S/O: If you don't like house cleaning but have a fairly clean house...

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

Could you post your tips or tricks that work for you, or even a schedule that you use?

 

I'm sure I'm not the only one here who would appreciate it. :D

[2cents]

Routine, Routine, Routine! I make sure I do a little daily so we don't have a huge weekend cleaning extravaganza.

 

Getting up early and starting with a tidy house.

 

Cleaning as you go and training the children to do the same.

[LuvToRead]

Routine, Routine, Routine! I make sure I do a little daily so we don't have a huge weekend cleaning extravaganza.

 

Getting up early and starting with a tidy house.

 

Cleaning as you go and training the children to do the same.

 

:iagree:

 

I have a specific list of things I do daily, weekly, and monthly. I change sheets on Monday, dust in Tuesday, clean out the fridge on Wednesday, that kind of stuff. You can find schedules at FlyLady and Motivated Moms.

 

I don't like to clean, but I don't like a messy house, so that's what drives me. I like to sit down around 4 o'clock in a fairly neat house, and read a little bit before I start supper.

 

I also keep a bottle of cleaner in the bathroom, kitchen and laundry room and a stack of cleaning rags. I use a Pledge 360 to dust, and this works great. It is so much easier to dust now.

 

Oh, and lastly, I clean a bit before breakfast, then again after lunch, a quick straighten up before I start supper, and I clean the kitchen after supper. I don't clean all day, but I have certain times kind of set aside for cleaning.

[ezrabean2005]

:iagree:about the routines.

For us it's easy when we don't have a lot of stuff.

So we sort / purge very regularly.

[Ottakee]

I DO NOT like to clean but I have found that the Motivated Moms list http://www.motivatedmoms.com really does work IF you do it. I have the week at a glance on a full sheet of paper and then I can make sure I cover the jobs for the week. If I have a really busy day coming up I look at those jobs and try to do them earlier in the week or later--just so they get done.

 

Right now I am not using the list and you can tell in my house. I am though going room by room/area by area and doing a MAJOR deep cleaning---the likes of which I don't know if we have ever done. My goal then is to get back on the Motivated Moms to keep things up.

[3littlekeets]

I have finally figured out that my kids don't understand "clean the living room" or "go clean your bedroom" :confused:.

 

They do get "put all the dishes in the sink" and my oldest can load and unload the dishwasher. All the kids get "bring all the laundry downstairs," and "isn't swiffer dusting fun?" :lol:

 

So, we do 15 minute cleaning increments throughout the day with very clearly defined tasks.

[Luckymama]

My "rules" are:

 

--kitchen stays picked up and clean during the day, so if you make food, you clean up after yourself

--all items for recycling get put into the wheeled bin RIGHT AWAY

--the dishwasher is run before bedtime and propped open to air dry overnight

--nothing is left out downstairs at bedtime: books are put where they belong, toys are put away, wii controllers are put away, all laptops are where they belong, cups/glasses from after dinner are in the kitchen, etc.

--one load of laundry is done every day, assuming there are enough of a type to do a load

--wood floors in entry/dh's office/dining room/kitchen are swept as needed

 

I try to do the majority of cleaning on Mondays. I have a little checklist of

--dust downstairs (bookshelves, top of things, baseboards where we have hardwood floors)

--sweep

--swiffer hardwoods

--mop hardwoods if needed

--vacuum family room carpet

--water houseplants

 

Bathrooms used to be cleaned on Thursdays. Now I have the older kids clean the bathrooms whenever they have the time. They also vacuum the upstairs. Each kid is responsible for keeping his/her room clean enough that I don't freak (no food allowed upstairs---so it takes a lot to make me freak about the state of a bedroom!) They are also responsible for getting dirty clothes into the appropriate section of the laundry sorter in the linen closet and for taking their clean clothes from my room to theirs (and eventually put away in closets/drawers).

[susankenny]

Every morning (after coffee) I make beds. I also clean the kitchen as I go. Letting it build up in the sink makes me want to avoid the work, so I'll end up putting it off otherwise. If I clean as I go, it is so much easier. I do laundry every.single.day. It's a pain, but it makes the loads manageable. If I let it go for just one day, it starts to become overwhelming. I tidy all day long, but it's just a little here and a little there. While I potty, I might look for something to do before I leave the bathroom:D I do deep cleaning on the weekends only (unless something presents itself as necessary beforehand).

