RSS
Print This Article
A Little Cleaning Goes a Long Way
By
Courtney |
July 14th, 2009 |
Category:
Cleaning |
11 comments
Visit Courtney’s site, Homemaker Hero, for more homemaker tips. She blends the 1950s housewife with the modern housewife to create the perfect blend of homemaker simplicity. You can also friend Courtney on Twitter @HomemakerHero.
A Little Cleaning Goes a Long Way
There’s an unspoken rule that housewives cook, clean, and take care of the kids. There will be a day (if you’re not there already) when you, as a parent, will be too busy for housekeeping. There’s a simple organizing trick that works for housekeeping when you’re just too busy but still want your home looking tidy.
Take a look at your desk (if you have one). Imagine how tidy it would look if you put pens in a jar and stack up the paperwork. Not only does it look more tidy, but it’s somewhat organized by putting like items together. You can use this same trick throughout your home. It makes it a lot easier to go back and finish up the job when you do have the time without feeling overwhelmed.
While it’s up to you how you want to go through and organize your mess, here are three easy tips to get you started:
1. Instead of the mess of dishes on your kitchen countertop, try stacking them in the sink. Sure it’s just two more steps to wash them and load them into the dishwasher – but you don’t have time for that. Just stack them in the sink and reduce the appearance of clutter on the countertops. Give the countertop a quick wipe down if you have time.
2. In your bedroom, gather all of your dirty clothes and put them into the laundry basket. Then make your bed. While you may still have clutter, you will be amazed how much better the room feels just by having linens off the floor and your bed not looking like you just rolled out of it.
3. For toy rooms (which could include the living room), I recommend that the first child who suggests going outside or doing something other than playing with the toys (like watching a DVD), should be the one to clean up the toys. A nice big wicker basket or plastic storage container does wonders in the living room. Kids are able to play with toys and still have a place to store them neatly.
Using this method, what are some other ways you can think of to make a room in your home look a little better without consuming all of your time to do it?
Next, check out “Love Your Carpet”. Find more helpful tips at Works for Me Wednesday.
You might like these articles too:
One of the things that I really don’t enjoy doing is cleaning a dirty bathroom and when it’s dirty it takes about 1/2 hr to clean it. So what I do is use the Flylady’s system of swish and swipe first thing in the morning when I use the bathroom and it takes me less than 2 minutes – 1 minute if I’m pressed for time and skip some steps. I just spray the mirror, wipe it down(a few seconds) then use the same cloth and wipe the face basin(a few more seconds), then I use the same cloth and wipe the toilet seat, under the seat, the tank and around the outside of the bowl, then I swish the toilet brush around the inside of the bowl(the brush holder has cleaner in it) and that’s it. If the cloth is not dirty then I use it on the floor around the bowl as well. (2 minutes max). So that’s one of the things I do to make the bathroom look good without consuming all my time to do it. Thanks for tweeting about this post. Some great tips there.
I make a habit of doing two pick-up sweeps through the living area in the a.m. and at the end of the work day, gathering up anything that isn’t in its place. Immediately the house looks better. I am also a nut about keeping the sofa plumped and the pillows in place. Just keeps it looking neat.
Fruitful:
I should do that for the bathroom sometimes. I never touch it. I bet my wife would appreciate it if I did that even once a week!
good article Courtney, I’m all about taking advantage of a few minutes here and there to make a start on something. I wonder though if my kids would start treating that “first one to mention it” rule and turn it into a standoff of some kind, seeing which one would be the first to suggest tv…haha
I’m looking forward to the “love your carpet” article. When I found out it’s coming, I suddenly realized – “wait a second. I DON’T love my carpet! Maybe Courtney can help”
I’m so with you! Simple things like picking up all the dirty clothes, glasses from the office, etc. make a huge difference. Another simple clutter buster is just putting the mail away. Maybe you don’t pay the bills immediately, but the magazines go in the magazine basket and the bills go in the drawer with the other bills.
Michael,
I agree with you, your wife would really appreciate it.
Yes, Yes, YES! QUick picks ups are so much more effective!! Just the other day we realized we were having a visit in about 45 minutes. Both hubs and I sped super fast through the house, picking up, putting away and dusting. It was AMAZING how much got done when we were so focused!! The rest of the day was easy and relaxing!!
@Fruitful @Michael : Yes, I WOULD really appreciate it! lol Clean up the bathroom!
Barbi
@Barbi @Michael LOL! Well you heard the lady! Get to it! LOL!
Great tips!! They are all effective, too. I think I do most of them, most of the time.
Heyas. Just stopping by from WFMW. Great post you got here.
@Jenny: Thanks so much for coming by!
Barbi