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Cleaning- Somebody’s Got To Do It
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Cleaning- Somebody’s Got To Do It

by admin

I live in an area (Orange County, California) where no one cleans their own home. Plus I have much larger than average homes, so most people who know me think it’s completely insane that I don’t have a housekeeper. I have had all kinds of housekeepers in the past-  from once a week cleaning teams to full time live-in and literally everything in between. But I’ve realized over the years that, especially now when it’s just Alex, one teenager and I at home, it’s easier just to do it myself. Like WAY easier. Here’s my rationale:

First off- I don’t love having other people, non family members all up in my space all the time. I appreciate the helpfulness aspect, but sometimes I just want to be alone in my own home and do whatever weird things I feel like doing (no not like that) and not feel awkward about it. And if I feel like having a lazy pajama day and eating pizza in my bed watching Law & Order reruns on a random Wednesday, it’s hard not to feel guilty doing that when someone just made that bed and washed those sheets and is trying to clean around you.

Secondly, I’m extremely particular about how things are done. And Alex is even worse than me. Plus he collects rare antiques and art that are literally priceless. I can’t risk some cleaning crew coming in and knocking something over or catching the corner of some 500 year old irreplaceable rug in vacuum cleaner that I spent minutes explaining shouldn’t be used but why would they listen to me because aren’t all rugs vacuumed? I always come off sounding difficult and apologizing or even worse just telling them to skip cleaning entire rooms which then what even is the whole point? So great let me pay you a small fortune to come over and clean my kitchen and bathrooms when that’s not even a problem since those need to get done everyday anyway?

Lastly, I just really like cleaning honestly. I enjoy the immediate gratification of it. Something was dirty and then poof, minutes later it’s sparking clean. Job well done, here’s your reward. No waiting years to see if you actually accomplished your goal. Not like child rearing or marriage or building a brand or real estate investment or any of the myriad of other aspects of my complicated life. My favorite room to clean in our whole country home is the pool cabana room because it is comprised entirely of white tile and the grid system speaks to my OCD nature. The amazing symmetry and perfection of watching the squares go from dirty to pristine just makes me heart sing. Am I a weirdo or what?

SO here are my cleaning tips and tricks for a streamline process of how I clean each room and manage to keep two 10,000 square foot houses clean without losing my mind. The key is to have a system and great tools.  If you are so inclined, I suggest making a schedule by  breaking your home into zones of rooms that need daily cleaning (kitchen, bathrooms and bedrooms that get daily use, and the main living space) and zones that could get by with weekly maintenance (guest rooms, guest baths, offices, lesser used living spaces, etc).  I also have a monthly list for myself that includes things like garages, storage, and checking lightbulbs, or tackling organizational projects and things that can get out of control like filing or putting away seasonal items etc.

Ready to get started? Let’s start with what’s in my kit. I’m going to link some of my go-to must have items here with their Amazon links so you know what I am referring to as I mention them, so feel free to click through when you see an item mentioned. I always have microfiber cleaning cloths in my kit for dry surfaces like dusting or glass. Then I will have regular rags always lint free for use with spray cleaners. For these I usually use old towels or even old tee shirts, but you can also buy from the automotive department. Don’t buy the paint rags, they don’t work. And I swear by Magic Erasers. These will change your life. Then for the products I love- Pledge Multi-Surface, Method All Purpose Lavender, Spray Way glass cleaner foam, The Works toilet cleaner, LA’s Totally Awesome spot remover and degreaser, Folex carpet spot remover. I keep everything in one of these. If you like to use a duster or you have a lot of ledges or crevices, I recommend the Swiffer Duster. Oh and of course, trash bags and a step stool and depending on what type of floors you have you’ll need a vacuum, broom and/or mop.

Ok, so we have our kit and we are ready to clean. Whatever room you start with, pick a beginning spot. If it’s a “wet” room, I start at the sink, it’s just an obvious spot. As rags get dirty you throw them in this sink since it’ll be the last thing you will be cleaning anyway. If it’s any other room, I typically start at the doorway and use the doorjamb as my beginning point. I can’t stress this enough, always always start at the top because gravity! Your instinct will be to start at eye level but then when you dust anything higher up, you will just ruin what you’ve already done and have to start over. So start at the top, if you are dealing with simple dust, use a microfiber towel (dry) or a Swiffer Duster and swipe quickly with a downward flick at the end of each shelf or ledge etc. If the Swiffer gets gross then take it outside and put the handle between the palms of your hands and twirl it, the dust will all come off.