 

Susan

[Julie in MO]

I think my house appears clean (even if I haven't cleaned, per se) because I keep it organized well. We don't leave things lying around, especially on countertops. I instituted a "dollar bucket" at my house which greatly impacted the misplaced stuff around the house problem. When I find something lying around that has a place but wasn't put away, I put it in the dollar bucket. If it's yours, you owe me a dollar to retrieve it. If nobody wants it, I throw it away. My kids used to come in the house, toss their coat over the banister and throw shoes in the corner. They only had to buy them back from me once to learn that closets are cheaper! We all have chores we do so that actual cleaning does get done, but I love having the kind of house that can receive drop in company any day, any time just from being "picked up." I say expend your energy on organizing over cleaning. People notice garbage laying around more than dust.

 

Blessings,

Julie

[Mommyof4ks]

:iagree:about the routines.

For us it's easy when we don't have a lot of stuff.

So we sort / purge very regularly.

 

Yes, we purge, purge, purge!!!! In two weeks I am going through everything in the house and getting rid of at least 1/4th of everything. I am tired of cleaning it, sorting it, moving it around, so it will go.

[Ottakee]

Yes, we purge, purge, purge!!!! In two weeks I am going through everything in the house and getting rid of at least 1/4th of everything. I am tired of cleaning it, sorting it, moving it around, so it will go.

 

That is what I am doing right now. I am on day 4 in the kitchen and should be done. I am getting rid of a lot of stuff, cleaning EVERYTHING--even under the stove, etc.

 

At this rate it might take until the rapture to be done but it will be SO nice to have less STUFF. We are also trying to do the outside, barn and garage so that we will feel better about having people over.

 

Some areas are going to take me a few days of work to finish (like kids bedrooms and the kitchen) while others might only take 1-2 hours--the Living room isn't bad.

[AmeliaBinMO]

We don't leave things lying around, especially on countertops. I instituted a "dollar bucket" at my house which greatly impacted the misplaced stuff around the house problem. When I find something lying around that has a place but wasn't put away, I put it in the dollar bucket. If it's yours, you owe me a dollar to retrieve it.

 

I can see where this would work, and work very quickly!

Edited June 15, 2010 by AmeliaBinMO

[Garga]

Initial Cleaning:

 

If the house/room is a total mess, I only focus on one part at a time. For example,

 

The Dining Room:

1. Clean just the hutch.

2. Clean just the sideboard.

3. Clean just the table.

 

If I look at the WHOLE room, I'm overwhelmed and can't do it. So, I break the room into tiny pieces and do one piece at a time, until the whole room is done.

 

Maintenance Cleaning:

 

Once the rooms are presentable, I go thru the house and straighten it about 3 times a day (put the pillows back on the couch, toss toys in bin, make the bed, towels in the hamper). I do the straightening when I wake up, before or after lunch, and in the evening.

 

Each day of the week is devoted to 1-2 rooms for the dusting and vacuuming and any "bigger" cleaning they may need. (Monday is the living room and dining room. Tuesday is the bedroom and bathroom, etc.)

 

It works for us: straightening each room every day and bigger cleaning 1 or 2 rooms each day.

[Nicole M]

I find it's a lot easier to clean if I don't have to move mountains to access surfaces. So yes, decluttering has been pretty important. I have probably eliminated (gasp!) several hundred books, a ton and a half of toys, and half my kitchen stuff in the last year. If I don't use or love it, out it goes. I also have been painting the house, room by room, and I find, curiously, it's easier to keep a room tidy if I don't hate to be in it. ;)

 

I think the years of having small children are hard. Now that my youngest is 13, it's much easier to keep the house in order.

[SproutMamaK]

I use Enjo cloths. It was a HUGE investment for someone who doesn't like cleaning but seriously, the difference is HUGE. I HATE cleaning, and my house is clean. It's awesome.

[LibraryLover]

My main problem is that people live here. :D They walk on floors, they wear clothing, they draw, they use glue and tape and sometimes glitter. They have items they don't want to purge.

 

Seriously, we taught the children how to run a washing machine, how to sort clothing. It helps. If oldler kids can do their own laundry, it gives a person a little more breathing room. By older I mean even young children can put sorted clothing in the washing machine. Doing this is not dangerous, and ime the younger they are, the more eager they are. I don't like to miss this window of opportunity. ;) When they get older and are steady at pouring, they can add the soap and turn on the machine. If you have a front loader, even the smallest of children can help put wet clothing in the dryer, or basket to take outside to hang.

