A well organized home should also be a clean home. It is important to grasp that clearing clutter and removing dirt are not the same. For optimum results, tidy first then clean.
No matter the size of your home, cleaning will overwhelm you if you approach it haphazardly. Determine what needs to be done daily, weekly, or monthly, then create a cleaning schedule. If you are fortunate to have household help, this approach makes your expectations clear. It is easy to rate the performance of a domestic employee if your housework requirements are reasonable and do not exceed that which you could do yourself.
I plan for two days of heavy cleaning and three days that are less structured. Here is an abbreviated version of my weekly cleaning plan:
Monday - Laundry (clothing), general tidying and dusting
Tuesday - Kitchen deep cleaning
Wednesday - Laundry (clothing), general tidying and dusting
Thursday - Laundry (sheets and towels), Bathroom deep cleaning
Friday - Laundry (clothing), general tidying and dusting
Being efficient, but thorough, is my top priority. Here are a few tips and products that I like:
The Dirt Devil Scorpion Quick Flip Corded Hand Vacuum. Even with house rules that all eating takes place at the dining table, crumbs are everywhere. This lightweight hand vacuum is ideal for picking up crumbs from under the dining table after meals. I also use it for the bathroom floor, sideboards, and the exterior of the toilet bowl. In my opinion, vacuuming is the most effective way to pick up dust, hair, and towel fibers. The hand vacuum is great for a quick fix between regular, full-house, vacuuming.
For bigger vacuuming jobs, we use the Shark Navigator® Lift-Away® Upright Vacuum Cleaner. The dust cup and filters are easy to detach and clean. Since we clean them weekly, we see just how much gets sucked up by this lightweight, very maneuverable vacuum. This vacuum has a bare floor setting which is perfect for our tiled floors in the bathrooms and kitchen.
For routine mopping, I use Swiffer Sweeper Wet Mopping Pads which are great for picking up fine dust left behind by the vacuum. Every few months, I do a thorough, on hands and knees, floor and baseboard cleaning with a cloth. We don't have a lot of tiled space so it is not as arduous as it sounds.
Clearly I am a huge fan of Swiffer products, as I also use Swiffer® Dusters. They work very well on blinds and vents, as well as on furniture.
Scrubbing the bathrooms is one of my least favorite tasks. I spray the cleaning product on, rub in with a sponge, then rinse. In the absence of a handheld shower head, I use a Chapin 20000 Poly Lawn and Garden Sprayer to rinse then follow up with an IKEA squeegee to get the excess water off.
Bleach, though effective, is not stress free to use. For me, there is always the fear of causing bleach damage throughout the house. Recently, I found Lysol with Hydrogen Peroxide Multi-Purpose Cleaner which smells great and does a remarkable job in the kitchen and bathroom.
In a perfect world, my home would always be immaculate - free from clutter and sparkling clean. The reality is that I do the best I can but I am not without moments of anxiety.
No matter the size of your home, cleaning will overwhelm you if you approach it haphazardly. Determine what needs to be done daily, weekly, or monthly, then create a cleaning schedule. If you are fortunate to have household help, this approach makes your expectations clear. It is easy to rate the performance of a domestic employee if your housework requirements are reasonable and do not exceed that which you could do yourself.
I plan for two days of heavy cleaning and three days that are less structured. Here is an abbreviated version of my weekly cleaning plan:
Monday - Laundry (clothing), general tidying and dusting
Tuesday - Kitchen deep cleaning
Wednesday - Laundry (clothing), general tidying and dusting
Thursday - Laundry (sheets and towels), Bathroom deep cleaning
Friday - Laundry (clothing), general tidying and dusting
Being efficient, but thorough, is my top priority. Here are a few tips and products that I like:
The Dirt Devil Scorpion Quick Flip Corded Hand Vacuum. Even with house rules that all eating takes place at the dining table, crumbs are everywhere. This lightweight hand vacuum is ideal for picking up crumbs from under the dining table after meals. I also use it for the bathroom floor, sideboards, and the exterior of the toilet bowl. In my opinion, vacuuming is the most effective way to pick up dust, hair, and towel fibers. The hand vacuum is great for a quick fix between regular, full-house, vacuuming.
For bigger vacuuming jobs, we use the Shark Navigator® Lift-Away® Upright Vacuum Cleaner. The dust cup and filters are easy to detach and clean. Since we clean them weekly, we see just how much gets sucked up by this lightweight, very maneuverable vacuum. This vacuum has a bare floor setting which is perfect for our tiled floors in the bathrooms and kitchen.
For routine mopping, I use Swiffer Sweeper Wet Mopping Pads which are great for picking up fine dust left behind by the vacuum. Every few months, I do a thorough, on hands and knees, floor and baseboard cleaning with a cloth. We don't have a lot of tiled space so it is not as arduous as it sounds.
Clearly I am a huge fan of Swiffer products, as I also use Swiffer® Dusters. They work very well on blinds and vents, as well as on furniture.
Scrubbing the bathrooms is one of my least favorite tasks. I spray the cleaning product on, rub in with a sponge, then rinse. In the absence of a handheld shower head, I use a Chapin 20000 Poly Lawn and Garden Sprayer to rinse then follow up with an IKEA squeegee to get the excess water off.
Bleach, though effective, is not stress free to use. For me, there is always the fear of causing bleach damage throughout the house. Recently, I found Lysol with Hydrogen Peroxide Multi-Purpose Cleaner which smells great and does a remarkable job in the kitchen and bathroom.
In a perfect world, my home would always be immaculate - free from clutter and sparkling clean. The reality is that I do the best I can but I am not without moments of anxiety.
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| This is what happens when you live in a small space and it is cold outside. |
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