help w/ keeping house

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Permalink Reply by WEN on January 14, 2010 at 8:40am

I struggle with this too. I did not learn good housekeeping skills from my mother, as she was divorced and working all the time. Some tips that have helped me... limit time on computer, limit clutter, learn to let go of "stuff", donate it, otherwise you'll end up with a whole house of unnecessary "stuff". Clean one room a day - completely. Every day, except Sunday, clean one room, top to bottom. Of course, your kitchen needs to be cleaned up and put back in order every day pretty much, and laundry - well, that's a monster in itself.., but by next week each room shouldn't be so bad. Do a load of laundry every single day, if needed. Those are just a few things that I find helpful. Do I always do this - no, unfortunately. I have a very ill husband and doctor appts, hospital visits, etc get in the way... but with this plan, it's realistic and achievable, and you will see good results and feel good about yourself if you stick to it. You can do it, girl. We can do it. We just need to keep encouraging each other. Let's be honest... well, I'll be honest.... I hate housework. It gets old doing the same thing over and over again. I would so much rather be outdoors!!! I would trade yardwork for housework... but I must submit to my duties.. my God-given duties as a wife & mother. Good luck & God bless.

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Permalink Reply by Rusty on January 16, 2010 at 12:34pm

Hey chickie, I know of what you speak. You look around, and it's overwhelming. You want to do every, so you do nothing. I am that person! Now, please understand, my home is neat-ish. I am not some super clean freak who washes baseboards everyday (no offense to the freaks out there, lol).

Where I took a stand against my own laziness, was the kitchen. This is the room where you'll get the most problems if you don't keep it clean.

This is my own version of Flylady (www.flylady.com ?), check out her site.

Dishes. Do them. If you have a dishwasher, use it. EVERY NIGHT

Pot and pans. Make it a habit to soak after cooking. I have thrown more pots and pans away because stuff got caked on or, burnt on (before I figured out that high heat doesn't make anything cook faster). Do not soak over night, 'cause it will just pile up and become it's own problem.

Counters and counter top appliances. Wipe down every night. This includes the microwave, on the inside too!

Floors. They have to be swept every night.

Mopping. Should be done nightly, but every other day is OK, as long as nothing spilled on the floor.

Now the above stuff is done every night, whether or not you want to do it. Just clean your kitchen first. Get used to getting it cleaned up. I feed a family of 6. Because I also clean while cooking, I can get the dinner mess cleaned up in 15-20 mins., and I wash dishes by hand (the dish washer is broke)!

Organization and cleaning of the cabinets comes next. When I tackle this, I do maybe one shelf in one cabinet a month, or when it's empty, which ever comes first.

The Refrigerator. I am the worst about this. I try to tackle the bottom shelves (where the crispers are) once a week. Most of the time, I just wipe up any science experiment that I see growing in there (yikes).

Once you have your kitchen under control, grab a laundry basket and make a walk through the house, picking up things that aren't in the correct place. As you go through, start in the living room. Try to deposit the wayward items back in their proper place as you go. This will at least give you the appearance of order, rather than the bomb just went off look that my small children try to emulate in my living room. If you are still feeling froggy, then hop onto the vacuum and run it across the room.

Do dusting in small bites. At least get the TV screen wiped off. That will mutate into wiping down the whole TV set. Progress!

Everything should be done in small doses. I am a great list maker, but a terrible list checker off-er. I will write down 20 things that have to be done. If I am lucky, I will get through 2! That's ok, 'cause it will all be there tomorrow!

Seriously, I grew up in a single parent home. I didn't learn to keep a house until I was in my 20's. It's the same with cooking, if it didn't come in a box, I didn't know how to make it. But, we are smart, we can learn.

WEN is right. Kitchen and laundry daily. Go room to room. Take smaller steps if necessary, one chair, one shelf, one square foot of a floor, one pile of mail.

Oh, I almost forgot. 80% of your bedroom mess is an unmade bed. Make your bed every morning!

Good luck! Happy homemaking!

In love, Rusty

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Permalink Reply by WEN on January 16, 2010 at 8:12pm

FLYLADY!! Oh i remember coming across that site a few yrs ago. In the craziness of my life (husband' illness) I forgot about that site!! I will check it out tonight! FLYLADY has THE best tips!! Rusty, thanks for that post. I still need lots of help, and fail miserably, but refuse to give up!! God bless!

You can do it!
We can do it!

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Permalink Reply by Brooke Church on January 31, 2010 at 5:42pm

Flylady is good, but I hated the email reminders you get when you sign up. Mostly because I hate wearing shoes and it would remind me to put on my shoes everyday. :P ( I can't clean with shoes on. I feel like I am about to go somewhere! Yes, I know, I am weird!)
My Mom had health problems growing up so I wasn't taught good house maintenance skills. I could get the house clean very well and even cook when I was first married, but keeping it clean was another story. I needed to learn good habits. Some may seem pretty obvious to most people, but they were(and still are) very hard for me.
~ clear tables and wash dishes IMMEDIATELY after a meal. Don't wander off and get distracted. :)
~ If you get something out put it away as soon as you are done using it. (scissors, pens, sewing supplies, etc.)
~Put your clothes in the hamper when you take them off. Don't leave them in a heap where you took them off. :D
~Baking? Get all the things out you are going to use first and put them away as you use each item.
~ Soak bowls and pots, so you spend less time scrubbing them when you get to washing them.
~Got kids? If they can get it out, they can put it away! I try not to pick up any toys or my kids think I will always do it for them. I tell them if I have to pick them up they will be put away for a LONG time or tossed in the garbage. Very good motivator. :D
Don't get discouraged! It is hard to learn good habits and I am still struggling with my house, but I am slowly improving. Best wishes with your good resolves!

