Where to Start Cleaning Your House?

Photo from @staciesspaces on Instagram

Photo from @staciesspaces on Instagram

House cleaning is a job no one loves to do, but we still do it everyday.  Some people though really enjoy cleaning. In fact 87% of women agree that a clean house is a reflection of self.  It is true when you have a clean and well organized home your mood is reflected and you feel like having people over and hosting parties.  We all in some sort of way need social interaction and if you have a messy home you will not want to have people over or, in this age, turn you webcam on.  

People on average spend 2-4 hours a day cleaning their home and most  people in that survey agreed that they did have time.  If 2 hours is too much time to spend cleaning in our busy lives, what can you get done with just an hour a day.  Where do you start cleaning?  

The obvious place is to clean as you go throughout the day so you aren't left with piles of clothes and dishes at the end of the day.  When you come in the door, hang up your jacket, put shoes in a basket by the door, and have your kids  bring their backpacks to their rooms.  We have all been there, schools out and the kids burst through the door drop everything and head outside to play.  To avoid having hours of cleaning post dinner and pre bedtime, stop, take a step back and do these simple things and it will save you cleaning in the long run.  

Photo From @designingthedays on Instagram

Photo From @designingthedays on Instagram

The next place to start is to have an organized daily station to manage not only your schedule, but also your kid’s school functions.  Many kitchens have a side counter that is perfect for this, but anyplace that there is room will work.  A few ideas for this are wall files.  Between the daily mail delivery and your kids homework, things get piled up on the counter really quickly.  The counter is where you make food and have conversations, not the home office.  Have a slot for each kid and for time sensitive tasks.  This way when you need to find something it's right where you left it and free of food stains.  Another idea is a whiteboard of daily tasks each child or yourself needs to do for the next day.  This can be chores or reminders to bring something to school.  If you get a whiteboard it can also be used as a magnet board to attach papers that also need to be addressed.  

Lastly, the thing that takes forever to clean is the dishes.  No one likes to do the dishes.  Again, if you do them throughout the day it can make it easier later on.  But if you're in a hurry in the morning and that frypan with egg on it just won’t come clean what do you do?  The secret, pre-soak your pans and other dishes so that when you get home they come out clean with a lot less energy.  Another tip though is if you save them until later, make sure you do them before you make dinner to prevent piles of dishes when it’s time for bed.  

Cleaning doesn’t have to take hours on a Saturday morning.  All it takes is an hour a day to walk the house and pick up any mess you might have made that day.  And if you pick up as you go, then it could be even easier.  Leading to a nice relaxing evening with your family.


Joshua Heath