The weather here in Nebraska has been a little wonky (when is this
NOT the case for the Midwest?!). We started the week with sunny, clear
blue skies and mid-70's weather, went to monsoon like rain by Wednesday
and a 30 degree temperature drop and sprinkles Thursday! Today's high
is 53, but at least the rain has let up. Talk about crazy!
Soccer Field (left) and Baseball Field (right) behind our house... completely under water
Why
do I waste my time bringing up the weather? Well... I always make it a
point to check out the week's forecast on Sunday evening. This helps
me finalize our plans for the week and something way less exciting, but
totally necessary... CLEANING the house.
I will admit,
my house is not always spotless like some may think (who am I kidding;
no one thinks my house is spotless!). We have two HUGE dogs, a woman
(ME!) going through postpartum hair-loss and an active 7 month old.
Things are almost always a mess here, but I do my best to keep up.
Weather almost always dictates when and what order I do my "chores." If
it's nice, I want something fast and easy so we can get out and enjoy
the day. Gloomy and cold days I reserve for cleaning projects that are
going to take more time.
Monday is ALWAYS the same, regardless of weather. I tackle the
bathroom!
I
don't know about you, but I cannot stand a messy bathroom. We only
have ONE bathroom in our house. Yeah, one bathroom for three people.
It makes for some very interesting times when stomach bugs hit, company
stops over or events where promptness is expected. Somehow, we make it
work.
Bathroom duties for me include: scrubbing the tub
and shower walls, wiping clean the sink and mirror, sweeping the floor,
organizing under the sink and scouring the toilet.
Early morning bathroom cleaning meant we could hit up the Henry Doorly Zoo with cousins
Tuesday and
Wednesday are interchangeable. One day is
floors (quick and easy) and the other is the
kitchen (quick but more demanding labor).
We
have hardwood and tile floors throughout our house. Hair collects in
every nook and cranny, so a Swiffer has become my best friend! I start
in our bedroom (we have a whopping TWO bedrooms), the hall between our
rooms, Amelia's room and then hit the living room. The living room is
by far the biggest space in our house, and also has a large area rug, so
it takes the most time. After I Swiffer the living room floors, I
vacuum the rug and under the couch and chair.
Side Note:
Amelia used to sleep through all my cleaning endeavors. I could even
vacuum in her room while she was napping. Lately, she is terrified by
the sound the vacuum and I can only do it while she is awake and being
held. If not, she wakes up and goes in to terrified meltdown mode.
We
always use the back door (closer to the detached garage) to get in to
our house, so when you enter, you're in the kitchen. Because it is the
first thing people see, I usually try and keep it as clean as possible.
I am a very organized person (can you tell?) and a minimalist when it
comes to what I keep on our counters. This makes it a breeze to clean!
I usually wipe down the counters, sink, cabinets and appliances and
then I wet jet the floors. That's it! Did I mention that the Swiffer
is my best friend? Using the wet jet function is a huge time and back
saver!
Thursday is a dedicated
LAUNDRY day!
Brandon,
my husband, owns about 15 pairs of shorts, but only wears the same four
pairs to work (even in the winter!). By Thursday, the man is down to
his last pair, and although he would wear the same dirty pair over, it
just grosses me out (MEN!).
Growing up, my mother
stressed the importance of washing clothes separately and her lessons
stuck with me. I sort the towels, Amelia's clothes, and our whites,
darks and colors. There is usually a small delicate pile that I wash
every other week.
I don't mind folding laundry, but I
detest putting clothes away. No clue why, but I hate it. I usually do
laundry first thing in the morning and stare at the piles until
nightfall when I force myself to put it away before I head to bed. Does
anyone else hate this task?
Clean laundry... sat like that ALL day long!
Friday is
dusting and straightening the
bedrooms.
Fortunately,
our house is extremely small, so I don't have much to dust. Picking up
the bedrooms doesn't take terribly long since laundry is done and put
away from the day before. I am awful about making our bed every day, so
this is the only day our room looks nice (unless we have company over
during the week)! Friday's are always the easiest day and make for a
nice start to the weekend.
Saturday and
Sunday I tend to
relax and
enjoy family time. If something on my list didn't get tackled during
the week, I finish it on one of these days. We are usually pretty busy
on the weekends so I don't like to put off my weekly cleaning tasks (if I
do, it usually doesn't get done!).
Who wouldn't rush through cleaning to play with this sweet little girl?!
I
do make it a point to reserve about one weekend day during the month to
DEEP clean. My monthly deep clean includes: washing the baseboards,
stripping the bed and washing sheets (plus Amelia's crib sheet) and
organizing the hall closet. In the spring and fall, I clean all the
windows in the house, dust the wood blinds and scrub the inside of the
refrigerator. I also organize to my hearts content. Yes, I can be a
little OCD.
The only reason my cleaning routine works
for us is because I am a stay at home mom. I honestly have NO clue how
you working mom's keep a clean house! I have SO MUCH RESPECT for you
and all that you do for your family! Our "schedule" also works because
my lovely husband tackles everything dealing with the outdoors. I don't
even know to work our lawn mower or snow blower!
What does your cleaning routine look
like? Do you have one? Do you breakdown your chores like I do? Clean
everything once a week? Only clean when you get the chance? I would
love to know if you have any suggestions on my routine or some tricks I
don't know about to make my life easier!
