Let me start by saying I am in no way an expert housewife. But I must also say that staying at home has given me an opportunity to work toward perfecting (ha) the art of housekeeping. I also have no children, which I think allows my house to remain in a mostly-clean state. (If/When I do have kids I plan on locking them in the crate with Brooks so I can get stuff done.) I am a self-proclaimed procrastinator, and I have never cared much for schedules. Confession Time: CREATING A SCHEDULE FOR OUR LIFESTYLE HAS MADE EVERYTHING SO MUCH EASIER. I also never have to really clean house. I do a little bit everyday so I really never feel overwhelmed with housework. When I do go back to work, I WILL maintain my housework schedule. I still have a pretty good bit of procrastination left in me. I don't plant out every single minute of my day, I just have a list of things that need to be completed by the end of each day. I have decided to share some of my favorite tips that work for us and our household.
Weekends-I make a weekly menu. Then I make a grocery list. Making a grocery list is really important. It saves time, money, and prevents stress of trying to decide what to cook for dinner. If it's not on the list that week, we aren't buying it. I also make enough granola for Chris's breakfast for the entire week.
Monday is laundry day at theshuberthome. (I understand if there are more than two people in your house there probably needs to be more than one laundry day.) Having a designated laundry day keeps Chris from asking me when I plan on doing clothes. (Of course if there is an urgent need I don't refuse to wash clothes but having a designated day really cuts down on doing a million loads a week.) I DON'T USE LAUNDRY BASKETS. That's right, I put all of our laundry baskets in the attic a few years ago. All laundry baskets are good for is preventing me from putting away clothes immediately. Seriously, it takes about two minutes to fold clothes and hang everything on hangers. Then it is done and I don't have to dread putting away clothes. (That is the worst part of doing laundry, isn't it?)
On the same topic, I don't put dirty dishes in the sink. It is a wasted, inefficient step. As soon as the dishwasher finishes running (or first thing in the morning) I unload it. Then all the dirty dishes go straight in the dishwasher while I am cooking. There really isn't any clean-up after cooking. Chris is even on the no-dishes-in-the-sink wagon. Wiping out the sink after each use with a towel or Clorox wipe will keep it from getting grimy and gross and smelly.
I sweep the main part of the kitchen every time I finish cooking (or sometimes while I wait for dinner to finish cooking). This makes mopping so much easier. Plus, who likes walking on a gritty floor?
We have, um, just a little bit of a dog hair problem at our house. There is almost always little fluffy dog hairs on the coffee and end tables. I polish the tables a couple of times a week, but sometimes I just knock off the hair with my hand. Yep, that's what I call good enough housekeeping.
Oh, the dog hair. We will never get rid of it all. I do have to vacuum every other day. The only way I think I could get out of this is making Brooks live outside, and I think we all know that's not gonna happen. If I don't vacuum that often and just let it go, then I have to stop and empty out the little vacuum bin way too frequently. I also started throwing an over-sized beach towel on the love seat where Brooks naps, then when company comes over I toss the towel. Ta-da, it's dog hair free. Well, mostly dog hair free.
Febreeze plug-ins are fabulous. They don't smell too sweet, just clean. Febreeze is also great for pet bedding. Speaking of pet bedding, it really needs to be washed once a week or your house will stink like a giant dog. Trust me, I know.
Bathrooms: I keep Clorox wipes under the sink and give everything a wipe down as needed. Sometimes after I get out of the shower and the mirror is all steamy, I wipe it down with a towel. More good enough housekeeping. I also keep a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser in the tub.
Okay, I could go on and on. Look for more tips and tricks to come. And of course, my housekeeping schedule most likely won't be applicable with your lifestyle. But let's hear it. Do you have a weekly schedule? Do you wish you had a schedule? What are some of your scheduling tips and tricks? Please share! Happy cleaning!
4 comments:
wow -- i feel inspired now.. and/or a little bummed haha -- my house is total wrecko of the century right now -- partially i can attribute that to garage sale stuff (which i know, i know was supposed to be in the garage.. but we're gonna have a mini-one saturday so that it'll all fit in the garage ;) -- unless it rains -- hmmm which it might -- oh well that's part of my plan today is rearrange it and get it out of the den/kitchen at least
oh, dear, but that brings me to the kitchen -- well ... so... construction is still occuring -- Kdog is supposed to be working on it today -- that's good i guess..
we do'nt have a vacuum right now -- just brooms and a shopvac -- not sufficient! the shopvac doesn't filter well so it ends up just blowing dust and dirt everywhere -- i just put it outside and sweep everything to near the door and then vacuum it (so the dust gets sprayed outside!) hahaha -- but for christmas from my 'rents they are getting us a vacuum!! whooo hooooo
absolutely need to have a laundry day -- keith just got a bunch of new mcalisters shirts so i overestimated how long i could go between laundry and now he has no pants or socks!! :( hahah poor thing
umm.. this is a long comment
but mainly i'm just really bad at all the others stuff -- like i get focused on one thing and miss the big picture
- i do like to wipe the sink between uses in the kitchen -- and the bathrooms... hmmm
the floors are always dirty -- we don't really have too much of a doghair problem -- but since our dogs have long hair they bring in grass and sticks and just dirt in general.. and when i'm putting new bedding in the g-pigs cage i inevitably get some of the floor.... hmmmmm
now i wanna go home and clean!
hahaha
I love this post! I especially love the "no dirty dishes in the sink" policy.
I have a housework schedule. It's GREAT. When I get to it. And when the kids aren't sick. And if I could get Jonathan to understand that what I need help with is what it says on the refrigerator. haha
I redid it two weeks ago and put it on the front of the fridge with a separate section for what needs to be checked on/done each day. Four days a week there are 3 loads of laundry that need to be done, two days a week there are 2, and on Sunday no laundry. Monday/thursday is wipe down the kitchen whether it "needs" it or not, Tuesday/Friday is wipe down the bathroom... and I spot clean whenever.
I wipe down the laundry room and wipe out the washing machine (yes, I do) on Wednesdays. The washer being gross makes me nauseous. I didn't notice dirty washers until we were using the washer that was left in Mrs. Talten's house, and we occasionally would have these weird dirt flakes in our pile of clean laundry. Turned out it was the SOAP SCUM FROM THE TOP OF THE WASHING MACHINE TUB flaking off when I would use hot water. *gag* I spent two hours one day (while QD was a little baby, taking a nap) spraying shower cleaner and scrubbing the washer. It didn't fix it completely, but it helped a lot.
Okay, Quinn is at Mimsy's and Aiden is asleep, so I REALLY should be using this time to pick up the random junk on the floor...
I love this post too! I wish I had a schedule to clean. I always want a clean house and now this has inspired me. Thanks a lot for the tips.
I love this Post! I need all of the house cleaning tips I can get! I think the best advice is getting rid of the laundry baskets. You would be surprised how much laundry you can pile in one of those things. I should know.
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