A Laundry Tip:
Folding and putting away laundry is the hardest part of the laundry cycle for me. So I’ve found that at the times when I have LOTS of laundry to do (almost always), it is less overwhelming if I do linens (towels, sheets) in every other load. Since linens are easier to fold and put away than the clothing of six different people, doing laundry this way gives me reason to procrastinate and grumble about only half of the laundry.
A Kitchen Tip:
Clear counters make the kitchen look cleaner, which makes them seem to collect less mess. I have found places for even my Kitchen Aid, toaster, bread machine, and crockpot in cupboards. When we had a smaller house, I kept a few of those items in the laundry room. This makes it slightly less convenient to pull out when needed, but I think that inconvenience is minimal compared to the time saved cleaning around the appliances. Try it and see what you think.
A Bathroom Tip:
I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s worth repeating: If you clean your bathroom every day, you’ll never have to clean it! I buy Clorox (or non-brand) wipes. Using just one wipe each day (two, sometimes), I start with the light switch and doorknob to the bathroom, then the sink faucet, I wipe the counter and the sink bowl, then the top of the toilet, then the seat cover, then the toilet seat, and finally – if the cloth is not too disgusting at this point (we do have boys) – I’ll wipe the base of the toilet and the floor around it. I’ve mentioned each area because I want you to remember something I learned in nursing school (yep, I pursued nursing for three years – but, no, I’m not a nurse): go from clean to dirty, wiping from the cleanest area (the light switch) and ending at the dirtiest (under the toilet seat).
A Mopping Tip:
Tim thinks that one of my most endearing qualities is my ingenuity (resourcefulness). I think he only likes it because of the money saved, but as long as I’m endeared, who cares why? Yesterday, he caught me rubber-banding a rag towel around my flat mop head (the kind that is often used for dusting and comes with a microfiber cloth that attaches to it with elastic). The extra cloths cost $5 each at the store, so I thought I might as well make my own. I walked around with a spray bottle of cleaner in my hand, sprayed the floor, then mopped it with my towel-rigged mop. It worked like a charm, and the towel could be washed in the laundry.
An Attitude Tip:
My housecleaning attitude has perked up somewhat ever since I realized that I really do have household servants like the woman in Proverbs 31. My servants are the washer, the dryer, the dishwasher, the bread machine, the microwave, the stove, the hot water heater, the mixer, and all the other electronic items that make my life easier. Why, even the toilet is a modern-day servant! All that my servants require is constant management. They are quite lazy without management. Each day I have to hand my servants their workload, and I have to keep up with them to ensure they are doing it well. Some servants require less of me, like the Water Heater, who is such a reliable old gal. She doesn’t require all that the Dishwasher does, bless her!
Do you have any household tips to share? If so, comment them below!
by Lori Seaborg
what a super entry! thanks Lori! i am sooooo bad at household organizational stuff. Your blog is a great resource for me.
Housecleaning! Great! I am going to take you up on your kitchen bench challenge – I know the concept but it is the practice that lets me down! A friend of mine has just done this herself and it does make a big difference. So maybe that is the one bit of housework I will actually accomplish today – clean kitchen benches!
I agree with your bathroom tip – Our kids clean their bathroom daily and it is never far from being ready to have guests.
Here are a few of my tips:
Floor – If I am after a quick clean floor (we have tiles through the whole house so mopping is hard work) I dampen two sturdy dishsize rags (not the same I use for dishes but of that type) and put them under my feet, I shuffle along the floor, mopping it as I go. I can see the dirty spots so they get extra attention. It is quick, easy on my back when it is sore, effective and great exercise!
Laundry – This works for me because of the hot climate we live in. I sort my laundry as I pull it from the washing machine – I sort into ironing (straight into the basket) kids farm clothes get sorted into their own piles. Then pile by pile into the laundry basket. Then I hang each persons clothes on one section of the clothes line. Sounds like a lot of work but here are the benefits…. come time to bringing the washing in and fold it (which I hate and therefore procrastinate with) I fold under the line and because it is already sorted (which I did early in the day in the comfort of my airconditioned laundry while the washing was still wet!) it is a matter of folding one section of the line at a time and the clothes are sorted and folded in one action – ready for the kids to put away! Hope this makes sense.
Front Door – (or any door the family uses) having a good dirt collecting mat saves a lot of time sweeping and vacuuming the floor
Ants – peppermint oil on their entry point and trail turns them away.
Jen — I’m just the mom walking right beside ya! Trying to learn, and — even harder — trying to practice what I learn!
Belinda — Love your tips! I need to do that with the floor, too. I tend to wait until it is reeeealllly dirty to mop it, then the job is past overhwelming!
Rain — Good idea about the toothbrushes/toothpaste. Did you know they also clean your wedding ring? I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of the faucet!
AbidingLove — you are a couple of months ahead of me! I love my counters being clear.
Mr. Clean Magic Erasers to wipe down dirty walls, doors and door frames. It really gives the place a facelift. I’ve even used it on my kitchen counters (for those dull stains that don’t come up from just wiping down the counters) it works great!
Old toothbrushes with a squirt of soft scrub-0looks like toothpaste) to clean out the gunk around faucets.
You are so right about the kitchen counters – I have done that for a couple of months now and the kitchen always looks great – and it is easier to wipe quickly when needed. The mop idea was a great one – I am going to use it!
I HAVE A HOUSEFUL OF SERVANTS!!! You know what, I always was jealous of the Proverbs 31 woman. I thought, “Of course she can get all that accomplished. She has servants!” What an excuse, huh? But it was like a light bulb came on when I read the part where you said you DID have servants. And so do I!
The only bad part of this realization is that now I no longer have an excuse for not being able to be a proper Proverbs 31 wife…lol.
Kathy
i too keep all my ‘servants’ in my ‘laundry room/closet/storage room/pantry/office’…where i sit to type this now….(we live in a tiny 1919 cottage) just so that my kitchen counters will look a bit bigger and cleaner than they are! great tips! i am always on the hunt for new ways to simplify my life and make it less ‘visually cluttered!’ I love your blog!
thanks
shelbi
Hi Lori – unfortunately just reading your tips didn’t get me motivated but… there is a story to tell… my benches are now clean! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/belindaletchford/37913/
Love Belinda