I will tell you that I think my house is dirty even right after I clean it, but secretly, deep down, I am proud of the standard I maintain around here. Its a lot of work and most of the time there is no rhyme or reason to what I clean or when. But there are a few rules that I follow and they serve me well. I thought I would share them with you. Keep in mind that I have 3 kids and we live a pretty home-based life. They do not go out for daycare, in fact sometimes the babysitter brings 2 extra kids here. I work at home too, so our house is lived in. Very lived in. When I say “clean” it means clean away the dirt, but it also means put away the things that we have used that day, which usually takes most of the time I allocate to cleaning. We work to get the kids to pick up their things, but they are just kids after all and there is still alot to do at the end of the day.
1. Lots of Containers. You need lots of places to put lots of things. Our coffeetable is a wooden chest which also serves as a toy box. There is a wide shallow basket by our phone to catch iPod earbuds, Jewel frequent shopper cards and random pencils. In the play room, there are several Rubbermaid boxes whose only job is to catch the things that won’t sit nicely on the shelves. There is a basket on Giggles’ changing table where I put whatever toys she is playing with and then abandons after the diaper change. Cleaning up is alot easier when you can toss things in a basket and know that is an acceptable short term home for them.
2. When picking up, move quickly. When BAGD takes the kids upstairs to give them baths and listen to them read, I start my end of the day clean up. And I move FAST! Rather than cleaning one room at a time, I zero in on something that is out of place, Legos in the kitchen for example. I quickly gather them up and head for the toyroom. I leave the Legos in the toyroom but while I am there I see a sippy cup and a dirty shirt that are out of place. I gather them up and head for where they belong. I deposit them and find something else. Sure, I might end up walking in and out of the same room more than once, but the key is to keep moving….keep the stuff moving. I do this for 10 minutes or so and most everything is back in its home. Literally…pretend you are on a Japanese game show and the goal is to clean as fast as you can. Majide!
3. Keep garbage bags on each floor. Sounds simple, but its huge.
4. Keep some bathroom cleaning supplies in your upstairs bathroom. Clean your bathrrom while supervising a young one in the tub. Its a time saver.
5. Do Laundry one day a week. Doing it every day sounds nice, but are you disciplined enough to follow thru with that load? Or are you like the BeAGoodFamily and find a wet load in your washer 4 days later? I do it all on one day, a day when I know its a priority and I will keep on coming back to the machines to keep the loads going.
6. Know the difference between Clean and Sanitary. There is a difference, and it is not what you might think. When I am going for Sanitary, I do not worry about how pretty it looks. If someone knocks over the garbage can and I am worried there is chicken juice on the floor, I wipe it down with a bleach based cleaner. That leaves horrible streaks and a residue on the hardwood floor. Fine. I am going for Sanitary, not clean. Similarly, if there is 2 day old Cheerios and milk caked on the kitchen sink walls, I am going for clean. I do what I need to do to make it look clean. Is it sanitary? Darned if I know. Don’t lick it, if you are worried.
7. Good enough is good enough. Have I ever mopped a floor without sweeping first. Darn tootin’. Do I mop around the chairs sometimes. Yep.
8. Rank your priorities. Sometimes we do not clean up the toy room, because its in the basement and we can avoid looking at it. That is the whole reason we bought a house with a basement. But I will not let that logic fly in the main floor of the house. I live there.
9. Whirlwinds are your friend. Do a whirlwind cleaning every night. Work fast, put things away, wipe the counters, wipe the sinks, sweep/mop. That’s it. 15 minutes tops. That is all it takes to get a normal house back to show quality.
10. Don’t fuss about the rules. Wipe out your bathroom sink with a hand towel, so what if it might make your towels dingy in the long run. It will make your life easier in the short run. If there is toothpaste splatters all over your mirror, go ahead and wipe it with a wet wash cloth. Yes, it will leave streaks, but at least its cleaner.
11. Minimize. If you cannot, then Organize. The less you have, the less you have to clean. If you cannot minimize, then organize what you can. When things have a home, its alot easier to put them back there.
12. Eliminate daily carryover. Try try try to get it all done before bed. If you don’t, its a snowballing problem that will never get better, short of a major Spring Cleaning. Don’t look at the spaghetti under the table and think “oh well, I will get it tomorrow.” Tomorrow you will have to clean up the yogurt that squirted out of the container someone dropped in front of the fridge. Tomorrow you will have to clean up the little poop lines that appeared on your carpet when your toddler butt-bounced down the stairs with a leaky diaper. Yes Scarlett, tomorrow is another day, but its not going to be any easier than today, so don’t start already in the hole.
and finally….
13. Your spouse lives here too. Mhmmm. You know its true. They need to do their part.
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Great Post. Number 5 –do laundry once a week has always been important to me ….Gather it, wash and dry it, fold or hang it, and put it all away in one day. I admit it is easier now that I am doing laundry for only three but even when I was doing it for 5 I did it all in one day. I also suggest that certain items do not need anything more than being put in a container or drawer not folded etc. (Underwear, socks, dishrags and towels, bibs, pajamas, and other small items maybe even tee shirts. I also totally agree with #4 , #11 and #12 is super important. Love MOM
I am going to try a few of these, mainly doing all the laundry on one day. I do several loads throughout the week and yes, they often end up forgotten and neglected. Sometimes even sour and stinky, if they were neglected long enough. Oops.
I agree about good enough is good enough. I don’t have time to move all the furniture and vacuum underneath it, who does?
that’s pretty much my EXACT approach right down to the playroom in the basement, except i do laundry all week.
I never fold underwear or bibs. And the way I “fold” my cleaning towels is pretty shabby. BAGD and I disagree on what to do with socks. He says ball them right away, as they come out of the dryer in each load. He lays them all flat on the table, looking for mates that may or may not be in that load. I say put them all in a basket and sort/ball them at the end of the laundry day. My way has fewer widows and orphans, I think, and takes up less room on the laundry room table. Big point of contention in our otherwise happy home.