When you’ve reached a natural break point like a corner or door/window go back to your starting point and do the next level down. For glass, if it’s just dusty or has a few water drops, microfiber (dry) and most water drops will come off easily. If it’s very splotchy, mist with the glass cleaner foam and switch to a clean, dry rag. Finish with a new microfiber until it’s perfect. Counter tops get Method multipurpose mist with a swipe of a rag unless they are sticky or heavily dirty then they get Totally Awesome and let it sit for a few seconds before you swipe. If it’s actually really bad like grease or toothpaste, you can finish with a wet magic eraser. Any marks on walls get a clean, new wet magic eraser. I always run my hand over every surface after to make sure it feels perfectly clean to the touch because looks can be deceiving. Stainless steel appliances get Pledge multi surface or they streak. Wood, stone, antiques, or any porous surface gets Pledge multi-surface and especially delicate things just get a microfiber and no cleaner. Continue to work clockwise around the room until you are back where you started from and that way you know you didn’t miss anything. Don’t forget the lowest level isn’t just the floor- it’s the feet of the furniture, the rails of tables and chairs, the bottoms of kitchen cabinets that get drips, baseboards, etc.

For bathrooms: every bathroom has it’s own toilet brush so I don’t carry those around. I  keep them tucked behind each toilet bowl. So first thing I do is break from my clockwise pattern and always swish the This Works cleaner up under the lip of the toilet bowl. While I am cleaning the room, it will run down and clean the bowl for me, removing any rings or marks and I just have to do a quick swish with the brush on my way out. Be careful, this product is very caustic and should be used with caution. It can remove a lot of stubborn stains and lime, hard water, calcium etc. from drains, faucets, and other bathroom surfaces but DO NOT get it on your skin or let it splash on your skin or eyes. And keep it away from kids and pets obviously. I use gloves with this one whenever I am using it for anything else but the toilet bowl. If you have a ring in the tub or any of those stubborn white or green calcification stains around your faucet or drain, just squeeze some of this stuff on there and let it sit. It’s also fairly effective at unclogging drains or getting stains off the sides of toilets too (moms of boys, where you at??).

I keep a trash bag with me and empty trash cans as I go and honestly the entire process of daily cleaning takes me less than two hours even if the house is particularly messy. And it’s great cardio. I mean, seriously, I would be paying someone to do this and then going to the gym and paying a trainer to walk me through motions that are legit the same things I would be doing if I was at home cleaning my own house. So I paid two people for the same result? I don’t get it. It’s like when women I know pay dog walkers to walk their dogs so that they can go on their treadmills. I’m like wtf you dumb bish?

Sorry, that sounded judgy and I am totally NOT. I have had housekeepers and not had housekeepers and I think 100% to each his own. I might have one again in the future, who knows? Things change, circumstances change. I’m not for or against anything. This is just my situation right now and what’s working for me at this moment in time. If I hated cleaning or even just didn’t prefer to do it, and I can afford not to, then there’s no reason why I should. So please take this post the way it is intended, as a little helpful how to on what works for me. How I manage to clean my house and if any of the tips work for you- yay! If not, that’s cool. If you have products or tips that you want to share with me, I would LOVE to hear! Thanks for reading you guys!!!

 

xo Kelly

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solace london
FashionLifestyle

Be Careful What You Wish For

by Kelly Castillo

I recently wore this jazzy orange one shoulder number by Solace London to an Indian wedding reception at a beachside hotel. I’ve never been to an Indian wedding before but I assumed it was a great excuse to wear a bright pop of color and not feel out of place and I was not wrong. I felt totally comfortable in my orange one shouldered gown and had great fun, the entire event was the kind of extravaganza you see in movies and what I found most inspiring was the bride and groom’s “meet cute”. Apparently, their families had known each other their whole lives but they had never really noticed one another and neither was looking for a relationship, both focused on their careers. Then one night after a large group of all mutual friends had gone out, their credit cards had gotten mixed up (same color, similar names) and they had to meet up to switch them back. Cue fireworks and they lived happily ever after. How freaking adorable is that?

What struck me the most is how true that is. This is something that has always at least been true for me. When I am searching for something, struggling to control some aspect of my life- it slips through my fingers every single time. When I want something so badly, I am praying and begging for it to happen, it never does. It’s like the more I fight against the hands of fate, the more the universe laughs at me. Kind of like when I was a kid and I would try and punch my sister. She would put her hand against my forehead and my tiny arms would swing and swing but never reach her. It would infuriate me.

