When we start a new year, one thing on my to-do list rises to the top like the cream in my coffee, cleaning out the house. I will argue that nothing feels better than walking into a room where everything is in it’s place, every surface freshly wiped down. I’m talking about the kind of clean you feel not just see. With grandiose plans to end 2012 on a clean and well organized note I started to make a list of rooms I wanted to tackle, starting with the living room (groan), you know the room, the one I shared here and way back when here, then I remembered I was supposed to take photos of my office for a feature on Room to Bloom. I needed to go…

from this…

to this.

Luck would have it that around the same time I received an email from the folks at Golden Shine asking me if they could come clean my house. Um, YES!!! and could you bring a bulldozer? To start the process there was a phone interview I believe the owner asked me to rate my level of cleanliness on a scale of 1 to 10. I told him that I didn’t think my “situation” works within the confines of a rating scale. Is my house a cluttered mess? Yes, I score myself a 5, 1 being hoarders level. Ok maybe that’s a bit harsh, I think I told him 6 BUT I said, “I am a fastidious cleaner” Meaning I scrub grout with a toothbrush and disassemble stoves to clean at a detail level. There was a laugh on the other end of the call, he said well then I have the perfect person for you, Mabel.

Mabel arrived early, supplies in hand, and as I opened my door I threw my arms around her and said you are my new BFF, rumor has it you are the best! She blushed, look passed me into the livingroom and said. I can see you need me. We worked together for the next 4 hours, I one step ahead picking up so she could clean. Don’t you love the cleaning you must do in preparation for actual cleaning? I find you are going to get your monies worth if you do the picking up yourself. That way things are in there proper place and what’s left are more surface areas to clean. Because I have so much stuff and no where to put it. I opted to focus on the bathrooms. I confessed to Mable that I’m a little bit of germ-a-phobe. She asked me so do you wash your bedding in hot water every week like me? Yep. Do you also have the comforter cleaned every month? Whoa, she’s even more strict than I am. I love this woman. She understands the meaning of true cleaning, like hospital level cleaning. A woman after my own heart, my only wish that I could have her come every day so we could reform this clutter mess into a functioning home.

Our time together went by way too fast and she left my home better than she found it. We exchanged cleaning tips and product lists as I promised we would see each other again. If you are need of help with getting your home back in shape Golden Shine can help, no job is too big. Thank you Golden Shine and Mabel for helping me transform a few rooms to being camera-ready.

For more information about Golden Shine, please visit their sites, they service San Diego ,Orange County and LA. You can find them on Facebook or visit their blog for cleaning tips, PS. they recently received Angie’s List 2012 Super Service Award! full disclosure: services were provided free of charge, the opinions expressed are my own with no obligation of a positive review.