A Cleaning Routine for Busy People
By ShelterPop Staff (Subscribe to ShelterPop Staff's posts)
Oct 22nd 2009 4:40PM
Cleaning house, while necessary for all, is a very personal issue. Don't worry about other people's standards. Decide what "clean" means to you and keep house accordingly. Above all, use your time effectively. Here's how...
Make double use of your time - straighten the coat closet while waiting for the car pool; clean kitchen counters while talking on the telephone.
Cleaning Routine for Busy People
Two-Timing
Make double use of your time - straighten the coat closet while waiting for the car pool; clean kitchen counters while talking on the telephone.
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Delegate
Teach your kids how to fold laundry, vacuum, dust, unload the dishwasher, make their beds and prepare their breakfasts, lunches and snacks. Enlist teens to help with big jobs like washing windows and floors and cleaning cabinets and woodwork.
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Set Time Limits
You can accomplish quite a bit in several 10- or 20-minute periods. Keep your cleaning schedule flexible so you can change it if something unexpected comes up. Do what you can when you can.
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Establish Priorities
Identify which tasks absolutely have to be done, which ones should be done and which ones would be nice to get done. Work on them in that order and forget about all others.
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Finish Tasks
Complete one project before you start another.
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Spill Savvy
Wipe up spills as soon as possible. The sooner you clean up, the easier it is to remove stains completely.
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A Family Affair
Set aside at least two hours once or twice a week for cleaning. Write down all necessary tasks on slips of paper and put them in bowl according to difficulty. Every family member chooses from the appropriate bowl. Enforce the rule that everyone helps with some cleaning task during that time.
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Minimize Spring-Cleaning
Clean as needed. Systematic, regular cleaning minimizes the need for heavy-duty seasonal cleaning
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You can keep your house cleaner by preventing outdoor dirt from getting in. Use doormats and boot scrapers. As needed, sweep sidewalks, steps and stairwells leading to your home.
If you have the space, set up a mudroom, where wet and soiled clothing and boots can be removed and stored.
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To reduce airborne dust, regularly vacuum registers and radiators. Change the filters in your air conditioners and furnace, following the manufacturer's instructions. If you have severe allergies, hire a professional yearly to clean heating and ventilation ducts to reduce dust and molds.
Reprinted with Permission of Hearst Communications, Inc. Originally Published: A Cleaning Routine for Busy Women
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Manuela S. 11-04-2009 @ 10:36AM
Moonsilver, have no idea who is trying to scam you but I hope you got that all straightened out. This article is dumb, if nothing else. What I'd like to see is the picture of the woman holding the baby while talking on the phone trying to dry her dishes to save time :D
I also love the one about teaching your children to do like all the chores in the house. That one should only take someone maybe 3 years depending on the age and height of the kids. Mine are too short to unload the dishwasher and put the dishes away. Maybe I could save time buy just throwing the dirty dishes away so I won't have to sweep up the ones that broke while they attempted to put them away.
I suppose if you're out of the house 12-hours a day, as I am - It's important to have a routine. I clean the kitchen every night while helping with homework. Kids pick up their toys in the living room afterward. I get a load of laundry done nearly every night and it's put into a laundry basket and at the top of the stairs. Refrigerator is done on Friday night. Bed linen changed on Saturday and vacuuming on Sunday.
Takes me all of an hour every night and not more than and hour on a Saturday or Sunday. There are better things to do!
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fuzzymath 11-04-2009 @ 10:57AM
I agree! Dumb! I'm busy because I'm already doing stuff while I wait on hold on the phone, or cleaning up spills immediately.
This article should have been called "Cleaning Tips for Idiots."
Mitzy 11-20-2009 @ 9:38AM
Now that's more like reality! Thanks for sharing your tips - ones that I can really use. Full time working Mom with a "fun" part time job and 2 kids, a hairy dog, husband, home, large yard....homework, cleaning, yard work, dinner....it's certainly a lot to juggle! And I do consider myself to be a very good multitasker. I will say, however, I do tend to put the housework aside when it comes to spending quality time with my kids. We're now getting to a point where it's a team effort - the chores are done quicker and we have more time for FUN! But, my kids are a little older and quite capable of emptying the dishwasher and putting the dishes away. Agreed, that's not so easy when they are little! Keep up the good work :-)
Lizzie 11-20-2009 @ 4:27PM
I like your last paragraph of your routine...I have tried doing the dishes while my son does his homework, and usually get a little done, but almost always wind up needing to sit down with him to help him focus. You do have a great attitude about cleaning. I tend to let it slide too often then making it a bigger chore when it comes time to have people over.I think I will TRY to organize myself into doing one or two things every day. I DO like the article too, though, even though I understand how unrealistic the "picture" of the cleaning looks. It seems even in "reality" TV and magazine articles, the "Real" still some how gets left out! Congratulations to you on running an organized household with routine in place...that's what I'm working towards one day at a time!
wild irish rose 11-20-2009 @ 4:15PM
I'm assuming Moonsilver meant "spammers," like the one right below her comment.
BAIT 11-04-2009 @ 10:56AM
I am certain children should be doing tasks that are age and height appropriate. Where did you get the idea three year olds should unload the dishwasher? I think you are trying to be petty and pick apart an article that might be helpful for people who just are not as perfect as you are. Clean up or not, the only ones who care the people who live in your house. C'est la vie.
