Post written by Sherri Kruger. Follow me on Twitter.
Don’t you just love to clean? I know me too!
I haven’t always enjoyed it though. I didn’t like to clean when it took all day or an entire weekend. We weren’t living in filth (let me just clear that up) but I used to put off a lot of things until the weekend, when I had more time. Over the years though I’ve a learned a thing or two about how to make cleaning easier and to get it before it gets me.
Never leave a room empty handed. With two active and inquisitive kids there is always something that needs to be returned somewhere. Whether it’s a sock, a pair of pants, a book or a coffee cup things tend to migrate in our home. When I leave a room I pick up at least one thing that doesn’t belong, more if I can carry it all, and take to where it should be. Doing this little bit through out the day helps cut down on what I need to pick up at the end of the day.
Keep horizontal surfaces clear. There’s a huge temptation to stack, pile or dump things on the first flat surface we encounter. I mean it’s so inviting all that space just waiting to “temporarily” hold something for us. The problem with temporary is it’s rarely ever that. Put things back where they belong as soon as you’re done with them.
Store cleaning products under each sink. This removes some of the friction to cleaning your bathroom or kitchen. Sure consolidating cleaning products into one central location may generate more space and less clutter but I find having the products under each sink to be a lot more convenient. When I’m done getting ready in the bathroom I can give it a quick once over before I leave and it’s done. I know that if the products were down the hall in the kitchen I wouldn’t do it nearly as often and it’s likely to become a bit grungy through out the week.
Reset the house nightly. After dinner, baths and the kids are in bed we usually do a 5 minute run through of the house to pickup and put away anything that has managed to escape my puttering during the day. It’s a great way to tidy up, especially if you have young kids who love to follow you around and “help”. Best part is you’re not faced with a mess to clean when you wake up in the morning. Love it!
Clean as you go. You’ve cooked and enjoyed dinner with the family, now you look at the kitchen <sigh>. A mound of dishes, a bunch of spills and sauces that have baked on. To make cleaning after dinner a breeze try cleaning as you go. Use a bowl to gather scraps of garbage, fill the sink with warm soapy water and wash up as you go, if you have a dishwasher use it, add water to pans with stuck on bits so there’s less elbow grease required to get it clean, and wipe up any spills or messes as they happen. All of this takes only a little extra effort and makes returning to the kitchen after your meal a lot more bearable.
Other bits and pieces that are great for making cleaning less of a chore:
- baby wipes – great for dusting furniture or running over hardwood floors
- lint rollers - great for dusting lamp shades and removing pet hair from furniture and clothing
- mini-vac – great for minor messes, cleaning spilled sugar out of cupboards and giving the stairs a quick once over
- baking soda – removes odors from the freezer, takes stains off of counter tops and out of tea cups. It’s also great for removing crayon from walls
- vinegar – great for washing windows and floors, removing hard water scales from kettles and irons and loosening burnt on food bits at the bottom of pans.
- rags – old socks, t-shirts and kitchen towels make excellent cleaning, dusting and all purpose cloths
The trick is to start with a good foundation. Once your house is clean and tidy it’s much easier to maintain. I’m sure there are a ton of other great ideas on making cleaning or running your home more efficient. Please share whatever you have in your cleaning arsenal so I can add it to mine. :)
Thanks for these tips. I think the “reset the house nightly” is really important, yet one I have the most difficulty with because I go into “veg” mode. You’re right tho…doing a little constantly means it doesn’t get on top of you.
Sherri,
I have been trying to do the “Never leave a room empty handed”. Wow what a difference it makes in cleaning up. I’m still in the have to be mindful about it stage it doesn’t come automatically yet. keeping surfaces clean is a major one with me right now. I am the ultimate stacker. Especially when it comes to books and newspapers. I have to keep at myself to keep it clear. As a family we seem to be doing good at the quick clean up before everyone goes to bed. And my mom taught me to clean as I go when cooking so that one comes naturally. Great suggestions. Thanks for sharing.
Clean as you go is the best piece of advice! Cleaning always seems such a huge mountain to climb when it’s all got to be done in one go. A little bit of effort at the right time can make a big difference in the long run!
I love this! I also get excited about cleaning and use many of the tips you suggest in this post. They work!
I also have two children, 8 and 7, with responsibilities around the house. We call them ‘responsibilities’, rather than ‘chores’ as it’s empowering to have ‘responsibilities’ as part of being disciplined and dedicated and part of a larger team called the family – the term “chores” sounds like drudgery. Just changing the term has helped a lot. Each child has responsibility for keeping their room tidy, keeping one bathroom each clean, and they rotate cleaning the kitty litter box, feeding the cat, and emptying the dishwasher. It was difficult at first, but now they are so proud to contribute to the overall cleanliness of the house.
