Cleaning

Oct
25

31 days to {a better} ordinary :: day 24 ~ laundry routine

Laundry is my nemesis. I battle against it constantly, but it just keeps on coming back. It never ends. Never. Never ever.



There are bunches of different methods for managing laundry. I know. I've tried many of them over the years. The ages of my kids, the seasons of life (and sports), our schedule, and my mood all have an effect on how I keep up with the wash. Right now I'm working with a system that seems to be the best yet.

I try to wash one to two loads of laundry each day (none on my husband's days off, if possible). On a regular day, I aim to do one load of clothes (either lights or darks) and one load of towels or sheets, as needed. I find that by doing just a little bit of laundry everyday, we no longer run out of clean clothes, and I'm still able to get it all folded (I'm working on the putting-it-away part).



Another key to my laundry method is that I start the process the night before. In the evening, I have the kids gather their dirty clothes from the hamper in their bathroom and the laundry basket in each of their rooms. I sort their clothes into the two baskets I keep in my closet. My husband and I use a blue basket for collecting our dark clothes, a white one for lights, and a mesh-bag hamper for towels. We (usually) sort our clothes and towels right when we take them off or finish using them.



Once everything is sorted, I put whichever load appears to need done into the washer. In the morning, it's ready for me to add the soap and turn the machine on. Without even trying, my morning routine gets a quick jumpstart. Gotta love that kind of ordinary.

Click to learn more about 31 days to {a better} ordinary and to find links to all the posts in this series.

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Oct
21

31 days to {a better} ordinary :: day 20 ~ find solutions

There's a little game we play at our house. It's called WE'VE GOTTA CLEAN THE GARAGE.
Here's how you can play, too:

1. Let the garage become a total mess so that you trip over the junk every time you get out of your mini-van (can be played with any model of car or truck).
Wait until you are completely frustrated and say (in an irritated voice),

WE'VE GOTTA CLEAN THE GARAGE.

2. Begin filling the garbage cans with trash that never should have been kept in the first place. Be sure to rationalize why you're keeping the jars of screws and crusted paintbrushes you won't use.

That's half the fun.

3. Finish up by piling and shoving everything that's left back into buckets, boxes, and shelves.


4. Feel good that the garage looks clean.

Then, just sit back and wait a few weeks until the fake clean wears off so you can play the game again.

Fun!

We need to stop cleaning our problems and start solving them.
We must figure out why the various areas of our homes refuse to stay clean and clear.
Then find a solution.

Think.....

:: How do we use this space?
:: Why do I keep these things in this particular closet (or cabinet, drawer, shelf, etc.)?
:: Is it too hard to put this away when we're done using it?
:: Is there a more logical way to organize these items?
:: Do I need better organizing tools (baskets, boxes, jars)?
:: Is there a place for everything so everything can be put back in its place?
:: Can I get rid of stuff?

The last time we played WE'VE GOTTA CLEAN THE GARAGE,
we began a process of changing the rules.

We trashed a lot of things we admitted we wouldn't use. We organized and grouped things together in an orderly way. We put stuff we don't often use into the attic, and we boxed and labeled other items we want access to, but only need occasionally.

That was a couple of weeks ago, and the garage still looks as good as the day we cleaned it. We have a long way to go, but we're getting closer to solutions for
the garage, the pantry, the laundry room.....on and on.

We're creating {a better} ordinary, and, hopefully, we'll be able to keep it that way.

Click to learn more about 31 days to {a better} ordinary and to find links to all the posts in this series.

Oct
19

31 days to {a better} ordinary :: day 19 ~ no more excuses



I like making excuses to get out of doing things I don't want to do. I'm good at it. Probably because I practice so much. But I prefer calling them reasons....it just sounds better.

All those excuses reasons keep me from the kind of ordinary I'm trying to achieve. They make me feel better about abandoning my plans. They allow me to accept less than what's best for my family. They're lies.

Today I adopted a new mantra: No more excuses.

I have to tell you, it was very annoying. You see, I was supposed to wash the sheets today. It was written right there on my weekly calendar. I really hate washing the sheets. Really. I thought of lots of very good reasons why I shouldn't wash the sheets today. I'm going to be too busy. I could do it once the kids aren't sick. I could wait until tomorrow.

Unfortunately, I had already decided to stick with the plan, avoid excuses, and accomplish my weekly to do list. Bummer. The sheets had to get to the washing machine. Then they had to be dried and put back on the beds. No excuses.

So I did it. I didn't want to, but I'm glad it's done. And just imagine what else I might be able to do if I stop finding reasons excuses for not trying. Today the sheets. Tomorrow the world (or at least my grocery list!).

Click to learn more about 31 days to {a better} ordinary and to find links to all the posts in this series.

Oct
18

31 days to {a better} ordinary :: day 18 ~ clean fridge

I have a love-hate relationship with my refrigerator. I love the story of how we came to own it and that it's a constant reminder of God's provision. But I hate how small it is, even though it's perfect for our space. Maybe I should hate the space instead of the fridge? Whatever. The fact is, it's a bit small for our family of big eaters.


One of the best ways to combat the size issue (and save money) is to keep it cleaned out and organized. Now, I'm not one of those people who expects to have color coded containers stacked according to food group on top of spotless shelves. Not gonna happen at our house. But using the fridge to store food we're never going to eat isn't a good idea either.


