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Keeping a household clean and uncluttered is possible. Granted there are times when a home will be cleaner than at other times, but it can stay manageable. The key is to stop procrastination and discontinue any perfectionist notions.
Procrastination is the thief of keeping up on general household cleaning. The desire to put off what needs to be done today can be the downfall of household cleaning. A small spill of something, let’s say jelly, will take about fifteen seconds to wipe up with a damp paper towel. That same small spill left to dry, smear, and collect dust, dirt, and other objects for a few days will take one to five minutes and a lot of frustration.
The principle of seizing the moment and not procrastinating when it comes to general household cleaning can be applied to almost any task. Let me give you some examples. A bathroom mirror left unattended for a few weeks is much harder to clean than a mirror that has had the bad water spots wiped daily with a paper towel. Paper towels and window cleaner can be kept easily under the bathroom sink for quick bathroom cleaning. Getting rid of leftovers in the refrigerator every couple of days and placing empty containers in the dishwasher is much less time consuming than waiting until mold is growing inside every container in the refrigerator and it takes a few hours to clean it out. Spills in the refrigerator that are wiped out as soon as they happen take a fraction of the time to clean as spills left to harden for weeks in the refrigerator. Stove spills are tough to clean after they have burnt and hardened in comparison to a spill on the stove that is wiped off as soon as it has cooled. Taking the extra few seconds to put a plastic bag in each trash can after emptying is well worth the time as anyone who has spent hours scrubbing dirty trash cans can attest to. Leaving dishes undone for the next day can make a molehill truly a mountain. If you really don’t have the time to do them, at least rinse quickly or submerge in water in the sink for easy rinse and cleaning later.
If you do not procrastinate it will not only save you time, but will also assist in your energy level and desire to keep up your household. The dirtier and more cluttered a home becomes, the less desire one has to keep it up. A week or two worth of dirty laundry can be overwhelming and rob you of any desire to do it. A load of laundry a day, taking the extra minutes to fold and put away, is much more bearable and gives you the ‘I can do it’ feeling. Walking in to a cluttered family room when you awaken each morning will take from you valuable energy that you could use elsewhere. Taking the three to five minutes each evening before retiring to pick up the family room thus making waking up and seeing it the next morning refreshing and satisfying is well worth the time spent. Nothing can sabotage your energy levels easier than overwhelming household tasks.
Make a list of time consuming household tasks that need to be done during the year. This could include tasks such as washing windows and blinds, cleaning the oven, washing walls, cleaning light fixtures, and painting. Decide how many times a year the task needs to be done. Calendar these tasks just as you do other appointments. Granted you will need to be flexible but force yourself to do the task within the month assigned. This is another area where not procrastinating will be well worth the discipline you exhibit to accomplish the task.
A perfectionist will be well worn out in general household cleaning. A home that is uncluttered and picked up, with a healthy clean is much better than spending so much time on cleaning perfectly that one is left tired and usually unable to accomplish every task. If a home is picked up, the dishes done, the bathroom reasonably clean, and the floors quickly gone over with the vacuum, other things will usually go unnoticed. If you are one who insists on perfection, you will either need to spend all your waking hours cleaning or hire someone to help. If finances don’t allow weekly help, consider hiring someone for a specific task such as cleaning out the refrigerator, cleaning the blinds, or cleaning the oven.
If more than one person lives in the home, delegation and job assignments are a must. Each person needs to contribute to the general household cleaning. Job charts are a dime a dozen. Find one that works for you. Some prefer a job chart where each person rotates in their assignments while others find doing the same chores repeatedly works the best. If possible, save big jobs to do as a group. Washing the windows takes much less time with one person inside and one person outside than doing the same job alone. Have a household counsel to decide a time when everyone can be at home for a given block of time to accomplish the tasks needed.
Finding the right household cleaning equipment is well worth the search. Each person will have their favorites but among them should be an excellent vacuum that can easily convert from cleaning carpets to tile and cushions, a window cleaner and paper towels under each bathroom sink makes a quick bathroom cleaning a breeze, a good dusting brush for a quick dusting job, and paper towels in the kitchen for spills, shining chrome and counter wiping.
Dealing with clutter is another area where constant small steps in the directions of no clutter is much easier than waiting until it’s hard to see anything but clutter. Junk mail should be thrown away daily, even it you haven’t the time to sort everything. Whenever possible, transfer information from school and work newsletters, invitations, and other appointments from paper to your planner or calendar. Throw away any paper not needed. Tackling paper clutter is only one area of clutter that needs to be addressed. Give away items that you do not use. Many thrift stores will be grateful for your donations and you will be glad for an uncluttered house.
In general household cleaning requires time and attention but it can be done with a reasonable amount of both.
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