You've got so much tidying to do, so little time. So what's a person to do? You can either lower your standards and just ignore the mess, or you can think smart and keep your house tidy with little effort.
Unfortunately there is no way to avoid housework. But you can keep your house clean and sparkling in less than 30 minutes a day, if you just get organized.
The very first thing you need to do is gather all your cleaning supplies and place them in one spot, organized neatly. I do mean "all" your cleaning supplies, the glass cleaner, the furniture polish, the wax, the cleaner, the dusting cloth ? all of it! Next organize it in groups that make sense as to how you would use it. So if you're going to do the windows you just have to grab all your window supplies, or if your cleaning the bathroom, you'd grab all the bathroom supplies. Use the old KISS formula ? "Keep It Simple Stupid." Don't make extra work for yourself.
Next place a clothes basket in every room where dirty clothes might land. Then train your household members to drop their dirty clothes in the hamper, and not on the floor. If it's in their room, it should be as easy to use as the floor. If you've got kids, get creative, with a hamper that's their favorite cartoon character or action figure. Make it fun!
Assign duties to other members of your house. Kids, even younger ones, can be good helpers. Give them tasks that they are capable of completing. As an incentive you can reward them. You can take them to a matinee or give them a treat if they complete their chores. If they get an allowance make them work for it. No kids, then you're on your own, unless you have a modern day husband who participates in the household chores.
Be logical in your cleaning. There are two strategies that work well. With the first, you do a thorough cleaning once or twice a week. You choose a task, then start at one end of the house and move completely through the house until that task is done. Then start your next task. You'll save valuable time by not jumping from one task to the other.
The second strategy is favored by working woman and men, because it takes less than 30 minutes every day, and you don't have to look forward to cleaning house on your days off. With this strategy you do one room at a time, and set time limits as to how much time you'll spend in each room.. So lets say the kitchen gets 8 minutes, Bathroom gets 5, bedrooms get 5 each, and on and on, depending on how many rooms you have. You can adjust the 30 minutes up or down, but it should never be more than 45 minutes.
In the kitchen, wipe down the stove, fridge and dispose of any food that needs to be tossed. Wipe down the counter tops and the sink. Empty the dishwasher. Sweep the floor and give it a quick mopping.
In the bathroom pick up dirty laundry and toss in the hamper, wipe down the tub, shower, and sink. Clean the toilet last. Mop the floor if it needs it.
Bedrooms just need the beds made, dirty laundry picked up, and clothes put away. A quick dusting and vacuuming every third day is sufficient.
Tidy the living room, pickup books and "stuff" that are lying around. Wipe off tables. Dusting and vacuuming every second or third day is sufficient.
By doing laundry amongst other activities, you'll save yourself more time. Throw a load in while you're watching TV or making super. Fit it into other activities, so you're not faced with ten loads at the end of the week.
Getting organized and cleaning your house will become a breeze. You'll have less stress worrying about it and more free time to enjoy the things you like to do!
Keith Kingston is a former Kirby Vacuum Salesman. Find out more about his reviews on Dyson Vacuum Cleaners and Kirby Vacuum Cleaners
AP - The Senate's top Democrat has called off a planned vote this week on a $25 billion auto industry bailout. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that he wanted to figure out some way to help Detroit's struggling Big Three but that efforts to do so had stalled.
AP - A growing fear of economic deflation helped take the air out of the stock market Wednesday, and another white-knuckle final hour on Wall Street pushed the Dow Jones industrials under 8,000 to their lowest close since the financial meltdown began.
AP - Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle has accepted President-elect Barack Obama's offer to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, Democratic officials said Wednesday. The appointment has not been announced, but these officials said the job is Daschle's, barring an unforeseen problem as Obama's team reviews the background of the South Dakota Democrat.
AP - California's highest court agreed Wednesday to hear several legal challenges to the state's new ban on same-sex marriage but refused to allow gay couples to resume marrying before it rules.
AP - Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader used a racial epithet to insult Barack Obama in a message posted Wednesday, describing the president-elect in demeaning terms that imply he does the bidding of whites. The message appeared chiefly aimed at persuading Muslims and Arabs that Obama does not represent a change in U.S. policies.
AP - A 30-day age limit in the Nebraska safe-haven law appears headed for final approval. The state Legislature voted 41-6 Wednesday to give second-round approval to the limit. A final vote is expected Friday and then the bill will go to Gov. Dave Heineman, who has said he would support a 30-day age limit.
AP - Bringing "Jurassic Park" one step closer to reality, scientists have deciphered much of the genetic code of the woolly mammoth, a feat they say could allow them to recreate the shaggy, prehistoric beast in as little as a decade or two.
AP - King Herod may have been buried in a crypt with lavish Roman-style wall paintings of a kind previously unseen in the Middle East, Israeli archaeologists said Wednesday. The scientists found such paintings and signs of a regal two-story mausoleum, bolstering their conviction that the ancient Jewish monarch was buried there.
AP - The Kansas City Royals picked up the leadoff hitter they had been seeking, acquiring center fielder Coco Crisp from the Boston Red Sox for reliever Ramon Ramirez on Wednesday.
Reuters - U.S. auto executives went to Capitol Hill for a second day on Wednesday to argue their case for $25 billion in aid as legislators proposed changes to help a bailout pass Congressional and White House muster.
Reuters - Federal Reserve officials slashed economic growth forecasts through 2009 and some believed even deeper interest rate cuts may be needed if growth slows further, minutes of their October policy meeting show.
Reuters - California's Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear a legal challenge against the state's voter-approved ban on gay marriage and let the ban stand until it ruled.
Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama has chosen Tom Daschle, a key early supporter and former U.S. Senate leader, as his top official to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system, two Democratic sources said on Wednesday.
Reuters - Consumer prices fell at a record pace in October and new-home building slumped to fresh lows, according to government reports on Wednesday that suggested the economy likely is already in a recession that may be long and deep.
Reuters - Citigroup Inc faced a crisis of confidence on Wednesday as investors questioned the survival prospects of the U.S. banking giant, and its shares tumbled 23 percent to a 13-year low.
Reuters - Former U.S. President Bill Clinton has offered to allow ethics reviews of future business and charitable activities should his wife be picked by President-elect Barack Obama as secretary of state, Democrats familiar with the issue said on Wednesday.
Reuters - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will loosen terms of its foreclosure-prevention effort so that the program, meant to backstop $300 billion in home loans, can be more effective, the agency said on Wednesday.
AFP - An Indian warship destroyed a pirate "mother vessel" in the Gulf of Aden, the navy said Wednesday, as bandits demanded a ransom for a Saudi super-tanker seized in the most daring sea raid yet.
AFP - At least one Thai anti-government protester was killed and 21 were wounded in a pre-dawn bomb blast Thursday inside a demonstration site in Bangkok, emergency services said.
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