MPmomof3Four Steps to Basic House Cleaning
February 18th 2010 16:59
A dirty house can seem very overwhelming, but you can view your household chores as tangible goals. If you work on one area of your home at a time, house cleaning can be simplified.
In my household there are four basic steps that I take to have my home functionally clean for everyday use. Granted, these steps do not make my home "company clean." They do, however, get my husband and I through each ordinary day.
Step 1) Clear the clutter.
This is perhaps the most difficult step for most people. People generally have either a tendency to avoid dealing with clutter do to its shear volume in their space or hang on to things for "sentimental" or "possible future use" reasons. Sometimes people even cling to clutter for unknown reasons. If this is you, you may consider enlisting the assistance of a neutral third party such as a close friend or a professional organizer. Sometimes they can help you say goodbye to your old items and assist you in selling them to make money or donating your things to a worthy charitable organization.
Step 2) Find a place for everything and put everything in its place.
If you have an item in your home that doesn't have a "home" of its own, find one. If you can't find one, ask yourself if you really need it or if you are simply holding on to the item. If you can not justify the use of the item, get rid of it. Remember: the fewer things you have, the fewer things you have to clean! Having a place for everything in your house will make house cleaning much easier because you will not have to spend as much time moving things around so you can clean around them.
Step 3) Maintain the previous two steps.
Removing household clutter and finding places for your household goods are only the beginning. Without an ongoing tidy-up routine, your household can easily revert to its previous state. Spending a few minutes per day in each room is vital to success.
Step 4) Clean the items and surfaces.
I have found that the worst dirt and grime offenders in my home are typically laundry, papers and dishes. If I can keep those three things under control the rest of the house is much easier to clean. My tidy-up routine typically begins with starting a load of laundry, running the dishwasher, hand washing dishes, and putting papers into their proper locations.
Putting papers into their proper locations is made easier by a mail system that I created for my home. Each day I deal with the mail when it comes into the house. Junk mail is put into the trash or shredded; Bills, invitations and other important mail are put into a 8 1/2 x 11 "to do" envelope; magazines are placed into a plastic bin in the bathroom; etc. This makes it much easier to find what I need when I need it.
Once I have finished the laundry, dishes and papers I tackle the kitchen counter tops - the next "worst offender" in my home. I love the Mr. Clean magic eraser because it cleans all the every day messes. I love to use it for quick cleanups as well because it is always easier to clean up a mess as soon as it is created.
After I tackle my worst offenders I use my remaining energy to work on my "project of the day." The project of the day is another area of my home that needs to be cleaned. Examples are the refrigerator, bathroom, home office, etc. Cleaning one room or area each day helps me focus on that particular task and achieve more cleanliness in less time. For larger or more involved projects I will occasionally enlist the help of my husband in the process.
In my household there are four basic steps that I take to have my home functionally clean for everyday use. Granted, these steps do not make my home "company clean." They do, however, get my husband and I through each ordinary day.
Step 1) Clear the clutter.
This is perhaps the most difficult step for most people. People generally have either a tendency to avoid dealing with clutter do to its shear volume in their space or hang on to things for "sentimental" or "possible future use" reasons. Sometimes people even cling to clutter for unknown reasons. If this is you, you may consider enlisting the assistance of a neutral third party such as a close friend or a professional organizer. Sometimes they can help you say goodbye to your old items and assist you in selling them to make money or donating your things to a worthy charitable organization.
Step 2) Find a place for everything and put everything in its place.
If you have an item in your home that doesn't have a "home" of its own, find one. If you can't find one, ask yourself if you really need it or if you are simply holding on to the item. If you can not justify the use of the item, get rid of it. Remember: the fewer things you have, the fewer things you have to clean! Having a place for everything in your house will make house cleaning much easier because you will not have to spend as much time moving things around so you can clean around them.
Step 3) Maintain the previous two steps.
Removing household clutter and finding places for your household goods are only the beginning. Without an ongoing tidy-up routine, your household can easily revert to its previous state. Spending a few minutes per day in each room is vital to success.
Step 4) Clean the items and surfaces.
I have found that the worst dirt and grime offenders in my home are typically laundry, papers and dishes. If I can keep those three things under control the rest of the house is much easier to clean. My tidy-up routine typically begins with starting a load of laundry, running the dishwasher, hand washing dishes, and putting papers into their proper locations.
Putting papers into their proper locations is made easier by a mail system that I created for my home. Each day I deal with the mail when it comes into the house. Junk mail is put into the trash or shredded; Bills, invitations and other important mail are put into a 8 1/2 x 11 "to do" envelope; magazines are placed into a plastic bin in the bathroom; etc. This makes it much easier to find what I need when I need it.
Once I have finished the laundry, dishes and papers I tackle the kitchen counter tops - the next "worst offender" in my home. I love the Mr. Clean magic eraser because it cleans all the every day messes. I love to use it for quick cleanups as well because it is always easier to clean up a mess as soon as it is created.
After I tackle my worst offenders I use my remaining energy to work on my "project of the day." The project of the day is another area of my home that needs to be cleaned. Examples are the refrigerator, bathroom, home office, etc. Cleaning one room or area each day helps me focus on that particular task and achieve more cleanliness in less time. For larger or more involved projects I will occasionally enlist the help of my husband in the process.
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