You’ve got so much tidying to do, so little time. So what’s a
person to do? You can either lower your standards and just
ignore the mess, or you can think smart and keep your house tidy
with little effort.
Unfortunately there is no way to avoid housework. But you can
keep your house clean and sparkling in less than 30 minutes a
day, if you just get organized.
The very first thing you need to do is gather all your cleaning
supplies and place them in one spot, organized neatly. I do mean
“all” your cleaning supplies, the glass cleaner, the furniture
polish, the wax, the cleaner, the dusting cloth – all of it!
Next organize it in groups that make sense as to how you would
use it. So if you’re going to do the windows you just have to
grab all your window supplies, or if your cleaning the bathroom,
you’d grab all the bathroom supplies. Use the old KISS formula –
“Keep It Simple Stupid.” Don’t make extra work for yourself.
Next place a clothes basket in every room where dirty clothes
might land. Then train your household members to drop their
dirty clothes in the hamper, and not on the floor. If it’s in
their room, it should be as easy to use as the floor. If you’ve
got kids, get creative, with a hamper that’s their favorite
cartoon character or action figure. Make it fun!
Assign duties to other members of your house. Kids, even younger
ones, can be good helpers. Give them tasks that they are capable
of completing. As an incentive you can reward them. You can take
them to a matinee or give them a treat if they complete their
chores. If they get an allowance make them work for it. No kids,
then you’re on your own, unless you have a modern day husband
who participates in the household chores.
Be logical in your cleaning. There are two strategies that work
well. With the first, you do a thorough cleaning once or twice a
week. You choose a task, then start at one end of the house and
move completely through the house until that task is done. Then
start your next task. You’ll save valuable time by not jumping
from one task to the other.
The second strategy is favored by working woman and men, because
it takes less than 30 minutes every day, and you don’t have to
look forward to cleaning house on your days off. With this
strategy you do one room at a time, and set time limits as to
how much time you’ll spend in each room.. So lets say the
kitchen gets 8 minutes, Bathroom gets 5, bedrooms get 5 each,
and on and on, depending on how many rooms you have. You can
adjust the 30 minutes up or down, but it should never be more
than 45 minutes.
In the kitchen, wipe down the stove, fridge and dispose of any
food that needs to be tossed. Wipe down the counter tops and the
sink. Empty the dishwasher. Sweep the floor and give it a quick
mopping.
In the bathroom pick up dirty laundry and toss in the hamper,
wipe down the tub, shower, and sink. Clean the toilet last. Mop
the floor if it needs it.
Bedrooms just need the beds made, dirty laundry picked up, and
clothes put away. A quick dusting and vacuuming every third day
is sufficient.
Tidy the living room, pickup books and “stuff” that are lying
around. Wipe off tables. Dusting and vacuuming every second or
third day is sufficient.
By doing laundry amongst other activities, you’ll save yourself
more time. Throw a load in while you’re watching TV or making
super. Fit it into other activities, so you’re not faced with
ten loads at the end of the week.
Get organized and cleaning your house will become a breeze.
You’ll have less stress worrying about it and more free time to
enjoy the things you like to do!
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