Your Best Cleaning Solutions

Kids school stuff!!!!

There's so much and they never want to throw away anything they've worked on. I have them pick their favorite stuff from the day and file it in a green hanging folder in a cute file box in the kitchen. Each child has a green hanging folder, and so does each school (for school info that I don't want to throw away). Their regular assignments go in the garbage, unless they are especially proud of something they've accomplished.

When the green folder gets full (usually a few months or semester) we go back through and take out x# (say 15) favorite things they've done so far that year. Everything else gets trashed and the 15 things go back in. If 15 isn't enough I don't fight them on it. Later on it will get weeded down again.

At the end of the year we repeat it and everything that they love gets put in a "bankers box" or cardboard file box with a lid that they decorated with their name on it. It is their "history" box. By the time they finish elementary school the box is quite full. Later at the beginning of the next school year we go through it again and they take out things that are no longer important to them. It works GREAT!!!! Everybody is happy :D They love going through all their old schoolwork, it brings back great memories of their school years and teachers.

Dear B.,
My absolutely favorite method of housecleaning is to use my awesome steam cleaner. Mine is the Sargent Steam brand. It seems very expensive when I paid approximately 1000.00 for it about 13 years ago, but I have spent close to nothing since then. It actually ended up being much more cost effective and I clean faster and easier. Things even stay clean longer. I absolutely love it.
The companies website is: www.sargentsteam.com.
Evelyn Yates

Hi B.;
I have been where you are so I hope this helps a little. To start with you have kids that are old enough to help. They aren't going to like it but it's for the best. Have them help you with the laundry, kids like to load the washer and then have them put the stuff in the dryer and then you help them fold their things and they put them away. I do laundry on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Kids need to pick up thier own toys and if you have a dishwasher have them help you load it (if not they can help you wash dishes) they can put the dishes away. My life is on 3x5 cards since I'm not the most organized person around. Don't try to do everything all the time. No place has to be spotless. I have even got my husband helping after he gets home from work. I raised three sons and now have a 10 year old daughter. She makes her bed every morning, does her own laundry and keeps her room clean. She has always loved doing dishes and will load and unload the dishwasher. Granted she needs to be reminded sometimes. She sets the table for dinner, vacuums the floors (even though she hates the sound of the vacuum, she is noise sensitive.). Start out small and build from there. Boys need to know how to do things because you won't always be around to do it for them. Have them help you cook too. My two daughter in laws are so glad my sons can take care of themselves and their homes.
Good luck and I hope this helps;
J. M

Look at www.flylady.net for some really helpful, useful hints about daily/weekly tasks to "bless your home."
Also www.housefairy.org can help motivate your children to help you out!

Hi B.,

I use the motivated moms chore planner. Here's the link: http://www.motivatedmoms.com/products.html. It really helps me if I have a list of things that I can check off as I do them. Otherwise I tend to get overwhelmed and nothing gets done:).

A.

B., First I want to thank you for asking this question after reading some of the replies you got I am going to try a few new things.

As to school work it can be over whelming (X2 for both kids). We get every school announcement twice plus all the homework/papers both done and not done. We have a homework basket for items that need to be done, that way they don't get lost with all the other. As to graded homework they get trashed right away. School projects/pictures (I have a 1st grader & 4th grader) I have a clothes line (a rope really)on the wall in my Landry room with clothes pins to hang items on. That way we get to see them for a while and they are part of the decorations in that room. When the line gets too full some make it to their keep boxes.

As to the rest of the housework I find it easiest to do all at once. We call it Field Day (my husband was in the marines). On Saturday morning we all get together and do the work (bathrooms, dust, vacuum etc...) When the house starts out clean at the beginning of the week all seems to run better. I have also stopped going to bed without the kitchen cleaned (or at least the dishes done....). I find it only takes a few minutes when the dishwasher is empty of the clean ones (I wish it would unload it self). Kids can even help with some of that.

As a final note I got some really good advice from a friend once... "Don't put it down... Put it away!" If you take the few extra seconds to put something where it belongs instead of just moving it from place to place the end result will be better and you will have taken less time in the end. Happy cleaning.

Hi there
I struggle with the same issue myself with three kids it is hard! I reccomend the fly lady, she has a book and a web sight. It really helped me. Basically lots of routines and breaking thing's into manageable tasks instead of letting them build up. It helps with your whole life really! I know purging really helped me alot, for example the kids just have so much" stuff"! We got rid of a bunch and it helped! You won't miss it! Hang in there mom!

