what is the most efficient way to speed clean you house?

Q.

A. I have a basic routine that I follw EVERYDAY.. It's pretty simple but, I know if I have unexpected company my house isn't a wreak !

I use LYSOL/CLOROX or even generic brand anti-bacterial/disenfectant wipes. You can find them pretty much everywhere these days.. I stash them under every sink in the house....

In the AM. I quickly wipe down ALL bathroom surfaces... Countertops/sinks and toilets AND I give the mirrors a wipe with WINDOW CLEANER... Then once a week I take down all the towels/rugs and give them a good wash and replace. I also scrub the tub/tile surround AND sweep/mop the floor...

est. time 10 min. daily/ 20 min weekly

*Have a spare set of nice towels/rugs to put up in the bathroom while the other set is getting washed !


I get the kids up and ready for breakfast.. While they are eating I will use the wipes and wipe down ALL appliances/surfaces/sinks.

Unload/load the dishwasher...

While they eat.. I will vacuum the livingroom/diningroom combo EVERYDAY or I will dust from ceiling-floor and then vacuum.. I also vacuum my upolstery once a week...

Est. time 10 min everyday

In the bedrooms I will make ALL the beds.. Once a week I strip the bed linens/wash/replace AND dust/vacuum.

10 min. daily....

Every night BEFORE bed I have the children pick up ALL their toys and put away....

Once a week since we have a basement family room I will go down there and put away toys and vacuum/mop..

1 hour


I have 2 toddler/large breed dog and a 3 bdrm 1 1/2 bath RANCH..... I also work in the evenings 2-4 nights per week.

If you need to speed clean for "surprise" company these "tricks" work... You can also pick up items from each room and place in a laundry basket to "stash" temporarily in a closet until the company leave and you can put the items away..

Also, if you have a mudroom or somewhere where you/family can remove your shoes that will keep 80% of dust/dirt from getting into the house !

Also, clean your furnace filter every 30 days to keep dust/dirt down.....

Good luck

I vacuum/tidy the office EVERYDAY...

Original Question

Okay. Can everybody give me their best organizing tips?

Q. My Husband and I live in an insanely small house and we now have a baby. I am having a bear of a time staying on top of all the cleaning and organizing, while also working a full time job. He (hubby) isn't going to help much around the house, so I have given up on that. I just need some tips on how to stay on top of things. Anything would be appreciated.

A. I have a bunch that should help you get a good running start at this, having been through combining 3 homes into one. First, look at what you have realistically. Do you really NEED it? Do you REALLY want it? Do you really LOVE IT? If not, in a box it goes! Toss it, sell it, give it, or donate it to some other person who will love it, need it more than you, and want it! One way to get started, since you are in an INSANELY SMALL HOUSE with a baby. Grab a box and a timer, set the timer for 5-15 minutes. Run through the house grabbing junk you DO NOT love, want, or need! In the box it goes. Decide to either sell it on EBAY (you can ship it out FROM your home and the Post Office will even pick it up on your door step!) or drop off at a friends, a local charitys or head it out to the trash right now! After a few trips through your INSANELY SMALL HOUSE, you will notice things emerging that you did not see before, stuff you love, stuff you NEED, stuff you didn't knowyou didn't want until you SAW IT! Grab the old timer, set for another 5-15 minutes, grab a box and repeat till all you see is stuff you love, stuff you want, stuff you need. Now, change gears a little. Make up a little cleaning kit (mine has some mirco fiber cleaning cloths, a little Swiffer duster, some furniture polish, some OLD RAGS, some spritz spray bottles filled with either vinegar and water, or some smell good cleaner). I grab my trusty timer and set it for 15-30 minutes and tackle a shelf in the living room. I clean and wipe everything that sits on that shelf and dust and polish it. When the timer goes off, I am done, I return the cleaning kit to the laundry room, drop the dirty micro fiber cloths in the laundry and pick up more clean ones to put in the kit, throw out the rags from the furniture polish or put them in a used plastic bag for next time and back in the kit with my timer. Ok, so this isn't rocket science. Every time you have 5-30 minutes, work on SOMETHING. You don't have to tackle a WHOLE closet, try a shelf at a time. RESTORE it to complete order. Move onto 5 minutes of wiping down the counter tops COMPLETELY. 5 minutes straightening the curtains, two minutes picking up newspaper and putting then in the recycling bin. Now, once a week, plan a 1-2 hour task. Maybe that day, you WILL tackle the linen closet, or the bathroom, or the babys room. Pick a drawer, a closet, a corner, set the timer, get your kit and go at it. When it goes off, you are done! Keep track of where you are in a project as your time winds down, so that you have a closing point. That means if you have emptied the closet of all linens, and you only have 20 minutes left, you might decide, I am only going to put the sheets I REALLY REALLY LOVE away, the rest I will bag and sort later in the week. Now bag them. Set them where in a 5-15 minute time frame, you can deal with them. I have spent a 30 minute on the junk drawer, first by pulling EVERYTHING in it out of it. I cleaned it all inside, wiped the trays in there, threw out the dead batteries and the old rubber bands. Stuff that belonged elsewhere was returned right then and there. I sorted what I could, used some cleaned used baggies and sorted as much as I could, and marked bags with stuff that needed to be labeled while I could remember what it was. Anything that looked valuable, but had no home went in one baggie and was marked with a date (meaning the next time I was in there, I would know how long and maybe consider actually tossing it on the next go around! All the while doing my REGULAR cleaning of bathrooms, bedrooms, living rooms, laundry and so on. But now I began to think ahead. I didn't want to do ALL the stuff, I started relegating some of my chores to others. And I was prepared for some flack. I gave the kids a list of chores, that change weekly. Since yours is a baby, not likely to be a success. But if you are smart, if baby wants to help Mommy dust, my suggestion is to LET HER HELP YOU! Hand her a swiffer and let her dust something small, while you busy yourself. Trust me, later you will be happy for your kid to want to do this, and training them to do it from the get go is GOOD! Hubby can be trained too! He can do manly things like dealing with the cars. Maybe he doesn't want to do anything with the dishes but eat off them, but that doesn't mean he can't take out the trash and deal with that noise the car keeps making! Think about it? Can you man go deal with the mechanic? GOOD, LET HIM! Can he do an oil change? Great! LET HIM! Thats HIS PART! I'll do the dishes (you're gonna do them ANYWAYS) IF he will talk to the mechanic (who makes you feel stupid anyways!) and your husband will only second guess him and you anyways, hand him the keys and give him the same speech he is giving you "THATS MAN WORK! Now hop to it MAN!". I have taken to making little index cards with routines of things. I am a Foster Mom and one of my kids is a special nee

