cathmom Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Clean every room every day? If so, how do I do anything else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veritaserum Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Check out the Fly Lady. :) She also has a wonderful, inspirational podcast (Fly Lady and Friends). In the Tools podcast she has a 1-hour "crisis clean" where she walks you through spiffing up the kitchen, living room, main bathroom, etc. But yes, doing a little bit each day is the secret. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKim Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Clean every room every day? If so, how do I do anything else? Nope. Not having anybody, human or animal, living with you is the true secret. :D I remember those days of a clean house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1bassoon Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 The other secret is to put your home on the market - My house has never been cleaner. And, my blood pressure has never been higher!!!! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 In the past, when I *was* able to keep my house clean, it was because I stayed on top of it all day long. It was also when I had my dc responsible for certain things and held them accountable for the completion and quality of the jobs. That was in the past. I haven't even unpacked yet! (Then again, I am still working 3-4 days a week, too.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Define "clean.":D IMHO, every room can be tidy--no personal belongings strewn about, no magazines and newspapers and books covering every surface, no unopened mail lying on the coffee table or kitchen counter. But *clean,* as in dusted and mopped...that doesn't have to happen every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmamainva Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Nope. Not having anybody, human or animal, living with you is the true secret. :D I remember those days of a clean house. :lol: :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyinTN Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 For me it's just easier to keep a clean house clean than allowing it to get dirty and cleaning all day. I just have a quick system and it takes about 1.5 hours out of the entire day. I also make everyone put there stuff away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 I think the secret to a clean house is slave labor ;) Isn't that what kids are for? Seriously, though, most of your kids are old enough to do a good deal of helping out. We have a time each day when we all clean at the same time until the house is picked up. Then we divvy up the dusting, vacuuming, bathrooms, kitchen, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 We do the slave labor, constant cleaning thing. But once you get it established, it's easy to keep up. Our pets make it harder. We have a "no walk by" rule. If I see someone walking by something that needs attention I make them go back. It gets to be a habit to pick stuff up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 I think the secret to a clean house is slave labor ;) Isn't that what kids are for? Seriously, though, most of your kids are old enough to do a good deal of helping out. We have a time each day when we all clean at the same time until the house is picked up. Then we divvy up the dusting, vacuuming, bathrooms, kitchen, etc. You haven't ever met her twins!:lol: It takes *2* people to keep up with them and that leaves one person to do the actual cleaning!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 We do the slave labor, constant cleaning thing. But once you get it established, it's easy to keep up. Our pets make it harder. We have a "no walk by" rule. If I see someone walking by something that needs attention I make them go back. It gets to be a habit to pick stuff up. What did your house look like when you had newborn triplets and a 1 year old and a 6 year old?:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicmommy Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 My secret to a clean house? I have company over. I teach lessons out of my home and just knowing that I have people coming over almost every other day is motivation enough for me. Althogh there are a few days that remain closed. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 What did your house look like when you had newborn triplets and a 1 year old and a 6 year old?:lol: Well, I'll tell you but you won't like it.........cleaner then than now. The more pressure I'm under the better things run around here. I ran on a really tight schedule and kept up. We finished our first official yr of hsling too. The first six months I had help from 8-5, M-F. Then it was just us. After the trippers began walking we made two baby safe rooms, one on each side of the house, and they generally had toys on the floor, but that was it. I look at movies and am amazed I survived. But we had a really bad phase when my arthritis started taking over. Things slowly got worse and worse, (as in years) and once I was better I bet it took me a couple of years to catch up. So it all evens out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay in Cal Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Fly Lady was too much for me to digest (all those reminders, or making my own schedule)... I loved the idea, always failed at implementation. But Motivated Moms is really working for us. Since our move especially, my house is CLEAN. Except for the two rooms that are still full of boxes. I can never remember when anything has to be done, so the checklist system is perfect for me (and dh, who is even worse about knowing when things need to be cleaned). That combined with Chore Wars to motivate our ds's to help, and we are off and running, after years as terrible messies! http://www.motivatedmoms.com/ http://www.chorewars.