Making Your Home Lovely, One Step at a Time – Part 3

In our previous two posts, we dealt with clutter and selecting tools for your efforts.  Here we will talk about scheduling these duties as part of your daily routine rather than viewing cleaning as one large chore.  Your home will soon become a tidier place if you include several daily tasks such as cleaning up the kitchen every night before bed. Those who prefer to clean in large batches might be tempted to put all this off till the weekend, however the idea of starting into a cleaning marathon on Saturday morning can discourage even the most dedicated among us.

Rather than taking a “when it needs it” approach, a much more effective schedule includes small tasks every day.  Why not throw in one load of laundry before or after work? Folding clothes can happen during television time. The day before trash day, run through the house with an empty trash bag, add the kitchen trash and you’re finished with this chore for the week.

Keep your bathroom-specific cleaning bucket in the bathroom for quick access while getting ready for bed at night.  Quickly wipe down of the surfaces each evening. This will make the weekly cleaning less of a chore. A squeegee can be kept in the shower to clear the water spots after each shower, making water spots less of an issue.

A final tip – don’t forget to build in some payback for yourself! Reward yourself for each day you meet your cleaning goals. This could be in the form of a luxurious soak in the tub or that new pair of shoes you’ve been waiting to buy.   Come up with a reasonable reward for your new habits. You’ll find that cleaning is no longer the chore you dread, but rather a part of your everyday life.