I've tried the flylady system and these are the ideas I like from her website which is flylady.net (it's all free)

*27 fling boogie - get a garbage sack and run around the house til you have 27 things to throw away. I also do this for laundry, fold 27 things and put them away then I can go do something else.

She has daily and weekly routines that she has written down in a control journal. Such as this:
* Morning Routine:
-Get Dressed to Shoes including Hair/Face, Brush Teeth
- Make Bed
-Swish & Swipe (this means wipe down the bathroom)
-Empty Dishwasher
-Reboot Laundry (a Load a Day Keeps CHAOS Away)
-Check Your Calendar
-Check Your Control Journal

She has routines for everything, desk day for paying bills, errand day for running to the store, weekly home blessing hour where you spend one hour picking up and cleaning the main part of your home.

She also says you can do anything for 15 min. So you pick one job set your timer and work on it for 15 minutes. Then take a break or move on to something else.

The main thing about her system is you can do it all or a little bit depending on your situation. Also don't get overwhelmed our houses don't get messy in a day so it won't get decluttered and completly tidy in one day. But any cleaning is better than doing nothing at all.

On her website and emails she also sends you Kelly's missions that focus on 1 section of your house each day of the week. Each mission is simple and can usually be done in 15 minutes or less.

I know that when I do follow her system my house looks much better than when I don't. Even if I only do a few things each day.

If you go to her website don't get overwhelmed there is a lot of stuff their. The baby steps is probably the first thing to look at.

Good Luck

Many years ago, I discovered a book called "The I Hate to Housekeep Book" I think by Fannie Flagg. (there is also "The I Hate to Cook Book") Basically, there are only a few general principles to her method, and they work like a charm.
1) Never leave a room empty handed. (There is always something in the room you're in, that goes some place else--a glass, a coat, SOMETHING--put it there on your way out)This soon becomes a nice habit.
2) Clean ONE drawer or closet shelf a day...NO MORE. It only takes about fifteen minutes at most, and by the time you work through the whole house, it will be about time to start all over again at drawer one, but ALL your drawers and cupboards and closets will look clean at all times. (I keep track by starting with my underwear drawer, and move through the house--one a day) The advantage is that you are never spending a lot of time during any particular day, but gradually everything looks really good. With children, this is especially good because they never give you enough time alone to do more than fifteen minutes. Besides, it sure beats the "all day" chore of cleaning out the hall closet, or all the kitchen cupboards at once. But gradually, they will all be clean. One hint--if the whole room or garage is really cluttered because you haven't had time to do some room for a long time, mentally mark off about a three foot square of the whole mess in one corner, and sort ONLY that three foot square for the day...eventually...the whole room will look great.
3) on wash day, as you collect towels throughout the house, take an extra minute to use them to wipe out sinks and wipe off counter tops before you through the towels in the washer. This is not a top-to-bottom cleaning, just keeping counter tops looking nice at all times.
4) Schedule yourself just ONE big thing a day plus one small thing (that's your 15 minute drawer, remember.) A BIG thing might be running the vacuum or dusting or cleaning the windows in ONE room, or doing the toilets, or using windex on a chandelier or light fixture...ONE etc. ONE big chore ONLY, though. When you complete that ONE BIG chore, you are DONE for the day. I work through the house just doing one big chore in one room at a time, and nothing ever looks really out of place, and eventually everything will be clean, but you haven't killed yourself obsessing over anything, and you still have time to play with your husband and your kids. People think I must work all the time, because they say, "Your house is always clean." I'm sharing the SECRET here...Fannie Flagg's secret. Start gently, and work through the house slowly, but even though you won't notice everything right away, within a month people will be telling you what a great housekeeper you are, and you won't even notice the little time you spend each day.
I think you can see the philosophy here. I enjoy having a nice, clean house and still having time for my husband and friends and kids. This is a gradual process, so you never feel like you are overtired or that you must do everything at once, but the result is that the whole house will start looking good to you and everybody else. The reason we've always hated housework is because it is always there to do again after we've already done it, and it always feels like we have to do it all day (like Saturday when you'd rather be doing something with the family). But trust me, THIS REALLY WORKS. Gradually, you'll work yourself out of the ALL-DAY-EVERY-DAY GUILT, and You'll still have time to yourself. REMEMBER ONLY ONE BIG THING and ONE LITTLE THING each day. It takes awhile to start seeing the difference, but you won't have stressed over it either.
Gradually, you'll find that the kids and the husband will start "never leaving the room empty handed" too, and that will be that much nicer. Good Luck...M. B

The best advise I ever got was the "tornado" idea. Depending on how much needs to be picked up we change the time. After dinner we set a timer and have a "10 minute tornado". Basically we all run around like crazy to pick up. My husband and I do the kitchen, kids do play room, etc. It works great becuase it sets the time limit. If they get things picked up in time they get a treat, if not then no treat. Very motivaing. Plus anyone can clean for 10-20 minutes. Sometimes it is just a 5 minute on for the bedroom. We make it fun by turning the music up loud and running around like crazy with lots of screaming :)Good luck!