In the past, I would see the dish of leftover chicken on the shelf, realize that it was just barely too old for me to feel comfortable serving (I'm funny about any food that might possibly be past it's prime), and leave it there just in case someone wanted to eat it. WHY??? So someone might eat the food that could be spoiled? Because it would get better with age? Since it could somehow be less of a waste as time went on?


Recently, I've been applying my clean as you go philosophy to the refrigerator. It's been amazingly helpful. Basically, if I see something lingering in the fridge that I know needs thrown away, I toss it into the trash right then. Revolutionary, right?

So maybe it isn't life changing, but it sure has been refrigerator changing. I can see what food we have that's still edible, and I don't even have to spend a chunk of time dealing with yucky, expired foods. Love it.

Click to learn more about 31 days to {a better} ordinary and to find links to all the posts in this series.

Oct
13

31 days to {a better} ordinary :: day 13 ~ clean as you go

A long, long time ago, my husband and I worked at the same restaurant. Back then, he was my boss. My, how times have changed!

Actually, I loved working with him and for him. He always had a great way of telling you to work hard without making you feel like you were being ordered to do something. He liked walking past a group of us and dishing out one of his two favorite lines:

"If you've got time to lean, you've got time to clean."

and

"Clean as you go."

I have a feeling he still uses those on his employees today. Thankfully, he never rarely needs to say them to me anymore, but they still pop into my head. Since I don't usually have time to lean, that one doesn't come to mind much, but I think of "clean as you go" nearly every day.

That man of mine is pretty smart. He knows that it's always easier to clean up a little at a time. I try to remember this when I'm cooking. Washing the dishes, wiping up the counters, and putting ingredients away throughout the process works much better than trying to tackle a huge mess in the end.

I also remember that saying throughout the day. I don't always have time to clean a whole room from top to bottom, but it only takes a second to pick up the dirty socks off the living room floor as I pass through (those pesky socks breed like rabbits around our house). And even if I can't spend an hour cleaning, leaving each room one item cleaner than when I entered it adds up over the course of the day and helps me create the kind of ordinary I crave. Try it!

Click to learn more about 31 days to {a better} ordinary and to find links to all the posts in this series.

Oct
07

31 days to {a better ordinary} :: day 7 ~ weekly housecleaning



I don't like cleaning house. Big shocker, right? Funny thing is, I love cleaning stuff out. Some wacky part of me likes getting rid of items we don't need and straightening up what's left.

Yet, while I genuinely enjoy sorting and organizing, I really dislike despise routine cleaning and scrubbing. Except vacuuming. I like to vacuum. But only downstairs. So, I'll often choose to clean out the coat closet (again!) instead of clean up the furniture or the bathrooms. It always seems like an even trade at the time.

Unfortunately, that kind of inconsistent cleaning takes its toll after a couple of weeks. Everything looks and feels dirty, at least to me. I stop enjoying my home and begin feeling burdened by the undone tasks. I don't like that felling. It holds me back from doing all the things I really want to do, such as relax and have fun with my kids. Definitely not the kind of ordinary I want for me or my family.

One of the major obstacles to doing my weekly cleaning is that it always seems like it will take a long time. Well, it doesn't have to. By limiting the chores I do every week and deciding that "good enough" is good enough, I'm able to do a routine housecleaning in about one hour a week. I can handle one hour.

If you struggle with housecleaning like I do, here are a few suggestions:

    -Begin by listing the cleaning chores you want done every week. Beside each one, write down how much time you think it will take. If it totals much more than an hour, start eliminating things. For example, I eliminated vacuuming and dusting anything upstairs except for the piano. (Yes, our piano is on the second story.) I try to clean the floors and furniture up there occasionally, but it doesn't bother me if it's not company ready all the time.

    -Choose to do a quick cleaning each week and save the detail cleaning for another time, like I do with my Monthly To Do tasks. On a weekly basis, I don't dust under everything on the tables, wipe down all the books on the shelves, or sweep the dirt out of every corner. I make an agreement with myself to be content with good enough.

    -Set a timer and try to beat it. There's just something about a ticking timer that keeps me focused. Maybe it's because I don't like to lose. Whatever the reason, I work a little faster and am more motivated to stick with the job if I know I'm being timed.

    -Do all of the routine cleaning in just one day. I find that spreading it out over a week leaves me feeling like there is always something that isn't done. I like knowing that, at least for one day, everything is clean.

    -Pick a cleaning day that works for you. My mom always did the housecleaning, or had me do it (thanks, Mom), on Saturday. I don't like cleaning on Saturday, but Monday usually works for me. I like to get it out of the way early in the week and spend the weekends doing things that do not involve a spray bottle.

Want to see how I break it down?

    Vacuum (downstairs only) ~ 10 min.
    Dust (downstairs and the piano) ~ 10 min.
    Mop all tile floors ~ 10 min.
    Bathrooms ~ 25 min. (10 min. in each big bathroom, 5 min. in powder room)
    Mirrors, appliances, windows (as needed) with spray cleaner ~ 5 min.

Click to learn more about 31 days to {a better} ordinary and to find links to all the posts in this series.

How do you manage your weekly cleaning tasks? Have any tips for us?