- 12 minutes ago
All spaces can use a good spring cleaning, and this week Lucie is doing a thorough once-over on all aspects of her living and working environments.
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00:00I'm Lucy Fink and this week is five days of spring cleaning. And yes, even though
00:05it's spring, it's currently snowing in New York City.
00:10Time to clean! Hey everyone! Welcome back to Try Living with Lucy. I cut my hair. I
00:16got bangs. I even spring cleaned my hairstyle. I know that it's already
00:20technically been spring for a few weeks now and it's snowing outside so this is
00:24a weird spring. But no matter what time of year it is when you watch this video,
00:28it is never too late to start cleaning. I don't know about you, but in the winter
00:32time everything seems to pile up around my apartment. I don't know why, but it
00:37always becomes a mess. So each day in this five-day challenge is going to be
00:40dedicated to a different physical space of mine, whether that be my kitchen, my
00:45bathroom, my bedroom, and more. Before we start, I just want to point out spring
00:49cleaning doesn't have to be purely physical. So if you're looking for a
00:53mental clear out of sorts, here are a few other things you can do. Cutting out toxic
00:57relationships and drama. Cutting all negative talk and gossip. Ending the
01:01negative thoughts about yourself. And finally, eliminating your bad habits. I
01:06have actually done a ton of mental clearing recently with five days of
01:10self-care and I've been working on my bullet journal and because of that I
01:13wanted to focus this video on the physical spaces. But just know, spring
01:17cleaning can happen up here too.
01:23My bedroom. My bedroom is the first thing I see when I open my eyes in the
01:27morning and it's the last thing that I see before I go to sleep at night. And
01:30Gretchen Rubin, the author of The Happiness Project, wrote a whole piece
01:34about how outer order contributes to inner calm. So here's what I did today. I
01:40started out by dealing with the clutter on the side of my bed. For some reason, a ton of
01:44stuff tends to pile up right there and on the windowsill. So I cleared all of that
01:48away. Next, I got to work on my closet. A Refinery29 article that tells you where
01:53you should be focusing your spring cleaning efforts based on your sign
01:57tells me that since I'm a Leo, I should be focusing on my closet. And as you guys
02:01might know from five days of capsule wardrobe, I already dealt with that big
02:06problem. I already donated 75% of my clothing, so my closet's not that bad right
02:12now. It's just a little bit messy. I refolded all the clothes. I also removed
02:17items that were really wintry like heavy sweaters, hats, and scarves. And I added
02:22some swimsuits back into my closet for spring and summer. In my wall closet, which
02:27has a storage space up above, I removed all the items that have begun accumulating
02:32there and I put them into a storage unit in my building. I vacuumed my entire
02:38carpet, took my studio lights that have been clogging up my bedroom, and
02:42put those in the storage unit as well. When I was done with all that, I stripped
02:46everything from my bed. All the pillowcases, the blanket cover, the sheet, the
02:50mattress pad, everything. Then I put all the linens in the wash. And side note, don't
02:56jump on your bed because you might break something like I did. Now I need a whole
03:00new casing for my outlet. And while everything was in the wash, I wiped down
03:04the windowsill. I washed the windows, which is something I can confidently say I
03:08have never done since I moved in here. And I also cleared out the drawers on our
03:12nightstands and I put anything that was on top that didn't need to be out on top
03:17into the drawers. And when the laundry was done, I put it back on the bed and it
03:20all looked so fresh and new. And for each of the spaces I cleaned this week, I'm
03:24going to give you a few Lucy's leftover tips, which are things that I myself
03:28didn't do, but you should try. So for the bedroom, one thing you can try is
03:32flipping and rotating your mattress, if it's not too heavy. Two, cleaning your light
03:36fixtures and replacing the bulbs. And three, wiping down any artwork.
03:42I'd say that for me, the kitchen is the place in my apartment that always has the
03:47highest risk of getting dirty. I love food, pizza, and cupcakes. Mostly pizza. And if
03:56you follow me on Instagram stories, you'll see that I'm very active in my kitchen.
