Ideas on how to clean and organize the home

My Charging Station

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Okay, we all have “tech junk”. I mean lots and lots of “tech junk”. We don’t need half of it really but we do own some much of it and it needs to be managed.

So once my husband painted our bookshelf (that he purchased from Borders bookstore before they closed, really neat!) I was able to use my sofa table that we had in our room as a charging station for all of my tech items.

Okay, here is my table. I have photos of my two grandmothers who are no longer with us. I miss them both terribly! I have a vintage glass holder. I found it at a thrift store last year and could not pass it up and I have this faux flower arrangement that I picked up at T.J. Maxx a few months ago. 
Here is my tech tray. It’s a gold tray that I picked up at Marshal’s two years ago. I have my Coach tablet case, 2 Amazon Kindles (first generation), 2 Samsung Tablets, Mp3 player, earplugs, and chargers. 
I also have my pens and my favorite candle right now. It is called Sunlit Garden from Bath and Body Works. 
Here is a view of the entire table. It love it because everything is there and I don’t have to wonder where my chargers are or have them plugged up all over the house. I still love my candlestick holders that I picked up in North Carolina last year while visiting the Biltmore! Such a great trip!
I hope you enjoyed this post and perhaps it inspires you to create your very own charging station!
(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

Inspiring Calendars

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Has anyone ever read Martha Stewart’s magazine and seen in the beginning the “Martha’s Month”? I mean it is incredible! I know that she has people assisting her with all of these duties but still it is quite inspiring to me that she keeps up with all of her duties and home this way.

I just love it….


This is a photo that I took from April’s issue of Martha Stewart. I was in awe of her daily reminders and chores. I mean “wash and store heavy sweaters on April 8. On April 21 she will be cleaning and organizing her pantry. On the 25th she will be washing her baseboards. 


As I said, I know that she has someone helping her but still this is so inspiring to me. For me I don’t think, “Oh my gosh, I could not do all of this”. “I am not Martha Stewart”. But here is the reality, I am not Martha Stewart. I am Mrs. Shockley and will live my life according to what works for me and my family.


But seeing this does inspire me to add more to my calendar and to be more organized. Each year there are things that I put on my schedule. For me it’s washing my windows, cleaning my carpets, planting more flowers around our home. 

photo credit Mrs. Shockley 

My “honey-do” list for my husband is pretty long to. He has to stain the fence, paint our master bedroom, bathroom and our daughter’s room and help me plant my roses bushes in the back. I am hoping we can get it all done this year. 


But I just wanted to share Martha’s calendar. I just believe that it is a great inspiration for all of us and we should take some of her tips and ideas and use them for ourselves.


Oh, she also had horseback riding scheduled for the 29th of this month…..


Oh, I wish I could add this to my list. I may have to look into that…..


The Butler Speaks ~ Starter Cleaning Calendar

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Good Morning, and today is the last post from my “The Butler Speaks series”. I hope you all have enjoyed reading them. I know I have enjoyed the comments.

For this particular section of the book, Mr. MacPherson talked about a simple “starter” calendar. This calendar ensures that you will deep clean one area of your home per month, instead of doing it all at once a couple of times a year.

You’ll notice that there are no tasks scheduled in December. This is a month for us to entertain and enjoy time with our families.

January
* Deep clean kitchen (post-holiday entertaining)


* Flip mattresses


February 
* Clean out all closets


* Deep clean master bedroom


March
*Dust bookshelves


* Deep clean all other bedrooms








photo credit the French Manoir Instagram account

April
* Flip mattresses

* Check all outdoor lights burned-out bulbs

* Deep clean hallways, front hall closet, linen closet

May
* Wash windows

*Clean garage (post-winter mess)

*Deep clean laundry room and basement area

June
*Clean all outdoor barbecue items

* Deep clean outdoor entertaining areas

* Deep clean the kitchen





photo credit the French Manoir Instagram account



July 
*Flip mattresses

*Deep clean bathrooms

August 
*Clean garage (post-summer mess)

Deep clean kids’ rooms; prepare wardrobes for school (this would be done in July for us!)

September 
*Deep clean family room

*Check furnace for the winter season
October
*Wash windows

*Flip mattresses

November 
*Clean silver (preparing for holiday entertaining)

* Install holiday lights before the first snowfall

December 
*Enjoy your family and friends!

photo credit French Country Cottage Instagram account
(list via Charles MacPherson) 

The Butler Speaks ~ 10 Golden Rules of Housekeeping

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I hope everyone is enjoying my posts about The Butler Speaks. I am telling you I have learned a lot these past few days.

Today I want to list the Ten Golden Rules of Housekeeping. Now, I know most of us know these things but it is still quite wonderful hearing it come from a butler.

Here are the rules:

1. Before you being cleaning, get your caddy ready. ( I have been using one for about 8 years. It makes carrying supplies easier to carry up and down the stairs).

