I’ve lived in 1600 square foot, two-level apartments, and in 1200 square foot one-level apartments.
Now I am in a 600 square foot studio apartment and I am happier here than I ever was in the my spacious, luxurious abodes.
The main source of my happiness is the cleaning, or the lack thereof.
1. I can plug the vacuum in once and use it everywhere.
In any socket. Anywhere in the apartment.
And I can use it in ALL the corners without having to lug it up and down the stairs, or unplug and replug it somewhere else.
2. I have less stuff, so I spend less energy on cleaning
Very little furniture, means I have to clean the tops of them less often.
A smaller kitchen, means that with a single 360 degree swivel, I get it all.
I also have to move less to get into the corners. No fiddly decorative things, and only 4 chairs to move to get under the table.
3. Takes very little time to clean.
To vacuum (I timed myself), it’s 15 minutes for a quick job, and half an hour if I am really getting into all the corners.
For wiping down everything, it’s about 15 minutes (not many surfaces).
On another note: I am thinking of switching to a broom and dust pan
I think when my vacuum cleaner dies, I’m going to just stick to using a broom and dust pan.
It’s easier to store, it doesn’t use any electricity, and it’s light enough to carry from room to room.
You may be wondering about what the heck I’ll do with the carpet, but it’s a non-issue for me.
I hate carpeted apartments because of my allergies, and I never pick a place that has carpeted anything anyway.
I also don’t own any rugs, but if I did, I’d beat them out over the balcony.
It’s really not that I hate cleaning, so much as I hate having to spend so much time and energy devoted to it.
I like keeping and having things sanitary.
But I also like not having to do it often.
finallygettingtoeven
on Jun 14th, 2010
@ 12:54 pm:
I envy your small space. While i am still stuck with 2800 s/f (no fault of mine-it's all hubby's doing) since the elimination of all the stuff in it my cleaning routine has taken on a whole new meaning too. Surfaces only need wiped, not all the junk upon them, because there is NO junk upon them. Floors are easy to sweep because there is not much to have to sweep around. Cleaning is taking 1/3 the time now…YEA!
nyxmoxie
on Jun 15th, 2010
@ 3:48 am:
I hear you, we live in a small apartment and we spend 10-15 minutes cleaning and I love it. It also helps that we don't have a lot of junk. We mostly have the basic needs and wants and that's about it. We do have a carpet and it takes about 5-10 minutes to clean it. I just love that.
btw I do hate cleaning, I just think that life is meant to be lived and not to be wasted on boring chores. Plus its amazing how much space there is when your apartment is cleaned and there's not a lot of junk in it.
eveline
on Jun 15th, 2010
@ 6:58 pm:
I don't own a vacuum cleaner either, however people always compliment me on my clean (and uncluttered) home. When they see me clean, they're shocked. One time someone even offered to buy me a vacuum cleaner. But i'd really rather do without it.
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on Jun 15th, 2010
@ 5:40 pm:
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on Jun 21st, 2010
@ 2:10 pm:
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Lani
on Jul 15th, 2010
@ 4:22 am:
I just "adopted" a swiffer sweeper from a buddy who didn't want to move it….SOOOOO much better than a dust pan and mop! Saves on a bucket, the mop, the cleaning soluion, and the broom…plus paper towels for any dust bunnies that ran off. It normally took me 20 minutes to broom, and mop my kitchen…it cut down my time to 5 minutes..Seriously…Gives cleaning a whole new meaning! Hahaha!
everydayminimalist
on Jul 17th, 2010
@ 12:37 pm:
I agree. No more extra things. I’ll just deal with a broom!