04:00So I love to cook, I love trying new recipes, and it's pretty much always a mess
04:04in there. Oops. Also, throughout this five-day challenge, I wanted to make sure
04:08that not only was I using safe and non-toxic cleaners, but that I was also
04:12doing my part as best as I could to reduce my waste. So I connected with Lauren
04:17Singer, the Zero Waste Girl, and she sent me a few of her favorite items from her
04:21package-free shop in Brooklyn. Firstly, this glass spray bottle, which has right on it
04:26the directions for a three-ingredient, non-toxic, all-purpose cleaner. It's just
04:30vinegar, water, and essential oils. And also these reusable cotton cloths to
04:35reduce my use of paper towels. I started out by clearing out the items that had
04:39begun to accumulate on my counter space. And once that was all clean, I moved over
04:44to the stovetop and oven region.
04:48Then I moved on to the appliances on my countertop. So the toaster, the coffee
04:53machine, my blender, and then over to the sink area.
04:56One area on my sink that I never remember to clean is the backsplash. So I
05:01did that very diligently today. And then I cleared out my pantry. This cabinet
05:06becomes almost like a dumping ground for me for food that I don't think I want
05:10right now, but I think I might be hungry for at some point in the future. And
05:14eventually the cabinet is sort of bulging out. The doors don't really close
05:18properly, so I gotta fix that. I went through everything shelf by shelf. I even
05:22wiped down the shelves as I went. And I discarded all expired food. At the end I
05:27restocked it very neatly with food that I actually eat.
05:31Remember that cabinet that I organized in my kitchen during five days of
05:34adulting? Well, I gave it a little upgrade today by changing some of the food
05:38in it to fit my current tastes. And I also replenished all of the empty
05:42containers. And then it was time for the fridge and the freezer. I set my food
05:46waste aside for composting, and then I took out all expired foods. Lastly, I cleaned up the
05:51floor with a dustpan. And then I got to work on my hands and knees, and I scrubbed
05:55the floor very meticulously. In terms of the kitchen, here are three Lucy's leftover
06:00tips that I didn't get around to. Number one, clean out any of your glass jars and
06:05use them as reusable water bottles or for meal prep. Number two, replace any of your
06:10saran wrap with plastic-free beeswax wrap. And number three, reorganize your pots and pans,
06:16because I know how cluttered that space can get, and it is not fun.
06:22The living room is the main hangout area of our apartment, so most of our friends that
06:26come over sit on the couch or at the kitchen table. And let's be real, the whole vibe of
06:32an apartment can pretty much be determined based on that living space. So for that reason,
06:37and also for my own sanity, I had to clean that place up. Starting with the couch, I re-fluffed
06:42all of the pillows and then folded the blankets neatly. Then I moved on to the coffee table,
06:48which was cluttered up with mail and books and papers and all sorts of things. I also
06:53had my bullet journal supplies scattered all over the floor, so I cleaned everything up and
06:58put it into my supply box. Another one of my lights was cluttering the living room, so I moved
07:02that into storage too. And then it was time for the bookshelf. The bookshelf! This is a big moment,
07:08everyone. Wait until you see what I did here. Michael loves books. He loves buying books,
07:13he loves reading books. I love that about him, but it has become a messy thing. We have books in
07:19the
07:19bookshelf, we have books in between the bookshelf, we got books behind the TV, on the windowsill,
07:25on the coffee table. Books, books, books, books, books. So I was inspired by a place I went to this
07:30weekend to take all of my books out of the cabinet and then reorganize them by color. I know that
07:36it sounds
07:37really intense, but when you have enough books to do this, it looks really good. I made a white shelf
07:42and a blue shelf and a black shelf. Then I put a few gray books on my end table, and
07:46then I made a
07:47red to yellow gradient on the windowsill. And all of the extra books that didn't fit into any of these
07:52categories were put behind the TV in a neat stack. Next, I took out the vacuum and I got the
07:57entire
07:58area rug. I even got under the couch and also under the rug. Then I washed the windowsills and the
08:04windows and I straightened out the paintings on the wall and that was it. So Lucy's leftover tips
08:09for your living space. Number one, try washing the couch cushions and the pillowcases. Two, clean your
08:15television screen. And three, sanitize your remote controls. When I was done, I opened all the windows,
08:21then I saged down the entire apartment and now it looks so clean and it smells so fresh and I
08:28am so happy.