When I’m cleaning surfaces as you mention above, I put each family member’s items on a separate stair step. It’s their responsibility to pick them up and put them away the next time they head up the stairs. Saves me a lot of time and hands the ‘responsibility’ for picking up personal items to the person who owns them. A work in progress, to be sure. But building good habits/discipline, respect for self, others, our surroundings and belongings, all along the way. Thanks for these tips as they will help facilitate this process.
I think little and often is the key to staying on top of cleaning and that way it feels less like a chore. I guess I don’t clean as I go when I’m cooking dinner in the evening and so I really get that ‘sigh’ when I have to clean it all up before I go to bed and I’m feeling tired – I’ll definitely try to clean as I go from now on!
Great post as usual .. but yes love the idea of cleaning as you and all the simple ideas such as using baking soda and vinegar ..
I absolutely loved this post. Funny how reading about cleaning can make you smile, motivate you and make you feel better about staying on top of it :-) Many of your wonderful ideas I also incorporate. One I had not thought of and love is using a old sock for cleaning! Cleaning products under each sink makes a HUGE difference. Baby wipes are fantastic! I keep some in my laundry area so every once in a while I can wipe down the handles and buttons, because kid cloths are DIRTY and I am always touching the cloths then the handles. It is a new one for me and I don’t do it every time but it makes sense. Thanks for sharing!
These are great tips. My husband is much neater than I am and has these kinds of ideas “built” into his consciousness; me, not so much. I have to work harder at it, so these ideas help! One thing we do is after dinner and bath, we have the two boys (3 and 6 years old) help us clean up the main playing area. With all 4 of us chipping in, it goes fast, and the kids learn to have to take care of their messes at the end of the day.
Thanks so much for the great ideas!
I often don’t get home from work/school until mid evening, so it’s very easy to let things slide. One thing that works well for me is having a specific to-do list for each evening. Sometimes I cook supper and sometimes my husband does, but every evening I straighten the kitchen, clean the litter box, and wash/dry/fold one load of laundry. In addition I do one other ‘major’ chore — today’s Wednesday so I swept and mopped our tile floors.
I’ve found that I have to do all this before I sit down in the evening. After supper I immediately start checking things off my list because I know that if I sit down at the computer with a cat on my lap, I’ll lose the momentum I need to finish the work that needs to be done!
I love the tips. I actually have been thinking about putting cleaning supplies under each sink like you suggested, as I thought this would streamline my cleaning time. And I’m a big fan of cleaning as you go!!!
Can’t say I love cleaning but I count it as a workout so that helps:) Yes, baby wipes are the best. Holey old tshirts are good too for wiping skirting boards and so on. I just cut them up, dampen them, wipe whatever and bung them straight in the washing machine so it’s all quite ecofriendly too and cheaper than wetwipes:) Thanks for writing.
I learned a great way to clean the kitchen that doesn’t make it so overwhelming. You start with an empty dishwasher. Then move through your kitchen in sections, entirely cleaning one section before moving on the next. If you get interrupted, at least you will have thoroughly cleaned one part of the kitchen as opposed to having everytihing halfway done. I leave sweeping the floors for last.
I also try to practice “mindfulness” while cleaning the kitchen, paying attention to the task rather than trying to “get it over with”.
Thank you for your very practical post!
Great tips! I’ve also been employing the ‘never leave a room empty handed’ since my days as a server – That was the mantra going in or out of the kitchen by all the management and it’s carried over to my real life! ;)
Having 2 little ones, means your cleaning work is never done. Fun should be to get your kids and hubby involved so they know how much fun it is (sic!) :-)
I do use some of the tips but some days I wish I had Mary Poppins magic!! i
Thanks for the tips. I have been working on cleaning as I go with the dishes. I also have started spraying down the shower, toilet, and sink after I shower and brush my teeth int he morning. I don’t scrub and just leave it on there until the next person showers or uses the restroom. Slowly but surely the shower and toilet are much much cleaner! I also try to clean my dishes at the end of the day at least. I am just so frustrated because it seems every time I clean a surface my husband thinks that it means he mas more space to spread his things out! I try to keep a counter clean and next thing I know a ton of papers are milled about everywhere! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! I can only hope my daughter learns from me and not him. I am not here to clean up after him, he is responsible to clean up after himself!!!!
These are wonderful tips.
Claygo (clean as you go) works perfectly at home and the office. This is the first time I heard that baby wipes can be used to clean furnitures.Will try it.Also, I’m using a unique memo pad holder called The Finger for my paper clutter. It helps me keep my notes organized.