to all the neat housekeepers out there - Page 2

[Carson]

Originally Posted by Thalia

4. Not going to bed each night until the house is picked up, especially the kitchen. To do this, you have to know what "picked up" means for you. Starting the day in a clean house makes a huge difference.

5. Clean as you go. When you are done with an activity, put the room back in order before you do anything else. Make your kids do this as well.

6. Do It NOW. If you unwrap something, throw the wrapper away before you do anything else. Don't wait until later. If you spill a drop of something on the floor, take the time NOW to grab something to wipe it up with, before you forget and it gets sticky or set in.

Great points. As someone who is really trying to be better about this, those three are the sticky ones for me and have made the biggest impact. I think we can all *get* our house clean, but maintaining it is most difficult when life gets in the way. All of a sudden it's Saturday and the house is a terror, KWIM?

I also find that keeping certain easy areas (making the bed, straightening the blankets on the couch, the DR table) nice and tidy inspire me to keep the other more problematic areas neat.

[sunnysandiegan]

We have frequent discussions along these lines in this forum. I read through all the replies and found myself agreeing with most things already stated. Without repeating, I thought I'd mention that in addition to most of the above, I find it very helpful to:

1. Determine what my OWN level of comfort is regarding "neat/orderly/tidy" and "clean" and "family participation". Spending some time thinking about how I felt about these things really helped me focus. For me, neat/orderly/tidy creates a greater sense of peace than "clean". Family participation was more important to me when I was working and juggling more activities. Clean and family participation are important to me, just not AS important as maintaining our home for my own sense of peace. This revelation has strongly influenced how our family functions and the tasks I/we do several times a day versus once a day versus once a week versus whenever necessary. Ultimately, I like being able to invite friends over and neighbors inside on a whim without needing to think about the condition of my home. I will clean before and after a planned social event, of course (keeping it as simple as the event allows), but I'm talking about impromptu occasions and I like the fact that friends and neighbors know they are always welcome to stop by, no advance warning required.

2. Due to #1, I discovered there is generally one or two things I (or DH or DD) can do fairly quickly in every room of our house that make the whole room look nice enough for that sense of peace and comfort I crave. These quick tasks can be done daily (making beds, for instance) or as often as necessary (dishes, straighten sofa cushions, etc). I did read FLYlady once a upon a time when I was transitioning from career woman to motherhood, which was a TOUGH transition for me. The most critical point I took away from her is a full understanding and acceptance of the phrase, "when mama ain't happy, no one is happy!"

BTW, I like those cobalt blue glass mugs you linked above, too!!! I have that same glass in small plates that we use for snacks. I purchased them singly at the equally-evil big mart store... : I was never looking for mugs, but that may be an option for you to get less than 12. Meanwhile, we enjoy our special random mugs we have each received in various ways over the years and they provide interesting conversation pieces when we entertain. I also have a set of 4 tea cups that came with our daily dishes and a set of 8 tea cups that came with our china. Many dish sets come with coffee mugs instead of tea cups, if you are really looking for a matched set....

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

how do i learn not to be lazy???

You are not lazy.

Don't say that about yourself. Many people struggle with keeping their house clean because it is a never ending job.

You are not lazy.

[Sharlla]

Having DP and DS1 do their share helps. Also just spending about 20 mins a day going over everything real fast keeps it from getting dirty. I like to wash dishes as they are being used so they don't pile up in the sink.

[inkedmamajama]

my house always looks best when i get rid of things-we tend to gather so much STUFF especially with three daughters and it doesnt help that both my husband and myself collect and packrat things-but actually getting rid of things helps immensely

[crukai]

I deep clean one zone of our house a day. With that deep cleaning comes a mandatory declutter of 5 items. It keeps me on top of the clutter that 9 people can bring into a home and keeps things clean. EVERYTHING has a place which makes it much easier to do a quick sweep around the house before daddy gets home from work.

[hopefulfaith]

I love these discussions.

Here's mine:

I keep a "donate" box going at all times. If there's a shirt ds's grown out of or I find that I have two potato mashers...it just goes in the box. When the box is partly/mostly full = out it goes to Goodwill.

I have donated A LOT of stuff, even "good" stuff (crystal/china, expensive clothing, etc.) that I could probably earn money with on ebay/CL. I want it out of my house - I would have to have the space to keep it and the time/energy to sell it -- and I would rather bless someone with it. The way I see it, I shop thrift/garage sales so often & I love good finds. Hopefully my stuff is a good find to some other likeminded mama!

I keep moving. If I have an hour to clean/sort, etc., then I use it. It doesn't matter what I'm doing as long as I'm moving. Every little bit helps.

Everything in my house has a place. That was really key for me. No junk drawer! Everything, down to the paperclips and rubber bands, has a place. That way, if something is out, it can go to its home.

My kids help. Granted, they're 3 and 4 ... but they know that we make our beds and pick up our toys after we get dressed. They love to help me clean (tears! if I don't allow help with the bathroom scrubbing!). I hope that by instilling these habits early, they'll come back to them someday when they're out on their own and nobody's asking them to wipe the sink down every day or two. I try really hard to make it fun, so I'm not being all mommy dearest about it. It's important to me that they're independently tidy people, for the most part. My BIL still brings his laundry to his mom's house, and I can't even bear the thought of that...

And speaking of kids...they don't need nearly as many toys as I originally thought they did. That was also key in our picking-up time each day. If it was overwhelming, it stopped being fun/lighthearted.


That's mine.



P.S. - Smokering, I loved your post. I smashed a wedding dish of ours a few years ago and was positively joyful. I gave the entire set away the next day.