please give me some pointers to keep my house clean. how do you keep your house clean?

Question

ok. my house is always messy. messy messy messy. please tell me how to keep it clean.

i first need some organization tips.

do you like have one room a week to clean or a month.
i suck i know, no lectures only advice please...

ive tried flylady but can't keep up. i had a shiny sink, and now its filled again. i hate not having a dishwasher. and with flylady my email is always filled up and i never have time to read them.

Answer 1

One thing you need is a place for everything.

So first you should go through and get rid of all the stuff you really don't want or have a place for.l

Then if you can....buy storage bins, shelves etc.

Then put everything you're going to keep in a place.

Then for 2 month every-time you use something put it right back where it belongs....by then it should be a habit.

I hope this helps :-)

Answer 2

The main thing is to have a routine and stick to it... I like to in the morning give the surfaces a good wipe down... I go into the bathroom and use anitbacterial wipes to wipe down the sink/countertops and toilet.. I spray/clean the mirror... Turn the water valve off on the toilet and pour 1-2 cups bleach in the bowl.. Let that sit and spray the tub/tile surround with 50/50 bleach solution and let that sit... I move on....

Get the kids breakfast.... While they are eating.. I unload/load dishwasher.. Wipe down surfaces with antibacterial wipes... Appliances and countertops.. When the kids are done I wipe down the high chairs....Sweep and mop... Move on...

I quickly dust the livingroom/diningroom.... Vacuum and Strip the beds and vacuum... Remake the beds... Take laundry downstairs and start a load... Take up a load fold/put away..

I rinse the bathroom down and swirl the water in the toilet turn the water valve back on and flush.....

At night start dishwasher before bed(time delay)/Start a load of laundry dry in AM... I have a 3 bdrm ranch w/ a finished basement playroom... 1 1/2 bath... 2 small children a dog and a husband.. I work nights/weekends.... So, if I can keep a clean house anyone can... It's just best to have a "basic" routine and stick to it.. I don't want to spend the precious free-time I get cleaning my house so I like to do some everyday so when I get free time I'm not scrubbing and cleaning all the time... This way my house is clean w/o too much fuss.. .Once a week I scour the tub/sinks... I also mop both bathroom floors about once a week.. The laundry is done one-two loads a day.. It gets folded and put away when necessary... I do a through dusting sometime during the week... I use microfiber cleaning cloth so it's fast w/o chemicals... Good luck

Answer 3

I'm about the same as you, but what I've found that helps

1. Keep the FLOORS & COUNTER/TABLETOPS Clear.

2. LABEL LABEL LABEL your boxes & bins! Otherwise another box gets stacked on top & you forget what's in there. (Use CLEAR, transparent bins so you can also SEE what goes where!).

3. FORCE yourself to set a timer & do several 3-to-5 minutes sessions in a room several times a day. (you'd be AMAZED how much you can do with concentrated effort in only 3 minutes!).!

4. Wipe down sinks & fixtures with a DRY cloth, towel or paper towel to remove the worst water spots, & wetness & gunk. It will put a little shine back on your faucets & makes them LOOK clean without the effort of scrubbing. (use DOW SCRUBBING BUBBLES on tubs, sinks--it's the STRONGEST STUFF! IT'S THE LEAST effort EVER to cut thru built up & hazey gunk in your shower, tub & sinks.!

5. Go to your entry door & pretend to be a visitor & look at your rooms with "NEW" eyes, objectively to see what a visitor will see. That will help narrow down the worst offending problems & once those are taken care of you'll feel less overwhelmed.

6. Dump trash cans when full--if they're too full you're less likely to toss trash that really should be tossed. Keep a trash bin in every room.

7. Put clothes away even if you have to just throw them into the drawers or closet! Then whenever you can, go back & fold or hang neatly.

8. Most of all--don't try to do everything all at once! That's too much! I WISH there was a magic method, but mainly, just Do LITTLE BITS, BUT DO IT FREQUENTLY.