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Permalink Reply by Courtney Jung on February 2, 2010 at 11:18am

Flylady is a great start.

Melissa has a few links under the "At Home" tab with suggestions.

I can be lazy or in pain and will get a couple days behind. Before I made up my monthly chore chart, I took it one day at a time. I assigned myself a couple tasks a day, starting with dusting, sweeping, clearing out junk and trash, sweeping, cleaning stove (top to bottom, back and front), sweeping, mopping the most used rooms, scrubbing kitchen walls and counters very well, sweeping, organizing pantry and refrigerator, sweeping, making my bed every day, clearing clothes and towels out of room every other day, sweeping,

I have wood floors, and a full basement of which half is non-finished. So I have LOTS of dust, I have to sweep all the time, plus I have a cat that sheds (even though I now brush here once or twice a week), so sweeping about every other day is permanent.

Once you have caught up on the whole house, start working on your meal planning, and focusing on the rooms that need the weekly cleaning. The other spaces touch up on about once a month or as needed.

It's hard, if you start to feel lazy the best way I can think to advice on that is open the New Testament and start reading one of Paul's epistles. Call your mom or another elder who is a clean freak, and ask them how Grandma used to clean "this up or that". Personally I finally went for adding distilled white vinegar to cleansers, and it cuts grease, it gently scrubs brass and bronze with ease, and it leaves a streak free shine. Plus I use Bar Keepers Friend on pots and pans, ceramics, sinks, etc (but wash after to remove residue).

Trust me Sister you can do all things through Christ, please PLEASE ask Him for help every time you feel defeat. He makes sure little birds like sparrows get fed, He can handle lifting up your spirits to clean.
There's an old commercial jingle coming to my mind right now, "It's in there!".

Remember "Christ is in there!", that means everywhere we are. So depend on Him, He wants us too. Don't let these little moments become a burden, give it up YOU WERE NOT CREATED to carry the spirits of laziness, we are created in the Image of Christ and we have potential for all our weaknesses to become His strength.

Praise the Lord on Heavens Throne, that you have a home and a family to take care of! Blessed is He!

Your Sister,
Courtney

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Permalink Reply by Jane Farrer on February 2, 2010 at 2:10pm

Dear Sister,I think the most important part is to start praying about your attitude toward homemaking!This is vital!!!!! Only the power of the Allmightly can strengthen you to not be lazy,to GLORIFY the LORD through your homemaking,to be faithful to your calling!Renew your mind in God's word,let His Word motivate you to serve Him with joy! The joyt of the Lord is your strength!Please,visit my page, read my posts, you find some ideas on cleaning tools and supplies,which will help you to get started. Also read Mrs.Josheph's post on the homemaking,she is so wise!Realize,how blessed you are to even have a home to take care of!
Declutter room by room, and then maintain it.Cleaning shedule is a must in your case.

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Permalink Reply by Michelle D. Garrett on February 2, 2010 at 3:16pm

I struggle with this, too! Between working full-time, going to school full-time and running behind 2 boys and my husband...whew! It feels as though I'm always supposed to be cleaning and very seldom do I have the energy to do so! I'll have to check out FlyLady again. Thank you all for the suggestions!

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Permalink Reply by Jeanna Morgan on February 2, 2010 at 8:28pm

You are definatly not alone. I used to be a fanatic about keeping my house clean. But now that I have health problems and failed when my children were younger to teach them homemaking skills my house can really look awful at times. I am trying to do better but just like this last week I was sick and couldn't even get out of bed. Well I got up yesterday and my house was nasty. So now I am back to catch up. I really can't give any advice. I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone.

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Permalink Reply by Beverley on February 3, 2010 at 11:15am

Hi - here are my own comments - I used Melissa's cleaning system and it worked a treat. I work outside the home and live on my own but my idea is, never ever go to bed without cleaning the washing up, make the bed every day, and clean the bathroom, toilet, and kitchen.

Weekly session of "throw away junk".

Vacuum as soon as it needs doing - if that's three times a week, or once a week, it's up to you.

Keep a basket by the door for trash mail - and throw it in as you come through the door and as soon as it's trash day, wrap it up and throw it away.

Washing - I do that in the launderette - three or four batches a time!!!! (Saves a lot of time!!!)

Use products that smell nice. (okay, it's boring, but it DOES make a difference)

Buy some cleaning stuff like buckets, brushes, etc. in BRIGHT colours - you may want to use them then!!!

And................once you've done something in the home, reward yourself .........at least now and again! I like to buy fresh flowers (or chocolates :o) or you could cut some from the garden.

Try and make your home really really pleasant - it does wonders for the morale!

I also have problems with homekeeping - but find that these little things do make the difference.

Keep on at it and check out Melissa's page on cleaning the home!

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