Good morning to all. Hope this finds you all well and safe. It sounds as those who have been having family difficulties are having some luck and calm at the moment - that is great. May it continue.
Today is a short post about keeping a calm and clean home. Now before I start, I know there are those who cannot clean themselves (due to various circumstances) and must pay or enlist others to come in and clean. That is fine and dandy. We each have to do what is right and good for us.
This post is more of a guideline to those just starting to make a home or those who need a little guidance. Please don't make anyone feel guilty for that they do or don't do.
(click on pic to enlarge for easier reading)
I really like this list. I do most of columns one and two on a daily or weekly basis. I work on columns three and four - but there is always work to be accomplished there! It is an ongoing task for me.
I feel so much better when the bed is made daily, there are no dishes left in the sink, and nothing left laying around. It just makes me feel the home looks 'clean' whether it is or not!
I dust and sweep and mop regularly, take out trash and try to keep the laundry kept up.
These are just basics - that tend to make the home always feel 'straight' and 'clean'.
If you get something out or use something - put it back when done. Don't just lay it down and walk off. Those things mount up to a lot of things in no time whatsoever.
According to the chart above - the 3rd and 4th columns - are more of deep cleaning. Cleaning windows and mirrors and appliances. Just take a moment when you see a splash or something and wipe it down. It just takes a second!
My pantry and freezer - well, those are always works in progress. It is nice to at least clean and straighten and see what you have every few months. I must admit I only launder window coverings a couple times a year.
I do try to clean out the frig every couple weeks. This is when it is handy to have a "use it up" shelf in the frig. Place all those items needed to be used together and they don't get lost.
It costs NOTHING for MOST of us to have a tidy home. Just take a few moments out of your day to straighten and wipe down and put away. The 15 minutes plan works great - clean or straighten for 15 minutes - then go do whatever. Come back and do another 15 minutes - it does keep one from getting tired or bored with the work.
Trust me - a clean and tidy home can change an attitude about other things. You walk in and see things nice - life feels a bit calmer. That helps you in other avenues of life as well.
It may sound old fashioned - well, that is me. I teach and promote many of the older ways, they were good and still are.
Have fun with this - get others involved. Have the kiddos put up their toys, hopefully hubs/partner will do the same. After a while I think people just realize how calming and lovely an uncluttered and straightened life is.
Have a wonderful day.
REMINDER
My mission is to promote the older ways of living and to lead others to a simpler and somewhat frugal lifestyle. If this isn't for you, please let us that do - enjoy ourselves. We do not need to defend or explain ourselves to others. Thank you for following along and for your 'positive' ideas.
Hi Cheryl! A clean and clutter free home is a true joy isn't it? My house is my sanctuary and I work to keep it clean and orderly because when I come home from a long day at work it just seems like a big hug when I walk in.
ReplyDeleteYES!!!! That is what I like as well - no matter where I go or how long I am gone, home is always my sanctuary! I want to smile when I walk in.
DeleteRemember the Home Rules?
ReplyDeleteif You Sleep on it...Make it; if You wear it...Hang it up; if You Drop it...Pick it up; if You eat Out of it...wash it; if you step on it...pick it up; if you open it...close it; if you empty it...fill it up. Like you, there's daily, weekly, monthly & seasonal household tasks. Like Lori says, a clean & tidy home is like a big hug to me. Nate Berkus is a decorator who says your home should rise up to greet you.
Love this! what fantastic rules to live by!
DeleteIt is a hug and a smile - nothing like it.
Great saying - "your home should rise up to greet you".
"Don't put it down, put it up". It takes a couple seconds to put things away and not have to handle them more than once. Make a trip to the garage, basement, or pantry count. Unless you just want to up your steps for the day. ha! We don't have a dishwasher (don't want one, thank you very much) and we wash, dry and put away our dishes and pans after eating. For those of us who are bordering on persnickety , a tidy home is a must. I pinned your list to my Cleaning board on Pinterest.
ReplyDeleteHeavenly sunshine! A bit chilly but it is February after all.
I don't have a dishwasher either - but I always have a clean kitchen to wake up to - always!
DeleteYep, it just takes a moment to put it back where it came from. Exercise is a plus!!
It is a must on my list too. You can stop by anytime and it will LOOK clean!
