Thursday, July 28, 2011

Burning Question #10

CLEANING!!!

As a woman, wife, and mother this is something that is a big thing in my life.  My hubby helps out here and there but I was raised by a mom who LOVED and almost obsessed over a clean and clutter-free home.  Therefore, I have been taught the "correct" way to clean and prefer to maintain my house "my way".  I only ask Chris to do a few things (i.e. the dishes, yard work, bathing the kids, dusting certain rooms, vacuuming)  Otherwise, I have to go and re-clean the room he just "cleaned", so I find it easier to ask him to watch the kids so I can clean. (disclaimer- He is great about doing chores and is willing to do what I ask, most of the time.) But then it can get overwhelming, especially since I work outside the home and babysit all day Wednesdays, so I don't have as many free days to clean the house.  I am no expert on housework but I have seen a few great ideas and motivating articles lately that I wanted to share with all of you.


First is the 1 Minute Rule Cleaning, I saw it referenced on Angie's blog and thought it was a great and motivating way to start tackling some to-do lists and tasks that seem a bit overwhelming at first glance. 

I also came across this article on the same website as the 1 minute rule, called "How To De-Crapify Your Home- A Start-To-Finish Guide".  I need this one mostly for my closet... I get a little throw away happy when it comes to other things in the house.

And last but not least C. Jane's amazing video about zone cleaning your house.  I really like this idea and unintentionally do this a lot.  But now I know what it is and can fully embrace it.  I laughed out loud when I watched this and I want to be her friend IRL.



So now that we have some ideas out there, my question is-

How do you prefer to clean your house, what are some tips or ways that help you stay on top of housework?

Do you do most of it alone or have helpers?

Do you freak out about clutter and little things or do you not sweat the small stuff?

5 comments:

  1. this is how I keep from going crazy:
    1-i only feel like cleaning (this is not to be confused with tidying up) in the morning so that's when i do it and generally before i shower i.e. I take 15 minutes and clean the bathroom before i jump in.
    2-i NEVER want to do dishes after i'v slaved over the stove so before i start dinner i make sure the dishwashers been emptied so i can load what i use to prep dinner as i'm cooking.
    3-after Ruth goes to bed i spend about 5 minutes tidying up.
    4- if i want mike's help it has to be something that i don't feel like i need to micro manage like:picking up the toys during my tidy up time, clearing the table after dinner, rinsing the dishes or after I load have him do the hand wash (I have to fill the sink with the soapy water), take the garbage out. Notice how none of them are things that are finishers. It's like asking a teenage boy to do simple tasks. don't tell him i said that.

    .....it's possible i'm nuts.

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  2. How funny, just this morning as I was tackling the cleaning I was going over in my head how completely different it is now with Hudson around. I love to clean. I clean when I'm upset with Daren, which I'll say happens rarely ;) I HATE clutter and the little things. It stresses me out but I have let it go a lot more than I use to now that I have a baby. I use to clean the house top to bottom before Hudson was around on Friday, my day off with no Daren around. But now I take advantage of the no fail nap Hudson has every morning(ok my days off from work mornings) and do as much as I can. I usually can get the big cleaning done, ie bathroom, laundry, and then I dust when I'm upset. This didn't make any sense but just know it made sense in my mommy brain.

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  3. I love to clean and have a somewhat conceded attitude that only I can do as good as job as I think needs to be done so it's hard for me to ask for help because I feel like I have to babysit whomever is helping.

    Each morning I started in one room of the house, stay in there until things are tidied and put away, then move down or up the house. After everything is in its proper place, I actually do the cleaning: carry around Lysol wipes to wipe counters, windowsills, door handles, light switches, walls, ect. I clean bathrooms about 1-2 times per week. I vacuum about every other day and sweep/mop every week. I love my little Libbman Swiffer type mop and a bottle filled with some hot water and vinegar for my floors. I hate dusting so it gets done closer to monthly. In my kitchen, I dowse everything with Lysol spray, let it sit, and then wipe down counters, backsplashes, appliances, ect. I wipe down Sophie's high chair after she eats. I usually wash windows that get touched a lot, do mirrors, and then fold laundry and put it away. Probably 1-2 times a month I do much deeper cleaning but it's whenever a mood hits me. I also clean the garage once a month, vacuum my car weekly, and do some other outside cleaning monthly. I like to go through my drawers - the catch-all drawers about monthly to de-clutter and chuck stuff I don't really need to save. I have a pretty impressive tote system in my storage shed and so once in a while I'll go through that to make sure and catalog in my brain what I actually have and if there is anything I can throw out.

    Kale did not grow up cleaning and does a half-@$$ job at most things. I usually ask him to do the dishes, take the garbage out, mow the lawn, and quick-pick up toys. That's about it.

    I learned about the quick 15-min pickup and have to do that some days. When you are feeling lazy and you just want to sit on your butt and watch what's on your DVR, do cleaning in 15 min span. Spend no more than 15 minutes at a time picking things up, then plant your butt right back down. It's pretty effective for those days when you don't want to work.

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  4. I got lucky and was blessed with a clean husband, never leaves dishes in the sink, always emptys the dish washer and does laundry with out me asking but I am with you, I want certin cleaning done my way which is the correct way:) Usually If he cleans up after dinner I always go back over things like the counter tops, stove and such and I hate when he leaves crumbs in the sink, if there is crumbs then it is not clean to me, but I know I am psyco OCD and I'm ok with that:)

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  5. How did I miss this post? Anyway, I love cleaning w/ baking soda and white vinegar. Seriously, anywhere you would use bleach or ammonia you can sub these. They're also natural insecticides but aren't harmful to people or the environment. I have started zone cleaning recently and boy howdy(kay, never saying that again), does it help. I'm the same as most of you and just ask my husband to do easier I-don't-care-about-the-quality tasks. He does shine the sinks after doing dishes, which is awesome. Now I just need to figure out a better system for laundry!

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