Housekeeping Made Easy
When you begin cleaning your home, start with the room farthest from the normal point of entry. From there, move on cleaning room to room working towards the entry. If you normally let people into your home through the front door, start at the point in your house farthest away from it. The same goes if you normally let company in through the back door. This will give you an incentive to finish the job. No one wants to let company come over when their house is a mess, and we all want the first impression to be nice when company does arrive.
Now that you have figured out which room to start in, start at the top. Working from the highest point of a room to the lowest prevents getting things you have already cleaned dirty again. Use a long-handled duster, or a broom to dust the ceilings and upper corners first. Then, dust any light fixtures and/ or fans that are on the ceiling. Work your way down the walls. Dusting them off. Then, clean your windows. Use old newspaper and a glass cleaner to prevent streaking.
Now that the upper and outer walls are clean, move on to the rest. Put things away . Put them in the rooms where they belong. If you have already cleaned that room, take the time to put the object in its proper place. This will help keep things orderly, and save you from having to go back through the rooms you have already done.
Okay, you have put things in their rightful places, now, dust the furniture. Using a damp cloth will do just fine, and will also help prevent dust from re-settling as you go. I like to use a furniture polish at least once a month to help keep wood furniture looking good. About once every two or three months, I take it one step further and use a special wood cleaner that adds luster and protects the wood. Place knick-knacks neatly on tables and shelves, and wipe them off before placing them.
Now, straighten couches, chairs, or make beds. You may need to vacuum under couch and chair cushions, or at the very least, sweep under them with a small broom. When replacing the cushions, make them neat and orderly as you go. If you are making a bed, be sure to straighten all blankets, and try not to let them drag on the floor. They will be in your way when you go to clean the floor.
If you are cleaning a bathroom, you want to clean the mirror the same way you did the windows. Then, move on to the sink. After you have that area clean, scrub your shower and tub. Once again, start at the top and work your way down. Scrub your toilet bowl and wipe the toilet off. The back of the toilet, then the seat.
If you are cleaning the kitchen, wash your dishes, or put them in the dishwasher first. If you washed them by hand, allow them to dry while you clean the countertops and stove. Once you have cleaned those things, put your dishes away, and wipe that area too. Don’t forget the top of your refrigerator! Simple dish soap and water work well for these tasks.
Now, you are ready to start on the floor. Take any throw rugs outdoors and shake them out well. Leave them outside until you are done with the floor. Back in the house, get your vacuum. No matter what kind of floor it is, the first thing you should do is vacuum it. Be sure to get the edges, and vacuum out the air vents as you go.
If you were vacuuming a carpeted floor, you are now finished. If you were vacuuming any other kind of floor, there are a couple of more steps to take. Use a micro fiber cloth broom to pick up any dust or hair that the vacuum may have left behind. If you are cleaning a hardwood floor, use a hardwood floor cleaner now to mop your floor. Be sure to follow the directions on the bottle. I suggest using one that you simply spray and mop with a dry cloth. This type of hardwood floor cleaner is fast and easy to use, and does not dull your floor. If you are cleaning linoleum or tile, use a cleaner that is specifically for that floor type. There are some cleaners that are made for hardwood floors as well as tile and linoleum floors. These cleaners are typically the spray and mop type. If you do not have this type of cleaner, and you are cleaning a tile floor, a small amount of dish soap in a bucket of hot water works well.
Once you have finished cleaning the floors, you can let them dry. Drying time will vary depending on the type of cleaner used. When the floors are dry, replace your rugs.
Continue on going room to room until your entire house is cleaned. If your house is very small or open, you may want to do two rooms at a time. Either way, finish one area before moving on to the next to prevent having to run back and forth.
If you haven’t already done so, go through your house and empty the trash cans. Keeping extra bags in the bottom of the cans can save you time and make it much more convenient for changing the bags.
Now, sit back and relax. Your job is done…for now.
Keeping your house cleaned and organized poses a challenge. By putting things away when you are done with them, and throwing useless mail and papers away immediately, you can save yourself time in the long run. You will eliminate the task of going through a stack of papers and have less clutter if you just throw things away.
Another way to help keep your house organized is simply only keeping things that you will use. Do not over stock on your beauty products or cleaners. Only keep what you will need for a specified amount of time. Keeping up on the laundry rather than letting it pile up for days can be helpful, if you have the time. If not, specify one or two days a week to do laundry. Be sure to wash it, dry it, and put it away each time you do it. This will prevent you from having a mound of clothes just lying around your house.
Have a designated area in your house for coats and shoes. Try to make it somewhere that is close to the door. A coat closet is the best place. If you do not have one, put hooks on the wall or get a coat rack. Put shoes somewhere close to coats. Make it a habit to hang coats when you walk in the door. It doesn’t hurt to remove shoes at the same time.
Keeping a child’s toys organized can be a challenge. Using shelves for special toys, and toy boxes for other toys can be useful. Make it a habit to throw broken toys away immediately rather than throwing them back in the toy box. Occasionally have your child go through the toys to get rid of those that he/she has outgrown. Either sell them or give them away. If it is a toy that has a special meaning, put it up for display rather than put it in the toy box.
If everything in your home has a place, it is easier to keep it organized. Keeping it organized and picking up after yourself rather than procrastinating over things makes the task of cleaning your house much easier when it is time to do so. You will find that using these simple little tips and tricks can turn house cleaning from an all day job into merely a few hours of work.
