- Cleaning the house while the kids are in it, is like brushing your teeth while eating Oreos.
- I get more cleaning done in the 10 minutes before someone comes over than I do in an entire week.
That being said, I do have a cleaning schedule. I try as much as possible to stick to this schedule. I believe in schedules and systems. Without a schedule I would be continually waiting for when I had time to clean the whole house and that day would never come.
MONDAY - On Mondays we do a "house rescue". That means we rescue the house from what we did to it over the weekend. I get the laundry started. (I do laundry every day of the week except Sunday.) We run a quick vacuum and do any necessary spot cleaning. We take out the trash, throw away newspaper, wash up dishes, pick up toys and straighten every room.
TUESDAY - On Tuesdays I mop the floors, clean and wipe out the refrigerator, and we clean glass. Our front door and back door have a lot of glass and must be cleaned at least once a week to get rid of all the little hand prints and doggy nose prints.
WEDNESDAY - On Wednesdays we do a thorough dust and vacuum of every room. The boys dust and vacuum their own rooms and I do the others (with help). My 6 year old gal helps me clean each week and once a month one of my older sons does the vacuuming.
THURSDAY - On Thursday I clean the bathrooms. My oldest son cleans the boys' bathroom and I do the other two.
FRIDAY - On Friday I wash sheets and change the beds. We have 7 beds so I do not do all the beds in one day. I do 3 beds on one Friday and 4 beds the next Friday. Every bed in our house gets clean sheets every other week. I know a lot of people believe you should change your sheets every week, and if you are one of those people, then you should. However that is not possible for me. Our kids all take baths and showers before going to bed so their beds do not get really dirty. Two weeks works for us.
If I spend 2 hours cleaning each day that adds up to 10 hours of cleaning. I will not have a day when I could spend 10 hours cleaning so I do a little each day. By doing this the house is perpetually clean. If something comes up that we want to do, I can skip that day's cleaning and get it the next week. I'm not going to turn down a friend's lunch invitation because it's my day to clean the fridge. I will just get it the next Tuesday.
Our baby takes at least a 2 hour nap each day so I can usually manage 2 hours of cleaning time. Are there things I would rather do during those 2 hours? You bet! But keeping the house clean is important to my husband, blesses my family and creates a peaceful environment. A messy, dirty house lends itself to a stressful and chaotic atmosphere.
I firmly believe in having everyone help with cleaning, from the youngest to the oldest. Everyone (except babies of course) can do something. If you do a little cleaning each day your house will be clean pretty much all the time. You can make cleaning time fun for the kids by racing the timer, playing music, taking snack breaks or mopping the floor with buckets and sponges while letting them wear their bathing suits. Don't expect perfection from children but do teach them how to clean and inspect their work. Encourage them to do their very best.
My cleaning philosophies have certainly changed over the years. There is a big difference in what I was able to do with three kids, and what I am able to do with six. There is quite a difference in what I could do when my children were all little and what I'm able to do now that some of them are bigger. Do not worry about how your mother cleaned or what your friends do. Find what works for you and do something. Even cleaning done "incorrectly" will bless your family.
I firmly believe in having everyone help with cleaning, from the youngest to the oldest. Everyone (except babies of course) can do something. If you do a little cleaning each day your house will be clean pretty much all the time. You can make cleaning time fun for the kids by racing the timer, playing music, taking snack breaks or mopping the floor with buckets and sponges while letting them wear their bathing suits. Don't expect perfection from children but do teach them how to clean and inspect their work. Encourage them to do their very best.
My cleaning philosophies have certainly changed over the years. There is a big difference in what I was able to do with three kids, and what I am able to do with six. There is quite a difference in what I could do when my children were all little and what I'm able to do now that some of them are bigger. Do not worry about how your mother cleaned or what your friends do. Find what works for you and do something. Even cleaning done "incorrectly" will bless your family.
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