 

My dh helps. I don't have to do everything , everyday, all of the time. He is a naturally neat person.

 

We are not packrats.

 

I vac some areas daily because we have dogs. This helps a lot.

 

I pick up as I go. I don't leave piles, and I encourage the children not to (ha!).

 

Dishes get put into hot soapy water. As we cook, we put measring cups, spoons etc into hot soapy water. We don't use our dishwasher as it's not great and we have not yet sprung for a new one, so keeping the dirty dishes from drying out on the counters is important.

 

I try to make sure everything has a place. We also set up the kitchen cabinets so that you can stand in one place as you put the majoirty of clean dishes away. I have hooks for coats, backpacks. Certain supplies go in the art cabinet. I have baskets for mittens and hats, large glass jars for pencils, pens, markers, and baskets for tape, erasers etc.

 

The house is not perfect, but it is managable and not embarrassing.

Edited June 15, 2010 by LibraryLover

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Less is more! I get rid of extra stuff on a regular basis. Anytime Purple Hearts, Easter Seals or Federation for the Blind calls, I tell them I have stuff to donate! Then I clear out a bag or two of stuff.

 

Also, I rarely watch TV, but if I do, I make myself get up and tidy or clean something during the commercials. It's amazing what you can get accomplished in those few minutes.

 

I have established many "bin" areas where I have cloth bins on shelves, so that things can easily be picked up and put out of sight in a bin.

[rookie]

Purge everything that is not absolutely necessary or absolutley beautiful

 

Minimize clothing with the same rule above.

 

Assign ALL laundry to your eldest.

 

Assign ALL garbage to a child.

 

Assign ALL loading/unloading of dishwasher to another child.

 

Assign ALL table setting to one child.

 

Assign ALL table clearing to EVERYONE - Each person cleans up their entire meal area after every meal including crumbs on table and floor.

 

No breakfast for anyone until all beds are made and all morning chores (i.e.: first load of laundry in, bathroom garbages placed in main receptacle, dishwasher unladed) COMPLETED.

 

Set the breakfast table before going to bed and know what you are making for breakfast.

 

Pre-Dinner: No dinner until the house is tidied from the day - EVERYONE participates in putting misplaced things away.

 

No one gets to go on free time or bed until the day's chores are COMPLETED (But mom, the laundry is still damp - Okay Dear....you can wait by the machine until it is dry and put away and tomorrow remember to move the loads in the morning..)

 

On cleaning day, each person strips their own bed and makes it up with fresh sheets, assign one bathroom to each child (including delivering dirty towels to the laundry area), you dust and vacuum, everyone helps to fold the clean sheets and towels.

 

Works here.

 

The thing is that there is no magic trick. Keeping a house clean/organized is work. Work is good for us and for our kids. It is good to realize that this is part of life (you eat - you brush your teeth; you go to the loo - you wipe; you live in a house - you clean it).

 

If people are not particularly motivated here, I can always use the threat: You know, roaches love dirty homes. It's a great motivator. :001_smile:

[PinkInTheBlue]

NOT a natural clean person here but my house is just about always in presentable form now. Basically it meant cleaning and straightening when I didn't want to. I meant really *seeing* what needed to be cleaned and straightened and doing it right then. Naturally I'd rather read, play with the boys, or whatever. So, I use that to motivate me to do what I need to very quickly and then whatever I want.

 

Our major traffic is through our kitchen and dining room. It's not unusual for all of us to drop things off on the big island or on our table. Everyone is trained that I redistribute items (boys things on the stairs, husband's stuff on his desk, etc) and they put them up. In 15min I can swipe everything off the surfaces, give a call out to everyone to come pick up their's, give the counter's a quick spray and move on.

 

Mostly I absolutely had to learn to do what I see. My inclination was "not now".

 

Also, we pick one day a week and all do the serious clean together. At first I made a obvious and detailed list of what had to be done to a house to clean it. Then we just move through it and check it off. Now we know what needs to be done. If someone is still working, nobody is finished. Personally I do not like to clean all week. I'd rather keep things picked up in small pieces and get all the big cleaning over at once.

 

Hope that helps. It is not natural for me and never was. As a newly married couple my house was horrendous! Now, about 15min can put everything to pretty great.

[simka2]

This helps me not feel to overwhelmed sometimes. I walk into a room and picture a clock face...the entry being 12 oclock. Then I start cleaning in a clockwise direction putting everything that doesn't belong either in a trash bag or at the entry. If I'm interrupted I know where I left off :) When done I take the things that didn't belong to their homes.

