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Organize Your Cleaning

Organize Your Cleaning
by Karen Henke

“Just enough time to mess up, not enough time to clean up.”

Have you heard that expression? Does it sound like you? Cleaning is a necessary evil. Here are five ways to find the time to get it done, and make the job easier.

1) Break it down! There are two basic cleaning techniques: clean a little bit each day or designate a cleaning day. Either way it’s always easier done in small bits.

Method one: Jot down all of the components of cleaning your house and assign each day its own task. An example would be: clean the bathroom on Monday, vacuum on Tuesday, tidy up the family room on Wednesday, and so on. Spreading the work out makes it seem less burdensome. There was a time when I saved all of the cleaning for one day, and then I started to hate that day!

Method two: If you prefer having everything clean and sparkling on one day, schedule a cleaning day. The trick is to perform little maintenance jobs during the week. That keeps cleaning day from taking a whole day! Tidy up for just 15 minutes a day and you’ll dramatically lighten the load on cleaning day.

My sons and I timed ourselves one Friday afternoon. One son vacuumed. The other shook rugs, took out the garbage and swiffed under the beds. I cleaned the bathrooms and mopped the kitchen and bathroom floors. Total time: one hour!

There are so many jobs that just take a minute: toss in a load of laundry, do a quick once-over on the sink with a disinfecting wipe, change the hand towels, vacuum the rug or load the dishwasher. All of these small jobs done throughout the week, will make a difference.

If you have a big job…like washing windows, make an appointment with yourself. Block off a few hours on your calendar. And don’t cancel on yourself!

2) Be Proactive Try a few of these techniques to stop dust, dirt and messes at the door:

• Buy a doormat to avoid tracking in dirt.
• Leave your shoes at the door.
• Do dishes after eating. Or at least put them in the dishwasher.
• Hang up your clothes when you take them off.
• Don’t let the mail pile up.
• Limit knickknacks and dusting will be easier.

3) Manage clutter . Paper piles are a problem for many people. Once or twice a day, spend a few minutes filing things away. Consistent efforts will pay off. You know where your clutter collects. Straighten this area every night before you go to bed.

4) Make it a game. Time yourself or play “beat the clock“. What a motivator for adults and kids alike! I’ve read about these techniques in several books. The first time I tried it, I was amazed. For some reason I thought that cleaning the house would take all day. No wonder I was reluctant to get started. When I saw how much I could do in one hour, I didn’t mind cleaning nearly as much.

5) Delegate . Don’t overlook your own work force. Even at a young age kids can be very helpful. Training them to take out the garbage and recycling or to put their dishes in the dishwasher and to make their own beds teaches them responsibility. In addition, it helps you have more time to spend with them.

If you just can’t find the time to do a deep spring or fall cleaning, consider hiring a cleaning service to do it for you. Many of the larger cleaning services offer one-time cleanings.

Copyright â 2007 Come2Order

Karen Henke is the owner of Come2Order in Minneapolis, MN. Visit www.come2order2day.com and request a free Time-Savers Kit which is loaded with time-saving tips and services. And sign up for a subscription to the free monthly newsletter.