Clean Less, Play More

My friend Denise (that link was to her husband's blog, but she posts on it sometimes :0) sent a link to me recently from one of her favorite blogs. It has been really helpful for me in daily life. Here is the basic idea...

Do these 7 things every single day and your house will always be fairly presentable (maybe even really tidy and clean).

Number 1: Make Beds Right Away

Number 2: Do One Complete Load of Laundry

Number 3: Empty All Garbage Cans

Number 4: Keep Your Kitchen Sink Empty

Number 5: Clean Up After Yourself and Help Children Do the Same

Number 6: Bathroom Wipe-Down

Number 7: Before Bed 10-Minute Clean Up

I already did some of these things daily. But, making a plan to do each one every single day has helped me stay on top of things a little bit better than I was before. I have tried different "plans" along the way to try keeping up with my home. This is the one that I am most happy with at present. The author, Stephanie, wrote two articles fleshing out her ideas. You can find them here.

I will leave you with this from her article:

Our house isn’t spotless. It isn’t pristine. But it is clean.

There are a few things to keep in mind when Cleaning Less and Playing More:

* if it isn’t dirty, don’t clean it
* if you do a little bit every day, it won’t get overwhelming
* if you get it out, put it away
* you are in charge of your own stuff
* help each other
* children learn by example
* don’t expect your home to look like a magazine spread. This is real life
* if you have too much stuff, it’s time to PROM (purge,remove,organize,maintain)
* don’t bring stuff home unless you know where it’s going to go
* changing habits takes time