Let’s Look: How We Do Every Day Cleaning
It’s time for a Let’s Look Wednesday!! If you’re new around here, once a month I link up with other bloggers and we look at different aspects of our lives. It’s a link party and yes ma’am, if you have a blog you’re invited.
The entry table in my foyer. I try to have candle going everyday when my people get home.
Okay, to be honest, figuring out our cleaning routine has been a bit of a challenge this season. With me back to work, but mostly working from home I’ve had to come up with a system that takes advantage of the fact I work from home, but doesn’t distract me from my work as a loan processor and Realtor. The real problem is me - I cannot walk by a sink full of dishes or a load of laundry and not feel compelled to stop what I’m doing and start cleaning. One thing that has helped is having a dedicated office space away from the rest of house. It’s tucked in the back and I love it. I will love it even more after we’ve redecorated it - that blog post is coming soon! So, location has definitely helped but, so has putting a few systems in place. I’ve discovered the following tips and tricks from friends, fellow bloggers and just a lot of trial and error.
We named it Sharknado.
All that hair? I know - and that’s only about 2 days worth of me and the dogs. Yuck…
Wipe down your bathroom counters daily and keep them clean. When I walk into my bathroom and see dirty counters or bottles and brushes all over, I immediately feel distracted and out of sorts. I would add to this: make your bed. Tidying up my personal space every morning helps me feel more focused and ready to face the rest of the day.
Do the dishes the night before, unload first thing in the morning and keep loading all day. Having an empty sink and clean counters when I wake up in the morning sets me up for a peaceful start to my day.
Do a pick-up every afternoon before dinner. Usually around 3 or 4 in the afternoon when my work load starts to slow, I’ll get up, stretch my legs and do a quick walk through of the house and put things back where they belong. I’ll usually light a candle in the great room at this point (I have one going in my office all day) to create a nice environment for Erik to come home to. One of the best compliments he continues to give me is how easy I make it for him to come home. I love that (and him!)
Do laundry everyday. I know, I know - it’s quite possibly one of my least favorite chores. But - I’ve found if I just do a small load daily of mine and Erik’s clothes and a few towels, it takes me so much less time to get it washed, folded and put away.
Take the trash our everyday. It keeps the trash can fresher and the kitchen smelling better.
Vacuum or sweep the bathrooms and kitchen daily. I love being barefoot and hate stepping on crumbs, hair, dirt, etc. I run my Dyson vacuum every morning because it looks like small animals had a fight on my floor after I do my hair and I vacuum the kitchen every night because crumbs under my feet in the morning irritates me. Also -get yourself a robotic vacuum. I resisted forever because I thought they couldn’t possibly to a great job and I heard horror stories of them picking up animal droppings or markers and making a mess. First, neither of those things has happened. And second, though it pains me to say it - Erik was right. With two dogs, it was a game changer. We have the Shark and it fantastic.
We take a walk each night to get the mail and we sort it at the mail box, by the trash cans, and discard 90% of what we receive. The dogs get a walk, we get less clutter in the house - it’s a win, win.
If you have a home office, clean your work space and desk every night. It’s so much more pleasant to walk into my office and face my work day when I’ve taken the time to organize and tidy the night before.
Keep cleaning supplies in every room. Every bathroom has it’s own glass cleaner, counter cleaner and toilet cleaner. When you don’t have to walk to another room to get your cleaning supplies, your much more likely to do a quick clean. I also keep magic erasers in every room.
We are outside almost very night. And every night, we straighten the patio furniture and put it back in it’s place. Not only does this make it nice when we go to use it next time, but I every time I walk by a window or drive to or away from my house, it looks neat and tidy and inviting. This makes me happy.
In the end, these aren’t earth shattering tips or super novel ideas. They’re just what works for us. Daily cleaning, for me, is about creating an environment that brings me joy and peace and makes my people happy to come home. It’s not about perfection. It’s about warmth and comfort.
How about you? I’d’ love to hear your tips and ideas for keeping up with cleaning, Don’t forget to link up if you have a blog.
XOXO - Jaime