One way I like to create order in my life is to develop systems or routines for everyday tasks. I've already talked about my meal planning and morning routines, today I want to talk about my cleaning routine.
Like cooking dinner, cleaning is something that must be done daily. I've experimented with all different ways to clean my house and have found what works best for me. Which is really the point of this whole series, that you find what works best for you and then do it.
I like to do a little bit of cleaning everyday, instead of doing one big cleaning on the weekend. I have found that if I break up my cleaning, I'm more likely to stay on top of it and therefore I have a cleaner house. I have tried both ways, and doing something everyday just fits my personality and life. I have used cleaning systems created by other bloggers whereby they assign a task to each day of the week. So for example, Monday is for cleaning the bathrooms, Tuesday clean the floors, Wednesday... You get the idea. I like that concept but I never knew what do to if I didn't do Monday's task on Monday. Should I do it Tuesday or wait a week?
The best way to describe my cleaning system now is that I divided each task into the number of times I perform it each week and then do it that many times. So for example, I vacuum my rugs 2 times a week. I typically vacuum on Tuesdays and Fridays. But since the task is not assigned a day but rather a number of times a week to complete, I can vacuum on other days and not add stress to my life.
I also have given my children age appropriate cleaning chores and we do those both during the week and on the weekend. Some of the things my boys are responsible are; cleaning their bathroom, their bedroom, dusting the bannisters on the stairs and some of the vacuuming. They also help with setting and clearing the table but I don't see that as a chore but more of a responsibility since they are part of the family.
Somethings that help me with my cleaning are;
1. I buy high quality natural cleaning products. I don't like the idea of a lot of harsh cleansers in my house so I did some research and use natural cleaning products. This also allows me to know that the boys aren't going to get chemicals in their mouths or eyes when they use them. Whatever you are using, make sure it works.
2. I have a bucket (like the one in the picture) and store all my cleaning supplies together. This makes cleaning easier since all my supplies are right there. If I'm cleaning the bathrooms that day, I just bring the bucket from bathroom to bathroom and have all my supplies on hand. I also put my cleaning supplies back in the same place every time, so I know where they are and if I need to order more.
3. I have thought about how I run my house and how my family lives in it and adjusted things accordingly. For example, I like to run my dishwasher at night. This allows me to use energy at non-peak hours and to start the day with all clean dishes. I empty the dishwasher as my kids are eating breakfast and all the new dirty dishes go right in. This helps me start and end my day with a clean kitchen.
I encourage you to spend some time figuring out how to clean your house or do your cleaning chores in a way that makes sense for the way you live. Create more order, by developing a system for cleaning that works for you and your family.
What kind of cleaning system to you use? How has it changed over the years? I encourage you, spend some time thinking about it. The more mindful you can be about how you clean, the more ordered your life can be.
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