Easy Housecleaning, Fast And Like A Pro * Spotlight My Health

HOUSECLEANING

I’ve never been big on housecleaning. I can think of 100’s of other things I’d rather do than clean, and I do mean, anything. Getting lost in a book, spending time with my kids or watching a movie with my husband are some of those things. Anything, but clean.

For one thing, I hate having to determine what needs to be done. On top of that, I’ve always felt that it’s the responsibility of everyone living in the home, to help take care of it. That includes the kids once they are old enough to help.

This takes care of two things; the house gets cleaned and my kids learn how to handle and take care of a home.

Don’t try to take on more than you can at one time. Since that’s what makes me feel overwhelmed, I only take one or two rooms a week to clean. Yes, I know, you may be shocked. But if you are picking up throughout the day or evening, as you move around your home, it won’t be so bad in rooms you aren’t cleaning this week.

Most homes have between seven to eight rooms and two bathrooms. Taking two rooms and the bathrooms each week to clean, means by the end of the month your home should look pretty good. It makes spring cleaning much easier too.

TIPS TO MAKE HOUSECLEANING EASIER

Tip 1:

Gather needed items in a caddy to carry with you

Glass cleaner

Your favorite cleaner

Dust cloth and furniture polish

Cleaning cloth

Lint brush (for furniture)

Scrub brush

Toothbrush

Tip 2: Make a Plan of Action for Your Housecleaning

Cleaning your home may be a never-ending task, however, deciding on a plan of action ahead of time, will help you feel less stressed and overwhelmed. A good checklist helps you know where to start, gives direction and keeps you on track. I made a list for you that you can get further in the article.

Clean House When I need to get things done, I make a list to keep me focused. It occurred to me that I could create one big list for all the household chores that needed to be done and include when to do them. That took the planning and deciding part out of the equation. My family and I just had to work the plan.

I prefer to get things done during the week, so that I can do what I want on the weekends. And what I want, is to not do housecleaning. I also have a full time job, therefore, I need my weekends to recoup and have some me time. Likewise, I like to do my spring cleaning well in advance of summer. I want my summer for time spent with my family or at the pool with a book.

Tip 3:

Clean up as you go. For instance, while cooking, clean dishes, pots and utensils as you use them and don’t need them anymore. This keeps from having such a big mess to clean up after your belly is full and all you want to do is take a snooze.

Tip 4:

Bundle—instead of running to different rooms to put things away, carry some type of basket or laundry basket, if something bigger is needed. Put things that are out of place in the basket and as you go from room to room, pull things out of the basket to put away. This is also a good idea to keep from running up and down the stairs. Saves a lot of time.

You could also do this as a daily task at the end of each day. Or as an easy chore for the kiddos.

Tip 5:

To clean the microwave, put about a cup of water with a few tablespoons of vinegar in your microwave. Run the microwave 2-3 minutes until you know steam has been created on the inside. The steam makes everything damp and loosens the splattered food on the inside of your microwave, making clean up easier.

Put the remaining water and vinegar in a spray bottle to help you clean other things. Vinegar and water make a good all-purpose cleaner.

Tip 6:

Once you clean the shower, try spraying some lemon pledge or furniture polish on the door and wipe clean. The oils in the polish will prevent soap scum and water stains. This will keep the shower clean for weeks.

Tip 7:

Vacuum a small space horizontally first and then go over that same space vertically. This ensures you are pulling as much dirt out of the carpet as you can.

Tip 8:

Clean your baseboards more easily and save your back with this tip. Attach a cleaning cloth to the bottom of your broom with a gum band and use this to clean the dust from the baseboards. Really saves your back and knees. It’s also a good way to clean around your ceiling and corners. Once you are finished, it’s easy to remove the cloth and wash it.

The checklist above will also include an upgrade

list for seasonal items to be cleaned.

HOUSECLEANING LIST THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

I keep several copies of my cleaning list handy so that I can mark items to be done each week. Then I hand them out to family members, including myself, to take care of those marked items.

Give your family members a “finish day” or time and let them decide when to do their share. Or make one day, like Saturday, “chore day”, and everyone work at the same time. After chores are done–allowance!!

Spring Cleaning

Daily and weekly cleaning is overshadowed by the BIGGIE–spring cleaning! A day of torture to me. Six months of stuff, clutter and dust bunnies. And then it all gets repeated in another six months. If you do your spring cleaning in April, you’ll be set for the summer. This gets done again at the end of October or beginning of November, in ordee to set you up nicely for the holidays.

If you need to do something for yourself after the cleaning is done, check out my post for your very own personal retreat.

IN CONCLUSION

As I said earlier, I’d rather do anything than have to clean my home. That said, I also have to admit that I really like my home looking clean and well taken care of. So this has been my solution. I made up the checklist that I’m sharing with you. It has made life much easier and I hope it does the same for you.

Let me know what you think!