Welcome!

New to Branches? Here's how it works:

Think of your home as a tree and each room is a branch of that tree.

First, break the house up into branches (manageable areas), which can be DEEP cleaned in a week's time.

For each branch, compile a list of all the tasks you'll need to do to get that room to SPARKLE! This includes cleaning, dusting and vacuuming the areas behind and under furniture, washing windows and curtains, etc.

Also, put together a Weekly Cleaning List to keep things looking good. Each week, finish your Weekly Cleaning THEN focus on doing some deep cleaning in this week's branch.

Cycle through the branches, one per week, to maintain a high level of cleanliness throughout the house.

Here's the schedule of Branches we'll be following:

Week 1: Entry/Living Room
Week 2: Dining Room/Laundry Room
Week 3: Bathrooms/Front Porch
Week 4: Kitchen/Back Porch
Week 5: Children’s Room/Guest Room + Closets for those rooms
Week 6: Family Room/Room of choice
Week 7: Master Bedroom/Master Closet
Week 8: All House Cleaning

Some sample "Choice" Rooms:
Office, Pantry, Craft Room, Garage, Attic, etc.

Make your master and individual branch lists work for YOU. The lists we share here are just our own examples; yours should be designed to suit your own home and situation.

If the branch you're working on needs decluttering, focus on that first. It's much easier to clean a room that doesn't have piles and boxes everywhere. Even if the whole house needs decluttering, this is a good way to focus on a room at a time on a regular schedule.

This isn't a competition. Just go at your own pace, as that will be exactly right for you. We are all here to support and encourage one another.

Start with a new branch each week. If you don't finish all the tasks on your branch list for the week, that's OK--you're already ahead of where you were before, and the unfinished tasks will still be there for you when you cycle back to this branch. If you finish early one week, you can go back to work on previous branches.

Don't overload yourself too much every week. The goal is to do a little bit at a time. Spend just 15 – 30 minutes per day in your branch. You should also find that “branch” cleaning gets easier once you've been doing it for a while.

Our newbie “Branchers” have accomplished a lot, and you can too! Start by posting your branch list for the week here, and work along with us.

Just did that before Christmas (yea a free week, lol) due to christmas guests coming! The front porch is snow filled, and cold, back porch has about 3 feet of snow that accummulated with the winds.

I got most of the stuff done in the last branch so I'll be joining you again this branch. We aren't quite done the renos on the bathroom yet, but the cupboards under the sink really need a good go through. I don't use about half the stuff under them, so time to get rid of them!!

I'm gonna do a declutter in the bathrooms then wipe down the tile walls. I should take down the light covers and clean those too.

DH got me a cleaning lady for Christmas and she will be here Friday to do the weekly cleaning and scrubbing in there. YAY!!!

Oh, I could also wash the shower curtain and liner too. May even change the liner this time around.

Easy peesy this time.

The wind has taken care of cleaning off the front patio/porch area for me today. Heehee.

Dawn

I need to go through both bathroom's cabinets. I so wish I could get DD here to go through her shelf. I know most will be thrown out. The stuff's just two old. I did throw out some nail polish last night.

We're having decent weather but the porches are ok. There is a couple of pots I could trim down. When I get back I will do that. Might even rake the leaves.

I'd love to get new frames for the prints for the bathroom. I might go to Wal Mart and get them. I also want to work on the spot on the ceiling. There's still a spot. I hate to redo the whole thing.

Cindy

I cleaned the cupboards out last night, so I just have to do the regular clean, looks like a free week for me!!

I cleaned one bathroom yesterday. Need to do the other one.

Cindy:
Could you package up DDs things and put them aside for her to go thru. She isn't living there anymore, and this way it will clear out the space for yourself. Just a thought.