Organizing and cleaning are two different things, but they go together to create a comfortable home or office. One without the other is only half the job. This weekend, stay indoors and do some cleaning. Then make a plan to keep doing it. I clean every day, but I deep clean once a week. Any time I can get my family to help me, the work goes faster and our kids learn how to work together to get things done.
So what's the easiest way to clean? Hire a cleaning lady! But, since not everyone can afford that, and not everyone is comfortable with that (I would feel like I'd have to clean my house before the cleaning lady came!), then clean with zoning in mind. Begin by putting things away and tidying up. Then clean each zone, or area, completely before moving on to the next one. Work from the top to the bottom, no matter what room you are cleaning, or you'll be messing up what you just cleaned. Here's the order I clean in:
- Empty all garbages and sterilize/clean cans with antibacterial wipes or sprays, then I leave one garbage bag available to throw away used cleaning things like wipes
- Clean all doorknobs and light switches with antibacterial wipes
- Bathrooms: change towels, dust, mirror, fixtures, cabinets/doors, rugs, floors
- Kitchen/dining area: dust, appliances, counters/cabinets/doors, table/chairs, rugs, floors & floorboards
- Bedrooms: dust, windows, furniture, floors
- Entryway: dust, windows, furniture, rugs, floors
- Other living areas: dust, windows, furniture, vacuum out couches/chairs, floors
- Laundry room: dust, cabinets, appliances, rugs, floors, start a load of towels/rags
Remember, I am talking about deep cleaning. There are several things I add in as I observe the rooms: change lightbulbs, wipe off stepstools, change filters, clean the glass on a dirty frame, dust vents or fan blades, and wipe walls or floorboards as needed.
Getting your family to help: figure out what they like to help with by letting them choose. My 2 year old loves to be the one who cleans off all the doorknobs & light switches. She walks around with her favorite stepstool so that she can reach them. My 5 year old enjoys dusting, so we share the dusting. She dusts the things that are at her level, and my hubby usually gets the other things.
Other things my kids like to do: wash/dry dishes, wipe down chairs/stepstools, move things out of the way of the vacuum (This is great when my husband is home to help: he moves all the furniture as I vacuum. No fishie crackers under there!), clean windows (Windex wipes are very handy for kids to use), vacuum small areas or rugs (we have a dustbuster that has various attachments to make it more vacuum-like--a long handle, a broad brush, etc.), clean floorboards.
What about older kids? Start young so you don't have to train them later! But if you are already there, I'd suggest the same thing: let them do what they like to do. My parents never pushed me to do my chores, and there were plenty of times I didn't do my chores, but look at me now: I'm a neat-freak! With my kids I take it one step further with one simple rule: work first, then play. My kids know that mom and dad won't play with them or take them out until all the work is done, and they are more than willing to lend a hand in making it quick work!
Work first, and then play, and you'll have a great weekend! Happy cleaning!
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