Bringing Up Bates"The Great Bates Clean-Up"
- “Our house is always needing spring cleaning, even in the middle of winter,” says Gil. He and Kelly call a family meeting to discuss the upcoming deep cleaning project. Kelly’s rule is that the kids have to get rid of everything they haven’t used in the last year.
- Gil and Kelly walk through the back part of the house, where they lived before adding on several years ago. It is currently being used for storage, but they are in the process of fixing it up. One of the rooms will be Gil’s office. “Right now, his office is in the living room, but we’re vetoing that because he keeps too messy of an office to be in the front part of the house,” says Kelly, chuckling.
- The family tries to convince Lawson to pitch some of his many clothes, shoes, and hats, but Lawson isn’t impressed. Trace and Nathan share clothing. They end up getting rid of quite a few things.
- Next up is Mom and Dad’s closet. Kelly tosses out so many clothes that the girls are afraid she won’t have any left. Gil, on the other hand, has a more difficult time purging his section of the closet. “I’m so glad my husband’s not like you,” jokes Erin, who stops by for a visit.
- The family piles all their old clothes and furniture on the porch. Their elderly dog, Johnny, enjoys sleeping on one of the couches before all the junk is hauled away. Gil feels bad about pitching Johnny’s favorite couch, so he gives the dog a comfy camo pillow to sleep on.
- Later, the cameras visit Chad Paine at his workplace, a scrap metal yard. The owner really likes Chad.
- As a hobby, Chad enjoys re-purposing old furniture. He and Erin are hoping to start a business. “Chad is like the bomb at making furniture,” says Callie.
- Back at the Bates house, Kelly is hoping to clean out the shed, which is filled with junk, but Gil says it’s just too big of a job for one day. “Gil is the absolute hardest worker I know, but he likes to work in tree work and things that he enjoys,” says Kelly. “He’s not a project person.”
- To finish off the spring cleaning project, the kids plant flowers in front of the house.