Deep Cleaning and Cabin Love

Last week, I spent 3 days deep cleaning our little vacation rental cabin in the mountains. In January, my property manager/cleaning couple quit.  For years, I had so heavily relied on them to manage the cabin’s maintenance issues as the geographical distance (a 3 1/2 hour drive) precluded me from doing it myself. And now they were gone.  Sigh.

Our cabin was purchased by my husband long before he and I met. He co-owned it with a life-long friend and several years ago, we bought out his interest (as he invested in a bigger cabin for his family).  We have had it as a vacation rental from Memorial Day to November for the last few years.

When the children were little, we used the cabin more frequently.  At that time there was no television, no internet, just board games and forest explorations.  It was quintessential family time which lasted until the children got older. Enter sports, other interests, friends, etc. and we seemed to use this cabin less and less.

We have kicked around the idea of selling it, but since the recession second homes sales have stagnated over the last few years.  So instead of it just sitting there, it is now a sweet vacation rental.

So back to my current dilemma~~getting the cabin ready for our summer visitors without the help of my dynamic duo.

So with slumped shoulders and a downtrodden spirit, I made the long, albeit beautiful drive up to the White Mountains of Arizona. Who among us looks forward to deep cleaning?  Not I! But, I am not one to wallow in self pity for long so I carved out 3 days to tackle the opening and cleaning of the cabin.

It was FREEZING in the mountains….well, freezing for me.  A low of 39 degrees and a high of 60 with strong winds the entire time.  The cabin doesn’t have central heat, but it does have a few wall heaters and numerous space heaters.  But after being closed up for 5 months, it would take some doing to get the inside warm.  On the plus side, I did get to wear scarves and jackets again~~such a treat with the hot Phoenix summer just around the corner.

The deep cleaning included taking down all the curtains~~washing, drying and ironing….Scrubbing the oven (doesn’t self clean) and the outdoor gas grill~~gross and greasy; pulling out the refrigerator and washing the floor~~disinfecting all bathrooms, wiping out all cabinets, drawers and reorganizing the kitchen.  Cleaning out all closets, ironing duvet covers, window washing, carpet and upholstery cleaning (by a professional thank goodness) and general polishing.  And finally we replaced the old water heater.

By the end of the 3 days, I was physically exhausted but spiritually elated.  Losing my management couple almost felt like a blessing in disguise.  Touching every square inch of this cabin reminded me why we have kept this property in our family for all these years.  The cabin and I reconnected.

The cabin is on .8 of an acre of Ponderosa pine forest.  The view from the kitchen overlooks the large back deck and into the woods.  It has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths and sleeps 8 and is charming and cozy.

The master bedroom is the largest with a queen bed and a set of bunk beds and two seating areas.

The upstairs bedroom, which we refer to as the “loft”, has two twin beds and a “secret” room filled with stuffed animals, toys and Legos.

Two years ago we broke down and put in cable and internet, as our vacation guests wanted to remain technologically connected. But the best part of this cabin is its location. Being part of the White Mountain Summer Homes, it is gated and safe, yet private.  There is great biking, hiking, fishing and golfing….and of course, forest exploration.  It is not uncommon to see wild horses, elk, deer and bear in this area.

So in spite of my original internal whining, the cleaning trip to the mountains was a personal success.  Now our cabin is sparkling clean and ready to create vacation memories for our guests. And I’ve fallen in love with it all over again.

Maybe it’s time to sell it if the right offer or family came by.  But in the meantime, we will continue to cherish it and all its memories. If you would like more information on this cabin, please visit this link at vrbo

Have a wonderful Saturday!

 

 

 

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