Housecleaning Hints

I have to vacuum at least once, sometimes twice a day! I only mop once a week and do laundry 2x a week. You just have to get used to spending time every day cleaning.

I have a routine. I do one room a day and only spend about 30-45 min. to do it. Living room one day (dusting, wiping windows, cleaning under couch, etc.), then the next kitchen (I do dishes everyday, but I do not mop everyday, take everything off the counters and wipe them down, etc.) then the bathroom, the next day the other bathroom, so on and so forth. I do spend about 30 min. or so at the end of everyday picking up stuff (my husband usually will help at this time) and I usually sweep the kitchen floor at the end of everyday. I also so about 3-4 loads of laundry a day about 4 days a week. I try to space it out so I don't feel like all I do is clean. I do have 3 kids and a husband I do like to spend some time with also. : )

My biggest helpful cleaning technique is disinfecting wipes. I keep a container in the kitchen and one in the bathroom. Every time I do dishes, I finish up by wiping down the stovetop and countertop with the wipes. Same with the bathroom - while brushing my teeth, I wipe off the counter and sink. I also "trained" my husband to wipe the counter and sink when he's finished shaving. I spray our shower walls and tub with scrubbing bubbles 10 mins or so before one of us gets into the shower. When we get in the shower, we take a sponge and wipe the walls, doors and tub down. I use the disinfectant wipes to wipe down end tables, headboard, etc.

I vacuum every other day, largely because I LOVE the look of freshly vacuumed carpet.

I have 2 laundry baskets in my room - one for lights and one for darks. As soon as one is full, I do a load of laundry. I don't change sheets on the bed, I wash the set that's on the bed, then put it back on. That way I don't have to fold the sheet - I HATE that job! - and always know the pieces are there together :)

As far as hard cleaning goes I don't stress over it. I try to do it every weekend but if it doesn't get done, its not the end of the world. I have a toddler and if people can't understand that my windows have handprints...then that's their problem.

when i had this same question in mind a few years ago i did a lot of internet research and asking my friends what they did as well as buying lots of "get organized" magazines that promised to help me forever stay on task... at the end what i found was its really about whats going to fit you. a great tool is www.flylady.com. her schedule is a bit rigid for me but i did find by following her routine (i work full time, have two kids + hubby, go to school, and have pets...) for the first 30 days i was able to decide what worked and what didnt. she also has some great ideas for keeping your schedule together as far as cleaning goes so you dont skip things just because they dont look dirty enough to clean.

i ended up with a basic schedule of vacuuming on wednesdays and saturdays, dusting every other sunday, changing the sheets once a week, and doing laundry everytime a basket is full. once a month i hit the bigger chores like cleaning out the fridge, etc. twice a year its garage/attic/storage spaces/getting honest with what can get thrown out

a few things that helped make it all go smoother - 1) all in one cleaners like seventh generation multi purpose spray 2) keeping a basket on top of the washing machine where dirty towels go - easy to see when it needs to be done and no more collecting them from around the house 3) putting a full set of sheets inside a pillowcase when washed/folded (just grab a sack and go instead of hunting for pillowcases!)

good luck to you in your quest for a constantly (mostly) clean house!

I keep bottle of cleaner in each bathroom. While I'm bathing kids, I'll grab cleaner & do a once over in the bathroom. I keep & roll of paper towels there too so I never have to leave the room. I do the same in my bathroom, only try to clean both twice a week & it literally takes 5 minutes. I don't like chemical cleaners so I make my own....1tblsp borax, 3tblsp vinegar, 2 cups water, 1tblsp dish soap, & 1-2 drops of any essential oil...my favorites are peppermint or citrus. Just mix in a spray bottle. to make my laundry easier to do, I installed an indoor clothes line by my dryer so I could hang straight from dryer to closet & less wrinkles too. every other load in your dishwasher throw in a cup of vinegar it will do wonders. To clean your shower doors from hard water stains, try this....use cheap toilet paper roll it out to the length of the door & spray with lemon juice. "wall paper entire shower door & leave till almost dry. Then start from top and wipe with your hand down to the bottom of door peeling moist paper off & throw. rinse shower door & you will see a HUGE difference. I do this once a month takes 10 minutes once you get the groove, but no scrubbing :D Hope this helps some....

Umm...? I guess it just depends how picky you are...I personally vaccuum every other day if not daily, but thats because I have two dogs and cannot stand hair floating around. I usually end up dusting every 4 or 5 days..but thats also to rid the place of pet hairs and for some reason my apartment is usually dusty anyways. I clean my bathroom a lot , but thats also because my toilet for some reason mildews so quick, no matter what I use to clean it. I think my excessive cleaning is probably due to my two fluffy friends. If you can get away with doing light dusting and mop over then I envy you :-)

we usually clean as we go as far as keeping laundry in the hamper, dishes loaded in the dishwasher, etc, but usually sweep up and wipe down baths at night after kids are in bed or in the morning after breakfast. we are selling our house right now, so with 3 kids are having to keep 5br/3ba perfect! Doing 1-2 loads a day, keeping up with dishes and wipe kitchen and table after every meal, sweep at night, mop every few days (downstairs is all wood and rugs) and only vacuum about once a week (rugs and upstairs). if you miss one day, it really piles up, gets backed up and overwhelming, so i think i've been able to relax more with it clean all the time. Only good thing is my husband does almost all the laundry! I'd probably do it once a week if i didn't have the help! good luck!

