Steps
- Tolerate a bit of a mess. Don't let things go completely, but don't try to keep things spotless, either. Keeping things spotless requires a lot more effort than keeping things at some mid-range, reasonable level. Besides, you have better things to do.
- Tidy up as as you go.
- Do you have a minute or two while you wait for water on the stove to boil or for something to heat up in the microwave? How much kitchen cleanup can you do?
- Wipe out the kitchen sink when you're done with the evening's dishes. It only takes a minute.
- Keep a container of wipes in the bathroom and run one over the toilet or the sink while you're in there.
- Going up or down the stairs? Is there anything that should go with you and be put away?
- Empty the dishwasher promptly. This is one task you should keep up with as best you can, because an empty dishwasher means that dishes don't pile up in the sink.
- Time yourself. Set a kitchen timer for five, ten, or fifteen minutes. Clean as much as you can in that time, then stop, wherever you are.
- Pick one room or area to focus on at a time. This week, clean just the kitchen, doing whatever minimal upkeep is necessary in other areas. Make this the time to do a somewhat deeper cleaning. Next week, move on to the bedroom, the bathroom, the living room, and so on.
- Clear the clutter, especially on surfaces that need frequent cleaning like the bathroom and kitchen counters.
- Clean out a little at a time. Work on one drawer, cabinet, or area per session and don't overdo it.
- Learn some technique. Cleaning the right way means a lot less effort.
- Let the cleaner do the work. For most hard surfaces (the exception is wood), spray the surface, let the cleaner sit and dissolve for a while, then wipe it up.
- Learn to clean windows with a squeegee.
- Find out how to clean your microwave with a minimum of effort.
- Work towards at least a bit of organization. If there's less clutter, there's less to clean.
- Organize your kitchen. It's a very active place in your home.
- Discard unnecessary items rather than cleaning them or cleaning around them. Try this game. Grab a bag for trash or
Tips
- Get help. Don't try to clean up after the whole family.
- Try this with young kids to get cleanup time to happen faster: "I'm thinking of a toy that's on the floor. Whoever picks it up first gets to sit in my lap for story time."
- Put the music on. It'll help keep you moving along and take some of the tedium out of it. Listen to an audio book if you have a longer project to do.
- Take pride in a job well done, even if it means you now have one gleaming spot in the chaos.
- Listen to music while tidying up. However, don't watch TV. If you watch TV, you'll end up sitting in the middle of the floor, staring at the TV, doing nothing.
- Try not to let stuff pile up. If you get an area totally clean, and then you run in one day, in a hurry, and toss a piece of paper there, you'll start thinking "well, it's not clean anymore... what will one more piece of paper hurt?", and the mess will just pile up from there.
Warnings
- Don't obsess. It probably is never going to be perfect, and that's ok. If you go overboard, you'll just end up exhausted.
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