Cleaning House: An Overview
1. Declutter
Once every couple months, I do a “black garbage bag” clean-out. This is the best way to start with the “program” and just about my favorite thing on earth to do. I use black garbage bags because I don’t want the kids or Jeff to see what I’m throwing away/giving to Goodwill, OR they might all of a sudden decide they just LOVE something they haven’t seen for years and/or never touched before in their lives. Once you do this once or twice you will start to see a difference and love your house again. (I do sometimes ask the older kids to do this with me in their rooms…esp. with clothes or if I’m not sure if the “use” something…but this is mostly done when no one is aware.)
The reason I do this: THE MOST IMPORTANT THING – THE LESS STUFF YOU HAVE THE EASIER IT IS TO KEEP YOUR HOUSE CLEANED AND STRAIGHTENED. The kids won’t miss it I swear. And if I think they might, Â I put a “KEEP FOR AWHILE” garbage bag in my attic/basement (hidden) and see if a whole 6 months go by without them asking for it. I don’t really buy the kids a lot, but birthday parties and Christmas and with 5 kids…you know how that adds up. So, we don’t have a ton of clothes, toys, crap, because it’s just too much work to keep it all organized.
If you don’t LOVE it and use it, and it’s just taking up space, I get rid of it. ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING. In the kitchen most especially…every appliance I don’t use, bowl, tupperware, etc…how many spatulas does anyone need?…and I don’t use the “I might use it one day” excuse…if I don’t use it OFTEN, get rid of it. If I miss it terribly, and I regret getting rid of it so bad and mourn for it’s loss, then I buy another one but I think that has only happened once.
2. Toys The older kids keep all their special ‘no share’ toys/games etc in their rooms in designated spots. I have a toy cupboard (linen closet) upstairs for all the games, stuffed animals (only a few), and “extra” stuff. In the kids rooms, they each have a little trunk where they keep their little gadgets and gizmos that are important to them. I have a cabinet in my living room with a few toys and baskets for blocks, Legos, etc for Andrew and the baby. I don’t keep toys any place else, because that’s just more cleaning up. So I guess “there is a place for everything, everything in it’s place.”
3. Catch-All I have a dresser with baskets in my kitchen, labeled with each kid’s name, for all the kid’s crap I find lying around that has to go up to their rooms. Papers, drawings, Game Boy games, sticks, stones…you name it…if they leave it lying around, I throw it in their baskets and they know if they left it somewhere around the house that’s where it will be. I’ve seen people do this with those baskets that fit on the stairs too, or in their cubbies if you are so lucky to have a great mudroom. That way I don’t have to be running up and down to “straighten”.
4. Maintain With that said, I do constantly pick up, put away, etc….I don’t realize how much I do, until I get sick or pregnant or both, because then, in a day or two there is STUFF everywhere! No one else does it but me. Or if I ask someone to.
5. Fast and Efficient If I need to do a BIG straighten, I always start in our bedroom, because it’s just a habit, and it’s the farthest corner of the house. As I go I throw everything that’s NOT supposed to be there into the next room and so forth and so forth, working my way through the house. I try to go super fast and spazzy and act like I have a timer set and I will explode when it goes off, and/or the Queen of England just called and said she’ll be stopping over in 10 minutes. Yes, that sounds really immature but I swear it works. The key is to not get side tracked and not to leave the room you are supposed to be straightening until it’s done.
Cleaning is really about how you set up your house:
1. In every bathroom I have have windex, paper towels and a toilet brush. That’s all you really need. Maybe some powder cleanser for the bathtub once in a while with a green scrubbie thing. I keep all that in each bathroom in a little basket under the sink. That way the kids can get to it easy for chores and so can I. Keep it really simple. You can use the windex for the toliet and for the floor too!
2. Whenever I get a chance, and I see something needs it, I can just whip out my supplies and it takes minutes.
3. A good vacuum. I use a Dyson but there are other good brands too. I tell people it’s the best thing I ever bought in my life. Which is pretty sad, but it’s the truth. That thing saves me so much time. First, it sucks the living hell out of everything. Vacuuming makes everything look and feel cleaner, if that’s all you get a chance to do. It’s really easy to use the attachments too, so I put on the brush attachement and use that for the molding and corners, and even furniture! when I notice they need it. I use in the bathrooms and kitchen too…easier than a broom and dustpan.
