What are some effective ways to clean this pig-sty I call a house?

Question

It is a pig-sty. No exaggerations. I want to clean it all up so that my mother doesn't have to do it when she (hopefully) emerges from her textbooks. So I really want to please her. Please help!

Answer 1

A dirty home can be overwhelming. Make it manageable by breaking up the project into bite-sized pieces you can handle.

Choose a room. I like to start with the smallest one, usually a bathroom. If something is out of place, return it to its proper setting: dirty clothes to the hamper; shampoos and body care products back to the shelves or medicine cabinet. Then clean what needs to be cleaned.

If even that seems much, break the cleaning of that one room down into individual tasks. Stick with one task until you finish it. Then go on to the next task. Continue until the room is clean.

Then move on to the next larger room. Use the same "put it where it belongs, then clean what's left" system used in the bathroom. Continue with the rest of the rooms until your house is back in order.

Don't expect to accomplish this all in a day by yourself. And don't berate yourself on what's not done; congratulate yourself on each little stride you make towards your goal.

Answer 2

Well knowing from experience I did this for a living for 15 yrs.
Start in one room and start at the top first, you have to clean all clutter out first if necessary (a true pig sttty) will have piles on the floor and on top of everything, all things on tables etc. off and in bags or containers first, then clear the floor, dust from the top (if you dust low then all the high particles fall on the alrdy clean area) do corners and ceilings. then the furniture, from top 2 bottom, when you have finished one room turn to look before walking out and get that feeling of success, move all bags and containers with you. Once you have achieved all the dusting and vacuuming move onto the bathrooms and then the kitchen. When all is sparkly then sit down with the containers and bags decide what goes and what stays, file what is necessary, do you really need all those old magazines?? pitch the rest.

Answer 3

It's amazing how quickly a house can become a pigstyle. I like to start with the lving room. I remove everything that doesn't belong and put it in the room that it belongs in.Laundry into the laundry room, dishes and food into the kitchen, trash in a trash bag, toys in the toyroom ect... Put anything that you don't know where goes in a laundry basket or a bin. Then dust, wipe and vacum. I continue this process from room to room leaving the Kitchen and the laundry to do last.

After I get the house completely clean I try to devote 1 hour every evening to cleaning up the days mess.

Answer 4

Get some boxes. So that as you go through the house you have a place to 'sort' things.

After things are sorted - go through the boxes and purge each catagory. It'll take longer if you try to go through things and purge at the same time and you'll lose interest - get even more overwhelmed - or just say screw it.

My mother's rule that I adhere to is - if you haven't used it in 6 months - ya don't NEED it. (This will usually apply to those impulse purchases we make or those things that we save because we might need it in 10 years)

Save the laundry for last. You can do laundry at the same time you are purging your sorted boxes. Breaks up the monotony of each task and there are breaks in the laundry while it is cycling through anyways.

Since I have had kids I have had all of their stuff color coded.

Their towels - washcloths (now those scrubber things) - hangers clothes baskets (I bought the wicker ones and painted them to match their colors) So as I do laundry I can put everything into their own basket and hang their clothes on their own hangers and they know what to do when I ask them to put their laundry away. Yes even the toothbrushes are 'tagged'.

So - once you have gone through and sorted out everything - purged and made a 'home for everything - not to mention throwing things out - it makes it so much easier!

Once you have gone through everything and find things that are sentimental - they can go in those same boxes - unless you now find that you have space to display them properly...then you have the time and focus (messes take that away from us) to spend on going to that degree as well you no longer have a pig sty - but a home....

Answer 5

Recruit a friend to help.

Start by throwing out everything that's broken and getting rid of everything you're not using.

Get a pair of rubber gloves, a bucket of water with something like Lysol in it, a toothbrush, and a larger scrub brush. And use that to scrub all the scrubables. Don't forget to move furniture, and be prepared to get new water.

Use a vacuum cleaner, and remember to empty the dust-catcher when it gets full.

Keep up with your laundry and dishes.

After you do all that and organize everything that's left, remember to put stuff where it belongs when you're done using it.

And don't do it just for your mother: Do it because you'll be a whole lot healthier too.

Good luck.

Answer 6

you need to motivate yourself.if you got rid of all the junk that you do not use you would cut down on half of your clutter.anything that is broken,toss it out.anything that does,nt work,toss it out.clothes that don't fit or that are badly soiled ,toss it out.go to a dollar store and buy yourself a couple dozen boxes of trash bags.put on some music that really moves you and just start to purge your mess.i can not fathom the thought of living in a pig sty(AS YOU CALL IT) there is no excuse,just LAZINESS!you needs to learn how to multi-task and do several chores @once.ie:spray your oven,douche down your shower,laundry,vacuum.you need to discipline yourself and make your HABITAT liveable..it is very unhealthy
to live in a pig sty.would you let your self go?do you look like you are a dirty person?if you clean up your act you may feel better about yourself and you would have a lot more free time to just relax.i don't mean to sound like a staff sergeant but there is no excuse for a dirty house.by the way ,if you polled men on this subject ,they would probably agree.no real man likes to wallow in a dirty unkempt house.they just tolerate it out of respect for their other.you may not like my answer,but you asked for HONESTY.

Answer 7

alot of people have dif. opinions on pig-sty. start with any dirty laundry,after thats gathered up start a load then gather up any dirty dishes,you can do them now or move onto trash,pick up all the trash,after that comes the harder work - wipeing/washing/dusting off dirty surfaces,tables,chairs,pictures,lamps,etc.... i would do the floors last. or you can clean one room at a time-your preference.

Answer 8

Start by purging. Throw out garbage. Organize . Then just lots of soap and water. Ask a friend to help.

Answer 9

get a maid...molly maid works good