Setting up a cleaning system for your home part 1

The number one complaint that I hear from moms is that they don’t know how to keep their homes clean. Their children’s rooms are always a mess.  Their closets are jammed pack.   There is always clutter sitting on the tables.  They can never find what they need.   Clothing sits in piles with no where to go.  Food gets wasted because they didn’t realize what they had already in the refrigerator or pantry.  The list of complaints goes on and on.

With a little organization and planning you can create a successful plan on how to keep your home running smoothly and remove the clutter and things that fill your life with too much stuff.

A general rule to remember is

Less Stuff = More Life

If we can simplify our lives and get rid of the “clutter” and the inefficient plans for doing things we can start experience more of life.  This includes more time for yourself and more time with your family.  More peace in your soul because your life is not so crazy.

What’s the first task you do?  You start with a cleaning system, routine, something that becomes a “way of life” for you.  It needs to be flexible enough to be resistant to change and interruptions in our lives, but efficient enough that we don’t overlook things that need to be done in our homes.

How did I do it in our life?  I started out by making a list  of all the chores that I had to do in my home.  Yes, it seems that my list was very long and took me a few days to complete.  I had many little ones and it was hard to concentrate at times.  I suggest you take time for each of your areas in your home that need cleaning.  Write down everything from wiping the walls, cleaning carpets, to organizing the food pantry.  Work on it for a few days.  Look back at it and see if there is something that you think you missed.  Walk into that room and get a visual of all the things that you need to do and write them down.  I’m including plenty of space for you to write down everything that needs to be cleaned.  Areas of suggestion:  living room, family room, kitchen, dining room, hallways, bathrooms, master bedroom, girls room, boys room, laundry room, basement, play room, garage, outside areas, etc.

Here is a list of some of the jobs that I know I had overlooked while writing out my first chore list:

• watering plants
• wiping walls which includes  switch plates, moldings, and door knobs
• cleaning carpets
• wipe overhead fan blades
• scrub the oven hood
• washing the blinds
• cleaning out the pets food and water bowls
• wiping down the washer and dryer

Next to the job that you have written down, write whether you think you should do that task (D) daily,( W) weekly,( M)  monthly, or (A) annually.

Get specific about each and every chore that needs to be done in your home.  Your list will be long.  We will be working on it over the next few days to help you create a chore system that becomes a “way of life” for you.

It is okay if you forget some things. I will help give some reminders of things that you might have forgotten.

cleaning tasks needing to be done

Print off enough charts for each area of your home.

If any of you have been struggling with keeping your homes clean and keeping down on the clutter in your homes, I pray you will implement this system into your own lives to create a more peaceful haven of a home.  All of it is FREE of charge, it just requires some time on your part.  I’ve been a homemaker for 20 years, this system has worked effectively for our large family of 12 for most of those years.  (The earlier years I was still learning and messing up:)

Have a blessed day and work on your list.  I will do part 2 in this series next.