Fam, Clean Your House!

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What I hope to share with you are not tips and they are not tricks on house cleaning. Sometimes someone new just needs to come along and remind you what you already know because then you might just do it.

This list should be completely unimpressive and I hope, very motivating.

Don’t clean your house for me, or your crazy clean friend from church or Marie Kondo. Clean it because you take pride in your home and messes are stressful.

Put away what you took out

Listen, I said this wasn’t an impressive list. Most of our day to day messes are a result of not putting things where they go when we’re done with them! Throw away your trash, don’t just leave it. Put your dishes away, don’t just leave your plate in the living room. Pick up that throw blanket you’re done cuddling under. Put your contact solution back in the cabinet. These chores don’t take any time but the added up mess will test your sanity.

Make a routine

I no longer have cleaning days, or cleaning weekends. My house is in a constant mess battle and I cannot wait that long to have it look reasonable. On Pinterest there are a million cleaning schedules you could utilize. If you need one, get it. I’m type A but not that type A. When laundry baskets are full, they get washed. When dinner is over, dishes are washed. When big messes are made they are immediately cleaned up. Break it down how you need things to be for your own sanity. If that means a chore chart, go for it. If you and your partner switch off dinner and clean up duty, do it. Find what works for you and stick with it!

Make your bed

Sorry this one is extra lame, but it is amazing how immediately clean your house looks if only your bed is made. It also makes other messes (all the clothes you threw on the floor so you could make your bed) in your room really stand out. I don’t do anything fancy and I’m not saying you need to either, but just get your top piece to be spread evenly over the bed.

Use your extra nuggets of time

The food you or your partner cook for your family does not cook faster when it is being watched the entire time. In that time you could put all your ingredients away, get meal prep dishes where they need to go and wipe away any crumbs you have. Clean your shower or bath when you’re standing there drip drying/hiding from your children. Wipe the bathroom floors while your kids take a bath. Fold laundry while you watch TV, put clothes away during commercials.

Delegate/Hold your household accountable

There are lots of age appropriate chores that your kids are completely capable of doing. I’ve already said it but it’s so important to have consistent expectations when it comes to household chores. Don’t let your kids/spouse believe that cleaning the house is your job, it’s everyone’s job! They’re still young enough they have to learn cleaning habits and they need to be asked and given expectations. If I don’t want to go insane feeling that I’m doing everything, I have to ask everyone to step up to the specific needs that the house has. I don’t feel guilty about this. If you do, don’t. Not everyone will clean how you would, so instead of being annoyed just enjoy the end product.

Less stuff means less to clean

Don’t worry, I’m not tricking you into a minimalism post (this time) but this one is easy to see. Fewer toys means less clean up. Fewer knick knacks means less dusting. Fewer products means less organizing. It doesn’t super work with dishes but if you have fewer clothes you are doing more frequent, but small loads of laundry. Less house means less floors/walls/windows to clean!

Keep your surfaces clear

Stop letting your table or counter tops be a catch all for stuff! It’s so easy to let things pile up but so much nicer to make your piles temporary. When things clutter, stop and go through them, put them away in their proper spot. Things that pile up probably aren’t even that important to you, so don’t act like it’s treasure that can’t be moved.

Relax, it’s just EO and water

Cleaning is an everyone job!

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