apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I can totally understand, I TRY to clean as I go... but I'm probably not going to be tackling any hardcore cleaning projects while my boyfriend is home after a long day of work, and surely not on a weekend that we actually get to spend time together... My biggest accomplishment was probably organizing our huge walk in closet... we have only lived together for about a year and a half... which we moved out straight from our parents... So we still had random stuff boxed up... a million things in different boxes. I finally grouped everything to their own box and labeled them! Not to mention got rid of a ton of stuff I either don't use and don't care about. I was very happy to see a large pile of goodwill items.

My next task? Organizing our entertainment stand which stores obviously our TV, about 6 game systems, our DVD player, stereo, & our AV organizer box thing. Soooo many cords sticking out everywhere! Wish me luck.

Yep, and it's happening this next long weekend! Joy! Bye bye clutter, hello sparkle!
Oh, and a non sequitur-This month's Style at Home shows a must have item by one of the editors-Keep Calm and Carry On...LOL!!!

Oh Gregory, thank you for the "I's"! It's so refreshing. :)

I can't say anything about cleaning when the other is out -- there is no other!

Laura
grafxnerd.tumblr.com

Yep! I do this too. My major tackles are usually cabinets and drawers, and I like to throw random things like fan blades in there too.

My husband was supposed to travel this week for work but then found out that his company wouldn't let him go because of the h1n1 flu thingy. Dang! I have no motivation to clean when he is home. Ho hum.

I wish.......my husband doesn't clean or tidy anything while I away so I am always afraid of what household horrors will greet me upon my return.

I had to laugh...I took a personal day from school today...just to clean house. Had the house to myself, and feel like I now have control over ONE aspect of my life!

The last time Husband was away for more than a week?
I read all of Jane Austen's works, back to back.

I would be scared to come home after my husband had free reign in the apartment for a week.

To think repairs and organizing would happen whilst I was away? Radical fantasy.

Ha! Great post. I totally can relate, except on the other side of it. I recently went to California with our 3 yr old and 10 month old to visit my parents. I knew that my husband was going to try to re-do the floor in the bathroom downstairs. But when I came home, I found that he had not only completely gutted that bathroom, he had spread joint compound all over its walls to smooth out the three different types of texture that had been there. In addition, he had put in new floors, painted the cabinets, and replaced the hardware in the the bathroom upstairs as well as painted the trim in the bedroom. He was so thrilled to be able to bang around without having to work around naps and early bedtimes, he kind of went a little nuts. Unfortunately, the bathroom downstairs is FAR from being finished, but the improvement will be well worth the wait.

I like the photo in this post. With the painted paneling and floors, I almost envision the room being part of a beach house.

i have that bedspread and possibly that pillow case. Brown/blue are nice.


As for cleaning while the other is away. I am going on an extended weekend in a few days. I am paying my little brother to clean my room for me while i am away. I hope I am doing the right thing. it would be nice to see it clean when i get home.

I actually NEED my husband to be around to motivate me to get on with the organization tasks at hand. He doesn't help... just having him hang out somehow keeps me buzzing.

LOL, what a great post, I completely relate! I do the same thing and so does my boyfriend. When he is away traveling, I tackle all of the projects I've been wanting to do. When he is around I never get them done, I'd rather just hang out.

I love your bedding! Where is it from? You have the exact color scheme I am looking for.

A man who likes to clean and do DIY chores? Wow ~ are there more where you came from ?!

wow. my parents are away for 3 weeks and i spent the first weekend cleaning out my whole room. threw out half a wardrobe's worth of clothing, cleaned up the mess on my floor, and organised my shelves. it's amazing what solitariness can do.

I totally go into cleaning mode when my husband is away. I feel the same, when he's home I like hanging out with him. Plus we have different style of cleaning or doing tasks so, I can hang as many shelves and pictures on the wall when he's not looking (hehehe). The cleaning keeps me plenty busy so to not miss him so much. But the best part probably is that he is always impressed when he comes home to a sparkling home, I'm sure Emily feels the same way.

Christie, I left a comment for you at Great Falls table review. I live near Ellicott City, do you know the name of the Grocery Store? Does it still exist? Thanks

i always feel like painting when hes away.

"hi, surprise! i painted our room a color i knew youd say no to, but what do you thinK!?"