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bawno23 11-04-2009 @ 2:55PM
I can't believe some of the non-sense that comes out of this article. If you are a stay-at-home wife, then this is what you do. If the wife and husband both work, then what makes you think that cleaning 2 hours twice a week is a possibility? Maybe once a week on a Saturday afternoon after a nap. I'm 26, work 9 hours, commute 2 1/2 hours and have rehearsals for music 3 times a week. What makes you think that I want to clean during the week? And if I have a weekend off from a gig, what makes you think the first thing I'm thinking is to clean? I would rather clean for 8 hours on one weekend every month or two then clean 4 hours every week. Just saying, this is not a very realistic idea in most people's world.
Also, one thought about having the kids help. Ya, my parents did that to me and next thing you know it, I was their slave for all chores as they sat around and did nothing. If you're going to have the kids get involved, you better be doing the same amount of work or more. Just saying, it is a psychology thing and you are their environment 90% of the time. Set an example first, then ask for help. Do not give orders. This will help your relationship with your kid so much!
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denise123 11-04-2009 @ 2:52PM
If you are both working, then you need to allot a certain amount of money for a housecleaner. If you think you can't afford it, think of some of the ways money is wasted , and shift your spending to something so totally worthwhile because, first of all it's necessary to clean up and most of all its the best pick me up I can think of! Good luck to you.
bawno23 11-04-2009 @ 3:57PM
I totally agree with you Denise and thank you for sound advice! If both partners are working, a house maid once a week or so would be a great idea. I do know that in some cases the wife could feel somewhat unworthy as it seems like a disrespect, but I agree that it should be done. I am not married and do not know much about this yet except through my parents communications, but as the only person who seems to clean with me and my 3 guy roommates, it does get frustrating. =) Maybe I will pitch it to them about a house maid every so often to clean up their garbage haha!
Agnes 11-07-2009 @ 8:21AM
What is that, a rotary phone? Is this the '50s? What idiot magazine did they dig this article out of - or is this the level of journalistic education our grand school system can provide. Furthermore, what editor would approve this article. I feel like I've been talked down to.
I, like most of us, work 40+/week. That means evenings are about 4hrs long and include cooking and cleaning that mess up. I assure you that, by Saturday, there's a good 8hrs of cleaning to do. What's this 4hr crap?? Someone get me a maid!!
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Ralphie 11-04-2009 @ 2:05PM
One way that all of you people that are so overwhelmed could free up some time is to stop using it to post comments about articles on the internet.
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dhamilton1888 11-04-2009 @ 2:50PM
Ralphie, you are so right! These people are the ones that have a million excuses in order to not get something done. Big crying babies, I'm so bored with these comments. HAVE A GREAT DAY!!
LyndaLBD 11-04-2009 @ 2:12PM
Yep, stop commenting - get lots of time - stop smoking, get more time, but more than that - I don't get it why people have to tell us how to clean our houses. I can't dust, but other than that, my house is fairly clean. Good enough for me. I'm not here to please some glove wearing house cleaning keeper. You want it clean, clean it yourself.
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dhamilton1888 11-04-2009 @ 2:47PM
Well, I don't get it. Why are you reading an article about cleaning anyway if you don't want to learn how to get it done quicker? Hmmm!!
Ora 11-04-2009 @ 2:26PM
I have been two timing tasks for years. When the telephone rings it is my cue to wash any dishes in the sink or to wash
crystal or any other items which need to be washed.
Ora Hill48754@aol.com
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wdflwr 11-04-2009 @ 4:18PM
What's this, hire someone to professionally clean your duct work every year? Who pays for that in the real world? Show me woman who doesn't talk on the phone while emptying the dishwasher and/or doing other chores and I'll show you a woman with no friends. Dumb de dumb dumb, DUMB...
Call me cynical, but I remember when news was news. The internet has really dumbed down our expectations. It shocks every day me that somebody actually gets PAID a salary to write stupid stuff like this.
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maria 11-04-2009 @ 3:18PM
My son is old enough to take a bath alone, but I still prefer to be in the bathroom 'just in case'. I use that time to clean the rest of the bathroom. Commode one day, counters next day, etc. Now I never feel like cleaning the bathroom is taking time away from something else. Of course, I don't use harsh chemicals.
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gary 11-04-2009 @ 3:19PM
I'm an extremely busy person so I do the tried and true method established many tars ago by people like me....I shove a broom up my a$$ and sweep the floor!
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davide463 11-04-2009 @ 3:53PM
Or you can do what my wife does...Let me do it all :o(
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Kathleen 11-04-2009 @ 10:06PM
I agree with Manuela S. I work 9 hours a day and commute an hour in each direction (if traffic, construction, and weather cooperate). And that is not counting an extra stop or two sometimes, before I get home for that gallon of milk or medicine at the pharmacy drive-thru. My husband works 10am to 8pm and commutes 1hr 20 min. in each direction. Teaching chores to the kids? Yeah. We have assigned chores on a chore board and usually my boys get their chores done AFTER I get home. Playing, TV, snacking, and homework are their big priorities between after school and me walking in the door. Then there's dinner, dishes, more homework, bathes, & bed (for them). Its called 2-3hrs of family time each day. Then I do a load or two of laundry(my husband throws one in before he leaves in the morning, after he gets the kids off to school.) and once in a while do one of my tasks (like sew up a couple of torn shirts). This is all in a typical day. Get Real!! We are NOT in the Better Homes and Gardens of the 1960's any more where there were women like my mother who were "Housewives"! I have never cleaned my house in a dress with an apron.
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