But when I am just happy and living my life, working towards my goals at a focused pace and not yearning…. life hands me what I never even knew I needed on a freaking silver platter. Sometimes it’s so unexpected I actually say “Oh, no thank you Universe, I really don’t want that. Not in my plan, no thanks.” And the powers that be have to knock me over the head with their gift until I get it. And it usually ends up being the best thing that ever happened to me. But it’s 100% of the time never been the thing I thought I wanted, the thing I asked for, the thing I planned. Isn’t life funny like that?

Sometimes I get smug and I think I’m SOOOO smart and I think I outsmarted fate or I get snooty I start to think I am the one controlling things…. that’s when the Universe likes to come along and knock me on my ass. Take me down a notch and remind me to be humble. That I control nothing. That all I control is how I react to whatever life hands me. Is my heart open? Am I being kind? Am I giving others compassion before judgment? And If I’ve gotten a tad uppity, life won’t let that last very long before it shows me who is really boss.

My dress in these images is by Solace London, I’ve tagged it along with some other fabulous one shouldered dresses below (It’s on sale for 50%off bitches!!!!). I think the trick to wearing a one shouldered pop of color successfully is pretty simple- you have to let the color and the sexy collar bone be the fuss, you don’t need much else. No ruffles or trim or beading or anything else- just the color and the shoulder. It’s enough. And the drape has to fall just so, make sure the fabric falls well on your body, don’t compromise on that. Plenty of inexpensive options with good draping these days. With bright colors, keep your accessories neutral and to a minimum. A nude or metallic heel, a cuff or drop earring, and you’re good to go. Let the dress do the talking. Also I didn’t bother to retouch any of my arm flab or wrinkles out of any of these photos, these are seriously #nofilter because I am lazy af this Monday morning… so excuse me very very much, but that’s just my face. And I have arm jiggly fat, sorry. And blotchy legs. So forgive me my trespasses or whatever the Bible verse says, mkay?

xo Kelly

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Stop telling my daughters they’re pretty.
Lifestyle

Stop telling my daughters they’re pretty.

by Kelly Castillo

Public Service Announcement: PLEASE stop telling my daughters that they’re pretty. In fact, it’s probably for the best we stop telling all girls that they’re pretty. I know for a fact my daughters are sick of hearing it. I am sick of people telling me how beautiful my girls are. I know you’re trying to compliment me or them or both of us, but it’s old and tired and honestly it’s not much of a compliment. In this day and age, isn’t it just past time we stop commenting on people’s physical appearance altogether?

How many times have you seen someone lean down to a little girl and say something to the effect of “what a pretty little princess you are?” **vomit noise**  Honestly? Gross. And for that young child- to have the world focus immediately on something which she A. has NO control over, B. did nothing to achieve, and C. therefore can’t take pride in? And what are we teaching them then? That their value is intrinsic in the way they look? In something that’s essentially a genetic lottery? In something they didn’t accomplish? That has a sadly short shelf life? Who we are lives on the inside, what’s on the outside should be the least interesting thing about you.

As we get older, our appearance is more under our control. We pick out our clothes and put ourselves together. We do our makeup and hair, we work out and eat right if that’s our thing (hey bitches, do your own journey, I’m here for whatever)- so I totally get complimenting each other later in life. If I see one of my girls and she’s looking like a smokeshow I’m gonna tell her so. She got a new hair color and I love it, I’ll let her know. Trying something new with the skin and it’s glowing- I will show you some love. Everyone loves a compliment. But we don’t need to start the “who’s prettiest” race when girls are toddlers or sitting in strollers, it’s silly and it needs to stop. There are so many other things we could say.  Here are some examples:

“Those rainboots are awesome! So colorful! Did you pick those out yourself?”

“Wow your braids look so cool! I bet you had to sit still a long time for that, I love it!”

“Oh my gosh your dress is so twirly! Can you spin for me so I can see it?”

xo Kelly

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prime wardrobe
FashionLifestyleTips

Amazon Prime Wardrobe- Have you tried it? Also Jack Ryan?

by Kelly Castillo

Has everyone had a chance to try Amazon’s new Prime Wardrobe service yet?? It’s pretty incredible and solves one of the biggest issues with online shopping for most of us which is the whole “trying on” thing that forces us to go to the mall instead of shopping from home in our comfy pajamas while streaming the latest It show.  I have used it several times and for me, who is currently in between sizes and hates shopping it’s got some real advantages. I’ll break down what I love about it and what they could improve in my review. Also, if you’re not a current Amazon prime member I have a 30 day trial membership for you at the bottom of the post, you’re welcome! If you don’t want to use it to shop then just quickly watch the whole Jack Ryan series on me… you’re welcome again.