[ChristusG]

I hate house cleaning and I don't have very much time to do it. But having a clean house makes me happier and less stressful, so I try to keep up with it. If my house is cluttered and dirty, I cannot think.

 

A few things that I do to make it easier for me:

 

1. I do a "clean sweep" every night before I go to bed. Anything that is out of place I make sure to put away. That way I can start fresh in the morning with everything neat and tidy.

 

2. I keep any cleaning supplies in the bathroom. I know that if I have to gather all my cleaning supplies and go into the bathroom to clean, then I will keep putting it off. However, if I just have to grab something from under the sink after I get out of the shower, then I am much more likey to do that. I have found that I can do a quick clean of the bathroom in about 7 minutes. I use Windex wipes on the window, Lysol (or the Seventh Generation ones) to wipe the counters and toilets. And a Lysol disposable toilet wand in the toilet. I try to keep it as easy as possible.

 

3. I don't do clutter. I'm the queen of throwing things away or giving them to Goodwill or selling them online. I absolutely do not keep clutter.

 

4. And of course, do it right away. I mean "it" as in things like putting the dishes away. Don't let them pile in the sink....instead, when I finish using a bowl, I rinse it out and stick it the dishwasher. After dinner, clean the dishes immediately. When the clothes bin in full, wash it. Don't wait till they are piled over the top and overflowing.

 

These things help keep me sane.

[Denisemomof4]

vacuum every day, dust twice per week downstairs, laundry when needed (I don't do everyone's laundry) scrub bathroom on Saturday, kitchen on Monday. EVERY day we go through the downstairs (all open concept) and put everything away so it looks uncluttered.

 

Everything else gets done when it gets done. :tongue_smilie: I never used to be a person who wanted to do house work on the weekends, but I'd much prefer that over running errands and/or entertaining all the time. I prefer a simple and quiet life now. :001_smile:

[hornblower]

I think maybe deep down I'm a unit study gal because what has worked the longest for me is to divide the house into zones.

 

Monday - living areas (huge open living space = huge mess; cleaning this up means we start the week right)

Tuesday - kitchen (attached to the huge open living space = constant spillover from living areas)

Wednesday - bathrooms

Thursday - used to be 15yo dd's bedroom but she can now to it herself so I do mine & she does hers

Friday - ds 12. cannot organize or toss or clean without me so it's a social thing & we do it together

Sat - used to be my bedroom but that's often done on Thurs. so it's office + basement rooms + garage + any of my laundry which didn't get done

Sun - whatever is left over or I didn't get to during the week

 

Most weeks that we're doing our 'zone', it's just a 'quick and dirty': pick up stuff that doesn't belong, straighten up. Every couple months it's a BIG clean up of that zone which might take several hours & include washing walls, windows etc.

 

I vacuum daily.

 

Kids now do their own laundry on their room cleaning day.

 

I also keep buying more Ikea shelving units under the mistaken assumption that more strorage will somehow solve my clutter problem. I know it won't - I need to start tossing.

 

 

BUT, here's my newest thing. If you have dogs, you should check this out because I think this would solve all my problems:

 

[Mejane]

As pps have mentioned, the first thing you must do is get rid of the clutter. Knick-knacks, tchotchkes... it's just more to clean. I also clean as I go, whether it's while making dinner or wandering through the house; if I notice something is dirty, I clean it then (I keep cleaning supplies on both floors.) I also keep a swiffer handy and run it over the floor several times a day; it takes 30 seconds, but really cuts down on the dust and dog hair.

 

Most importantly, we always clean up at night before we head to bed: rooms straightened, dishes in dw, stuff taken up. To me, there's nothing worse than coming downstairs in the morning to last night's mess. :glare:

[LibraryLover]

I

 

 

 

That is hilarious! They do laundry! And well! LOL

[extendedforecast]

I clean or assign cleaning tasks when I see something that needs to be done. I really dislike cleaning, but I dislike messes and dirt even more. Thankfully DH is a germophobe, so that helps with cleanliness, even though he can be a packrat with regard to certain hobbies he has. The kids are pretty good about doing random cleaning such as sweeping this room or clearing off that counter, etc. I try to wash a load a day and have it folded for everyone to put away. I also try to have all dishes washed before going to sleep. Finally, I set aside one week in spring and one week in autumn to do any seasonal cleaning.

 

cindy