Down to Basics - In So Many Ways

A slightly different post today, because although the interiors of my cupboards must be fascinating and the contents are going down slowly but surely ... we have broadened the whole Challenge concept.  

We are now on a bit more of a push to get Down to Basics in more areas of our lives.  And I say 'our lives' as we are both totally of the mind that we need to simplify things and get our lives on a slower, easier path.

The first big thing to go was listed on Facebook Marketplace on Saturday night and by 6pm last night it was gone.  The big thing was Alan's treadmill, a large ungainly running machine that although used at first had long since been abandoned and had sat in the conservatory looking at us reproachfully every time we passed by.  It was that big and heavy that I couldn't even move it to clean underneath, so this morning has been a brilliant morning of Spring cleaning the whole room one side at a time.

So now we have sparkling windows ...

... and clean floors, skirting boards and every nook and cranny has been hoovered, wiped down and mopped.  

(The mark you see under the mirror seemingly on the wall ... is in fact on my camera lens and will not come off, but I love my current camera so I put up with it!!)

And talking of cleaning ... there were a couple of comments on the last post about how clean everything looked, and then last night I got an email asking me what products do I use and how do I keep everywhere so clean and tidy.  I think our house just photographs very well because virtually all our walls are white and all the floors are pale-ish.  But while they were out I took a photo of the things I use.

A Dyson, a floor mop with a squirty bottle on it ... you push the trigger and it squirts out a dilute mix of your favourite floor cleaning product and refill as and when it runs dry ... Flash Lemon Scented Multi-purpose cleaner that we buy in large bottles from the wholesaler and decant into an old Flash trigger bottle or the other bottle that is kept under the sink.  My guilty secret, and one of the things that I am using slightly too many of at the moment with a tiny puppy in the house, are throwaway floor and anti-bacterial wipes. 

But these and a dash of bleach for the toilets are the only products I use for ALL surfaces.  We do have to be careful not to use too much bleach or too many strong cleaning products as we run on a septic tank and not into mains drainage.  We have to keep our good bacteria alive!!

My best ever buy and most used cleaning thing are a set of Clean and Gleam Window Cloths from Lakeland which I use along with a spritz of the Flash to clean all sorts of surfaces not just the glass that they are advertised for.  It seemed a large outlay at the time for two cloths but I have been using my current pair (one is used damp and the other dry) for the last two years, so the investment was well worth it!

Another comment on yesterdays post was how tidy my cupboards are and yes, I agree.  I think I am getting a little OCD about the neatness of the cupboards as they empty and become more streamlined.  The tins of tuna for Ginger are a case in point, recently I've noticed when I'm putting them away ... the labels all have to face front even though I know they are all tins of tuna  😁 

Sue xx