If walls could talk, they would have lots to say in Dorinda Medley's famed Blue Stone Manor. The Real Housewives of New York City's Berkshire home has seen plenty of high drama on screen, but the reality TV star and socialite prefers to keep (physical) messes out of the property.
In the spirit of spring cleaning, Medley has partnered with Clorox – and we caught up with the East Coast icon to talk about how she keeps her showstopping homes neat and tidy all year round.
When asked if she has any tips she's picked up over the years of hosting, one immediately jumped to mind.
'The best tip and trick is to clean as you go,' she says. 'Never let things get too far ahead of you. If there is a spill of anything, especially in the refrigerator, wipe it up right away.'
Beyond spills and stains, Medley also likes to keep her space as minimal as possible -- well, in the sense that the decor is not crowded or overbearing.
'Make sure that you're always decluttering,' she suggests. 'Take out everything from the space you’re trying to clean – that’s the only way to declutter properly. Let me tell you, this is a big secret. Don't try to do it one by one. You have to remove it all [the clutter] and then wipe everything down with a Clorox Disinfecting Wipe. Then, when it's nice and fresh and smells good and looks great, you're very decisive about what you're going to put back in there.'
Medley also notes that her approach to cleaning is not one size -- or rather, property -- fits all. When she tidies her NYC apartment,
'My apartment in the city is more like a hotel; I keep it all very white and clean and completely uncluttered,' she explains. 'So, I can easily do a wipe down of the floor, wipe-down of the cabinets. I don’t have a lot of stuff. That's a much easier sort of thing.
Blue Stone Manor is masterful. I mean, you have to make sure you don’t miss anything because it's a big house, and it's a country house, and it has a lot of nooks and crannies and hiding places. You have to make sure that you're organized and it’s well equipped with cleaning supplies. We literally have, for each room, a different cleaning bucket that goes into each room. One stays in the kitchen, and we have something that's just for the bathrooms.'
Her final cleaning tip? Get familiar with materials so that there aren't any damages while cleaning.
'It’s important to know what products will work for specific messes – you’ve got to be very aware of what your surfaces are,' she says. 'Clorox Disinfecting Wipes are great for cleaning, but you’ve got to know your surfaces – non-porous surfaces, sealed granite, glass, steel.'
Below, find a selection of Medley's personal favorite, Blue Stone Manor-worthy Clorox cleaning products.
This 75-pack of wipes comes in a crisp lemon scent and kills 99.9% of germs and bacteria. A home staple.
'I love the Clorox Disinfecting Mist,' Medley says. 'The mist is incredible and great for disinfecting and sanitizing hard-to-reach places.
I loved what they did at the Spiller event when she took the red wine out of the carpet,' Medley says. 'I had no idea you could use it on a washable carpet. That was even great for me when I was there as a Hostess.'
-
Hilary Swank pairs white lights with eclectic ornaments to design a traditional Christmas tree with a fun twist – it's a masterclass in classic festive decorThe holidays are the perfect time to incorporate fun, lighthearted touches alongside timeless decor – and nobody sets a precedent like Hilary Swank
-
My freshly washed socks dropped off the airer constantly until I tried the space and time-saving $10 Joseph Joseph Petal hangerIt surprised me in its usefulness and has turned out to be an unexpected laundry hero
