We all have good intentions about “keeping house”, but life is crazy busy and reality keeps most of us from having that pristine “magazine” look.

I consider myself more organized than clean (although that may change with a baby crawling around), but we do have a weekly routine that helps us stay (mostly) on top of things. As I mentioned earlier this week, hosting friends regularly is great incentive to tackle this  weekly chore.

We reserve our cleaning for a weeknight, if possible. Weekends are for playtime! Here’s how we tackle our speed cleaning in less than hour:

1. Spray bathroom toilet and let the cleaner work while finishing the rest of this list.

2. Put away any clutter lying around. If there is a “place” for everything, then usually it takes less than 10 minutes to put things back.

3. Vaccuum - vacuuming kicks up dust, which is why I like to do this first.

4. Dust - If crunched for time, I focus on the furniture in public spaces, like the living room.

5. Kitchen - Sweep daily, mop weekly. Wipe countertops. Load dishwasher/put away clean dishes.

6. Bath - brush toilet, clean mirror, sink, counters and floor. Clean tub & tile separately, before a morning shower, each week.

The key: tackle cleaning up on an ongoing basis so the weekly routine doesn’t take half the day. Taking 10 minutes here and there to pick-up items that have accumulated around the house makes a world of difference. Stay tuned for the products we use, and how we’re simplifying in that area.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS