Prep & Plan: Week Two

So it’s Week Two in our Prep and Plan process. I’m sure many of you are still working on the first week’s assignments–which aren’t easy and could take weeks to finish. But there are other things we can do in the meantime. 

This week’s assignments aren’t easy and won’t take much time. You can even do it while drinking a cup of tea! Since I know that you may be not be finished with the whole house assessment, let’s do two easy things this week to move forward in changing our preparedness mindset. 

First, find the next blank page on Legal Pad 1 (Household). On this page, think about all the cleaning supplies you need for each room and jot them down. There will be duplicates–that’s okay. We want a master list of cleaning supplies. (you don’t need more than 1 page for this) Don’t forget seasonal cleaning supplies like silver polish and carpet deodorizers, etc. 

It may look like this:

Windex

Paper towels

Bathroom cleaner

Counter spray

Dusting spray

Dusting rags

Cleaning Gloves

Bathroom brush

Magic Eraser

Brass cleaner for fireplace door

Silver Polish

Hardwood floor cleaner

Lysol Spray

Baking Soda

Essential Oils

Leave room on the list so you can fill in as you remember things. As you make the list, keep note of how often you need to replenish your supplies. If you have a cleaning service, ask them what they use (if you like their products) and how much of it they use. If the SHTF, you’ll be cleaning your own house so it’s important to know what you like and to make sure you have some on hand. 

Now, on the same page you’re taking notes on, also write down where you store these cleaners. Do you have cleaners in every bathroom? Do you store them under the kitchen sink? Laundry room,? It doesn’t matter where, just write it down.

See, I told you that was easy! And if you’re not sure if you like your products, I included below a list of my favorite cleaning products.

Second thing to do this week, as you assess your house and make notes (last week’s homework), take another blank sheet of paper on your Household Legal Pad (it could be a back side of a page you’re already written on) and list of all the rooms in your house, including the larger storage areas like basements, attics, etc. Yes, I know you’ve already done this. But please do it again. Then, once you have your list, look at your calendar.

This is a moment of truth. Your next big assignment (in a few weeks so don’t worry about it yet) will be to go slowly through each room and clear out what you don’t need, inventory what you use and like, and make lists of things you use but need more of. But, before we do this, we need to schedule this work. So, after looking at your calendar, decide when you’re going to go through each room and write that on the legal pad. And note if you’re going do this yourself or if you can recruit kids, spouse, or other family members to help.

It should look something like this:

Kitchen ~ November 5-10 (with hubby’s help)

Spare Bedroom ~ November 20 (alone)

Half Bath ~ November 1 (alone)

Master Bedroom ~ Nov 30 – Dec 5 (alone)

And so on. 

What we’re doing is setting an appointment for this work to be done. If we don’t, it will never happen. I have two suggestions to help this project come to life and make it to completion. First, call one of the donation companies like Salvation Army or Purple Heart and make an appointment for a pick up. There’s nothing like knowing you have someone coming to pick up donations to get you started on clearing out closets.

Second, come up with a reward system. Decide now how you will reward yourself or your family when you finish the kitchen. Will you all go out to your favorite restaurant for dinner? Grab a pizza and have a family movie night? This is a good way to get the kids involved!

Each room should have it’s own reward commensurate with how hard the room will be to finish. Meaning, a half-bathroom isn’t nearly as hard to go through as a full basement or a large kitchen. They don’t deserve the same reward. LOL.

Now, if there’s a hoarding situation going on this process will not work. Often hoarding situations need professional help (physical and sometimes psychological). Here’s a link to a guide that offers different kinds of services for different levels of hoarding. Hoarding Disorder: Help for Hoarders

So, the homework for next week is:

Make a list of cleaning supplies you need for the inside of the house (every room) making sure, if you know the brands you like, to list them. Include how much of these products you go through in a month, noting that it could vary by season.

Then make a schedule of when you’re going to clean out/inventory each room in the house. Make a donation appointment and a rewards list if you need the motivation. 

In the meantime, work on the meal list and the initial household assessment as outlined in last week’s post. 

Here’s a list of cleaning brands I prefer:

Mrs. Meyer’s Soap, including her dish soap, hand soap, and all purpose soap that can be diluted into a mop bucket or spray bottle.

Method cleaning products, especially their dusting spray and bathroom cleaner and almond oil floor cleaner. I also like their window spray.

Bon Ami for hardcore scrubbing needs.

Mr. Clean’s Magic Eraser for marks on the walls.

Lysol Spray so I can spray all the doorknobs and handles in the house, especially during cold and flu season.

Baking soda and Sweet Orange essential oil to clean my kitchen sink and make a DIY carpet deodorizer.

I also tear up old, cotton sheets and pillowcases and use them as dusting cloths and silver polishing cloths. (Yes, I have inherited silver that always needs to be polished!)

Good luck and I’ll see you next week. 

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