I feel awful!
Like Sick awful.
My head hurts. My nose hurts. My body hurts... I just... hurt. It's allergies. I thought I had made it through the spring without having them, but Mother's Day hit me hard (flowers at church... *sniff*)
Why am I telling you this?
Well, I wanted to say that even if you are sick (I mean 'under the weather' sick. Not with a virus, flu, strep, or anything else that needs medical attention... if you are contageious sick, rest and relax.)... If you are 'under the weather sick' don't let that take away from your daily cleaning.
But? But? BUT??????
I KNOW!
That's why I have 10 chores that I do daily. No matter how much my head hurts, my eyes water etc (unless, like I said, I'm can't get out of the bed sick). These are the 10 that *I* feel are the most important to my family/household. These, if done daily, will keep your house in tip top shape and will make you not embarrassed when company unexpectedly comes over (raise your hand if THAT has ever happened to you *yeah... I'll raise both of mine*)
First of all, however, lets pretend that you aren't like me... your head isn't pounding and elephants are playing kickball with your eyes (if you can relate... I'm so sorry). I like to do my big cleaning on Saturday. It gives me a good cornerstone to start my week with (even if my house is only 'clean' for a few minutes). If you haven't started your cleaning yet and are feeling totally overwhelmed (like I TOTALLY did) make this checklist, take a day to complete it, and check off when you have finished the task.
I should say that I didn't come up with all of these on my own. I tweeked some ideas I got from http://www.moneysavingmom.com/, http://clutterbug.me/, http://www.tipjunkie.com/, and LOTS and LOTS of youtube videos (search cleaning or organzing and you'll find a ton). I'm going to give you MY list though which incorporates things from all of them plus some things I added for my family.
MAKE A HOMEMAKING BINDER!!!! Forgot about that? Click on this for a reminder: http://ohthatmomagain.blogspot.com/2011/04/my-homemaking-binder.html It's one of the the most useful things I have ever had... in fact I'm using it now (to remember all of this lol)
So, here we go: Make this into a checklist... Add your own personal touches...
Day 1: The big 'Saturday' Cleaning
~Laundry: Fold, Hang up
~Bathrooms: Sweep, Disinfect sinks/counterops, Clean toilets, baby bath, tubs, mirrors, and swiffer
~Kitchen: Declutter table, Clean off island, wash countertops, Dishes, Sweep, Swiffer, clean out refrigerator
~Living Room: Dust, put up Toys, Vacuum (whole house)
~Kids' Rooms: Toys, Dust
And that's it. You can add to it, take away, but that is the extent of my 'big' weekly cleaning. It's all it takes. I usually tackle some big project (like my clutter room or the girl's closets), but those are the tasks that I have to get finished. It is also a great starting point if you are feeling overwhelmed with where to start. If you are staring at your mess and thinking, "O.M.Gosh" (or some variation there of) take one day and do your 'Saturday' cleaning. The first time will take longer, but after that it will go much faster.
Ok, after you have your initial purge finished, here are my top 10 daily maintance chores (I know, FINALLY, right? Bare with me. I apparently have a lot I want to say... ). These are the 10 chores that I do unless I'm really really sick. I did them today, and like I said, my head is killing me. I could have easily not done it. Said I wasn't going to. I'm sick. But like I posted Mother's Day, I HAVE to have a routine or I get out of whack and before I know it, I have to start back over at square one.
My TOP 10 DAILY CHORES: (pretty basic... I'm not re-inventing the wheel here... ;) )
1. Start off the day reading the Bible.
Ok, I know what you are thinking... A) that is NOT a chore and 2) Really? And the answer to both is yes. Yes it is. Even if you aren't spiritual or religious or whatever, starting your day reading the Bible or some other inspirational book helps you focus, start your day hopeful, makes you take some time for yourself, and gives you good postivive energy to start your day. If you are sad, down, or not feeling positive, it is really hard to make yourself clean/enjoy your house.
2. Load of clothes before/after work.
I used to wait until Saturday to wash all of my clothes. The problem with that is 2 fold. A). I ran out of clothes. B) The dirty clothes were scattered out everywhere making my bedrooms look cluttered which caused a vicious cycle of clutter throughout my house (ARG!). The solution for me is to wash a load of clothes in the morning and at night (or at least once daily). I go through the house and pick up everything on the floor, throw them in, and turn it on. If you are the type that have to separate your clothes (which is probably better, but I don't do it) then you could have separate hampers in your laundry room. The point is to not let dirty clothes stay on the floor. Ever..
3. Cook Supper
I have a confession. Its SOOOOOOOOO easy to go through the McDonald's drive thru and get something after working all day. I'm tired. I'm cranky (sometimes). I just want to go home and kick my feet up. But I don't. Once a week I will get drive thru, but for the rest, I cook. It saves money, is usually healtier, and makes me feel good about myself if the kids like it (I said IF the kids like it lol)
4. Clean Table/Highchair/Sweep Very Well right after Supper
I used to be such a procrastionator. I'd wait until maybe nearly bedtime to clean the table and even then it was a light sweeping. Now, I make sure to clorox the table and the highchair right away to get it over with. Same with sweeping.
5. Clean Kitchen Countertops
It takes literally a minute, but running a lysol/clorox wipe over the kitchen countertops makes you declutter and makes you put everything back in it's place.
6. Wash Dishes Daily
Not when the sink is full... not after every meal (unless you have a lot), but Daily.
7. Fold Clothes
I'm not as good with this one. I have to make myself to it because I hate folding clothes, but if I wash everyday, then I have to FOLD every day (just how it is lol)
8. Wipe down bathrooms
This is a new one for me. I used to just do it weekly, but now I've seen the error in my ways and do it daily. I do the sinks, countertops, and toilets every day (front, back, and sides)
9. The Five Minute Pickup
I absolutely LOVE the 5 minute pick up! You take 5 minutes (duh) to go through your house and put things back where they belong, throw away, straighten up, etc. I have my kids help me with it and its just really fun for me. That's why I don't care so much about messes any more. I know we will pick it up at the end of the day before bed anyway.
10. Fix Folder for the next day
I'm a very big scatterbrain. I'm not sure why, but I totally am. I have everything written down 3 times in my binder (once monthly, weekly, and daily) so I won't forget. So, that's what I do at the end of my day. After the girls go to bed, I kick back, looking at my clutter free living room (thanks the the 5 minute pick up), and look through my binder, fixing my daily sheet for the next day. I get mine at http://www.moneysavingmom.com/. It's under household managment printables and is totally customizable. LOVE IT!!!
SO there it is. My top 10 daily chores for a less cluttered home. You can add to it or take things away, but that's what I have found has helped me and my home. In summary, start with a good cleaning (the Saturday checklist), then do the maintance daily. This maintance is for a working mom, but you can totally make it for a stay at home mom.
I hope I have given you some ideas (haven't been all over the place), and I hope some of this has helped. It sure has helped me. (have I mentioned how much I love checklists ;) )
Much love... and happy cleaning!
Kelly