Cleaning days have become a thing of the past much like beehive hairdos and ironing clothes (the dryer is a miracle machine). Mrs. Cleaver may have spent her days cleaning and cooking while wearing pearls and being meticulously dressed; however, women today are far too busy to spend hours cleaning house. I barely have time to make sure my family are bathed and fed, much less to spend an entire Saturday cleaning house. Therefore, I had to find a way to keep my house clean while keeping my sanity and having at least a few hours of sleep each night. I found the secret to keeping a home clean in ten minutes a day is to start with an organized, clean home.
It is impossible for anyone to clean a home in ten minutes a day if they are starting with a disaster. Attempting to do so would be like asking a chef to create a delicious four-course meal from scratch in only ten minutes. The key to keeping a home clean in ten minutes a day is to bite the bullet and schedule a marathon-cleaning day.
Marathon Cleaning Day
Schedule the day as you would a vacation day, turn off the phone, turn on the radio and do not allow any distractions to keep you from reaching your goal – – a clean home that makes Martha Stewart proud.
*Buy all cleaning products the week before and organize them in a rolling tub or children’s wagon so you can easily take them from room to room.
*Begin at one end of the house and work your way through each room.
*Put a basket in each bedroom to collect laundry and one tall garbage bag in the hall to collect trash.
*If rooms are particularly messy and cluttered, schedule a spring-cleaning day the weekend before for the entire family to sort clothing, donate unused items and put away clutter. Anything left out of place will be subject to being removed and never seen again.
Once you have your home completely clean, then keeping a home clean in ten minutes a day is a breeze. The following schedule is what I have used to keep my home clean; however, you should modify this to fit your home and family.
Monday – Bathroom
Clean master bathroom including shower, toilet and sink. Sweep and mop floor and wipe down all areas with anti-bacterial wipes.
Tuesday – Dust
Dust all surfaces in the living room, dining room and den including the baseboards, blinds and around the ceiling
Wednesday – Guest Bathroom
Clean the guest bathroom including shower, toilet and sink. Sweep and mop floor and wipe down on areas with anti-bacterial wipes.
Thursday – Vacuum
Vacuum or run the dust mop in all rooms and under furniture.
Friday – Kitchen
Clean the sinks, counters, stove, and microwave and mop the floor with wet mop.
Saturday – Laundry and foyer
Dust and mop in laundry room and foyer. Pick up debris and return to its rightful place.
Remember, this list is just about keeping your home clean in ten minutes per day. Washing the dishes and doing the laundry each day will help you stay organized and keep everything clean and tidy. You must also instill in the entire family the rule that if you touch something you must return it to its proper place when you are finished using it. By doing this, you will have won half the battle to keep you home clean.
