Friday Clean Me Bedrooms

Bedrooms are a challenge for kids.  You can't tell a kid "go clean your room" or, 30 minutes later, they are just up there playing polly pocket meets dinosaur.  So we have a very set series of things we do to clean our bedrooms (hey... what works for the kids works for me....)

For the girls (ages 3 & 6) I give them category assignments:  First do this.  Then do this.  The categories are:  Bed, Books, Desk, Laundry (Dirty downstairs, Clean put away), Dress up, Kitchen toys, Dolly stuff.  Sometimes I say, "Go upstairs and put away the books, then report back."  Sometimes I give them tictacs. 

The boy (age 8) likes the "clock" method.  Due west is 12:00 (and his desk).  I say, "Clean from 12:00-1:00." Away he goes.  Then 1:00-2:00.  3:00 is his bed and book stack.  Ugh.  And on as he works his way around the room until it is all done. 

And what about me?  Well.... at least I don't have a closet to clean.  I sort/organize drawers under the bed (2), dresser drawers (2 big and 3 narrow jewelry ones), organize accessories (scarves/jewelry).  I tidy my night stand.  Dust maybe.  Wash sheets.  Vacuum/sweep.  And.... that's about all it takes.  I guess there are some advantages to a tiny bedroom.

The Basics (this is the 5 minute stuff that should happen every day/night)
Make the bed.  (Are we the only family that doesn't believe in a top sheet?)
Put clothes in the laundry.
Empty the potty chair.  (What?  It is a long, dark way to the one-and-only bathroom in our house.....)

Deep
Empty bed.  (Seriously.... so many toys and hair clips....)
Put away books.  (Also... turn spines to face the correct direction.)
Put away clean clothes.
Put away dress up clothes.
Put away kitchen toys.
Put away lego.
Put away games.
Put away dollies.
Put away art supplies/desk stuff.
Put away imagination stuff.
Clean the various forts.
Dust.
Shake the rugs.
Vacuum.

Deeper
Wash sheets.
Steam clean.
Wipe down the door and light switch.
Sort some closet items.
Go through some of the various boxes and bins and shelves that contain certain categories.... like does the kitchen box have a bunch of puzzle pieces?  This is the time when I find all of my lip gloss in toy purses.  And right now my blue eye sandbag thing is missing and I KNOW it is in a toybox somewhere....

Deepest
Wash comforters.
Wash pillows.
Wash windows.
Empty closets/wipe/clean/declutter.
Paint.
Clean closet.

Thursday Clean Me Living Room and Office

I like to watch tv as much as the next guy.  So I try to line up the best tv night with the living room.  I'm not really sure what was on Thursday night when I started this process......

The Basics (this is the 5 minute stuff that should happen every night)
Pick up the clutter.
Fluff the pillows.
Fold the blankets.
Fill the water thingy on the pellet stove.

Deep
Wash the blankets.
Dust.
Sweep.
Shake the rugs.
Spot mop.
Do basic filing.

Deeper
Wash the couch cushions/covers/pillows.
Really mop.
Steam clean.
Sort some drawers.
Scan paperwork.

Deepest
Wash windows.
Change shelf art or wall art.
Empty entertainment cabinets/wipe/clean/declutter.
Paint.
Check light bulbs.

Wednesday Clean Me Bathroom

The bathroom usually involves a couple kids in the tub. 

The Basics (this is the 5 minute stuff that should happen every night)
Hang up towels.
Clear counters.
Wipe up the toothpaste gunge.
Scoop cat box.
Empty garbage can.

Deep
Clean toilet.
Scrub tub.
Clean mirror.
Wash towels.  (Yes, I wash them and hang them right back up on the hooks.)
Dust.
Sweep.
Shake the rugs.
Spot mop.
Check levels of hand soap/toilet paper/shower stuff.
Do a load of laundry.
Wash/fill pet waterer. (We have two... one in the bathroom, one in the laundry room.)
Dump boiling water down the drains.

Deeper
Really mop.
Steam clean.
Wipe down the door and light switch.
Sort some cabinets and drawers.
Wipe cabinet fronts.
Wash rugs.
Wash shower curtain.
Disinfect tub toys.
Use the drain cleaner grabber thing on the sink & tub drains.  (The link is for one on amazon... I got mine at Harbor Freight for $1.49)

Deepest
Clean shelves.
Wash window.
Empty cabinets/wipe/clean/declutter.

