I think the key to success with keeping a clean and organized home is to create systems so that you can keep them up easily and quickly throughout your busy week. I mean, who wants to spend their whole weekend cleaning and putting away. Just a few minutes a day can really make a big difference. While it won’t take the place of a deep cleaning or a big purge, it will maintain your sanity and you’ll never be afraid to have guests over unannounced again. Here are my suggestions to keeping up.
Vacuum-Do a quick pass of a vacuum at least twice a week. This keeps the crunch of the kitchen floor under control and if you have pets, the tumbleweeds of dog hair will stay at a minimum. I love the Monster Vac…it’s light weight and fits into even a small corner or your room or closet. It has lots of attachments so it fits and clean just about any space. It’s more powerful than other “stick” vacs I’ve used and it’s lightweight enough that you can grab and go. Even better…have your kids use it after sinner! Time investment=10 minutes
Shred and Recycle any junk mail that comes in. If you keep a shredder and recycling bin in your entry way or even garage (wherever you come into your home with mail in hand), you will avoid piles of mail on the kitchen counter, dining room table or even couch. It takes just about a minute a day, so much less time than sorting a large pile down the road. Time Investment=1 minute
Dust One Area. No one likes dusting. When you have a whole house to do, it’s almost unbearable. I suggest dusting one area a day. If you move quickly, it should take under ten minutes. Doing a little bit every day means that the house never looks dusty and you never have to spend hour tackling dust bunnies. This is also great task for a kid to do before sitting down to video games or TV in the evening. Time Investment=10 Minutes.
Double a recipe. If you’re already cooking dinner, why not double the recipe and make twice as much? You can then either take the remainder for lunches during the week or pop it in the freezer for a meal down the road. This takes almost NO additional time. Time investment=minimal
Spray the Shower. Every time you get out of the shower, spray it down with either a cleaner or vinegar and water. This will help keep it clean and your heavy duty scrubbing will be cut down significantly. Time Investment=30 seconds
Wash the Liner. Most people don’t realize that the shower curtain liner can go into the washing machine. Buy a heavy duty one and you’ll be able to wash and reuse much longer than the cheap plastic kind. Better for your budget and for the Earth! Time Investment-10 Minutes to take down, put in washer and rehang
Buy online. Instead of running out to the store to buy things you know you need now and will use down the road, such as toothpaste, place an online order. You’ll save time, gas and us usually money! Many online retailers will even allow you to set up a subscription service where items are automatically delivered to your door at an interval you decide. Time Investment=10-20 minutes
Fill The Sink. Make dinner and cooking clean up easy this way…..when you’re cooking, flu the sink with warm soapy water. As you cook and then eat, toss in the dirty dishes for their prerinse. Let them soak as long as you like, then come back and rinse or toss them in the dishwasher. Time Investment-2 Minutes
Zap Your Sponge. Keep germs at bay by putting your rinsed out, damp sponge in the microwave. Time Investment-30 Seconds
Make The Bed. A neat and tidy bed that’s made nicely can change the whole look of a room and the whole feel of a space. Time Investment-5 Minutes
What’s your favorite time saving cleaning or organizing tip? Please share in the comments below!
One Comment
It almost seems silly that I never thought to double a recipe… Cook once and eat twice? Now that’s a no brainer!