Currently my best tip is to clean the bathroom while the kids are in the bath. I keep a 2nd set of cleaning supplies locked in the kids bathroom so that I can do a quick clean of sinks, counter, mirror, toilet while they take their bath. That way you are in there to supervise and help them and you can get something done at the same time.

B. M,
At our home everyone has a daily chore, from vacuuming, kitchen, bathroom, livingroom and dining room. Each of these rooms get cleaned with non toxic cleaners,we alternate every few days. Each person is responsible for picking up their own clothes, dishes, gargage, etc. If the kids don't do their chores, they get something taken away, IPOD, Electronics generally first, then what every is their favorite. My husband and I are fortunate that we both are able to work from home, sometimes the kids think when we are home for the day working then we can do all the chores, wrong. It is important to teach them at age 4 and up to pick up after themselves and to help around the house. Especially for when they are teenagers. Although if you use ammonia or bleach based products I would recommend you have them wear a face mask and rubber gloves.

I keep to a pretty strict schedule. Every day of the week I clean a room or two ie. Monday=laundry, Tuesday=bathrooms. I do this during nap time so that when my kiddos are up I can enjoy time with them. I find that if I keep to a schedule I can maintain a clean house and by the weekend there is nothing to do but play! Good luck!

Most of the stuff I pick up off the floor are toys. I have big baskets in several rooms. That's here the toys go quickly.

One more vote for flylady.net. She changed my life.

My favorite little tip is to never make a wasted trip. If I am walking into the kitchen, I look around for any dirty dishes that have somehow migrated that I need to take back with me. If I'm leaving the kitchen, I look for something to put away wherever I'm going. This works especially well whenever I'm going in the basement. I head down there several times a day, usually to change the laundry, and there always seems to be shoes, glasses, etc., that needs to be taken back upstairs.

Also, as you learn to make routines for yourself, incorporate similar routines for your children. My daughter's bedtime or naptime routine goes like this: brush teeth, pick up toys off floor, read story, sing song, say prayer. Most bedtime routines include teeth, story, song; so that's pretty typical. But I started adding the picking up the toys, and she is learning how to pick up after herself on a regular basis, and I am no longer tripping on toys or stepping on little pieces when I go in there when she wakes up.

Good luck!

I'm with everyone else... Flylady.net is an awesome resource for helping to keep that chaos away. She even has awesome tips for getting your kids on track too (yes, even the 15 mo. old). The 9 and 6 yr old are definitely old enough to help you out so you don't feel overwhelmed - it's just a matter of teaching them how to do it quickly and efficiently so it doesn't feel like a dreaded chore to them.

My morning routine definitely helps keep things in order and gets my day started off right. First, I get ready, make the bed, change out a load of laundry, put away dishes from last night and finish up any little kitchen clutters that are still out. At night, the floors get completely picked up, blankets folded and all chairs/foot stools/etc. get put back to their proper place. I invested in a Roomba and a Scooba, so I'll set those out to vacuum or clean the kitchen floor before I leave on an errand and my floors are clean when I come home.

If you have the ability, set a timer for 15 minutes 2-3 times a day, pick one thing to do, then do it. Once the timer goes off, that's it, you are done and walk away. It doesn't need to be perfect.

Good luck!

Check out www.flylady.com she will have your house clean from top to bottom and even makes it fun.

i have a cleaning calendar> It is set up weekly. I believe I got it from the Flyladt.net she is the organization Queen in my opinion. ANyway it is set up weekly with each day focusing on one part of the house. Laundry, bathrooms, kitchen, livingroom etc. Once I worked out what days I want to focus on which rooms I enlisted the help of the kids, they can do little things like wipe counters, gather dirty laundry etc, it helps you out and makes them feel like they are contributing. My kids (8,5,&2) at least the older two have gotten use to the schedule and know that Monday is laundry day and they bring their hampers to the laundry room before school, tuesday is bathroom day, one wipes down the bathroom for me the other takes out trash... just things like that. It is by no means going to happen over night but we've been doing it for about 7 months and it is working well for us. I totally understand how you feel, i too was getting overwhelmed but taking it little steps at a time soon you'll be at least On top of the mess. Best of luck and hang in there!

Clean the bathroom while supervising your 15 month-old's bath . . . feed your kids chores- it's good for them!

