I wanted to share an easy way to keep your home neat and tidy this new year, by spending about 30 minutes per day on a cleaning/organizing task in your home. You may need to customize this routine, given the size and number of rooms in your home, or even recruit (aka require) family member's help. But once this routine becomes a daily habit, you will never have to sweat that unexpected visitor, your stress levels will decline, and you will have more free time to spend with your loved ones.
Here is a list of a few things you will need to acquire or need to start doing to accomplish your new habits:
- A caddie containing your favorite cleaning agents to include glass cleaner, tub and tile cleaner, all purpose disinfectant, furniture polish and an abrasive cleanser.
- Also included in the caddie should be two old plastic drinking cups. One will house your toilet scrubbing tools which include a green/medium duty scouring pad and a pumice stone. The other will house your sink and tub scrubbing tools which include an old tooth brush, a white/light duty scouring pad and a magic eraser.
- A microfiber duster
- A vacuum
- A hand vac (if you have stairs)
- A mopping system. *I say 'mopping system' because there are so many to choose from. You need to choose the right system given the amount of hard flooring in your room as well as the type of flooring. These systems range from a mop and mop bucket for large areas of hard flooring, a microfiber mop and floor spray for medium areas of hard flooring to hands and knees for small areas of hard flooring.
- Set your alarm for 30 minutes earlier than you currently wake up.
Now let's discuss our new daily routine!
This routine needs to become a habit so don't get discouraged if it doesn't come easily or takes more time in the beginning. Also, just because you wake up 30 minutes earlier doesn't mean you have to do this routine in the morning. Getting up earlier just gives you that extra 30 minutes, to do this routine any time of the day but.... try to complete your daily task at the same time each day of the week. Doing so will solidify it as a habit that you need to fulfill at that specific time of day. Also, use your time wisely. Example: while your laundry is washing and drying, you should be doing other tasks from the list.
Got it? Ok, here we go!
MONDAY: Bedroom (recruit (aka require) each family member to take care of their own)
- strip your sheets and make the bed with a fresh set
- put all dirty clothes in the hamper
- do a load of laundry
- pick up and put away things lying around on your furniture
- fold and put away clean clothes
- dust and polish furniture
- vacuum carpet/mop hard floor
TUESDAY: Living Room
- make your bed! Ya I know this is in the bedroom but get use to it because you're going to do it daily!!
- do a load of laundry
- fold and put away clean clothes. Again, this isn't a living room task but you're going to do it daily!
- pick up and put away things lying around on your furniture
- dust and polish furniture
- vacuum carpet/mop hard floor
WEDNESDAY: Kitchen
- make your bed! Ya, again!
- do a load of laundry
- fold and put away clean clothes
- pick up and put away things lying around on your kitchen counters
- wipe out your microwave
- wipe down counter tops and spot clean exterior of cabinets
- scrub sink with abrasive cleanser, rinse and polish
- shake/vacuum your rugs
- vacuum carpet/sweep and mop hard floor
THURSDAY: Bathroom
- make your bed
- do a load of laundry
- fold and put away clean clothes
- remove shower necessities, dampen the walls of your shower with water then spray your tub and tile clean -let sit
- sprinkle abrasive cleanser in toilet and sink
- spray toilet with all purpose/disinfectant
- put things away on your bathroom counter
- scrub sink with white/light duty scrub pad using the toothbrush to get around the tight areas, rinse and polish
- clean mirror
- wipe down counter tops
- scrub toilet with green/medium duty scrub pad, using pumice stone for hard water or rust then flush
- wipe all components of the toilet, from the lid all the way to the floor
- wipe floor around toilet (just because it's usually difficult to get that area with your mopping system)
- scrub shower walls with white/light duty abrasive pad paying attention to corners and grout lines. Rinse the walls with warm/hot water
- sprinkle abrasive cleanser in the tub and use the white/light duty abrasive pad to scrub the tub then rinse with warm/hot water
- wipe the tub and shower walls dry and polish the faucet
- vacuum carpet/mop hard floor
FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY: Living/Common Areas
- make your bed
- do a load of laundry
- fold and put away clean clothes
- choose one other room of the house, being a family room, another bedroom or what have you, and do one of the previous routines. Again, if you have multiple family members in the home, and they all chip in and do a room a day with you, then you may very well have these last three days to have fun! Yep, I said it HAVE FUN! After you make your bed and do laundry that is.....
WARNING -never mix cleaning products, always use them as directed and wear protective equipment as suggested.
I hope this routine helps you achieve your goals of keeping a neat and tidy home this year. And don't forget, you can always get a little help from a licensed, bonded and insured professional cleaning service in your area.
Sincerely, Erica Jensen -President Clean Right Company, Spokane, WA.
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