08:33That's right. That is good.
08:38Happy Thursday. I read a Refinery29 article that says having a messy desk could be a sign
08:44that you're a creative genius. Now if this is true, this is very good news for me.
08:51Very good news. Some people love working in messy environments where their ideas are scattered
08:56around on paper all around them. When things are neat and tidy and orderly, I can let my creative
09:01flag fly. But when they're not like that, I am just jambalaya. So today was the day for a major
09:07desk cleanup. My desk was especially messy today because I had a ton of props floating around on
09:13it from shoots. So I had papers floating on my desk, a lot of food, a ton of makeup props
09:18for Snapchat,
09:19old boxes that I hadn't broken down, and so much more. I don't even know what this is.
09:24First things first, before I even started to tackle this, I got rid of things that I didn't need. I
09:29actually had to keep a little bit more than I wanted at my desk because a ton of these items
09:34are props
09:34that are used for everyday shoots. But I started out by going through my items and I separated out a
09:39donation pile. And then based on what was remaining, I put things into four bins. One bin was for food
09:45when
09:45I'm hungry at work. One bin was all of the beauty products and makeup props. One was for my markers
09:50and writing supplies. And the last was just special things that I want to keep, but I don't know where
09:57to put them. I separated everything into those bins and then for some leftover props, I brought them
10:01over to the Refinery29 prop closet. Next, I went through my desk and I cleared out things that I did
10:07not need before I organized everything else. Not sure how that got there. When it comes to clearing
10:21out your office space, it's really the little things that help put your mind at ease, like finally
10:25replacing that tape dispenser with some fresh tape or pouring out month old candy that's just clogging
10:31the place up. Wiping down your computer screen, cracking the window open. And here are three
10:36Lucy's leftover tips for cleaning your desk area. One, create new desk organizers. Two, spruce up your
10:43space with some plants and greenery. And three, make a bullet journal. You guys know that I love my boojo.
10:53Happy Friday. I completely take back what I said about the kitchen being the place that's the most prone
11:00to getting dirty. The real place in my apartment that's the most prone is the bathroom. I'm really
11:05good about cleaning my towels regularly and keeping that sink area neat. And I also love taking baths,
11:11so I'm pretty diligent about cleaning the tub regularly. But I'm a maximalist when it comes to
11:16products. So spring cleaning my bathroom for me is about paring down. Starting with the sink,
11:22I cleared off whatever was on top. Then I scrubbed all around the rim and the inside of the sink.
11:27Don't forget the handles. Then I completely cleared out the area underneath my sink, which has all of
11:32my hair tools and my makeup and my towels. Then I moved on to the shower. I recycled all the
11:37empty
11:38bottles, cleaned around the rim of the tub, and then I got into the nitty-gritty tile grout using a
11:43toothbrush. I also, for the first time ever, cleaned my shower head. Then I moved on to the medicine
11:50cabinet. I cleared everything out to wash the shelves. I threw away expired medicines and I put back
11:55only what I needed. And I made a shopping list for first aid essentials that I needed to replenish.
12:01Next I scrubbed the mirrors and then the dreaded toilet. I cleaned up the area around the toilet
12:08and then I also replaced the stray toilet paper roll with a little container. And then I went to town
12:16on that toilet using a toilet brush that I got from Package Free Shop. I cleaned the inside.
12:23I cleaned the outside, the top, the bottom, the whole shebang. I put a new fresh head on my rose
12:30gold
12:30quip electric toothbrush and replaced my empty toothpaste with a new one. And lastly, I mopped the
12:36floor using washable and reusable mop pads from Package Free Shop.
12:44I'm out. And just like that, my entire apartment was spotless. Lucy's leftover tips for the bathroom.
12:51Number one, clean or change your shower curtain. Number two, switch to all natural and zero waste
12:57soaps, shampoos, and body washes. And number three, unclog your drains because we know how much
13:03hair gets stuck in there. I am not going to do my typical kiss because glove was recently in the
13:10toilet. Even though I cleaned it, it's always going to be tainted.