i often times read cleaning blog posts out of desperation & a healthy dose of guilt. i wonder how i can incorporate a lengthy & rigid cleaning schedule into daily life so that my days may feel a little less hectic & disorganized.
friends, life is messy & my house is oftentimes messy, too. a lengthy, rigid cleaning schedule doesn’t sound fun nor an effective way to decrease my stress level. i’d rather spend time crafting or cuddled up with a good book & a cup of coffee.
perhaps this rings true in your life?
with all that out in the open & said, i do know that a clean & somewhat organized home allows our family to live better & enjoy our space more.
so today i’m here to share a handful of tips & tricks that have helped our family keep our not-so-perfect home clean, our clutter managed & our lives a little less hectic.
my people, i must really love you because i’m sharing my outdated & non-pinterest worthy laundry room with you today. that’s some love, y’all.
1. have a space designated for cleaning supplies. this is elementary, but i cannot tell you how often i go searching for the window spray or scrubby when it’s not in it’s place. we have a small shelf up above our antique(ahem) washer & dryer that holds almost all of our cleaning supplies from borax to rubber gloves.
2. don’t ever leave a room empty-handed. i learned this tip from my fantastic friend, erin of tweet potato pie, & it has saved me hours of picking up homeless crap. when i leave my studio, i pick up my water glass from the night before & place it in the sink on my way to finish chores in the kitchen. when walking to the bedroom, i pick up discarded shoes & place them in the closet. erin suggests doing this with your kiddos, too!
4. keep those floors clean! harder said than done, yes? but worth it! there’s nothing that drives me crazier than a dirty floor. from dog hair to dirt, keeping our floors somewhat clean is a constant struggle. a little tool that’s helped me a lot is this dirt devil vacuum. no, this isn’t an ad. it’s just awesome. i like how compact it is & it makes vacuuming our hardwood floors much easier than sweeping. it’s a great buy for the price.
5. clean mama’s scheduled chore days are oh so helpful. i started following @cleanmama on instagram about a month ago & let’s be honest, i have a big fat crush on her. becky’s rhythm for cleaning the home is comfortable for me & i absolutely love her philosophy of “aim for progress, not perfection.” she posts photos of daily chores on instagram, which is the perfect little reminder for me as i am scrolling through instagram (aka wasting time & procrastinating).
6. tweet potato pie’s blog post on housecleaning tips is inspiring. erin is a dear friend of mine & i greatly admire her for how she keeps her home cozy & clean. i wrote down some of her tips & have been implementing them (don’t leave empty-handed!) for over a month. it’s made such a big difference in our home & i adore her for it!
7. epantry is awesome. i am on my second month of epantry & i love it. it saves me money & let’s just face it, mrs. meyer’s clean day scents make cleaning happier. pantry is a subscription-based cleaning service that allows you to hand-pick cleaning supplies from a wonderfully-curated list of home supplies & mails them right to your door. click here to sign up & you’ll get $10 off your first order (i’ll also get $10, which is also awesome)!
8. cut the clutter. find a place for everything you own. if it doesn’t have a home or you no longer use it, throw it in your thrift shop bag for donations. we keep a bag in my closet. every time it’s full, i take it to the thrift store. i love the quote, “have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful” & i try to live by this daily.
9. if all else fails, set a timer! if you’re living among chaos, set a timer & do what you can. give yourself a golden star for effort & treat yourself to a cookie!
how do you keep your home clean & manageable? i’d love to read your tips & tricks!
I love the last tip! I often will listen to a podcast and I'm allowed to keep listening as long as I'm cleaning. An hour of cleaning passes so quickly and I hardly notice the cleaning because I'm enjoying the listening part so much! Smiles, S
I totally just signed up for epantry! I always want to buy the fancy cleaning products but when you have a basket full of groceries it is hard to pay the higher prices! But, that made it a lot easier… discounted, and free delivery! Perfect!
Mrs. Meyers offers free shipping a few times a year…..you can sign up for their emails….they don't send out tons of emails either. Love to have Made In The USA cleaning products!
I have a "vintage" washer and dryer as well (1980). I dread the day they need replacing – they are such good machines!!! I don't even care that they're ugly. They don't make 'em like they used to. 😉
Great tips. I love that quote too about only keeping things in your house that are beautiful or useful – I've been trying to implement that. My latest small cleaning tip that has made a really big difference is to make my bed every morning. It is sooo nice to look in our bedroom and see a made bed!
Sunday | 1st Oct 14
I love the last tip! I often will listen to a podcast and I'm allowed to keep listening as long as I'm cleaning. An hour of cleaning passes so quickly and I hardly notice the cleaning because I'm enjoying the listening part so much! Smiles, S
Bella Vita Jewelry | 1st Oct 14
I totally just signed up for epantry! I always want to buy the fancy cleaning products but when you have a basket full of groceries it is hard to pay the higher prices! But, that made it a lot easier… discounted, and free delivery! Perfect!
erin | 1st Oct 14
Girl.
You give me too much credit.
I love you just the same 😉
xo
Anonymous | 1st Oct 14
I love Flylady! And PS your pic of the washing room just made me miss my old place with big, sturdy "antique" commercial dryer. 😉
Sheila | 1st Oct 14
Mrs. Meyers offers free shipping a few times a year…..you can sign up for their emails….they don't send out tons of emails either. Love to have Made In The USA cleaning products!
Unknown | 2nd Oct 14
This is random but I saw that you eat cornbread often! Do you have a good recipe you would like to share?
Liss | 2nd Oct 14
I have a "vintage" washer and dryer as well (1980). I dread the day they need replacing – they are such good machines!!! I don't even care that they're ugly. They don't make 'em like they used to. 😉
Natalie Freeman | 2nd Oct 14
michelle, we are working on our recipe right now because we're now gluten free. i'll share soon!
Mary | 6th Oct 14
Great tips. I love that quote too about only keeping things in your house that are beautiful or useful – I've been trying to implement that. My latest small cleaning tip that has made a really big difference is to make my bed every morning. It is sooo nice to look in our bedroom and see a made bed!
Kate Bristow | 16th Oct 14
Thanks to you , my home is looking not-so-UNperfect !!! I love your tips!