I love to play "While you were out" with my boyfriend! Just last week I repainted his office area, installed new lighting and artwork, reorganised all his cables and power bars and staged his whole office zone...all during his work day! He was so surprised and touched that he started welling up. When you have somebody that appreciates that so much, it really makes it worth it! I've previously done the same with out kitchen and bathroom!

While my guy is away I'm going to reorganize our walk in closet (I have to pull everything out into his office and he freaks out). I can't wait to be able to take my time, usually I try to get everything back in as quickly as possible!

I enjoy my day off every week to clean alone and work on projects while my fiance is at work. I get so much more done when I'm completely alone. Not sure why, as he doesn't hinder me, but I accomplish a lot more when he's not there!

http://www.makemineeclectic.wordpress.com

Oh yeah, it's probably a remnant of childhood; my dad gripes when someone cleans. What a pain in the butt. I sense my mom is about to get revenge by sawing holes in the wall while he's in summer school (she wants display niches.)

Goddess help us if either of our husbands were left home for the week. Dad might have actually attempted to clean at one point; he used to wax dirt and crud into the floor, but stopped doing that after Mom stripped off his 'efforts' each time. My husband *might* take out the trash. (The flip side? He's never tried to stop me from making holes in the walls.)

I hate cleaning when my husband is around. Even if he's also doing chores, I can't resist (unfavorably) comparing how hard he is working to how hard I am working! It's a no-win situation. Luckily, he works late one night a week, so I do my most hated chores then while watching girly TV he hates.

OMG, i just did this when my fiance took a quick weekend trip to switzerland. I waxed the hardwood floors, refinished the dining table and deep-cleaned the kitchen and bathroom floors since i didn't have him underfoot. he's gone again next weekend during which i will recaulk the sink, regrout the tile and steam the carpets!

bekota- yes, the grocery store is still there! It's called Lotte, it is located right off the exit ramp from 29 S going onto rt 40 E

8801 Baltimore National Pike
Ellicott City, MD 21043
(410) 750-9656lotteplaza.com‎

chusmabilly- could you tell me a source for that bedding?

Can't say about cleaning w/ out partner around since I don't have one at the moment but do find myself at times really doing a bunch of needed stuff like go through file cabinets, toss or shred stuff, one time I emptied something like 24 file folders one afternoon...

I've been known to simply fill a pail w/ hot water and ammonia and go to town on the kitchen, ceilings, calls, everything, pulling out the stove to clean behind and under and it's sides and all, ditto the fridge. If you cook, it's amazing where grease etc ends up, even if you have an exhaust fan and use it. Usually I begin the whole routine by spraying the oven (it's not self clean for it's an apartment sized unit) to let the cleaner stuff do it's stuff and end the whole project by doing the floors, usually once in the fall and once in the spring and it takes a good part of the day to accomplish.

But since my solitary living is 24/7, it's hard to get motivted all the time, but thankfuly I do keep a reasonably tidy house most of the time. :-)

Thanks Christie, I know where it is. I'll take a drive up there to see the tables.

Um... has no one said this? You are the perfect boyfriend. (:

i can only clean when my live-in boyfriend is away. i blast on my music and clean as i go. its a lot harder to do it when he's here. its a lot more distracting when he's around...he'll be watching tv and eventually, i'll get distracted and not finish all the chores.

besides, cleaning is my therapy. imagine a filipino version of Monica from friends. that would be me!

so refreshing to see that a man care about cleaning!! your girlfriend is EXTREMELY lucky!

I find that its easier to clean when no one else is around, I can do it leisurely... Back at my parent's house if I ever cleaned in front of my mom I would just be nagged the entire time, so I preferred to do it when she wasn't home.

Can you come teach my b.f. how to load the dishwasher and run the vacuum? Thanks for a very inspiring post!
Katy
http://fengshuibyfishgirl.com

I like to putter when I clean, and I find that anyone else in the house, or interacting with me, puts me off my flow. It's much easier and funner to clean properly when you can just get in the zone and go!

No way! My husband's out of town, and I'm not going to lift a single finger.

I totally understand... my husband is going out of town on business for a week, our boys will be with their grandmother, and my plan is to clean and rearrange everything while they're gone. When we're all together, we'd rather hang out than do chores, so this is my chance! I can crank up the music, grab a cold beer and get medieval on all the mess!