4. I make my kids to Saturday jobs. I had to “teach” them how to do a lot of stuff and yes, usually the boys do it less-than-best, but at least it’s help. When I don’t make them do their Sat. job, I find I’m a lot more crabby during the week because I feel like I’m just a servant in my own house, and I am resentful of everyone. So EVEN if I think the house is pretty clean and the jobs aren’t really necessary I still hang that list on the fridge. For God’s sake, it takes them maybe 20 minutes AT THE MOST, where it would take me hours! They can work for 20 minutes! Every little bit helps.
5. Every night, before I go to bed, I usually straighten up the downstairs real quick.
Laundry: I put a photo on my blog a long time ago of my laundry room and how I have it set up. This saves me TONS of time. I do a little laundry almost every single day. That way I’m never spending HOURS on it. I bought a big basket for Jeff and I and little ones for each kid, labeled with their names. I fold the clothes right out of the dryer and throw them in each basket depending on whose is whose. Every Friday or Saturday I will make the kids go down and get their baskets and hang up and put away all their clothes.
Simplicity is the key and once you have it set up, you will find it makes your life so much easier.
And with all that said, my house is not always perfectly cleaned and straightened but this system seems to make my life easier and my house cleaner.
For more great ideas on maintaining a clean home be sure to click on over to Clover Lane!
Welcome! I'm Brandy, mother to 5 darling kiddos and a cute black lab named Toby. My husband is in the Coast Guard so we've lived all over the place, turning each house into a home. I love baking, sewing, making cute things with my kids, and sharing what I've learned with all of you!
You need to read Boundaries for kids as your habits of picking up after your kids are teaching them poor social skills that will carry over into their adult relationships.
No children at home anymore, and I find I’m the biggest clutterer ever. Having lots of hobbies and supplies makes it difficult to stay organized, but I’m taking your ideas and applying them to my situation. Wish me luck!
Good luck! 🙂 I think the biggest messes in my home are from my projects not as much from our kids, ha! Sarah has some great tips!
Such great tips! Your home is beautiful and clean! If you get a chance, please link this to my Sunday linky party (starts Sat 6pm) http://suburbsmama.blogspot.com/
Great tips! I think we’re in the same trenches! I’m definitely going to work in a chest with baskets for each of the kids. I have been working on green cleaning too, but getting the junk out of the house is the first step. I do the same thing; get it out of the house without anyone noticing. I also have “keep and see if it’s missed” pile. Clutter is the enemy!
Love your blog and your tips. Very inspiring!
I was on a routine and stupidly got off it and now am struggling to got back into the habit. My routine consists of daily things that need to be done to keep the main house from exploding over night. The five things are load the dishwasher – once full it gets run and is unloaded during the following breakfast and the cycle starts over, run the vacuum in the main living area, make the beds, sort the laundry, and feed/take care of the pets, such as emptying the litter boxes. I timed the nessessity of a thorough cleaning and found that once every ten days is sufficient. So laundry is done every ten days. I clean the laundry room between loads. The rest are general cleaning – the living area (along with the hallways and any other area not designated later in the ten day stretch) is dusted, furniture is pulled out and vacuumed behind, bedrooms – sheets changed, furniture dusted, etc, bathrooms – tub, toilet, sink scrubbed down, towels switched out, floor washed and mirrors cleaned, kitchen – all cabinets are wiped down, the floor scrubbed, bad food thrown out, counters and accessories cleaned. Then there are other things that only need to be done monthly such as washing the windows, filing paperwork, cleaning/vacuuming the car and the van, and tearing apart the appliances and thoroughly cleaning them. By doing a little daily I found out that my house doesn’t fall apart and once into a steady routine the only thing that took a long time was the laundry. I could do the weekly task of the day in about a hour to an hour and a half. Now this won’t work for everyone but it works for me. I have only one child and at the time a husband that was gone every three out of six days. I REALLY need to get back into this system again.
Maureen
Oh I know! It is so easy to fall of track and so hard to get back on. I love your system, thank you for sharing it! I find that cleaning and de-cluttering at night is best for us. If I try doing it when the kids are awake, it’s kind of a “two steps forward, one step back” approach, ha! I will be sharing my system next week, although it is pretty much what I just told you here! It isn’t perfect, but it helps work through these crazy fun years 🙂
I’m in awe. You house looks amazing – your system obviously works well for you!