I have some favorite cheats that I use daily in keeping my house looking cleaner than it really is. No one knows, or even notices, the dust in your house or if it hasn't been vacuumed for a bit. How often do you visit a friend and think, “When was the last time she ran a vacuum?” You don't, because you just enjoy being with your friend and you don't notice the condition of her home. On the other hand, you don't want to get so relaxed in your cleaning that people are afraid to sit on your furniture, or drink out of your glasses or walk across your floor without sticking to it. Let's have some standards of general tidiness and cleanliness.
We serve a God of order and for me I enjoy having a general sense of order and tidiness in my home. I appreciate being able to make my family feel comfy and well cared for along with those we show hospitality to. The problem is, I like to do it but I don't want to spend my whole day cleaning. There are other areas that need tended too. I have a schedule that I follow loosely but it is there as a guide to keep me on task. Many times my days allow me to do just a quick clean up. We enjoy opening our home to others and our church rents a school building so many gatherings need to take place in our homes.
When we are preparing to have a large crowd over I really don't clean before they come. Serious, it is pointless because there will be bathrooms and floors to clean when they leave. I just give my home a quick tidy and clean before they arrive. I have a method that has been serving me well for over ten years. We used to have church in our home before we moved to the school so every week we had a crowd of people gathering in our home to worship the Lord and share a meal together. We also had midweek meetings here too. I learned pretty quick how to get my home ready for guests in a moments notice. I am thankful we're meeting in a building now 😉
Quick Company Clean Up By Room:
Guest Bathroom – Wipe mirror and counter down with window cleaner and paper towels. Use paper towels to wipe the toilet seat and spray and swish the toilet with cleaner (If you are greener than I am use a rag and not paper towels. Clean the toilet seat with cleaner and toilet paper and flush it). Give the base of the toilet a quick wipe with the paper towels – the floor around the toilet too if you have little boys ;). Change the hand towel and check bathroom supplies. (Read Five Minute Daily Bathroom Tidy.)
Entryway – Wipe the front door glass and tidy the entry. Vacuum mat in front of door and main traffic area if needed.
Kitchen – Wash all dishes and dry. After drying dishes take the towel and wipe appliance fronts and handles. Give the kitchen floor a quick sweep in main traffic areas and spot mop the floor (spot mop means just take a mop where it is needed – the Sh-Mop has been a favorite tool). Hang up a fresh dish towel.
Family Room – Tidy the room, fluff pillows, give it a quick feather dust and dim the lights (serious it is nice to have people over when it's dark out). Vacuum just the main traffic areas or where needed.
This takes me less than an hour, with the kitchen being the longest task. I start with the bathroom then go through the rest of the rooms with the feather duster and vacuum and end in the kitchen.
Make your home feel cozy with dimmers on your lights, put on some music and light a few candles. I put water and a few drops of a favorite essential oil in my Plug In Melter (it's probably really unsafe but I've never had an issue – I tired of buying the wax for it) in the bathroom to keep it smelling fresh.
This system works best if you already have some sense of order to your home. Continue to keep decluttering on a daily basis. I have learned that if things don't have a place – they become clutter.
My Three Top Items To Do Daily:
1. Make your bed
2. Do your dishes before bed (waking up to a sink full of dirty dishes is just a bummer)
3. Do a load of laundry a day – (Umm that means wash, dry and fold)
This post is part of the Homemaking 101 Series
This is a great list. I keep a bottle of essential oil in the bathroom as well. In a house full of boys, it only takes a couple of drops into the toilet to keep that room smelling fresh.