I did specific chores on specific days, for example, Monday I would mop floors, Tuesdays clean the bathrooms, Wednesdays vacuum and dust, etc.
That way it all always got done each week. I did not have to spend the entire day cleaning, and even though it was not spotless all the time, I at least knew that "such and such" had been done that week and did not stress about it. Of course, depending on the age of your kids, it is always a good idea to get them into the act, but learn to lower your expectations of how the job should be done. It teaches them responsibility and helps them to contribute to the family life. If the kids help take out the trash or do the dishes, that leaves more time for mom to take them to the park or read them a story. Good luck.

When the children were young, I did almost all the housework myself. Once I got on some kind of a loose "schedule", it made it so much better and easier to get it all done.Now that the kids are older (16, 10, 9, 3, and 1) we have age appropriate chores assigned to each one (except the 1 yr old, but he can pick up his toys with help). Housekeeping may not be our favoritie thing to do, but as wives and mamas, it's a big part of our responsibility. Even when the kids are too little to be really helpful, we can use our time doing the chores to let them watch, learn, and even find ways for them to "help" us. Starting our children young helping out makes it so much easier when they are older. Trust me, I know from experience.

Yep, I recommend FlyLady! You can subscribe to her emails as well as follow on facebook. Lots of daily, weekly, challenges and motivation.

I'm a FlyLady fan too!

OMG yes great question, my house is a mess! I attempted to clean just one room a day so I was not overwhelmed and it never worked out!!!! Good luck and thanks for posting this question as I want to know too!

I also have the same problem. I'm a SAHM, but with four people constantly at home it makes for alot of messes and dishes. I recently watched a Supernanny episode with a family having this problem. She told them that it's easier if you set a time limit and stop when that time is up. If you are trying to get kids involved then tell them what fun thing you have planned to do, but first you need them to help you for 15min. We've been using this technique for about a week and it's working great! My house isn't spotless yet, but at least it's mostly picked up.

Hey S. --

I don't do everything every day, but it does help me to do a *little* every day (well, almost every day). A load of laundry a day (when my husband or I remembers), wipe down the kitchen counters & stove whenever I load the dishwasher, spend a few minutes in the evening picking up the stuff that migrates into the wrong rooms, etc. Our house isn't a laboratory, by any means, but it usually stays more or less presentable. Oh! And get a Roomba, if you possibly can. My husband asked for one for Christmas a while back, and it is WONDERFUL. I hate vacuuming with a purple passion, and we haven't had to do it since getting the Roomba.

Another thing is, what help do you get from your family? My husband takes out the trash and helps with the laundry (and he manages the Roomba, b/c it's his toy), and that makes a WORLD of difference. My son's only eleven months old, but ... this isn't his hotel, and he'll learn. :o) (Said with the blithe confidence of the inexperienced.)

As an aside, if saying there was a "trail" through your house wasn't just a joke (and obviously I don't know you and I'm passing absolutely no judgment with this statement, please don't misunderstand) you might consider looking for some professional help. That can be an indication of a mental issue called Hoarding, which can be very serious if it's not dealt with, and it's an issue for which there are resources and help available.

And finally, if it's really a battle and it's ruining your peace, and if you can at all swing it, look into hiring a housekeeper. Maybe every other week? Once a month? There's no shame in investing in your own peace and wellbeing.

throw out or donate
--clothes that don't fit or that you don't like this makes laundry easier

--any kitchen untensils you have two of or that you don't use. someone else might really need them.

--any knickknacks or collections that might not be your thing anymore less to dust

don't bring junk mail into your home put it right in the trash

do that and you'll have a much easier time keeping the things you do love clean.

flylady.net is really good to help you find a schedule that works for you. And she is free.

I think I'm more like you than some of these moms! I know my house isn't as clean as some, but it's been much better since I took this approach: one chore, one floor, and 15 minutes of anti-clutter each day. On top of this, I try to do a load of laundry and keep the kitchen cleaned up each day and change all sheets each Monday. One chore is really just that--a toilet, one room of dusting--something like that--so it's pretty hard to say I don't have time. Whether or not that's enough probably depends on your expectations and the size of your house and family, but it seems to be good enough for me and keeps me sane while also trying to keep up with my work, spend time with my family, exercise, sleep, etc.
Also, we have a Roomba and it's GREAT for hardwood floors. My husband once ran it after I swept and mopped, and it still picked up bin full of stuff. It leaves your floors perfect. It doesn't save a ton of time because you have to prep the room a little (i.e. declutter if you have clutter), but it does such a great job.
Good luck!

Check out FlyLady!!! Awesome cleaning tips/schedule/advice!