Are your Saturday's lost because of housework? Are you spending the weekend cleaning instead of taking the kids to the park or going shopping? Would you rather reclaim your weekends for yourself and your family? Of course you would. Yet the chores around the house still need to be done. How can you do it all and still find time for yourself?
The answer is...habit. If you change your daily routines or create new ones, you'll have a continually clean home that will only take minutes to spruce up for unexpected company and you'll be able to relax more and enjoy more of those weekends.
Let's run through a typical day to see where new habits will make a dramatic change in the time you spend cleaning:
Waking up - Starting at the First Moment
When you get out of bed, immediately make the bed. It doesn't have to be perfect, just pull up the sheet, blankets, comforter, etc. and make it look nice. Take a look around your room and put misplaced items away as quickly as possible such as shoes in the closet, books in the nightstand, clean clothes in the drawers or on hangers. As you walk to the bathroom, take along any dirty clothes you tossed on the floor the previous night and toss them in the hamper.
Bathroom - Clean as You Go
Starting now, make it a habit to leave every room you enter a bit cleaner than you found it. Put out-of-place items back where they belong. If you always store items in the same place, this will be easier. Don't get picky about who left what out, just put it away. It will also be a time-saver if you keep a spray bottle of Windex window cleaner and a roll of paper towels in the bathroom. After you finish with your business, dump a little cleanser in the toilet and give it a quick cleaning. If the mirror is looking less-than-sparkly, give it a spray and a wipe along with the faucet fixtures and sink counter. Give the room a quick once over and then leave.
Kitchen - Breakfast and Cleaning on the Go
The best way to start any day is with a clean kitchen, but on this first morning this may or may not be the case. As you get breakfast ready, take stock of what needs to be done, what needs to be put away and do whatever can be done quickly. Put away anything you get out and clean up any mess you make during breakfast. If there are old newspapers piled up on your table, toss them before you eat.
After breakfast, get all the dirty dishes to the sink. If you have a dishwasher, unload the clean dishes and then load up the dirty dishes so that your sink is empty and the counters can be wiped down. If you don't have a dishwasher, take the time to wash all the dirty dishes before moving on with your day.
Laundry - Making the Mountains Disappear
There really is an easy way to keep up on laundry without spending an entire Saturday washing, drying and folding. The secret here is to keep the laundry cycle going every day. One load per day should be all it takes unless you have a huge family. After your shower and breakfast, get that load into the washer. Later in the day or after work, you can pop it into the dryer. After dinner, you can quickly sort and fold then get the clothes put away. For kids, you can deliver them to their rooms for them to put away. For your own clothes, get them into a drawer or on hangers...don't pile them up on the table, chairs or exercise equipment to do later.
Early Evening - Quick Chores Before Rewards
When everyone gets home from either school or work, this is the time to quickly pick up little messes, straighten up rooms, put things away that have meandered into other rooms, put the wash in the dryer and then vacuum if necessary. Get the kids involved - even toddlers and pre-schoolers can help! Make it a routine that there's no outdoor play, TV or video games until the quick chores are done and the work will get done faster. Make the main entry ways presentable.
After Dinner - The Routine Comes Full-Circle
This is where all the habits work to make the next day a breeze. After dinner, get all the dirty dishes in the dishwasher or wash them and let them drain. Wipe down counters, toss any trash or junk mail that has accumulated and put away anything out of place.
Make sure the table is cleaned off and ready for breakfast with no clutter or toys or school work piled on top. Unload the dryer and get the clothes put away. Before going to bed, unload the dishwasher or put away all of the drained and dried dishes. It's great to begin a new day with no left-over work.
Relax and Enjoy
Don't drive yourself nuts by cleaning continually. Make a few new habits and you'll find you have more time to enjoy your home; you'll enjoy more free time while you're home and you'll definitely feel comfortable having friends over - even unexpected visits!
For more help with cleaning and decluttering, visit these articles:
http://www.gomestic.com/Personal-Organization/Ten-Quick-Ways-to-Declutter-and-Get-Control-of-Your-Home-and-Your-Life.135932
http://www.gomestic.com/Homemaking/Awesome-and-Easy-Steps-to-Having-a-Clean-House-1-Eliminate.157155
http://www.gomestic.com/Homemaking/Awesome-and-Easy-Steps-to-Having-a-Clean-House-2.157364
http://www.gomestic.com/Homemaking/Awesome-and-Easy-Steps-to-Having-a-Clean-House-3.157366
