I normally have two theories about cleaning a house. They can be found below.
An organized house I need to function, but a clean house...well I don't mind not having a clean house. I'd rather snuggle, play, run, swim, do pretty much anything with my kiddos than clean the house. Although my big guy is a huge fan of cleaning so I am probably wasting a helper.
Normally my cleaning has more to do with making a plan for cleaning and organizing cleaning. In fact, this is usually how I clean our house.
This weekend, however, I am reclaiming the normalcy of our lives. No more vacation or business trips for the
foreseeable future. Time for family bbqs
(as in just the four of us eating hot dogs), perhaps a day trip to the beach
here and there, and lots of time at the pool.
It also means I have no more excuses for having a dirty house. In fact, I want a clean house to enjoy for the rest of the summer. (Read: I want a clean us to get dirty the rest of the summer.) So this is my plan, because we all know I
must have a plan, and preferably quite a few check lists. This weekend I am opening the windows and
going after the obvious dirt. As in when
you walk up to our front door and you see precious fingerprints all over the
door and then we walk in and see dust balls in the corner. That’s the kind of obvious dirt I’m going
after. I’m doing a quick and dirty
cleaning of the house so to speak. Then
starting this week I’m going to do a 31 day cleaning challenge where you don’t
clean more than 15 minutes each day. I
plan/hope to devote 30 minutes each day to cleaning…not sure when yet but it’s
going to happen. 15 minutes will be
stuff I already do, I hope. Dishes in
the dishwasher, clean sink, making the bed, with a few additions to include a
wipe down of the bathroom . The other 15
minutes will be spent doing something big, like wiping down all the baseboards
in the house. Apparently you really can
clean a house in one month by giving just 15 minutes a day and that’s my plan. I’ll be following a few cleaning geniuses,
specifically www.cleanmama.net and www.theflylady.com. Have you ever tried to just set a timer for
15 minutes to get something done? It’s
amazing how much you can actually get done in 15 minutes if you know you only
have 15 minutes.
But all of that is what I’m doing next week. What I’m doing this weekend is just clean the
house. The big things, floors, windows,
furniture. Nothing too indepth, just leaving
the rooms cleaner than when I started. I
am also approaching this a little differently than I’ve done in the past. I have always had this “dust the whole house
approach.” This time around, in order to
feel a little more accomplished, a little faster, and hopefully take advantage
of distracted kiddos in one room.
(Assuming I get distracted kiddos who are playing.) I’m going to start with the living room (I hope)
and clean it. Get a nice clean living
room before moving on to the next room.
This is also my chance to try out my mobile cleaning supplies. I got myself a caddy a few months ago and I
have weaned my cleaning supplies down to two types of cleaning supplies. Honest Company and homemade. Once I give them both a go I’ll let you know
how the work. I’ll also let you know how
my whole weekend of clean approach works. The goal is normalcy and perhaps a little peacefulness. I won't make it to the beach this weekend but with a clean-ish house by Sunday night and perhaps a "clean" margarita in hand I can feel as relaxed as after a day at the beach.
(As I was re-reading this post I realized perhaps I can
start using my timer tomorrow. Can I
clean each room in 15 minutes or less?
The answer is YES! So that’s my
new goal. Living room in 15
minutes. I can do it.)
Wish me luck!