May 21, 2014

Modern Day Homekeeping : Daily Tasks

Want to know the secret to a clean house? It isn’t a cleaning service (that would help!) – it’s a cleaning routine. A few simple household tasks completed every day is all it takes to formulate a cleaning routine. I know you’re feeling overwhelmed and frustrated with the monotony that can come with cleaning or the constant cleaning and picking up that comes with a running and managing a household (along with EVERYTHING else!)  If this resonates with you and you have absolutely no idea where to start, this is where you need to be! Take a DEEP breath and keep reading….

Every single day I complete these 4 daily tasks. Not only do they help keep the house tidy, they make the other cleaning tasks so much easier. Don’t compound your overwhelmed feeling with thinking that you have to start all this at once. You certainly can, but it might be easier to start with one task for a week and add another task the next week. Alternatively, you can set a timer for 3 minutes and complete what you can on each task for the required time (3 minutes of a quick floor check, 3 minutes to wipe down counters, 3 minutes to bust clutter, 3 minutes to fold laundry or put a load in the wash). You’ll be amazed by how easy it is to keep up with the homekeeping when you are implementing a couple simple tasks. (Side note: ‘making the bed’ is not on the list but it’s something that I do every day and it definitely helps a room look put together. Not a bed maker? Try making the bed for a week right when you get up, you’ll be surprised at how easy it really is!

CHECK FLOORS | Check the floors in your house and sweep or vacuum IF necessary. Eating areas are hot spots to catch crumbs. If you have pets, check the corners and under furniture as well. Have kids? Keep a small  dustpan in a cupboard or pantry and let them sweep up under the table after meals. They’ll love it!

COUNTERS | Wipe kitchen counters and your table after meals and at the very least, once a day. This ensures that the countertops are cleared off and ready for whatever. Trust me, it takes much longer to do all the day’s dishes and cleaning up one time than it does to take care of it at that meal time. Wiping the counters is synonymous for me with washing dishes and loading/unloading the dishwasher. Check bathroom counters and wipe up any little messes (toothpaste on the counters, etc.) if necessary.

CLUTTER | Take 5-10 minutes a day to tackle daily clutter. Sort through mail, pick up toys, clothes, and other odds and ends that haven’t made it back to their homes. Have kids? Get the rest of your family involved with a quick family clean-up before or after dinner – set the timer for 5-10 minutes and race around picking up and putting away. You’ll be surprised by how much you can get cleaned up AND how much fun cleaning up can be.

LAUNDRY | Take at least one load of laundry from start to folded and put away every day. This process keeps the laundry piles away and ensures that clothing is sorted and put away daily. Working mom? No time for this? Try using the delay button (if you have one) on your washing machine so it starts at 5am. Put the clothes in the dryer at 6am and carry about your morning. In the evenings when all you want to do is veg out in front of the television, add folding that one load to your repertoire. Put the clothes away (or in a basket for the owner to put away) and repeat for the next day. (This is mostly helpful for families or people with lots of laundry – you might find that doing laundry once or twice a week is fine for you and that’s great! The point of this is to not let it get to the point where laundry is your nemesis.)

Ready to give it a go? Have questions? Ask away! I’ll be back later this week with a little explanation of my WEEKLY cleaning tasks (and a FREE printable!) to help you get started.

This post is part of a series – Modern Day Homekeeping – you can see all the posts here.

I also have a new kit – The Clean Mama Modern Day Homekeeping Kit – in my shop designed to help you keep up with your home in the midst of everyday life. There’s a page with my daily tasks and weekly cleaning routine.