Friday, February 6, 2009
Help!
One of my goals this year (and every year) is to keep a tidier apartment. I don't know how, but it seems like it gets cluttered so easily. I've tried making cleaning calendars and charts, but these never seem to work out so well. Maybe it's having two cats and a husband with messy tendencies, or maybe it's a lack of cleaning skills on my part. I don't know why this is a constant struggle, but I need cleaning/organization tips. Especially from those who have balanced cleaning with full time employment, daily exercise, church callings etc. I want to know what works for you, and what doesn't? Is there a secret that I'm missing, or was I born to struggle with keeping my house clean? I know I want an impeccably clean living space, but I also recognize that it may not happen (without giving up everything else in life), so how do I find a happy medium? I'd love to hear from any and all with ideas, tips or stories to motivate and inspire me to do better!
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I think everyone has this struggle. Because I am a stay-at-home mom now, I do pretty much all the housework, but Matt does chip in when needed. However, we had a few years where we were both in school and working with hectic schedules. Here's some things we found worked for us:
1. Some people like to spread out cleaning over several days so you don't have to do it all at once. For me I felt like it was never done and I always had it hanging over my head. So, we picked one day that was our cleaning day and just blitzed the apartment. It was work, but so worth it after.
2. Organizing in the first place helps a ton! It takes time, but find a place for everything. Then, when you're picking up you know exactly where things go. We did this even in our teeny apartments. Finding creative space for storage can be fun. Right now we have a storage ottoman that doubles as a toy box so we don't have toys everywhere and it's quick to pick up.
3. Work together. Since you're in the same boat with busy schedules, it's not fair for one spouse to have to do everything. Plus, it gets done a lot faster if you both do it.
4. Split up chores you really hate. We got this idea from John Bytheway. We discussed which chores we hated the most, and then made trades. For example, I always do the laundry and fold it. Matt always takes out the trash. When we were in school, he'd always scrub the toilets if I'd do the shower (now I do both!).
5. Each evening before you go to bed, do a quick pick-up of all the clutter that collects. Usually this only takes about 15 minutes and it makes a huge difference!
6. Make your bed every day. My mom taught me this growing up and it's stuck with me. The bedroom can be a mess, but if the bed is made it instantly looks cleaner.
7. As hard as it is (this was always my downfall), do the dishes after every meal. Put the dishes away. A clean kitchen makes everything feel better.
Whoa, apparently I'm a neat freak. I am a person who doesn't like clutter. Hopefully you find some of these helpful, didn't mean to leave a monster comment. I may even use this for a post in the future!
Alicia, I've never felt closer to you than after reading this post. Tee Hee. Your mom puts me to shame when it comes to being neat and organized and I figured that all of her children would be the same way. I would love to be a neat nik and pounce on every mess the moment it was made but I think I'm just too much of a free spirit to be so tied up with keeping my house clean. For years I felt that I had a character flaw because of this. But now I realize it's just not my personality to be organized and neat. Plus certain tasks are just too daunting for me. I have a really hard time doing dishes. After ten minutes or so my lower back and hip are screaming with pain from the position you have to be in to fill the dishwasher. I'm too much of a wuss to work through the pain. Lisa is the one to ask for tips. i just plain admire her for how well she keeps their home so clean and organized.
Good luck with coming up with a situation that will work for you. And if you don't, know that you have an aunt that understands and loves you anyway.
i find Mexican child labor works quite well :)
i find Mexican child labor works quite well :)
Several of my tips: if you are having a hard time getting everything cleaned on just one day, spread it out so that you just have one thing to focus on each day. Also, I'm a firm believer that if you do the dishes at night, you will think your house is cleaner.
Wow! I'm with Susan, I never thought one of Linda's kids would have trouble keeping a clean house. I think the biggest thing, like Emily said is having a place for everything. Obviously, since my house is always cluttered, I don't follow my own advice very well. My problem is that I don't have the heart to throw away my kids' projects. Some day when they are well adjusted, productive adults, I will know it was worth it to have a cluttered house.
LOL!!! Brent and I struggle with this every day. The house can be spotless and I swear within 3 days it's a mess again. Once I get home from work and the gym I am just exhausted and don't feel like doing anything. Sometimes I get in these cleaning modes and nothing can stop me and then I clean the whole house. Usually I find something I like to clean and then I feel more apt to do something else. Example: I love to wash down the counters in the kitchen. To me, this makes all the difference. Once I do that, the floor looks out of place, so I feel like I should sweep it (Occasionally). Good luck with this, it's such a struggle for me. Let me know if something works...
The one thing that has ever really helped me was to make sure my kitchen sink was always clean. Dishes don't go in the sink, they go in the dishwasher. I find that if my kitchen is clean, it inspires me to keep the rest of the house looking good.
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