Pretty day for sure.
Hello Cheryl,
ReplyDeleteI am anxious if my bed isn't made or chores aren't done. I have always been that way.
I do have a dishwasher and love using it. I have a small kitchen but well laid out, so easy to keep clean. One thing I do before bed, ready my coffee maker and spray homemade cleaner on counters and wipe down.
I agree, the "older ways" help me be peaceful and calm.
JC
Hi JC. My kitchen is very small as well. and anything left out just looks messy! It is important to keep it straightened.
DeleteLOL - same here. I get up, do my morning stuff - then make the bed. It gives it a moment or so to air - then it is made.
Agree - love those older ways - they were on to something!!
Most people fall off the tidy/clean wagon at some stage, due to personal circumstances, which we can all understand and sympathise with. The only houses I have visited that were truly dirty and disorganised were also home to the most dysfunctional families I have encountered. It can't just be a coincidence.
ReplyDeleteI think there comes a time when we all slack off some - age, medical, circumstances, etc. Totally get that.
DeleteI have been in a few just ugh homes. I understand messy, but smelly and dirty - well, that got me.
Saved your list, it's a good one... although I don't follow it. If I did a small load of laundry every day I'd be living at the laundromat! ;) My shredding is continual - every time I have stuff to discard with my name and address on it, shred. The big shred is in January, the 2-years-ago saved papers, to make room for the 1-year-ago papers and sorting out the stuff for taxes.
ReplyDeleteEvery day list for me is bed making, dishwashing, sweeping up messes, putting things away, wiping down surfaces that look like they need it, checking the litter box.
Yes, my home is my sanctuary and I want it to look just right when I've been away. That means clearing off the table before I leave so when I walk in, things look calm and put together. :)
MaryB
Oh heck, I don't do laundry but usually once a week or less - but it is just me! Yes, paper stuff is continual. I have a big shred coming up - looking forward to it.
DeleteSounds like we were cut from the same cloth!
I like that little list, though I would change a few things up. Growing up we did laundry once a week to conserve water (it had to be hauled for the first 17 years of my life.) and I've stuck with that practice. But the list is a good reminder.
ReplyDeleteIt truly is the little things - putting things away or at the very least corraled (like my knitting/crocheting projects and patterns), spot wiping when something is spilled, and putting things away that keep a home looking tidy. I do have a bad habit - we call them doom piles - of piling up objects/paperwork, etc. on the kitchen table. These are usually items for my daughter and grandson, donations, and paperwork that needs to be dealt with. It's looking pretty good right now because I took a couple of bags to my daughter and the donations have been placed in a box. Since we don't eat there, it become as easy catch-all but I do clear it fairly frequently.
I only do laundry once a week or less as well. Mom always did Mondays!
DeleteIt really is the small stuff that just adds up. I usually have paperwork on the dining table for a week or so, then I pay things and file.
You have been doing great with decluttering.
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DeleteHaha...I thought I was the only one who said the Columbo thing and then write "said like Columbo"! : D
DeleteI never wake up to a messy kitchen - can't stand it. Living room is picked up and bath is wiped down each day. I just want it neat looking, not so much for anyone else, but myself.
DeleteAlways find new uses for stuff that you may have to pay for down the road.
Yep - something in and something out. Good to live by.
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DeleteElise, does your family also enjoy 'Monk'? We enjoy those and I've gradually found used copies of all seasons on ebay. Most of them are very good and funny too. I can't recommend all of them but most are really funny! Start with season one if you try them so you will understand what the background is on Monk. Like I said..Once in a while we'll run across one that is not good for our family, we're particular, but most are really funny. We watch them at night with youngest, she loves them too. : ) They come on the cozi channel but we loved them so much went ahead and bought not to fight with commercials. Haha.
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DeleteI really like this list, Cheryl! Thank you for posting. I try to do a load of laundry every day and put it up. Toilets are cleaned at least once a week, we have well water so I have to make things bowls stay white.
ReplyDeleteI pull the covers and a sheet up over my bed, it won't win any awards but it's done and the kitties can lay on the top sheet I have for protection over bedspread. I can wash the two sheets that I use any time, much easier than washing a comforter.
Just wanted to let you know that I used your black bean dip recipe and it was very good! I also have some of your other recipes in my little album for the future too! Thank you! I still have some black bean dip in the fridge, it's really nice to have.