I too am a flybaby...follower of flylady lol but sometimes I Get so overwhelmed STILL...anyway--I loved reading the responses--and I just wanted to share something I started last weekend that is working. I went to walmart and got 5 of the cheap $3.50 laundry baskets and I took them in to the most lived in room, we call the family room. Anything belonging in the toy room went in one basket, anything for the kitchen in another, the master bedroom another, my daughters room another and one for any dirty clothes then the baskets went to those rooms. I then was able to take a day and put each of the baskets away while cleaning those rooms and putting anything in the empty basket that didn't belong and then can just take the baskets around the house and put stuff away. SO much easier!!
I think it will help our high traffic home stay cleaner. It's been working for a week which in my book is pretty good!!! :)

Hi B., For starters make sure your boys are helping out. They'll make much better husbands some day if they are trained early on how to do some of the cooking and cleaning. This WILL NOT make them less of a man.They are more then capable so don't hesitate to show them what needs done and how to do it. Get a chore chart or something simliar. Then check up on them and encourage/direct etc. My cleaning schedule goes something like this. Mon/Thurs..laundry. Every Thurs I vacuum and every other Thurs I'll do my serious cleaning (dust, vac, bathrooms, etc.)On the Thurs I don't deep clean I will change sheets and sometimes do window cleaning or another odd job. There's always something that needs cleaned outside of my Thursday housework but I fit that in when I can. My two (boy) and four(girl) year old like to "help" so I encourage them by giving them age appropriate jobs. You would be surprised how much they are capable of doing and how much they want to be a part of what you're doing so try to encourage that while you can. We have three attractive weaved baskets under our parsons table in our great room. The kids are responsible for cleaning up their toys before bedtime and know how and where to put them. They are also very helpful when it comes to dinner time and all the preparation that goes into that. One will set the table while the other helps Mom in the kitchen. I will not lie to you...this type of training takes tons of work and patience but I know it will pay off in huge dividens in the end. It is not too late to get your boys involved in the inside workings of your home but don't waste any more time getting them started. Remember, the home belongs to all of you so all of you need to put some effort into making and keeping it presentable. Best Wishes, L.

the way i keep myself motivated to keep up on chores is to reward myself. there is usually soemthing i really want a few minutes to do each day, read, write, play a game, watch a tivo'd show. so i just tell myself that i cannot do that thing until, the dishwasher is put away and reloaded, or all the floors are cleaned, whatever needs to be done. that way each day i get a few things done instead of what i used to do, which usually ended being me trying to clean everything after a week of not getting to the chores. also i make sure that my kids clean up after themselves as much as possible. my kids are 2 and 5 and they put away their own dishes, clothes, pick up any totys they get, and keep their clothes in the laundry basket. even your 15 month old can help, they love to sort things. good luck!

I know that this sounds terrible, but my best advice is to lower your standards! As mothers we are working every day to care for and teach our children, our "job" is not to have a clean house. I think that while our children are young a bit of clutter should not matter so much. Of course you want to keep your home clean enough to be healthy, but messy enough to be happy! For instance, my kids have turned my kitchen table into the craft table, right now there are scissors, ribbons, glitter glue, colored paper, crayons, watercolor paint, etc. all over my table, but my kids have a blast and create beautiful art so I don't let it bug me. We just eat our meals at the kitchen bar, which we have re-named Mommy's Restaraunt, my kids are the waitstaff, the customers, and the souchefs. I guess my point is, relax! Just do a couple of loads of laundry and dishes every day, make your kids pick up after themselves as much as possible without becoming a drill sergent, and save the deep cleaning for days when you can get a friend to babysit for a few hours. And aks your husband to help too! Even stay at home moms should not be expected to do all the housework by themselves!

I love the Flylady. She saved my life and sanity!!!! I tell all other moms to Flylady their house. It's amazing.

I understand your frustration. I have an in-home daycare and I feel that that is all I do now. But each child knows they are to put away the toys etc. that they play with when their done with it. But before I started my daycare this really worked for me I did a little something each day. Instead of doing all the cleaning one day of the week I seperate it out. For example on mondays - I straighten up the kitchen (clearing up the counters i know we all have a junk counter that things just get tossed on). Tuesdays - I'll dust and start laundry, Wednesday - I would pick up and organize the bedrooms. Thursdays I'd sweep, mop and vaccum. Friday-Clean the bathrooms and anything else that needed to be done. In doing this it made picking up much easier and when Saturday came around all the cleaning was done and I got to enjoy my weekend.

Good luck to you! I know you'll find something that will work for you.