Making housework less of a chore

Do you love to do housework? If your answer is a resounding no, you are not alone. Housework is boring, repetitious and never ending. No sooner do you finish and it is time to start again. You can just give up on it and learn to live in chaos or you can make a plan that will allow you to work faster and more efficiently and allow you more time for the things you really enjoy doing.  Here are some tips for making housework less of a chore. 

Be a minimalist. The less you have, the less you have to clean and the less you have to move in order to clean. Less is better is a great philosophy. Take a look at your kitchen, are your counters cluttered? Is your mail out of control? Is your laundry piling up? Simplify, get rid of anything that you don’t need or haven’t used in a year. Go basic, it will make your life much easier and your house much cleaner.

Organize

Have your supplies all together and in a handy location. A large apron with multiple pockets works or a carrying tray. Have one in each bathroom and one in the kitchen. You just grab it and your supplies are right there, whatever sprays you need for the rooms you are going to tackle and the cloths or paper towels. Then have a place for everything and have everything in its place.

Convenient

Have a vacuum cleaner on every floor of your house. Have your main machine on the living room level, it services the kitchen, living room, and dining room. Have another bagless vac on any other floor that you have. This way you don’t have to lug the machine up and down stairs every time you want to vacuum.

The next two tips were given to this author by one of her friends who has her own housekeeping business and she is eternally grateful.

Mr. Clean Erasers

If you haven’t tried the Mr. Clean Erasers you are really missing out on a great cleaning tool. They are not organic but they aren’t though they are not toxic to pets. It is absolutely the best thing you will ever try for taking scuffs off of any surface. It also melts the scum on the shower door in a flash. Carrying one around to take marks off your walls, doors, woodwork and it is great on any stain on laminate counter tops.

Swiffer Dusters

The Swiffer Dusters are also amazing. Purchase one with the long handle and then two or three with short handles, again for each floor. They hold the dust and will grab webs off of ceilings even very tall ones. When they are dirty, throw them away and start with a fresh one.

Microfiber Mop

Another favorite tool of mine is a floor mop that has a head that Velcro’s on. The head is made of microfiber and it can be used dry or wet. Wet it is amazing. You just get it wet in the sink, wring and start mopping your kitchen floor. Take it back to the sink when it is dirty, rinse it, wring it out stick it back on and go back to work.

For any messy spots,  I spray them with Simply Green and let them sit a bit then mop. When you are finished you just clean the head in the sink and let it dry or you can just throw it in the washing machine. It makes daily mopping quick and easy and it only takes a few minutes to clean and store the mop with no wet head to worry about.

Cut the Clutter

Clutter isn’t dirt but it is messy and it takes up a lot of space. Dig into yours a little at a time, every day and in no time at all, it will be a thing of the past. Deal with your mail as soon as it comes into the house. File the bills and things that need to be dealt with and trash the rest, don’t let it accumulate.

Schedule

Assign each room to a day of the week. On that day give that room a half hour of your time. Vacuum, dust , straighten up any little messes and put things in their proper place. Half the battle is having a place for everything and then getting things into those places.

Rules

Set ground rules for children’s toys, outerwear, books, shoes and cups and plates. If everything has to be in its proper place before you go to bed at night you will begin each day in a good place. When cooking, whatever you take out, put back as soon as you are done using it. This cuts down a lot on the amount of time you need to spend after each meal cleaning up. If possible when cooking try to cook more than one meal, this way you get a few meals with very little clean up after.

Bi-yearly

Twice a year set aside a weekend for some of the big jobs. Doing the windows inside and out, re-lining your cupboards, cleaning the linen closet, throwing out all the outdated medicine and food in the house and putting a fresh coat of shine on wood floors and stairways.

Have the equipment you need

If you have carpets invest in a steam cleaner. Invest in quality vacuum cleaners. Whatever will make cleaner your hour easier and faster for you. I am a big fan of the Dyson cordless vacuum. It is powerful and light and easy to even lift over your head for those dusty ceiling corners.

Do large jobs in pieces

Cleaning the fridge can be a big job. Not so much if you do a shelf at a time. Don’t overwhelm yourself. Dust one room today, another tomorrow. Use the time you have when there is a commercial, while dinner is cooking, while the children nap, or early in the morning before anyone else is up.

Housework is a necessary evil but it doesn’t have to take up your whole life. Making housework less of a chore will allow you to have more time for other things. Work often (for short periods), work fast and work smart and you will have a clean house and plenty of time of time left to do the things you enjoy.