Thursday, January 5, 2012

5 Steps to getting a cleaner house

This post is about Cleaning, organizing will be for another post. These are real life things that I do that help me keep my home cleaner and tidier, and help our family enjoy our home more on a daily basis.

bucket of soap and mop



1. Pick a cleaning day
Every week I clean on Monday, its a full out clean, not a tidy, but actual cleaning. Pick a day that works for you, and for your family. 

bathroom vanity


I tidy/clean 5 days later on Friday too, its less than a Monday clean, but more than just a tidy.  I clean on Friday so that the house is cleaned up for the weekend, it means we can have guests, it means I can relax and enjoy the weekend because there are no chores to do, and it usually needs a good spruce by Friday.

Fresh & Fun Living Room


2. Do the laundry one load at a time

laundry tile decor

I used to do like 5 loads of laundry in one day, and I would end up with 2 baskets full of folded clothes, 1 basket of clothes unfolded. 1 load in the dryer, 1 load sitting in the washing machine, overnight getting stinky. And...then I'd have to rewash the stuff in the washing machine, and sometimes the stuff in the dryer wasnt all the way dry, but I'd get tired of doing laundry.  I know you have all been there, right?

 All that to say...wash one load at a time. Wash it, dry it, fold it, put it away.  Dont start another load unless you are committed to doing that load all the way through.

Laundry Room

You can do 5 loads in a day, but before you put in the next load ask yourself  "Am I prepared to wash this, dry this, fold this, and put this away?" If the asnwer is no, then skip it.

white bed linens on bed

( I also like to throw in towels or sheets in between my darks, whites or baby clothes. Because towels and sheets are easy to fold and put away, it makes the task less tedious, try it!)



3. Clean before you relax

At the end of the day after I put my daughter to bed, I run around like a chicken with my head cut off, so I can relax. I actually use relaxation and free time as my motivation. I put away the toys, and clean up her dinner, and finish that load of laundry. No one likes to wake up to dirty dishes, or unfolded laundry, or toys all over the floor. So do a little crazy clean up for a couple of minutes. You'll be happy that you did it. And it literally takes me 2 minutes to clean up my entire downstairs, because I tidy often it doesnt get too out of control.

Light & Bright Kitchen

4. Go ahead and just finish that little task.
Its the little tasks that are undone, and stay undone and stay in our minds. Its the little things that we dont do because they are so easy, but unfortunately we dont do them, and then we worry about them, and we have to keep reminding ourselves to do those things. Its the easy thing like mail out that bill, or empty that trash or taking the extra minute to put away your jewelery.

Energy Eatery

5. Have some routines

beige area rug in hall

A. I clean on Mondays. I clean on Mondays because we enjoy the house over the weekend, and we always make a mess on the weekends, so by Monday it really needs a cleaning  B. I tidy up every night so we can reset for the next day, it starts us off on the right foot. C. I wipe down the sink in the bathroom every day. We only have 1.5 baths, so its 2 grown ups and a baby who use that bathroom every day to take showers and baths and all that getting ready makes a mess. Once I'm done using a washcloth I simply wipe down the sink and the shower ledge, it feels clean, it looks clean, it makes me happy.  D. I empty the garbages in our bedrooms and bathrooms 2 or 3 times a week.

My home is not immaculate, sometimes it gets messy because real living happens and I dont pay attention to my own 5 steps. But these 5 steps are things I do every week. I really believe if you clean really well once a week, pick up and keep things tidy your home can look cleaner and be cleaner.

This is what has worked for me, and I hope it can work for you too!

(All pictures are from BH&G.com)

Do you have any routines, steps or tricks?

9 comments:

  1. Great post! One thing I do is when I get up in the morning I make my bed right away! Makes the room look done and it's not tempting to get back in it.LOL
    Have a wonderful day!
    ♥Rondell

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  2. I do the same thing, I make my bed first thing in the morning.....I usually tidy up every day and vaccuum several times per week....Cleaning days or usually mid week depending on my schedule.

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  3. I started using the "one-load-a-day" rule and so far, it has been SO much better. Before, it would literally take me HOURS just to fold them, because I had accumulated as many as 5 or 6 loads.

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  4. Great tips! I am definitely saving these! Love your blog and I am your newest follower. xo

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  5. There are a lot of cleaning "rules" I try to stick to: make the bed everyday, do laundry 1 load at a time, clean and wipe down kitchen every night, wipe bathroom down every day, straighten up every night, sweep kitchen floor every other day and then I deep clean every week or two! It seems to work really well for me!

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  6. These are good tips! I work full time, so I can't keep my home as tidy as I'd really like, and I clean on Saturdays and do laundry on Sundays. I try to straighten as needed during the week at night, but usually by Saturday, my house needs a lot of work! I'm going to try something new this year, doing half an hour of something I'd do on a Saturday each evening. Maybe that will cut my Saturday cleaning down!
    -Revi

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  7. Hey Jen, totally agree! Great tips you've got here! Tell us more!
    Love, Olga

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  8. Hello, I just read your post and couldn't agree more. When my children were smaller (3&1), I didn't think I could keep up with the clutter. But, my mother-in-law taught me the secret--don't let things pile up and a little bit here and there every day makes a huge difference. Today my girls are 4 & 6 and people are amazed at how clean and neat our house always is. It's also a great way to teach the kids to put away what they take out. A clean home and is a happy home.
    Preeti

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  9. Great tips some I have used some I haven't so this was great thanks for sharing!

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