Original Question

How do I tackle housework, when I'm so far behind?

Q. I know there's women out there who can keep up, but I just cannot. I'm expected to do it all, and when I try to enlist help... well, let's just say that isn't happening.
And please don't say "get off the computer." I only get on here after 9 pm, when I'm too tired to do anything else.
I need a REAL schedule that could actually work.

A. Try to prioritize...think how kitchen, bathrooms, bed linens need to be cleaned first. Do things in 20 min intervals...then take a break..then do another chore, break, etc.Use an egg timer or buzzer or cell phone to program break times.

You want a kitchen to prep/cook--consists of clearing dishes away, sanitizing sink, same with counters & clearing clutter, wiping down appliances, sweeping/mopping when needed, removing trash when needed.

Bathrooms..another important area...sinks, tubs, toilet area, floor. Get products that make it easy...like Scrubbing Bubbles Extend-a-Clean that helps to keep things clean for 4 days because water re-activates the cleaning solution. Swiffer Wet-Jets that mop & sanitize floors (bath, kitchen..then dispose of dirty mop pad). Keep a multi-hook hanger over the door to hang up towels in use, robes. Keep as much clutter off the counter as possible. Keep handy Clorox wipes under sink to give things a quick touch-up on a daily basis...or even more often as needed.

Bedrooms--you have to sleep on clean sheets...need washing at least once weekly...comforters, pillows, blankets need to be done every so often, too. Keep sheet sets together for easy changing. Laundry baskets for dirty clothes (even a basket for each...darks, towels, colors, whites)...or combine colors & whites & use Shout color catcher sheet. If you have access to Tide products..Tide detergent & Tide Stain Release Booster both awesome for removing stains first time, no pre-treating, no measuring, can use warm water, makes whites brighter and colors, too>>dinginess gone! Products that work right the FIRST time make your job easier!

Other rooms: they collect clutter (after all, we live in them!) so if carrying around a basket to collect odd stuff to put it away is easier for you, then do that. Decide when to vacuum furniture and carpets and when to dust. (Again...easy product like Swiffer dusters work great!

Think in terms of keeping things "presentable"..not perfect. Find creative ways for storage (if you don't have enough...time to clear things out). A padded bench that hides shoes inside can be found at discount stores or online...or stores linens...or other items.

Try to keep on top of things as you see them happening but don't have to get neurotic about it ;). I don't know how many family members live with you, but delegate duties that they can handle. With kids, don't just say "Clean your room or make your bed"....actually SHOW them how to do it and give praise for their efforts, they won't be perfect at first.

When you have things caught up..you'll have extra time to catch up on those projects that require more time that only have to be done occasionally: shampooing carpets, washing drapery panels, doing the windows (although having clean windows helps to make everything else look better), getting rid of things to donate and anything else.

For the "tiredness": have you ever tried that drink made by Crystal Light that's their energy drink? They're packets that you pour into 16oz water...it has just enough caffeine and B vitamins to keep you from wanting to nod off...but it's not wacky like Red Bull drink (and only 5 calories!)...try it while you tackle your housework.

Original Question

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