Household tip swap - Page 2

[Fay]

I am not a great housekeeper, but one thing I am really good at is getting rid of stuff.  I'm always offering stuff to friends on Facebook, donating to community garage sales, freecycling, dropping off bags at various charities, etc.  It's karmic - last weekend, a friend gave me a bag of boots in several sizes for my younger child.  There's no virtue in holding onto possessions beyond their usefulness.

The other thing I am good at is having fun with my kids.  The kitchen floor doesn't complain if it's not mopped.  My kids have real emotions.  I will have plenty of time to live in a sparkling clean house again someday.

[*bejeweled*]

Love this!

Originally Posted by Fay 

I am not a great housekeeper, but one thing I am really good at is getting rid of stuff.  I'm always offering stuff to friends on Facebook, donating to community garage sales, freecycling, dropping off bags at various charities, etc.  It's karmic - last weekend, a friend gave me a bag of boots in several sizes for my younger child.  There's no virtue in holding onto possessions beyond their usefulness.

The other thing I am good at is having fun with my kids.  The kitchen floor doesn't complain if it's not mopped.  My kids have real emotions.  I will have plenty of time to live in a sparkling clean house again someday.

[loveandgarbage]

Making my kids think cleaning is fun is my only tip. I'm sure they will outgrow this, but right now vacuuming and getting to use our all-purpose cleaner is heaven to them. I plan to milk it for all it's worth.

[childsplay]

Industrial trash bags. Seriously, our biggest problem seems to be the accumulation of stuff. Once a week I clean house, I have a bag for garbage, a bag for donations and a bag for odds and ends that I cant seem to part with (those bags go in the basement storage and if after 2 weeks  havent desperatly needed something out of them (or my kids haven't) they're tossed.

But, I have 4 kids and a home daycare. And a dog. And I have this thing for clean open spaces.

One other thing I do is every 2 weeks I clean the fridge/freezer, potato bin and under sink garbage bin area. Makes a huge difference : )

[proudMoMmy2634]

Dont know what to share, but the tips shared will surely be helpful!

[tropicana]

i've had a lot of success with the "do it now" philosophy, as in, you see it needing done, do it now.

this frees my mind from the burden of remembering that it needs to be done, and creates a happy feeling the next time i walk by and see that it's already done.

a little at a time works wonders, it's cumulative and you get inspired as things overall "get better."

OTOH, piles of clutter are best tackled in one fell swoop of concentration. i cannot simply pick one or two pieces of items to "relocate to their homes" and leave the rest... if i'm going to do it, i best finish it, or if there's not enough time, then wait on a large pile until there is.

[*bejeweled*]

If you're trying to declutter somthing, dump its contents or empty it. Then separate into 3 piles: keep, donate, and trash. Once you dump it, you've gotta do something about it right away.

Use peppermint Dr. Bronner's to clean everything. The fresh scent makes it pleasant.

[MamaBice]

I also use bath time to pick up in there, at least once a week. :)

I picked one day a week to change all the sheets in the house - Tuesdays. Then I wash all the sheets and towels on Wednesday. I try to do a load of regular laundry every day other than Wednesday. I take a break on Sunday from laundry.

I make sure to vacuum EVERY day in the play area - just having a clean, non-crumb filled floor makes me feel accomplished. I vacuum during clean up time before bed.

I found that really downsizing our toy collection has helped. I only have learning toys and few other favorites out. It is organized and easy to clean up.
 

[rdehoff-us]

I've used bath time to clean up too, but maybe only once or twice a week.  The other days I take time to paint my nails, make a grocery list, balance the checkbook, or do my hair & make up for the day while my baby chatters and shows me all his bath toys.  During his breakfast I prep things for dinner.  I have also found its far easier to keep up with the house throughout the day picking up little bit here and there.  When I pick up a room I find its easier to make piles before dispersing the items where they go it saves a lot of time walking up and down the stairs.  Even though my son is only 20 months old he loves to help.  It slows things down, but sometimes we get more accomplished than if I was doing it all by myself and he is constantly being disruptive or destructive for attention instead.  He likes to help me shake out the clean clothes and pair socks.  We have really deep cabinets along the floor and its difficult to reach for things all the way in the back, but he'll crawl right in there and pull out what I ask for like its a game.  If I start picking up his toys or books he jumps right in.

[philomom]

Originally Posted by earthgirl 

We do a ten-minute-tidy every night after dinner. I don't remember who first shared this with me, but is fabulous! You can get a lot done when the whole family is picking up and putting stuff away for ten minutes. 

We did the ten minute pickup every night before starting the teeth brush, storytime and cuddle rituals. It helped a lot to wake up to a house that's tidy... especially on a weekend morning.