Here’s how it works, using a separate cart on your Amazon account, you can add up to 8 items from anything on Amazon that has a Prime Wardrobe icon next to it- clothing and accessories from Men, Women’s and Children’s and then when you’re done hit submit and they ship it to you. You get your package, try everything, keep what you like and send everything else back in the same box with a new label which they’ve already included for you. They even send you an email making it easy to tell them what you’re keeping and sending back. They give you about a week to try things on and another 5 days to drop the returns in the mail. You get billed for what you’re keeping only. That’s the gist of it.

prime wardrobe haul

Here is what I really like about it: you can order more than one of the exact same item so if you’re in between sizes you can order multiple sizes of the same pair of jeans for example, you can mix up your box and order things for multiple people/categories in the same box so you can grab a box of clothes for the whole family at once, if you’re trying to decide between several similar items with different price points you can order them all and see them for yourself with no financial commitment since quality is impossible to tell online, want to see if those shoes you saw online really are the perfect shade of green to match the dress you already own? this is the service for that. Maybe you’ve been wanting to invest in the brand of jeans or cashmere sweater everyone’s been raving about but you’re not sure they’re worth it and you want to see for yourself? This is a nice way to try it, give yourself a week to decide.

Return are literally SO easy- the label is already included, nothing to print out, nothing to do. The box has a peel off tape strip on the inside flap for you to close up the box when you’re ready to send it back, so you don’t even need tape. I taped mine to be extra safe and it feels kinda silly if you’re returning one small thing to send it back in the big box but it’s easy peasy lemon squeezy for reals. They give you plenty of time to get your shit together and return it too so if you’re time/schedule/organizationally challenged like me and tend to leave boxes sitting in your back seat for days it’ll be ok…

Amazon

Here are some things they could improve: I wish they had more brands participating (this being said, it’s a newish program and I know they will get there, plus Amazon is working on getting more clothing brands on their fashion site so I think this will only get better) I did find brands like For Love and Lemons, Levis etc, shipping is not as speedy as I am used to Prime being (I am a spoiled brat baby), and they seem to take their time processing the returns which delays you being able to utilize the service again. But other than that I am into it.

Have you tried it? What do you think? Also did everyone watch the entire season of Jack Ryan all at once? I literally had to force my husband to turn it off and go to bed, only by pinky swearing we would finish it the next night. I thought I would hate it because I didn’t think I would be able to see past Jim from The Office but MAN OH MAN, I was hooked Click on the free trial below if you’re not a prime member and watch the whole thing because it’s THAT GOOD!

xo Kelly

 

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Social Anxiety (And Fall Floral Dresses – YAY)
HumorLifestyle

Social Anxiety (And Fall Floral Dresses – YAY)

by Kelly Castillo

So, yay let’s talk about something really uplifting like social anxiety. Woo hoo. I’m not talking about crushing, can’t-leave-my-house level social anxiety because don’t worry sister we will totally talk about that. My son has struggled with that and it has completely broken my mom-heart and then jumped on the shattered pieces and kicked the shards into the dirty gutter so we will definitely get to that topic for reals. But today, we will talk about garden variety, I’m a dork and hate people level social anxiety.

I don’t actually hate people. I like people…. in small, measured doses of my own choosing with plenty of space in between. I like people I already know. And then I like to put my inside clothes back on and climb into my bed cocoon and not do the people thing again for a few days. I think the smartypants scientists would call me an introvert. Which is funny because my friends would argue with me and swear I’m not because I’m so funny and outgoing when I’m out in public or at a party etc. But ya ok, that’s because I know you and I’ve had a glass of wine aka mommy’s gogo juice and you already promised me three times you would not leave my side even for two minutes at this event so I feel comfortable enough to be sociable.

rose garden

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

I will never ever ever go to a party alone. Never ever ever. I would rather wrestle that bear from The Revenant.  And when I am around people who are particularly unwelcoming or snobbish, my default reaction isn’t what you think. I don’t get quiet and internal, I don’t go all turtle in my shell… I get sarcastic and sharp tongued. I’m never rude, don’t get me wrong. Daddy raised me right, I’m a lady. But I can deliver a back handed compliment better than any Southern Belle you’ve ever met and I don’t even need a “bless your heart” at the end for the poor soul to know they’ve been insulted. They may not get it until later that night, but their little brains will catch up eventually. I just cannot stand snobbery or rude people- bitch why did you invite me if you’re just going to be rude to me? I didn’t even want to come, y’all know I’d rather be in my pajamas watching my murder shows but here I am so let’s fucking do this!

