Wise Words

My grandma use to say "A lazy man makes more pain". I couldn't agree more.

Lets face it I am a cleanaholic that no matter what still does not have a show case house because people actual unravel their lives here. Which is what parents should allow. I know a few people who insist that cleaning interferes with spending time with their kids and letting kids be kids. At the end of the day they are right. Except I do both. Or try. I believe if you don't get behind cleaning is not all the bad.

I want to show you that you can clean in 30mins or less. I want to show you that doing 70000 loads of laundry in one day is silly and thats where your spending time on something silly instead of with your spouse or kids. Tips,Tricks and being one with cleaning. =D

First of all its easier if you can make a cleaning schedule, Then you only have 2-3 things to do a day which is a load easier. But remember this goes along with your normal every day stuff,like washing that wall that your lovely 2 yr old just splattered sauce on..Waiting will make the sauce dry and then you have 5-7 more mins of dealing with that dumb wall instead of sitting down and watching Nick JR which admit you do even if your kids are in bed. Laundry-  A load a day, or maybe darks on 3 days and lights on two then on the weekend do the odd load. 

Definition of Odd load= Curtains,mat that the cat threw up on,Sheets, Snow suits that went out on the day the sun created mud... ETC. 

Anyway, Dust a room a day. Or if you have a small enough place choose  a day and do the whole dusting then.  Sometimes its hard not to get behind but remember once you get going and your actually putting things where they go and actually accomplishing things,it takes no time!  
For me its about staying ahead of the game. I clean the kitchen after breakfast,FB break,chores that I do on that day,Today is Wed. so I dusted living room and vacuumed.  I also washed a few walls. I was done in no time and that was with a load of laundry done and hung outside.  Tomorrow is darks so I already put the darks from the hamper to the washing machine to save me a little time. 

Saving Time- Big help. Carry around what you need so that you are not going back and fourth. Get your vacuum out,get your ceiling duster out...etc before you even start. Bring along a bucket of water so you can wash what ever mysterious spots you see along your way. An old rag. Your cleaning products. A everything sponge(one you do NOT use on dishes). Those carriers they sell for carrying your cleaning stuff at walmart work great. 

Mind Process- Remember you can make it fun. Okay maybe not all the time. But blast some music. Remember once your done your done. Clutter with toys and dinner dishes thats puny stuff compared to your everyday cleaning to make sure you do not get behind and end up living like a hobbit. =) 

Ditch the Old Clothes or revamp them- So many people clean in ugly sweats or ugly clothes....why? Cleaning does not need to be something like an old maid. Put that tight fitting tank top on with your short shorts and clean. Okay might not work for everyone but jeans and a t shirt with a bandana can look good too. Make yourself feel good because what your doing obviously no one else would do in the house or it would have been done already so you deserve to feel attractive and motivated while doing it!  

Basics-   Some days the basics are enough. A few tips to get your house to seem spotless. Great for busy days or days where everyone is home so its like shoveling snow in a snow storm. 
Toilet clean? Check.  Floor swept? Check. Counters washed down? Check.  Things picked up(no clutter)? Check. Dishes done and out of sight? Check. No clothing in sight? Check.  Tv free of hand prints? Check. First room you walk into,mess free? Check. Mine is my kitchen so that is always clean. Stove is clean. Sink is clean etc.
The Lysol wipes or any type of disinfecting wipe is really a huge time saver. Go around wipe down your handles on doors,fridge,cupboards etc.  Take them and wipe that layer of dust off your desk. Great for pictures in frames,the glass gets dusty even if we can't see it. 

Pick a day for odd jobs. Nothing too hard. But Swiffer under your couch or the cupbard that needs a screw. Maybe the kids rooms need a bit more attention.
Things should always have a time frame as well. My sheets get done every 2 weeks. My curtains sometimes don't until spring cleaning but eh we are not all perfect lol.  Dust the cieling corners once a month. Wipe down your washing machine once a week,silly stuff like that takes a few seconds but makes things seem clean and fresh. Also keeping stuff in good clean condition means if you down the road sell it,it looks lovely! 

A few things to have that help keep clutter down. Organization is a big part of it all as well.  A recycling bin. A craft bin for the kids, so that you can put catalogs or a paper towel tube into. Do not keep everything though. A basket or something creative for the dog toys. Something in the kids rooms to keep toys organized and is easy for them to pick up and put away when done with.  A book shelf for books. A place for coats and drying hats and mittens. A basket o bills. (A cute basket that your bills go into when you get them). Does not have to be a basket but you get what I mean. I know how desks tend to look!

Making a few small rules will help too. I have learned that from living in two places since having kids. One place looked like crap when we moved and then this one started going that direction till I put my foot down. 4 simple rules that will NOT make you the bad no fun parent. 
1) No eating in any room but kitchen. 
2)Drinks if spilled get cleaned up right away.
3) Everyone has a chore or two.
4)No dystruction to the house! My kids sadly have wrote on enough walls and damaged enough walls to make me want to scream!!!  Hopefully that has changed.

A little discipline for yourself never hurt too. We already ignore our diet so lets not ignore our pride and joy place of living either.  

PUT THE LAUNDRY AWAY WHEN ITS DONE! Sorry I had to yell that. I see all the time how people re wash clothes because they got stepped on or no one knows if they are clean!
Do not let your kids change outfits 600 times a day and tell you the clothes are dirty. I think I did this as a kid. Sorry mom.
Go through your mail,have it orginized. Bills go on desk. Crap goes into recycling. Catalogs that we can't afford anything in them go into the craft bin for a rainy or snowy day. 
 The things that gather food and a pure mess...Keep clean. Stoves,Microwaves and counters. A sponge and soap does the trick so its not that hard.
You might have your own set of rules depending on how your house works and who has chores and who does not. Or the animals and cleaning their cages and them. Anything like that. Be creative. 

Thats about it. I'm sure I'm missing steps and tips but I don't plan on stopping this blog any time soon so just be on the look out. Pinterest Thursday is coming up so look out for this weeks greatest finds on one of the coolest sites!