I want one day where I can look at my house and say "My house is clean today". I want everything picked up and in its place. I want the the laundry clean and folded and put away. I want the goodwill boxes to be at Goodwill and the attic boxes to be in the attic. I want the base boards clean, the toilets clean, the shower clean, the outside of the cabinets clean, the toaster clean, the fridge clean, the floor mopped, the toys away, the kids bathed, the glass fingerprint free. All on ONE day. Is this possible? I am going to commit myself to the next 90 days to try to make this dream of mine a reality. I am going to ignore the yard, the organization of the inside of cabinets and closets, the garage and my husband's stuff (but to his credit, he only has a stack of stuff on our buffet and a pile of clothes in the bedroom...90% of the stuff is mine and the kids and he keeps his 10% pretty neat).
Here are my ideas. Please post comments to any other ideas that might help me on this quest (they don't have to be ideas that you actually do. :)
1. Each day, throw away or give away (watch out Evanda) one thing I don't need that is cluttering up my home.
2. Each day, when I return home, deal with the stuff that is brought home that day (diaper bags, mail, church crafts)
3. Each day, do one cleaning task for 15 minutes that is over and above the normal clutter control routine.
4. Each week, make a to-do list for that week. Transfer at least one long term to-do item to the weekly to-do list.
5. Each day, put aside bills and mail that need to be filed in a basket. Each Monday, file those bills and mail before 5 PM.
6. Empty dishwasher and start re-loading by 10 AM each morning. Put away all groceries immediately upon return of store.
7. Have Andrew help with the cleaning of his toys for 15 minutes in the morning and the evening.
8. Each day, find a place for one new item that previously didn't have a place.
Okay...there have got to be some other great ideas that can help me have my beautiful house. My challenge is starting on Febuary 1st and I am going to have a party at my house on May 3rd. Please post your comments on any other ideas that you have. On Feb 1st, I am going to print this post and put it on my fridge.
Thank you!!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
A good apron with big pockets is essential. It allows you to carry everything you need (cleanser, paper towel, etc.) and keep your hands empty. Plus, all those little things that need to be moved from room to room can ride along with you.
If you have any furniture with glass doors I recomend replacing it. Your room will look 10 times cleaner if you can't actually see all of your movies/magazines/power cables, etc.
And the more light you have in a room the cleaner it looks. Brightness is key.
What an awesome challenge! Here is how I would start:
1. Go through the house and separate all the clutter into three piles: Trash, Give away, and Keep.
2. Go through the Keep pile one more time and be brutal. Would you really notice if this thing were gone? Have you used it in the last year? If not, toss it.
3. Split the Keep pile items into what room everything belongs in. I would get a bunch of laundry baskets or something and have one for each room of the house.
4. Organize one room per week, finding a "put away" home for everything there. Get bins or baskets or shelves if needed.
5. Once everything is put away, you can start deep cleaning.
Once everything has a home, it's so much easier to clean and maintain than if there is a ton of stuff with no "put away" home that you don't know what to do with!
I hope that helps; best of luck to you on your challenge!
Have you read anything from the FLY Lady? Check her out on the Internet - she has lots of good, inspirational ideas.
Post a Comment