Processed with VSCO with e3 preset

I never expect people to remember me, ever. So if I see you in public and don’t say HI it’s because I am assuming you have no clue who I am and want to avoid the awkward re-introduce. Is there anything worse than saying hello to someone and then realizing by the look on their face that they have absolutely no idea who you are? So fucking awkward. So YES I know exactly who you are- if you say hello I will happily say hi, ask about your husband and kids and remember the name of your dog etc. But I won’t initiate contact because I just can’t assume you know who I am.

Also if we do run into each other and you do say hello and then at the end you tell me to call you and we will get together and “have lunch,” I will assume you are being nice and I will not call you. I am giving you an out since people say that stuff all the time as a polite way to end conversation don’t they? At least I assume they do, I don’t know! I’m not gonna hold you to it and then actually call you to ask when you want to get together like some stalker… if you want to have lunch with me you will have to text me or DM me multiple times like everyone else until I finally get back to you. Because I am probably in my pajamas in my bed cocoon watching my murder shows.

This dress is Kate Spade from last year, but I couldn’t find it available anywhere… so I linked some similar styles. All under $500 and some on sale!

xo Kelly

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Disaster Preparedness
Tips

Disaster Preparedness

by Kelly Castillo

I was out of town last week getting my daughter and her boyfriend moved cross country and into their new place on a small island off the coast of Savannah, Georgia. It’s beautiful and feels similar enough to our coastal area here in California that we all thought it would help them to be less homesick than living in downtown, plus Sam is really not into living somewhere haunted which pretty much rules out all of Savannah proper. So Tybee Island was the choice and I spent last weekend getting them settled in before flying home around midnight Saturday night.

Cue Monday morning when we start hearing the first hints of the word “evacuation” and “hurricane” from her school. It’s the first day of classes and they’re asking her to fill out an evacuation plan. If it wasn’t so terrifying I would die laughing at the crazy shit that happens to our family. I realize it’s happening to millions of other families as well, but honestly… this is bananas. You’re already worried and conflicted leaving your kid at a college so far from home. I mean, they were a baby like 5 fucking minutes ago, right? How can they be 20 years old, you just potty trained them didn’t you?

So you leave your little tiny infant daughter on the other side of the country, 2000+ miles away and you fly home with terror and panic gripping your heart while you actively talk yourself out of what you know is not rational thinking. Kind of like when you take them to kindergarten the first day or when they have to get vaccinations and your mom instinct is to pick them up and run for the hills or alternately punch the nurse right in the fucking face but you know that’s not reasonable behavior, so you control yourself and you ADULT and you smile and thank the person who just stabbed your infant multiple times and you pay that person for doing the stabbing and you weep all the way home. Amirite? Oh, just me?

So anyway… imagine the horror of leaving your kid at college far away and less than 48 hours later there’s a freaking hurricane barreling down at them… news reports saying it’s the worst one in 30 years. Jesus, take the wheel here. No literally, take this wheel of a hurricane and spin the damn thing far away from my tiny precious little  cherub. Which he seems to be doing (thanks Lord! and sorry Northerners no offense I didn’t ask him to aim it any particular direction I just said away from her).

Here are some storm tips if you’re a Californian like me and ill equipped that I have learned this week from doing my googles:

  • Use a sharpie to write your name and number on pets that are not microchipped (like horses hooves) who could get separated from you in the chaos (we won’t judge you if you do this to your small children as well, I probably would)
  • Keep your gas tank full and cash on hand to last up to a week or more (power outages mean gas pumps and ATMs won’t work- my kid did not realize this until I told her and FYI the gas station on her island ran out of gas two full days before the storm was scheduled to hit). Also a case of bottled water and some snacks like protein bars etc. and any medications
  • Solar cell phone chargers and hand crank flashlights are game changers
  • Listen to authorities and evacuate when told, stay in place when told, stay roads and beaches when told. Don’t be stupid. They are trying to keep you safe.
  • If you have elderly neighbors or neighbors who are disabled, make sure you know what they’re plan is or who to contact on their behalf. We are all in this together. Help them board up windows and sandbag, don’t be a dick.
  • If you have the ability to shelter a family, do so. Many families are displaced and cannot afford hotels, don’t qualify for shelters because of pets etc. so open your homes if you’re able.
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