I noticed there are a lot of posts that have been asking for people to help them pick up the pieces after they've gone through difficult times and allowed their home or room to get to a state where they've felt like they've lost control. I wanted to make some general guidelines that can help everyone regardless of what you're going through and may help you feel like you've regained a bit of control over your life. Everyone feel free to chip in. I don't have all the answers, but I know what has worked for me and I hope it can help you too.

Supplies: I'm assuming you have access to running water, a sink, a washing machine and dryer, rags, a scrub brush, mop, soap, sanitization spray / disinfectant, a vacuum, some trash bags and gloves. If you do not, please reach out to neighbors, family, or community resources to see if they can help you. It would also be very helpful if you have some plastic storage bins and airtight containers. They are not necessary and you can possibly sub out cardboard boxes on short term.

The plan:

Take it 1 room at a time...start with the rooms where you spend the most time in, like your bedroom and living area.

1.

• Walk around with a garbage bag in hand and eliminate as much garbage from the room as you can, wear gloves if necessary.
• This includes the obvious things like pet waste, wrappers, unimportant papers, old food, fast food containers, bags, debris.
• It also includes some not so obvious things such as books and magazines that are soiled and don't hold sentimental value, clothes and bedding that are infested with pests, mold, and waste, and items that are broken beyond repair / not worth keeping.
• Place these trash bags outside in a receptacle as they begin to fill up, and keep one in the room just in case you find some more trash later.

2.

• Grab a plastic bin and start to load it up with dirty dishes
• In a separate plastic bin load things that are not dishes / not dish washer safe but are hard and can be wiped down such as ash trays, vases, and picture frames.
• You will be taking these bins to your kitchen and sitting it next to your sink to come back and clean later.

3.

• Grab another garbage bag and start to fill up with clothing and bedding that is salvageable and can still be washed.
• This can include other small soft items such as pillows, drapes / curtains, plushies, backpacks, soiled shoes and small carpets.
• Place these next to the wash machine for cleaning later, if you want you can throw on a load to run while you're cleaning.

4.

• At this point you should be left with not much in the room other than your large items, and things that you intend to keep but aren't dirty or soiled, and soiled items that you cannot clean or throw away.
• Take as many of the large things as you can outside of the room and place them in the hall or in another room for the time being.
• The things that are in the room that are not soiled and you intend to keep, put them in a plastic bin and set them outside also.
• If you notice more trash or things that should be tossed at this point, get rid of them.
• If you have items that are soiled but unable to clean and have strong sentimental value, such as a picture book or a quilt your grandmother gave you, put them into an airtight plastic bag or bin. Try to store them somewhere for a long period of time that allows pests, bacteria, and smells to dissipate.
• What you should have is a room that is mostly empty other than your large furniture and some dirt.

5.

• It's vacuum time, but before you vacuum you'll want to remove as much debris as you can so you don't damage your vacuum or cross contaminate it
• This is where some gloves will come in handy. Remove pet / human waste that is stuck on, large pieces of mold, and anything else you can scoop up with the gloves and get into the trash.
• After you've picked up all you can, vacuum like a mad person. Use your crevice tool to get inside of every nook and cranny. Vacuum along your baseboards, remove your couch cushions and mattresses and vacuum under them. Move large pieces of furniture and vacuum under that as well. Vacuum over your floor 3-4 times if necessary.
• You want to try and pull up as much dirt as humanly possibly with your vacuum. Vacuum window seals / inside of closets, inside of drawers also if necessary.

6.

• Here comes the hard part, its time to wipe and scrub EVERYTHING.
• Start from the top, use a broom or duster to clean out the cob webs on your ceiling, light fixtures, ceiling fans, and vents.
• Use a damp towel with some soap to wipe down your trimming, doors, window seals and shutters. If your walls have built up debris or odors, you will need to wipe those down too (be careful not to strip paint off of them).
• Wipe down your cabinets, hanging decor, light switches, door knobs, desks, and other hard surfaces on your furniture.
• Get a bowl with some soap, hot water, and your scrub brush. Start to scrub down your soft soiled furniture and hard surfaces that need special attention
• Spray down mold, fungus, pests, and bacteria with a fabric safe sanitization spray as needed.
• Get on your hands and knees and scrub your carpet / hard floor as necessary, then finally wipe down your baseboards.
• Try not to get things too damp or it will inhibit mold growth, use a dry towel to soak up the dirt / moisture.
• Once everything dries, you may have to vacuum again or scrub down certain areas again.
• Open a window up to let some fresh air in.
• Congratulations, you have successfully cleaned your room.

7.

• Wipe down your large items and place them back into the room.
• Get the clean items you are keeping in the bin outside and start to place those things back in an organized fashion. Maybe keep them inside of the bin if that makes more sense.
• Go to your kitchen sink and wipe down the hard items you put there earlier and place them back in the room or store them as necessary
• Continue washing your soft items at the washer and dryer.
• Try and do this before you start at the next room, that way your kitchen sink and washer dryer doesn't get overwhelmed with items.
• Utilize your storage bins to keep your rooms clutter free
• At this point if you're tired or overwhelmed, take a break, even if its for another day.

8.

• Start on your next room and go back to step #1
• Adapt as you go, bathrooms will require special attention to the toilet , shower , and tub, and sink, kitchens will require special attention to the oven, sink, garbage bins, cabinets and fridge. It may help to treat some of these projects as mini rooms, or clean them during step 6.
• If you cannot follow everything on this list, do not beat yourself up, do your best, even if its a little out of order or you skip some things.

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