I you can spend just
fifteen minutes of solid and intense cleaning time each day you will be amazed
at how much you will be able to get done.
What helps immensely is that I am consistent with my cleaning routines,
but even more so is that my house isn't overfilled with a bunch of crap. Regular decluttering sessions pay off in huge
dividends when it comes to keeping and maintaining our homes. Flexibility is also key. If I'm too busy or feeling unwell and don't
get my cleaning done then I can do two or three sessions on a different
day. As long I do that I can stay on top
of things, but even if I can't get all seven of my cleaning sessions done in a
week I find that there is always next week and I'll be caught up soon enough.
I'm pretty particular
about my home but even still I'm not going for perfection. I'm going for good enough to keep me
happy. I do what I can, when I can, the
best I can at the moment. If you can do
that, then you've done a great job.
Tips that make my fifteen
minute sessions successful - make everyone in the family pick up their own crap
(I'm not the maid), do a walk through at the end of each day to make sure
they've done it. Enlist a helper , or
helpers, if you need to accomplish more in fifteen minutes than time will
allow. Kids and spouses are always more
willing to help out if they know they only have to work for fifteen minutes. You may have to do two or three fifteen
minute sessions each day until you get things under control but eventually you
will find you'll be able to maintain it with just one.
I keep my cleaning supplies pretty basic
Schedule some regular decluttering sessions to thin out your possessions if you have too many and
even if you don't. Make it a rule that
tables, countertops and sinks are to be kept clear. Schedule your laundry days so you only run
one load each day, if possible. Our
laundry days are Sunday and Wednesday with Saturday as an extra day in case we
need it. If you are a larger family you
may need to run a load every day. Keep
in mind, the fewer clothes and linens you own the less laundry you will need to
do. It's true.
I do not include washing
dishes, doing laundry, wipe & swipes, cooking or projects in my fifteen minute sessions. I have a weekly schedule to keep track of
which areas of the home I plan to work on daily and use a checklist to
keep track of what I've completed. There
is no point wasting time doing something again if you already did it. Right?
We aren't minimalists but we keep it fairly simple
I have been sharing more
in depth of how I do things in order to give you some ideas. I hope this has been helpful. I'll continue to do this in the coming
months, but if you have any questions feel free to ask. A lot of you have already contacted me to ask
about a particular area you are struggling with and I love that. I don't want you to be slaves to your homes
or constantly feeling unhappy or discontent with the state of them. Our homes need to be our sanctuaries not a
source of stress our unrest. Happy,
clean, clutter free homes are the best.
We can do this.
A clean home is a beautiful home.
ReplyDeleteAbsolute truth!
DeleteYour key to success is "staying on top of it." Once things are out of control, it is chaos and hard to control.
ReplyDeleteConsistency keeps the chaos at bay. :)
DeleteI restarted my cleaning list this week. So far, so good.
ReplyDeleteYay! Keep at it, it gets easier & takes less time.
DeleteThank you so much for your examples and ideas! Tired of continually digging out from under, looking forward to getting and staying on top of things!
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy this helps! :)
DeleteYou inspire me!! Thank you for posting how you do this.
ReplyDeleteYay! You are very welcome. :0)
Delete