I'm not a super organized person at least it doesn't look like it sometimes, my studio is very messy, but I know where everything is at. : ) I try very hard to put things back in a place that I would look for it if missing and that solves a multitude of problems. When I was in school, I had a messy notebook but could draw and dance and twirl up a storm, I think it's a huge personality thing. But I do try at least. : )
Thanks for sharing, this is helpful! : ) I made a veggie lasagna today, spinach, brown rice noodles, non gmo tofu riccotta etc. and will save a couple of pieces for my mom and a big pot yesterday of creamy vegan minestrone. Some of that is for my mom too. Take care now, ~Amelia
I pull the covers up and straighten them, but like you said a kitty is usually in there part of the day. I have a sheet, light throw and a comforter on the bed, and Bitsy now climbs under the comforter and snuggles! (during the day). LOL So now there is usually a lump!
DeleteGlad you like the dip - I think it is good stuff.
I think we all have an area that seems to 'stay' somewhat messy - for me the basement!! It is a work in progress.
Meals sound good. Enjoy.
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DeleteYep, I had papers hanging out of my notebook lol but I could draw, water color, do fashion illustrations and portraits in highschool and my drawings would be in the showcase...all of that. I enjoyed English too. Many of the neaties were not artistic or imaginative at all and they couldn't keep a beat either! big-lol ; )
DeleteMy lasagna? I used brown rice lasagna noodles today but there are lentil ones too that are even better depending on how gf people are. I just place the raw noodles in the pan on some sauce and a little water, I use Muir Glen herb or Eden's Garden (whatever you like). I rinse frozen spinach with hot water in a strainer. Take a pack of soft non gmo tofu and squash it up with garlic powder, a *teensy* bit of stevia, dried basil and that is my ricotta. I layer the noodles with "ricotta", spinach and pour a little pasta gravy on top, drizzle a little olive oil over the spinach with garlic powder too. Just keep going until you run out of fillings. End with pasta gravy on top. If you wish, you can put a veggie cheese sprinkled on top at the end right before done to melt. Just bake at 375 with the raw noodles for probably 50 minutes. Then right before supper time add some more gravy on top, and warm up. You may put the grated veggie cheese on top right before it's done. I add some nutritional yeast to my gravy too for extra flavor since I'm careful about sodium. You can sprinkle with Romano Pecorino cheese if you like.
DeleteEnjoy!
Cheryl, yes, my studio...I pulled out a portable white plastic table in our big eating area to just load stuff up from the studio so i can go through it...It's crazy.
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DeleteCheryl, "Bitsy" is such a cute name! That is so funny that Bitsy crawls under everything like that....A smart little kitty! ...Little snuggle bunny. So cute....
DeleteAmelia, what is Pasta Gravy? never heard of it before ...
DeleteThat's a great list. I have a friend who has the cleanest most organized house I know (she does have a touch of OCD, lol) but she told me one of her secrets is to never wait passively - while the coffee is brewing she straightens the coffee cabinet - if she's in the laundry room she'll bring a rag and spray and wipe everything down, etc. It's been super helpful for me, as well as the 15 minute timer! I honestly get very little satisfaction out of doing housework ( I wish I did!) so I need to trick myself into staying on top of it
ReplyDeleteI don't like housework either but the 15 minute rule helps me. I LOVE the idea of not being passive. Smart. It is so true, while the blender is going I can wipe the frig or counter, or laundry - like you said clean. Toilet soaks while cleaning the tub or sink. So many things like that.
DeleteGreat tip. Thanks.
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ReplyDeleteI do pretty much all those things, except I only wash once a week. I would never have enough of anything to wash every day.
ReplyDeleteI am afraid though that my living room, though clean (vacuum twice a week, dust every second day) is a bit untidy. Mostly due to all the projects I am working on during a month. Perhaps one day, when I get all those unfinished projects completed it will be much neater.... Who am I kidding.
God bless.
Slowing down does happen. I get that. I try that with things that need to go to the basement - go do laundry and take things down! It sure makes life easier.
ReplyDeleteI hope your hubby gets better soon!
Debby, could your husband have bronchitis? My daughter had it recently and had a horrible cough with it.
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