I’m very excited to share with you my newest series.  Last year I ran the 52 things to declutter in 52 weeks series, this year I’m mixing things up and will be running a cleaning series, giving you a cleaning task to complete each week.  I’ll give you the task along with steps on how to clean this area/item.  Most of these tasks will be easy, from light switches to toys, towels to stinky shoes, cleaning many of the forgotten areas or things in your home.

As I mentioned above, last year I ran the declutter series, and many of you have asked if I can continue running it. Instead of running a separate declutter post, I think the cleaning series aligns really well with the area/thing I get you to clean each week that you can declutter this space before you clean it… what do you think??

This series is FREE to join along, I will publish a new cleaning task here on the blog each Tuesday. Please let me know how your going or ask any questions in the comments, as always I love hearing from you.

Don’t forget I am also running the 20 Day’s to Organise and Clean your Home Challenge, this is very different to this cleaning series, as this series is for small forgotten things/areas of the home. Through the 20 Day Challenge I will give you tips and plenty of checklists on how to clean each room and area of your home and help you create routines and strategies to keep it clean and organised.  Read more about the 20 Day’s to Organise & Clean your Home Challenge here.

Create a Cleaning Kit

Set yourself up with a cleaning kit to help you through the challenge, you will find what I keep in my cleaning kit here.

This weeks cleaning task:  

The Front Entry

I thought it was fitting to clean the very front of your home as it’s either the place you or your guest see first when entering into your house, as well as it being an important to stop all the dust, dirt etc entering into your home. Keeping this area clean is a great first impression to your home!

Use a Welcome Mat

A welcome mat isn’t just a pretty touch to the front door, it’s an essential item to keep all the dirt, dust and everything else found on the bottom of shoes/feet at the door, preventing it from coming inside and creating more for you to clean.  I have a door mat at the front door, garage door, laundry door and back door.

• Place a good quality door mat outside your front door and all other entrances into your home.
• For an existing mat – shake, vacuum and/or sweep the dirt and dust from your mat.  As my mat is very textured I find it needs to be vacuumed to help remove all the grass.

Watermelons and pineapples seem to be trending at the moment and I have totally been sucked in and loving everything tropical at the moment.  This mat certain has style and practical too, with a strong coir fibre (textured surface) to help clean feet and shoes.

I’m also very smitten with my flamingo that I love seeing through my screen door everyday, only $13 from KMart.

Front doors

I find my front doors get very dusty, when I water the plants or wash the cars I often get the hose and give the doors a hose down to remove dust.

• Using the brush from a dustpan, wipe  over your front screen door to remove any dust and dirt
• Hose the doors to clean away dust

Window panels

• Use the vinegar/water solution spray from your cleaning kit along with a paper towel to wipe away the dirt, dust and finger prints from your window panel around your doorway.

Please remove your shoes??

This is a controversial topic, as we have discussed this previously on the blog.  Do you ask your visitors to remove their shoes?

I ask them to remove shoes because I feel shoes bring in dirt despite being wiped on the mat, I have a busy household and I don’t have time to continually clean the floors, so this is my preventative and my personal preference.

Others have mentioned they prefer to have their visitors keep their shoes on as they feel it’s rude to ask or that they’d prefer stinky sweaty feet to stay inside the shoe, which I completely understand too.  So really I think it’s up to each individual home owner.

Beautify the area

Add a pot of flowers to your entry way to give it some colour and appeal. I’ll let you in on a little secret I also love to have the pot there so I can hide shoes behind it!

• Add a pot of colour to your entryway
• Weed/water your plant

I can’t remember the name of the plant I have in my pot at the moment, but it is thriving and looking so healthy, can’t wait for it to start flowering again.  I’ve always added colour to the pot, makes me smile (above image was taken a few years ago).

Cobwebs

• Using a broom remove all cobwebs and insect nest from the roof and door frame

Declutter task

• Remove all shoes and rubbish cluttering up your entry

Will you join along with the cleaning tasks each week?

Hope so!!