The Daily Swish & Swipe

  

I bet I have given out a hundred housekeeping checklists in the past month, I'm just thrilled about that, and it has been so nice to hear from each of you.  Such fun to have that personal contact with my readers.  I'm all about any tools to help us live better and simpler lives.  No one wants to be a slave to their homes, right?  Our home needs to be our sanctuary not a source of apprehension where messy rooms and mountains of laundry await.  There is nothing more liberating than knowing no matter who shows up unexpectedly you won't be embarrassed to let someone into your home or even let them use the bathroom.  Our home is almost always company ready.

 

One of the keys to having it that way is my own version of the daily "swish and swipe" (the Fly Lady uses this term).  This is a task I do every single day outside of my regular 15 Minute Cleaning routine and it takes just minutes.  Super quick!  I do this in three key areas of my home - the kitchen, upstairs bathroom and downstairs bathroom.

 

I do the bathrooms in the morning once my daughter leaves for school and before I head out the door to go to work.  I use a spray bottle of water with Fabulosa cleaner in it and a rag to wipe down the countertops, faucets and inside the sinks as well as the top of the toilet tank.  Beside our toilets I keep a container of water with Fabulosa cleaner in it and a toilet brush.  I use this to swish out the toilet bowls about every day or every other day.  It is so quick because it is done on a daily basis so grime doesn't have the opportunity to accumulate and build up.

 

In the evening I swipe the kitchen after all of the cooking is completed and the dishes have been washed.   I find it is the perfect time to wipe down all of the countertops and shine up my sink and faucet.  I make sure all of the dishes are put away and nothing is left out on the countertops.  Everything is clear and ready for the next day.  I also collect the used dish cloth and towel to deposit in the laundry basket and we start the next day with a fresh clean set.  Again, it takes just a few minutes to reset the room because nothing is allowed to accumulate and build up.

 

I do this once or twice a week in our laundry room as time allows.  This room doesn't see a lot of action but lint and dust can settle on top of the appliances and it is nice to give it a quick once over in there to keep it nice and fresh as well.  I only do laundry two, occasionally three times a week so I find laundry day is a good time to swipe the room with a little spray cleaner and a cloth.  I love how this little method works so well to help me stay on top of our home, freshen up these three busy rooms and how quickly I can get it done.  Pretty amazing what you can do with a few quick minutes.