2. Clean from the least contaminated item in the room to the most contaminated.

3. Clean a room from top to bottom.

4. A good housekeeper moves his or her eye within a room from top to bottom, and from left to right. This helps you notice details that aren’t at eye level.



























Photo by Heather Ford on Unsplash

5. Look at a room from the user’s perspective. What will someone in the room see while sitting down at the table or lying in their bed?


6. Always clean under objects, moving them as necessary.



photo credit Jon Tyson


7. Use cleaning methods that are the least invasive or harmful to surfaces.


8. Dust regularly.


9. Tackle seasonal deep cleans to help reduce the time required for daily and weekly housekeeping.


10. Don’t bother with artificial air fresheners. A clean home does not require them. ( I don’t agree with this one. I have 2 boxers so I need a wallflower or 2 maybe 4! My dogs can smell bad and I love walking in my home and smelling “fresh cut tulips”. That is the name of the scented bulb I have been using).


Well, I hope you have enjoyed this list. I know I have and Friday will be my last post (for now) about the Butler Speaks. Enjoy!!

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

(list via Charles MacPherson)

The Butler Speaks ~ Deep Cleaning

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I am learning a lot from these snippets from Mr. Charles MacPherson about home-keeping. What I do know is that I love it! I don’t mind doing chores. In fact, I enjoy it!

Having a beautiful home is like giving your family a gift. And I have learned that they do appreciate it! Well, let’s continue with our understanding of cleaning.

Today I want to share Mr. MacPherson’s thoughts on deep cleaning…

Deep cleaning is what many households think of as “spring cleaning”; however, for me, deep cleaning includes special projects as well as scheduled cleaning tasks that may or may not correspond with the seasons.



























Deep cleaning special projects include polishing silver, vacuuming drapery, cleaning chandeliers, dusting and washing air vents, washing baseboards, and so on. 

photo credit This is Glamorous Instagram account
Scheduled cleaning events can be coordinated around a season. For example, the seasonal transfer of a wardrobe is the perfect opportunity to wash and clean drawers, closets, and shelves. 


I hope you enjoyed these tips just as much as I did. Once I receive my book I am sure I will share more. Until then, be elegant every day….

Photo by Sepideh Doost on Unsplash

Wait, I do want to share this video about polishing silver from my fav home keeper P. Allen Smith. He has a great channel on Youtube.
(text via Charles MacPherson)

The Butler Speaks ~ Housekeeping

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In our continuation of the Butler Speaks, today I will be sharing his snippet about housekeeping. On Wednesday I shared his snippet on house-cleaning. I never knew there was a difference but in his world there is.

Mr. MacPherson says:

Housekeeping is the day-to-day work that goes into tidying, reorganizing, and detailing rooms in a home after it has been properly cleaned. Housekeeping is that extra touch that goes into a good presentation.





















Photo by reisetopia on Unsplash




This includes fluffing pillows, positioning furniture correctly, organizing magazines and books, properly making a bed, and so on. 




photo credit Murphy Beckerart Instagram account


Without good housekeeping, a clean room is only a clean room, not necessarily an inviting one. I’m not saying clean is bad- it’s simply NOT ENOUGH. A good housekeeper has a FINE TOUCH and a KEEN EYE for detail (I love this)! A clean room can only reach its full potential with good housekeeping.

Photo by Elaine Howlin on Unsplash

I hope you enjoyed these tips from Mr. MacPherson. In my next post, I will be sharing his thoughts on deep-cleaning! Until then I hope you enjoy this video from Sir John Richardson. I have watched this a million times. I can’t get enough of it!
(text Charles MacPherson)

The Butler Speaks ~ House-Cleaning

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As I shared on Monday I ordered this book called The Butler Speaks: A Return to Proper Etiquette, Stylish Entertaining, and the Art of Good Housekeeping and I will be sharing some information from this book.

Today I want to talk about Mr. MacPherson’s thoughts on house-cleaning. He stated the following:

House-cleaning is the foundational work that goes into keeping a home clean. This includes washing floors, vacuuming carpets, dusting furniture, cleaning shower stalls and toilets, washing bed linens, and so on. Remember that a home can be tidy without actually being clean.





Photo by Dexter Fernandes on Unsplash
In many homes, the emphasis is on the surface details that define housekeeping and not on cleanliness. Conversely, a home can also be clean without being tidy. The cleanliness of any living space can be undermined by a lack of organization and attention to visual presentation. The standard should be a room that’s both clean and tidy.


photo credit Micheile Henderson

When cleaning a home, take the opportunity to perform preventative maintenance checks. Look for things like leaky faucets, improperly flushing toilets, wobbly door handles, and so on. It’s always best to address these issues before they become major ones and more costly to repair.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

I really do look forward to reading this book. I think it will be a joy to read. If you wish to read about how I take care of my home see here. I will be updating this post with a new one. And lastly, if you want tips on being the perfect house-guest see my post here.



( text via Chares MacPherson)