Good Luck!

Answer 4

Prevention is the key to most problems. I am just like you! I read every book by Don Aslett that I could get my hands on. He is the guru of cleaning and organizing and his ideas were so helpful.

The first thing I did was to put REALLY good, large mats in front of every entrance to the house. If you can prevent the dirt from getting in, it's easier than cleaning it up.

Take care of the mess when it happens. Don't wait for a weekly cleaning time. If you spilled on the stove, get it then. Wipe out your drip pans every time you cook and you will never have baked on stuff.

Get rid of stuff. We don't need half of what we think we need. You don't need 30 Tupperware containers, as much as I love them!

Read library books instead of buying and them having to store them.

Make a decision on the mail as soon as it comes in the door. That way, junk mail does not pile up waiting for you to sort through it.

I could go on and on- just read Don Aslett's books!

Answer 5

This is the way I keep my house clean and tidy and the way I do it. I pick one room or one thing that need´s doing . I set my alarm clock to go off in 15 min´s time . I see how much I can achieve in this short amount of time. I never waste time taking thing´s back to their rightful places , I leave them outside the room I am working in. Then when I finish I take them back to their rightful places.15 min´s here and there makes a big difference. When the alarm goes off, I sit down and have a rest , I make myself a coffee ,or come back to my computer and answer or ask a few Q on yahoo. But if I think I´d rather carry on , I do the same again set the clock 15 min´s more. And the golden rule no matter how little housework I do , I always reward myself . Try for yourself , it works for me and it might work for you

Answer 6

NO you CLEAN your house EVERY week! You keep it organized by putting things away daily! Make your family pick up after themselves, you aren't their maid! A family should work as a team where everyone pitches in! I had my kids help clean the house on Staurdays. They are old enough to help as soon as they learn to walk! They should be taught to clean up their own toys. 4-5 yr olds can dust and empty trash cans and clean up their own messes. By 6-7 they can clean the bathrooms and vaccum! If they don't do a good job, then they do it over! It's all in how you raise and teach them!

Answer 7

You can get your messages from flylady in a digest form. Instead of several emails per day, you'll receive one with all of the messages included. You can read some or all of it.

Good luck.

Answer 8

This may not help you but it did my daughter ...

She was a terrible housekeeper and her sink was always full of dishes. She said that there was just too much to keep up with it all.

She and I cleaned her place and everything was put away.

The following weekend I went to her place and sure enough it was a disaster ... to cure her problem ... I just threw everything away. She, of course, thought I was nuts but everything that was out was going in the trash.

I made another surprise visit two days later and again threw out everything that was not where it was supposed to be.

I went over to see her that weekend, and you could have ate off her floors. There wasn't a piece of paper out of place and I can go into her place anytime and her house could be featured in Better Homes and Gardens.

I know it sounds mean and cruel ... but once they see their belongings being tossed out ... that article of clothing or dish begins to mean something and they will take care of it.

I used to have a problem with people taking off their shoes and leaving them right in front of the door. Living in Michigan and having our share of snow ... I would take all the shoes (kids, wife, mother in law, etc) and throw them out in the snow as far as I could. It only took two times till the shoes was not even close to tripping anyone when they walked in the door.

Maybe its called shock and awe. Make a copy of this, give it to your dad and then invite him over.

Answer 9

I clean (deep clean) one room in my house every sat. between cleanings, I keep my stuff organized, everything in the same spot and dont leave clutter around the house, do dishes after i cook and laundry when the hamper is full, even if it's nto a full load.

I hope that helps.

Answer 10

I tried Fly lady to many e-mails. Didn't have time to read them. Start with one room at a time and it will come together. you will see. If you have to many dishes piling up use paper plates and cups until you get your self organized in the kitchen. I keep the disinfectant towelets in my bathroom and kitchen, They help alot.
Throw anything away you don't need.