Wednesday, January 5, 2011

My Word of the Year


...Came to me on Sunday,
after I cleaned the kitchen so I could ichat with my sister.
Yes,
I cleaned so I could ichat.
Yes,
I cleaned only the area directly behind the computer,
so she would have the appearance of a clean kitchen.
Yes,
I moved it all to the counter outside of her viewing area.
Perfect right?
Nope, pathetic.
Yes,
my word of the year is....
Clean.
A few definitions from the web...
  • free from dirt or impurities; or having clean habits; "children with clean shining faces"; "clean white shirts"; "clean dishes"; "a spotlessly clean house"; "cats are clean animals"
  • free of restrictions or qualifications; "a clean bill of health"; "a clear winner"
  • (of sound or color) free from anything that dulls or dims; "efforts to obtain a clean bass in orchestral recordings"; "clear laughter like a waterfall"; "clear reds and blues"; "a light lilting voice like a silver bell"
  • (of a record) having no marks of discredit or offense; "a clean voting record"; "a clean driver's license"
  • ritually clean or pure
  • not spreading pollution or contamination; especially radioactive contamination; "a clean fuel"; "cleaner and more efficient engines"; "the tactical bomb is reasonably clean"
  • (of behavior or especially language) free from objectionable elements; fit for all observers; "good clean fun"; "a clean joke"
  • make clean by removing dirt, filth, or unwanted substances from; "Clean the stove!"; "The dentist cleaned my teeth"
  • uninfected: free from sepsis or infection; "a clean (or uninfected) wound"
  • morally pure; "led a clean life"
  • houseclean: clean and tidy up the house; "She housecleans every week"
  • (of a manuscript) having few alterations or corrections; "fair copy"; "a clean manuscript"
  • cleanse: clean one's body or parts thereof, as by washing; "clean up before you see your grandparents"; "clean your fingernails before dinner"
  • blank: (of a surface) not written or printed on; "blank pages"; "fill in the blank spaces"; "a clean page"; "wide white margins"
  • be cleanable; "This stove cleans easily"
It's perfect for my family of six with two dogs.
...And I may be the only one to have chosen it!
In honor of this word, I have a fabulous giveaway...
Your very own copy of....
Leave me a comment with your best cleaning tip.
I'll pick a winner on Friday morning.
-julie

12 comments:

  1. Pick me pick me pick me! I have to say that I have been battling iron in our water for the last 5 years. Growing up with city water I didn't have to deal with it. My gods of clean are lemon shine for my dishwasher and iron out and borax for the laundry. I suck royally at laundry. Why do the clothes look cleaner when I put them in than when I take them out? Borax seems to get out all the stains and iron out really does get the iron out of whites. I did use iron out in a load of colors to get the iron out of them. It tends to change some colors. Mostly pink, red, brown and green. Oops! My dishes look brand new using lemon shine and no residue either. Love these things!

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  2. My cleaning tip is a simple one: If your nightstand is clean every night, it makes it easier to feel less overwhelmed by what you need to do in the morning.
    Not that mine always is. . . .

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  3. Strange though it may seem....I'm a bit of a cleaning fanatic. I feel the need to compulsively straighten up. But seriously, I think just putting things away (WHERE THEY BELONG -- in caps for my children's sake), helps a great deal. It makes the actual cleaning go so much quicker.

    Thanks for the opportunity to win.

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  4. I wish I had a good tip, the only thing that I can come up with is clean as you go, don't wait until every Sat and spend the ENTIRE day cleaning!! I like your word and I love all the definitions!!

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  5. Baking soda, baby! For the sinks, the cruddy stovetop, and the dishes that won't get clean...cheap, safe, and eco-friendly!

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  6. Remember Julie... I use alot of Mrs Meyers products up here at the farm. I can bring anything that you need.

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  7. My best cleaning tip...turn off the computer and actually get something done!

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  8. hire someone else! kidding... my best cleaning tip, or at least a random one i learned the other day that worked really welll... to get red punch out of carpet mix dawn and water and wet the stain with it. place a white towel over the stain and use a hot iron. it steams it out- it's seriously amazing! i had to repeat a few times, but it worked.

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  9. wow, what a word. good luck with it. hmmm... cleaning tip...someone told me to create a schedule and stick to it like, bathrooms on tuesday, kitchen on thursday, etc. but i agree with megan about turning off the computer. big time suck.

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  10. Keep a full set of cleaning supplies on every floor of the house. No excuses when you are upstairs and you want to do a quick once over!

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  11. My cleaning tip would be to keep up on the kitchen. Just keeping the sink free of dishes feels finished and clean. Now that you've cleaned the kitchen you just have to keep it up!

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  12. yep, agree with these lovely ladies, turn of the computer. it will be your reward when you are done cleaning! i just posted my word for 2011. best of luck to you Julie. keep us posted on what works for you. always a struggle at my house!! i do find that when I nivite people over, I am super motivated. maybe host coffee at your house every two weeks or a craft pow wow? hugs, Cathy

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