2013...

or at least, January 2013, has thus been designated as Apartment Cleaning and Organization Month. I always joke that I have 3 stages of cleaning. Stage 1 is the usual haphazard day to day straightening I try to do, which inludes wiping the counters, maybe washing a dish (maybe), picking up clothes and junk and making the place presentable should anyone drop by. Phase 2 is my weekly upkeep, which includes sweeping the floors quickly, chasing down stray litter and dust bunnies, maybe surface dusting once in a blue moon, basic bathroom and kitchen cleaning, organizing my work table and anything else I can fit into about a half hour of work on Sunday evenings (also anything I've avoided all week like stray teacups, scattered clothes, and towels on the bathroom floor). Phase 3 is serious business: moving furniture, polishing the wood floors, wiping down baseboards and random wall marks, closet & cabinet organization, any time and labor intensive activities. Since it's probably been about a year since I have really done any of these, I've determined to accomplish all of them over the course of the month. Since I got quite a few new & lovely things for the kitchen this Xmas --a new toaster, a fancy dish rack, a panini pan, kitchen linens AND spent some cash my parents gave me on some other necessities (some new glassware & stainess utensils necessary after the spatula melting incident of winter 2012) I'm ready to dive in the is weeked reorganizing my cupboards, scouring the countertops, cleaning out the messy microwave, and even escavating the fridge where most leftovers go to die.

I figure if I tackle one major area of the apartment each weekend this month (the kitchen, the dining room/ work area, the living room, the bathroom/linen closet, and the bedroom, I will be finished not too far into February (there is still the entry way closet, but it's piled with stuff and I'm not that ambitious just yet.)