I’m sure we’ve all heard the tips and tricks for keeping your house clean, but I’m also sure I’m not the only one here who doesn’t have a clean house all the time.
When I was a stay-at-home mom, my house was clean every day, but only for a minute or two! And I should mention that not all rooms of the house were all clean at the same time. With three (and often more) kids running around all the time, some things are just impossible to expect. I read a quote that said “Cleaning your house while your kids are young is like shoveling snow in a snowstorm.” So true.
Now the kids are older and are very capable of picking up after themselves. I mentioned in an earlier post how we have a time every day where we pick up. Its hard to relax when your house needs a little attention! Not to mention, we all deserve to have peaceful surroundings. When I have reached that level where the house is begging for some love, the kids and I do a few fast sweeps through the house. I read about this method from thestressedmom.com. I’m sure you can find that you can pick up your house in no time with this very simple method:
1. Grab a garbage bag and go to all the rooms you are picking up (for just a quick, daily pick up, I do this in both living rooms, the dining room, and the hallway) and ONLY throw away garbage. Leave everything else.
2. Pick up all dirty dishes in the rooms.
3. Grab a basket (or two!) and put everything that does not belong in the room in the basket. Straighten decor, pillows, throw blankets, etc. as you go. Work on just one room at a time, from one end to the other.
4. Once you have gone through all the areas you are cleaning, have everyone grab what is theirs out of the basket and put their things away. Psst: this is usually the most time consuming part. We find that if we are stretched for time the basket usually lands in one of the kids’ rooms and they deal with it later...usually when I need the basket back!
Finally, do the following in the order of importance at the particular time: Clean dishes, wipe counters, sweep floor, vacuum carpet. Ba-da-BOOM! Tidy house :)
This has been the easiest and most effective way to spot clean the house in a hurry. I involve my kids in the process. It is a great way to teach them to take care of their things and that we all share the responsibility for picking up the house.
So, if you are like me and *occasionally* find yourself in a cluttered house, give this method a try!
When I was a stay-at-home mom, my house was clean every day, but only for a minute or two! And I should mention that not all rooms of the house were all clean at the same time. With three (and often more) kids running around all the time, some things are just impossible to expect. I read a quote that said “Cleaning your house while your kids are young is like shoveling snow in a snowstorm.” So true.
Now the kids are older and are very capable of picking up after themselves. I mentioned in an earlier post how we have a time every day where we pick up. Its hard to relax when your house needs a little attention! Not to mention, we all deserve to have peaceful surroundings. When I have reached that level where the house is begging for some love, the kids and I do a few fast sweeps through the house. I read about this method from thestressedmom.com. I’m sure you can find that you can pick up your house in no time with this very simple method:
1. Grab a garbage bag and go to all the rooms you are picking up (for just a quick, daily pick up, I do this in both living rooms, the dining room, and the hallway) and ONLY throw away garbage. Leave everything else.
2. Pick up all dirty dishes in the rooms.
3. Grab a basket (or two!) and put everything that does not belong in the room in the basket. Straighten decor, pillows, throw blankets, etc. as you go. Work on just one room at a time, from one end to the other.
4. Once you have gone through all the areas you are cleaning, have everyone grab what is theirs out of the basket and put their things away. Psst: this is usually the most time consuming part. We find that if we are stretched for time the basket usually lands in one of the kids’ rooms and they deal with it later...usually when I need the basket back!
Finally, do the following in the order of importance at the particular time: Clean dishes, wipe counters, sweep floor, vacuum carpet. Ba-da-BOOM! Tidy house :)
This has been the easiest and most effective way to spot clean the house in a hurry. I involve my kids in the process. It is a great way to teach them to take care of their things and that we all share the responsibility for picking up the house.
So, if you are like me and *occasionally* find yourself in a cluttered house, give this method a try!