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamom3 Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 stay on top of it. Take a 10 to 15 min clean up break every couple of hours during the day with everyone in the house. It makes a world of difference when everyone pitches in and cleans one room. It also helps get the kids mind off their work for a few minutes. We just took our 10 min clean up and cleaned 3 rooms--dusted and vacuumed and cleaned a bathroom. On our next 10 min clean up our goal is to clean the 2 bathrooms upstairs and vacuum the hallway. After we are done with school we will all make sure our bedrooms are clean. The kitchen I tidy up while the dc are doing school work. Also on Saturday's you can spend an extra 20mins with everyone in one room and get deep cleaning done. I am not saying that my house is clean all the time, because there are days that I just can't get to it all. But like someone else said on here, it's better to clean daily, than to take ALL day and clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 Nope. Not having anybody, human or animal, living with you is the true secret. :D I remember those days of a clean house. Hmm, I've never actually lived alone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie in OR Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 We have a "no walk by" rule. If I see someone walking by something that needs attention I make them go back. It gets to be a habit to pick stuff up. Oh man, am I ever instituting martial law on this. Right.this.minute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 You haven't ever met her twins!:lol: It takes *2* people to keep up with them and that leaves one person to do the actual cleaning!:D LOL! You're right. Add in that the 10 yo isn't really capable of watching them OR cleaning without someone on top of her. But I really have to do something. I have reached my personal limit and I can no longer function in a mess! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 When it was just dh and me, you couldn't find a messier place. Laundry was always backed up, dishes in the sink, unmade bed, complete mess everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nayner Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 My secret to a clean house? I have company over. I teach lessons out of my home and just knowing that I have people coming over almost every other day is motivation enough for me. Althogh there are a few days that remain closed. :001_huh: I teach lessons in my home too, but my house never looks perfect! On the days I have lessons my house isn't really tidy, it's just not as messy as other days. I do clean the bathrooms frequently and try to keep my teaching area picked up, but my house has an open floor plan. I can't seem to keep more than one area clean at a time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 Define "clean.":D IMHO, every room can be tidy--no personal belongings strewn about, no magazines and newspapers and books covering every surface, no unopened mail lying on the coffee table or kitchen counter. But *clean,* as in dusted and mopped...that doesn't have to happen every day. The floor and furniture clear of clutter, rug vacuumed (edges too), kitchen counter clear, only crumbs not big enough for mouses on the floor, table clear, able to walk in laundry room... Dusting - I am ROFL! I haven't dusted in years! I wish dusting was the extent of my problems! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Oh man, am I ever instituting martial law on this. Right.this.minute. When I was training this I used to put a sock on the floor, then call the kids so that they would have to walk by it to get to me. If they ignored it, I'd make a loud buzzer game show noise and tell them they flunked the test. I thought it was great fun, they thought I'd lost it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 to get rid of all unnecessary items. if you don't use it, don't plan to and it isn't valuable enough to save, get rid of it. be ruthless and objective. when your shelves are half empty and everything can quickly be put away to allow you to dust and vacuum, house cleaning will be a minimal chore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 to get rid of all unnecessary items. if you don't use it, don't plan to and it isn't valuable enough to save, get rid of it. be ruthless and objective. when your shelves are half empty and everything can quickly be put away to allow you to dust and vacuum, house cleaning will be a minimal chore. I agree - the less stuff I have the easier it is to clean. I am seriously considering getting rid of everything still in boxes after 2 months because obviously I don't need them.:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 to get rid of all unnecessary items. if you don't use it, don't plan to and it isn't valuable enough to save, get rid of it. be ruthless and objective. when your shelves are half empty and everything can quickly be put away to allow you to dust and vacuum, house cleaning will be a minimal chore. right, I just need a chance to do this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Hood Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 I tried that for a week and never got to pick up a book. I'd rather clean it all in a day and read the rest of the week. I suppose I should test it longer than a week, but my girls are getting the idea of putting stuff away and it is at least staying picked and looking better as the 3 of us pitch in and work together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 So glad for this! I have copied two of the posts to print out. The only way I get the house clean is to stay up and get only 3 hours of sleep and/or (usually and) send DD to stay at my mom's for 1-2 days. It is not consistently clean. More like the opposite. And CathMom, I agree with your definition of clean, but that standard is still higher than when I consider my house clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 No kids and a maid. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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