Let's Keep it Clean

It's always a struggle to keep one's house clean.  Well, unless you're a neat freak, in which case, want to help me clean mine?  I have been called a neat freak, but trust me, that I am not.  Some weeks are too busy, with too many commitments and too many people to make happy, that I just don't have the time to do much past emptying the trash and cleaning up after dinner.  Then the weekend comes, and we have more commitments and guests and places to go, sometimes overnight.  Vacuuming out the cabinets becomes a non-priority.

I was reminded of the need to put things on a schedule thanks to this handy chart.  It starts out innocently enough, reminding you to wipe down counters daily (doable), and even ends by reminding you to do things seasonally like clean out the pantry.  But it lost me at "scrubbing tile grout" because we have a rental with rotted grout, and it's not on us to repair/replace/regrout.  We just have to make do.  As Bay Area residents, we are far from alone in being renters.  It also lost me at "wipe down inside of medicine cabinets."  We have one very small one, which I guess I wipe down once in awhile, but if you don't have too much junk, the actual cleaning of things is not too ornery a task.

If you just modify a list and make it work for you, that's a good start.  Some weekends, I can set aside two hours to clean the house--this weekend, I did the bathroom and kitchen.  But, some weekends are too busy (unless you want to be that weirdo cleaning the bathroom when everyone is enjoying a potluck?).  In that case, we break up the cleaning--bathroom sink and counter and toilet one day, shower/tub the other, kitchen floor another, and so on.  Once in awhile if I'm feeling zesty, I'll even scrub the baseboards.  Use your eyes and nose to help guide you on what really needs to be done.

I personally think it's all about simplifying things--your surroundings and your possessions, so that the cleaning and tidying is super easy to do.  Then, simplify the cleaning and tidying.  Find multi-taskers that can clean both floors and counters.  No need to have three cabinets' full of cleaning supplies for every surface.  For us, we use a Method brand cleaner on the tub and tile, and Dr. Bronner's peppermint cleaner on the floors (the whole house smells like a candy cane when done).  Bon Ami works great on our stainless steel sink. 

Natural products like vinegar, lemon, and salt, also do some great cleaning.  Vinegar is king!  Just google to find out ratios for cleaning different household surfaces.  The internet is awesome.

For some good tips on how to whip your kitchen into shape, I really liked these ideas.  Also, this article on how to care for kitchen items.  I'll talk about kitchen stuff in a later post.  I just wanted to focus on general house stuff in this one.