Tuesday Clean Me Laundry Room

The Basics (this is the 5 minute stuff that should happen every night)
Clear counters.

Deep
Empty recycling.
Wash pet waterer.
Wash dog dish.
Wash cat dish.
Dust.
Sweep.
Spot mop.
Check levels of cat/dog food.
Check levels of detergent etc.
Fold laundry.
Do a load of laundry.

Deeper
Really mop.
Steam clean.
Wipe down the door and light switch.
Sort some cabinets and drawers.
Wipe cabinet fronts.

Deepest
Clean the pantry.
Wash windows.
Empty cabinets/wipe/clean/declutter.

Monday Clean Me Kitchen and Dining Room

Sometimes I like to use a timer.  Ok, a lot of times.  The kitchen is a great timer place.  15 minutes to clear the "peninsula" counter.  Then 15 minutes for the kitchen and 15 for the dining room.  Done.

The Basics (this is the 5 minute stuff that should happen every night)
File the paper clutter in the silver filer box and deal with the mail/kid papers.
Clear the counter/table/mini desk.
Hang up coats, put away boots/coats/gloves.
Hang up backpacks.
Empty sink.
Load dishwasher.
Empty lunchboxes.

Deep
Empty backpacks.
Dust.
Sweep.
Shake the rugs.
Spot mop.
Wipe table.
Water plants.
Wash napkins/dishtowels/dishrags.
Wipe stove/counters/etc.
Clean fridge.
Scrub sink.
Check levels of dish soap/hand soap/dishwasher detergent/rinse agent.
Dump boiling water down the drains.

Deeper
Really mop.
Steam clean.
Wash rugs.
Wipe down the door and light switch.
Sort some cabinets.
Wipe cabinet fronts.
Clean oven.
Clean freezer.
Make dishwasher mix.  (2/3 powder dish detergent and 1/3 lemishine)

Deepest
Wash backpacks.
Wash lunchboxes.
Wash coats/gloves/hats.
Wash windows.
Change table centerpiece/shelf art.
Empty cabinets/wipe/clean/declutter.
Paint.
Clean closet.

Clean My House

I've always been a huge fan of the fly lady.

I really believe I can do anything for 15 minutes.

And I've used the room-a-week method for a lot of decluttering.  (And on that decluttering thing.... house looks great..... garage.... not so much.....)

But I've been finding myself spending way too much time cleaning on the weekends. 

Way.  Too.  Much.  Time.

I need a service.  But that isn't in the budget.

And I work a solid 40 in an office.

So I need a way to get the house clean... in about 15 minutes.... between 8:45-9:00pm.

So I set a schedule and, so far, it seems to be working.

Monday:  Kitchen/Dining Room.  Monday nights are gymnastics from 6:00-7:00.  So it needs to be an easy night.... the kitchen and dining room usually stay pretty clean.  And they are the first areas you see in our tiny house so Hot has a vested interest in keeping them clean to maintain his sanity.

Tuesday:  Laundry Room.  Tuff has art class 5:00-6:00 so it is another late night.  And because by Tuesday we usually need another load of laundry done.

Wednesday:  Bathroom.  This works well because Wednesday is also bath night.  And I can sneak in another load of laundry or some folding while they soak. 

Thursday:  Living Room/Office Space.  I think I originally set this up because there was a tv show I liked on Thursday but I have no idea what show it was....  The Office Space is an ongoing nightmare.  I need a fancy scanner.  Or a small bonfire.  Or something. 

Friday:  Bedroom.  For everyone.  This is a cheap trick because the kids have to clean their rooms before they can have movie night.  Brilliant, no?  I also hit the laundry hard again on Friday and do some folding during movie night. 

So how is it working?  Ok.  The house is cleaner than usual and everyone knows the schedule so they are mostly willing to put in a few minutes of work every night because they know it matters to me.

So... what does each night of cleaning involve?  Some nights more than others.  I'm working on a list... the basics and the detailed stuff. 

How do you get your house clean?