Here is a brief breakdown of what my average weekdays look like...
I am a stay at home mom to an almost 6 and 2-year-old. My son, Dylan, is in kindergarten, so he is out of the house the majority of the day. My daughter, Giuliana, just started preschool; half days on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Once Giuliana gets home, she takes a nap and then its go time. I mean, she is everywhere and in everything. Being the super independent little mama that she is, everything must be done according to her. This includes feeding herself. (A NIGHTMARE for someone who is in charge of the household maintenance. A typical early afternoon consists of cleaning up crushed goldfish crackers and sticky-spilled juice. ) Then, 3 o’clock rolls around. We leave to grab Dylan from school, get home by 4 and then its prepping for dinner until my husband, Vince, gets home from work. (Since our move we are on an extracurricular hiatus for Dylan but pre-move he was doing karate five days a week after school.) In between our daily schedules, I have a fair amount of downtime. I use that time to catch up on social media, go on the internet, and if I’m lucky, and my minime is in decent form, we head to Target. (thank God she is rarely in good shape to go shopping since we would be broke from that heaven sent corporation.)
Even with our busy lives, I do manage to keep a very clean and tidy home. Laundry is always done and never over piling. Dishwasher is always emptied and toys are put away. And no, it does not consume my downtime, ever.
I’m going to share with you my little tricks to keeping a clean and spotless home that doesn’t take away from your family and your personal time. These tricks are a way to retrain your brain to help you see clutter and mess around your house while allowing you to maintain the life you want to live. So here goes...
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THE TYPICAL CLEAN AS YOU GO
Yep, I said it, clean as you go. It’s really not as simple as people seem to think it is, though. But here’s the thing, it really is the key to keeping a clean home and once you get into the habit it becomes second nature.
- Dishes in the sink is a no no.
- Dishes mysteriously multiply if left unattended. I know, it’s insane. And they say magic doesn’t exist!! Don’t let them procreate. never, ever, ever leave dishes in the sink. They either go into the dishwasher if it is dirty or it is hand washed immediately. I know, I know… its really easy to say just hand wash your dishes, especially when you have a wonderful two-year-old crawling up your leg and a six-year-old pretending he is fighting in the Vietnam War while blowing up the “bad guys” who conveniently are residing inside the refrigerator door. (insert sarcasm here) But trust me when I tell you, if you take the extra 15 seconds… yes 15 seconds, to pick up your scrub brush and clean that pan and spatula you will thank yourself later.
- Spot Cleaning
- I am wiping and spot cleaning all day. That probably sounds exhausting. Just typing it sounds exhausting. But it isn’t and I’ll tell you why. It takes seconds to clean up a spill, or crumbs that are left on the counter. What doesn’t take seconds is cleaning up two days’ worth of crumbs and spills. What could have been a quick clean up after breakfast and dinner has now turned into an hours’ worth of cleaning the floors and counters. I do not wish to spend an hour of my time doing a pretty long and tedious cleaning task.
- Along with wiping up those spills as they occur, I always keep a broom and dustpan at arm’s reach. Always. I have dark wood floors and let me tell you it is a love / hate relationship. They are beautiful, they really are, but you see every single little crumb and dust bunny imaginable. As I see crumbs, I quickly sweep them up. And guess what? My floors stay clean for an extremely long time.
- Along with the broom and dustpan, Bona. It goes hand in hand with my sweeping. If you spray clean the mess immediately it doesn’t accumulate
- I’m a multitasker. When I’m on the phone, I’m sweeping, straightening up or putting away laundry. When my children are eating, I’m cleaning up the kitchen from when I made them a meal. Be like me. Multitask. If a clean home isn’t incentive, think of the steps you can rack in. SO ultimately, multitasking can lead to burning calories.
- Laundry
- This is a tough one. Laundry is hard. You forget to put the clothes in dryer, it accumulates, you have to fold and put away. You have to separate the colors from whites. I really despise laundry. But, it must be done. My trick to getting it done and not piling up? Mandatory one load a day. Period. It sucks, it sucks so bad. I know. This is how I manage it though :
- throw your dirty clothes directly into the washing machine long as it is matching with the clothes inside the machine.
- If they do not match, keep a separate basket outside the washing machine (or on top of the machine if you do not have the space), not in your bedroom… that’s how this mess gets out of control.
- run your load in the morning before you leave the house to drop off your kids, do your morning errand, work out . whatever it is that you do in the mornings. When you get back your load will be complete, and you can throw it in the dryer.
- folding – sigh.
- fold your laundry in piles. Keep your shirts in one pile, underwear in another pile, pants in another etc. etc. This way, when you go to put your clothes away they’re already separated. It’ll cut your time in half. (It is also extremely helpful when your kids are old enough to put their clothes away themselves.)
- Cleaning with kids – it’s the absolute worst.
- They’ll make messes, you’ll clean up after them, and then they will make more of a mess. It’s fine. Let them be kids. When they’re old enough to help clean they should be taught to put their toys away after they’re done playing with them, but lets be real… it isn’t going to happen 100% of the time. So how I deal, cleanup time mainly happens before bedtime. Luckily, our kids have their own playroom so it is easy to conceal. But when Giuliana and I are playing, I sneakily put her toys away when she isn’t looking. So far, it’s totally working and she isn’t noticing.
2. RETRAIN YOUR BRAIN
It really isn’t as simple as it seems when you are told to clean as you go. You literally need to retrain your entire thought process. You need to retrain the way you see your home. It is extremely easy to walk past clutter and dirt; toys and crumbs. It’s also so much easier to leave your dishes in the sink and skip a day doing laundry. But in the end you’re only hurting yourself. The laziness catches up with a quickness. Getting in the habit of NOT overlooking mess is the key to a clean home. Train yourself to take the extra 15 seconds to hand wash a dish. It is so refreshing to not have to schedule a day to clean. A clean home in a happy home.
3. THE RIGHT TOOLS
Here are some of my favorite must have cleaning products/ items that make my life easier:
Clorox wipes – aside from the spills in the kitchen, I use these bad boys for the bathroom countertops, sinks and yes, toilets. (Especially if you have those bad aimers living with you too)
A broom and self standing dustpan (I purchased mine from Target but any would suffice)
Bona – wood floor cleaner and mop (if you do not have wood flooring a swiffer wet jet works just as well)
Eureka -Mighty Mite vacuum cleaner – This little $80 sucker is amazing. I use it for the floors, baseboards, car, stairs… everywhere. If you are on the fence about a new vacuum, this is the one.
Vikan dish brush – guys… this is the brush of all brushes. Aside from it replacing those nasty ass sponges in your kitchen sink, it is durable AF. When it gets dirty, throw it in the top rack of your dishwasher and voila! It’s like brand new. ( not to mention it cleans as well as a Brillo pad)
i-Robot, Roomba – This is more on the expensive side, but let me tell you. You put this little sucker (pun intended) on a set schedule and your vacuuming is done! I typically set mine for when I’m enroute to Dylan’s school. By the time I get home, house is vacuumed. Amazing.
I hope these little tips help you to maintain your home a little bit easier! Be sure to check back for more updates on our farmhouse! DIYs will be up next!
Love,
M
