How to Clean a Condo

1.      Turn on music

2.      Light a scented candle

3.      Strip beds

4.      Gather all linens and laundry and put in washing machine

5.      Spray toilet, tub, shower enclosure and sink with cleanser.

6.      Clean inside and outside of fridge—throw away all food.

7.      Clean inside and outside of oven and microwave.

8.      Wipe down all counter top appliances.

9.      Clean counters.

10.  Wipe down cupboards.

11.  Move laundry from washers to dryers

12.  Dust all furniture and framed art.

13.  Wipe down patio furniture

14.  Sweep patio

15.  Wash windows, glass doors and mirrors

16.  Clean toilet, sink, tub and shower enclosure

17.  Retrieve linens from dryer, fold, put away and make beds

18.  Vacuum every crevice

19.  Leave gift basket and a personal welcoming note on the kitchen table. Take a chocolate for yourself

20.  Turn off music and blow out candle

21.  Mop yourself out the door, turning off lights on your way out.

Why am I sharing this laundry list? Because it had to be written and some things seem so obvious—of course you have to wash the linens before can dry them and no one would vacuum before dusting, and allowing the cleanser to sit on the tile a good thirty minutes takes the scrubbing out of cleaning. Who wouldn’t reward themselves with a tiny piece of chocolate?

When I forget to turn on the music, or light the candle, or take the chocolate—everything turns to drudgery. When I don’t wash the windows, everything looks gray. Life is just so much better when everything goes according to plan, when I don’t try and hurry the cleanser or skip the vacuuming and go straight to mopping (yuck.) The gift basket, the personal welcoming note…it’s the small things that make all the difference.

But why am I sharing this? Because everyone has a mess to clean and I thought this could help.