarantee three bonus episodes a month, but typically I'm 422 00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:35,160 putting one out every week, so it's definitely worth that small 423 00:27:35,160 --> 00:27:40,200 monthly fee and it helps me justify spending time on these 424 00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:42,480 episodes. Hey, it's cheaper than a maid. 425 00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:45,000 Ladies, I hope you got a lot done. 426 00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:47,960 Thank you so much for listening. I appreciate each and every one 427 00:27:47,960 --> 00:27:50,520 of you. And as always, happy cleaning. 428 00:27:50,760 --> 00:27:52,160 I'll talk to you in the next episode.