A Quick Cleaning Tools Tidy

Here at BHH, our cleaning tools have lived in three different places. When we first moved in, we kept them in the kitchen in that weird cupboard by the stove.

Whoa! What a blast from the past. Remember that kitchen? When we remodeled, I was adamant about not leaving cleaning supplies unrelated to the kitchen in the room. With so many other options available in BHH, I wanted to spread out a little.

So, we moved everything to the laundry room, which is attached to the kitchen.

Another yikes!

During the big Laundry/Office makeover, once again, I was determined that everything unrelated to laundry or the office find a home elsewhere.

I think we need a palette cleanser, so here is a photo of the laundry room now.

Much better.

Prior to that renovation, I moved the bathroom cleaners directly into or near the bathrooms. Also, we whittled the supplies down to the basics when I took the really nasty stuff to the hazardous waste drop-off, and I didn’t replace the products we disliked. After that, the only homeless items left were the brooms, mop, and the cleaning products we reach for often enough that we don’t want to keep them in the basement.

I wanted all of that close to the kitchen, but not in it. For lack of a better solution, I started a nice pile-up at the top of the basement stairs. (Classic Stacy!)

Note the calendar from 1983. Did time stand still that year? I wish I could ask Dorothy why she never took it down.

Well, 37 years have passed since 1983, and like many people, a new year makes me twitchy about my messes, and I am motivated to find solutions.

The top of the stairs was a handy spot, but it needed some organizing.

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All Old House Projects Start With a Good Scrub

What a mildewy mess! First, I scoured the beadboard with tsp-substitute and hot water. I used a cheap scrub brush plus an old toothbrush to get the mildew out of all of the crevices. Then, I sprayed everything with a 1/3 solution of bleach and water and left it alone for about 15 minutes. Finally, I gave the walls a full rinse and let them dry thoroughly.

Proper paint prep requires the correct bonding primer, but I decided to do something very un-me-like and cut a corner. This project felt very low stakes, and it seemed worth the risk. Instead, on the walls, I used Klean-Strip deglosser, followed by Benjamin Moore ADVANCE^® paint in White Dove, satin finish. A slightly warmer white would have been better, but I already had this on hand. The BM Advance line is crazy durable and wears like iron.

For the stairs, I used Pratt & Lambert floor paint in light grey from the Withstand® line. This was my first time using this brand and type of paint, so I cannot attest to its durability yet. The floor paint colors from my basement stash were all dark, and the stairs are not well-lit at the top. I was concerned about our safety in dim lighting.

To corral the cleaning tools, I used an inexpensive mop and broom holder ($10) and two IKEA BEKVAM spice racks ($5 each) that I bought over four years ago. I don’t even remember why I bought them, but they were languishing in the basement until now.

Organizing these cleaning supplies was a super easy, low-cost project with a very high satisfaction rating. I have opened the door several times today to admire this tidy little pocket of BHH. I do apologize for the sub-par photos. For some reason, I seem to have a penchant for completing tasks in the smallest and dimmest spaces, making photography darn near impossible for a novice like me.

Now, back to windows and all of those projects on my 2020 list.

Has the new year inspired you to get organized or start your spring cleaning early too?