For Messy People Only

I like living in a clean house.  I don't like making the house clean.  I find it tedious and annoying and sometimes I feel insulted by the fact that if I don't do it or tell someone to do it, it doesn't get done.

There are multiple mess makers and only one mess cleaner upper person?  How fair is THAT?  (Yes, I know these are wrong attitudes and I don't really believe them :)

Nevertheless, the fact remains:  for the house to be clean, someone must clean it.

So here are a few of the strategies I use to get my house clean;  before we go any further I must tell you that you should google Flylady to really learn how to do the house cleaning/organizing thing well.  She really helped me immensely and I am sure that some of what I am going to say right now is based on her principles.

But before I really do my list, let me say these few things.

 If you are a mother, delegate.  Do not try to do it ALL because you will only do housework and NOT the fuzzy, warm stuff like playing with your kiddos.

Also, try to remember that you are going to aim for clean, not perfect.

And it is easier to do chores if you have done your routine.  For me that looks like mornings:  doing my devotions, drinking my LightsOn and making sure my kidlets are doing what they are supposed to be doing.  Flylady recommends getting dressed to shoes.  The idea behind that is that you are more productive if you look nice.

So do what you need to do in order to go forth and conquer.  But once you are ready to conquer, here are some tips.

1.  Clean clockwise or counter-clock wise around your kitchen.  Start at the sink/dishwasher.  End at the floor.

2.  Tackle 5 things at each part of your task before moving on to the next item waiting to be cleaned.   For me that might look like this:   Take five glasses out of the dishwasher.  Then pick up 5 things off of the counter  ( book, pen, syrup, notebook, and glass that needs to be washed).

Variations of this method:  set the timer for 5 minutes or 15 minutes and clean in that circular rotation.  If your house is truly drowning in stuff you might need to limit yourself to an hour and then take a break or take a break after 45 minutes and then go back in.  There have been times when a task has seemed so daunting that I have told myself that I would only work on it for 15 minutes and then I'd give myself the option of doing something else.

Yesterday I had SUCH a pile of dishes that I had to set the timer for 15 minutes and work on dishes for 15 minutes and THEN pick up 5 things off of every surface.  Go ahead, tweak the program so it works for you.

3.  Listen to something you enjoy whether it be  music or a great speaker.  I like to fold laundry while watching TV.

4.  If your kids are old enough to be left alone and clean . . .try this:  tell them they can have XYZ great thing ( watch a movie, a homemade treat, whatever your kid likes) if they accomplish XYZ cleaning goal while you are gone ( even if you are just working on laundry in your room).  This removes from you the temptation to nag and anger them.  They also tend to get along better when Mom isn't right there . . .I hope!

Happy cleaning!

Love,

~ Jennifer