Cleaning 101

This is probably one of the most disliked tasks but is a necessary evil. My two my favorite tasks are vacuuming and laundry excluding folding (laundry is only included because I'm an addict of the clean laundry smell). My least favorite has to be dishes. Leftover dishwater is just disgusting and it's even worse when a fork doesn't quite do the job. Truth is, I only clean because I refuse to live in dump. Now with folks spending more time at home, it's important to make the chores as enjoyable as possible. Here's a few of my secrets to making it more enjoyable. 

- Be more intentional with controlling what you can. My brain goes into auto shutdown mode in chaos so I try to do a light clean sweep before going to bed. Clearing countertops (even if you have no intentions of washing the dishes- I still wash by hand), tidying up couch pillows, putting away blankets or anything else that found its way on the couch, and finding a central spot for small toys makes a huge difference in the overall appearance of the house when I wake up to begin the next day.

- Don't try to clean it all in one day. An entire house is way too much work. Break it up in chunks over the course of the 5 day work week. This helps you not bite off too much as well as not having to spend your entire weekend cleaning. Your family will enjoy you more if you're less stressed and you'll enjoy begin around them more if you get to do more than just clean.

- Kids CAN clean. They can make messes so surely they can put back what they pull out. My youngest enjoys singing the "clean up song" while we work, but the older girls aren't as thrilled to participate. What really gets them motivated is taking away electronics or making them drink water (I make them do this anyway, but since they think it's a punishment I will treat it as such). I don't allow myself to get overwhelmed anymore. The upstairs of my house isn't as clean as I'd like, but since I'm not up there I don't spend most of my time cleaning there. I am a fan of bleach (yep, people still use it regularly) so I don't allow the girls to clean their bathrooms but other than that they have the responsibility of their rooms, the playroom, and their reading nook. 

- Do something you enjoy while cleaning. Listen to music and dance, an audiobook you didn't really find time to read, funny podcast, or some personal development, watch a Netflix show you've been meaning to catch up on while folding laundry, etc. Figure out what works best for you and go for it.

- Do it as early as possible. Most of the time if we wait, we'll become distracted and then end up with half done tasks that still require to be fully cleaned. Planning effectively opens up your day and cleaning is no different.

- Quit getting more stuff (If you really don't need it). We have a tendency to just keep buying things while adding to the clutter versus becoming more organizationally aware. Be mindful that everything needs a home prior to purchasing and this could possibly help with cleanliness around the house.

- (Bonus) I'm about to start a weekly shred day to avoid having so much mail pile up. I'm really horrible at this and end up having hours worth of shredding because of months of just laying it on the counter. Now that I have plenty of time, I'm going to use my helpers as long as they are willing and declutter. 

Sure all of this won't work for everyone, but there's nothing like coming into a house that doesn't require a ton of cleaning. Please share some of your favorite cleaning/organization tips that have helped you during this quarantine period.