[emerald22]

I'm a stay at home mom to a 7yo, 5yo, 2yo, a 5mo. and my house is super clean! It can be done :) Cleaning the bathroom during bathtime is one of my favorite household tips!

My morning routine that takes about 15min - Throw a load of laundry in the wash, make beds, vacuum.

During the day, clean as you play! Teach your children to put toys/projects away before they move on to something else.

Afternoon-Wash bf/lunch dishes during nap, sweep and/or mop. Dry laundry, fold, put up.

Evening-I wash dishes while my two older children do 15min pick up. I assign each of them three areas (bathroom, dining room, bedroom) and (living room, playroom, hallway). They know to return anything out of place back to it's home. It usually doesn't even take them the whole 15min. I vacuum again if I get the chance to but sometimes that doesn't happen :)

I dust on Tues, Thurs and either Sat/Sun

Kitchen gets cleaned after kiddos go to bed.

I love waking up to a clean home!

[tonttu]

I M a SAHM to 6 kids , between 15 years and 10 months ! Plus a few pets as well , so keeping things spotless is a bit of a challenge .

But I found , that if I keep up with a few things , it does make a big difference !

I sweep the floor every single day , no matter what , the kids take turns emptying the dishwasher and even though I still do it a lot , even that one or times , they do it , helps a lot , plus I always make sure , that I put away EVERY single load of laundry immediately , once it´s dry . It is a bit of a hassle sometimes , but I feel like I am punishing myself , if I don´t and then stuff piles up like crazy and it takes me a whole day ( or so it seems ) to catch up

I also have a big white board , one of those you can write on with wash-off pens ( I don´t know , what they are called , but I am sure everybody knows what I am talking about ) in the kitchen on the wall , that I have drawn a line on to divide into 2 half sides .

On one side I write down what I am out of every time , I notice something is empty , be it laundry detergent , salt , whatever , so I always know , what we have to buy at the store and on the other side , I write down , what we are having for dinner that week , so the older kids can look for themselves and don´t ask me a gazillion times over and over again

I have another one by the front door , plus a kork one to pin papers on , where we write down suff the kids and I have to remeber , appointments , school projects and that sort of thing !

Not very stylish , but it has really helped me keep track ! And there are no more excuses for the kids , like " I didn´t know , I had to do this "

Eh , well , you can read , right ?

[sahmmie]

emerald22, you're my hero!!   

[WittyNameHere]

You ladies are my personal gurus. Awesome advice!

[Hopefulmama]

We use trays for everything (painting, bead projects, playdoh, playing with magnet toys, etc.) It makes clean up so much easier-just take the tray to the sink and wipe it off. It also contains the messes of these activities. Seriously, one the the best ideas I've had. The kids just know to go get a tray now. They also know where to put it away.

[happydog]

I keep a box in the closet.  When I come across an outgrown toy or outfit or knick knack that I'm tired of, it goes in the box.  When the box is full it goes in the trunk of my car.  When I go into town I drop it off at a charity thrift shop where they're sold to raise money for a cause I believe in.  This benefits me two ways.  I get a tidier house and I get to practice feeling grateful to be able to share.

When a child turns 10 at my house they are ceremoniously taught how to work the washer and dryer and introduced to the wonderful concept of Full Responsibility For Your Own Laundry.  This is accompanied by a congratulatory speech about Maturity and Responsibility.  They're excited because they've been wanting to learn how to do it, and now their wish has come true.  I am even more excited.  For some reason they're not as thrilled with it after they find out what a drag it is to fold up/hang up all their clothes, even the ones they threw in the hamper just to avoid hanging them up in the first place.  But it sure makes Mom happy to have less laundry every week.

[NorthernFamily]

Wow these are great! Subbing!

[mummamilk]

Games or toys with many parts are played with on an old sheet or table cloth. Depending on the size needed.

When they are done it can easily be dumped into its storage containers.

Children will dump if they can not see inside. We store big things on shelves. Small toys in clear covered containers.

If they make a mess or spill they need to clean it up.

[Flopsy]

These are brilliant! I want more!!

bump:bump:bump

[Springshowers]

Did you know you can use bar soap or a shampoo you don't like to wash tubs and sinks? It works better than other cleaning products in my opinion. I keep one of those plastic mesh sponges (that seem to come in every gift basket and never get used) to clean when I am in the shower, or after the kids get out of the tub. It is so easy and fast. My tub and sinks have never been so clean.

This month on Flylady is declutter month. Every day do 15 minutes of declutttering. I love that. Someone else in another thread on the forum also suggested not trying to micromanage your give aways. Box them up and get them out (no splitting a book for this person, clothes here, etc because it feels too hard and you avoid it.