One of you said “I could not see myself waiting until the assigned day if it (chore) needed to be done right now.” Excellent point, my dear! Guess what? You don’t.
Within reason – writing a letter can wait a few days. Washing sheets can usually wait until Laundry Day. Meal Planning must not be done ASAP. But, a dirty pile in the floor? Yeah – do that.
There are certain chores that you need to do every single day to stay on top of things. Every. Single. Day.
I know some of you (like my friend, Simply Rebekah) are freaking out right now. GAH! Say it ain’t so?! Say I don’t have to clean EVERY DAY?!!? Lemme tell you a secret…
If you clean a little every day, you won’t be left with a behemoth mess – ever again. If you teach your children to clean every day, they won’t become overwhelmed at the task of cleaning up huge messes.
Maintenance
There are certain things I do every day to make my life easier – see if there is anything on this list that you might be able to tackle daily so that your house is always maintained:
- Wipe down bathroom counters
- Wipe down toilets
- Wipe down kitchen counters and kitchen table after each meal
- Load dishwasher immediately
- Wipe down the shower walls and ledge
- 4:30 pick up time
Come back down from your panic attack. Guess what? These tasks literally take mere MINUTES for you to do daily…but they take so much time off your cleaning in the long run. It literally takes me a minute to wipe down the bathroom counters every day. One minute. To say you don’t have time to do that task daily is not really true – everyone can come up with a single minute.
In Large Family Logistics, I learned a tip that helped me SO much in this area. Every time you go to the bathroom, do one thing. I’ll let that sink in a minute. This is in addition to that “thing” you went in there to do – whether to hide from the kids while you eat chocolate or to do #2.
Waiting….
Every time I go to the bathroom, I do something. I might wipe down the mirror (30 seconds?) or clean up toothpaste. Teach your children the same task – replace toilet paper immediately, wipe up water spills.
After each meal, I wipe down counters and the kitchen table. Dishes aren’t left in the sink, but immediately dealt with – either going in the dishwasher or being washed.
By doing this maintenance daily it means you won’t have to spend vast amounts of time cleaning. Because of this maintenance I’m able to deep clean my house on Cleaning Day in TWO HOURS beginning to end. That’s it.
Ways to make it easier
If you keep what you need at hand, you’ll be more likely to quickly wipe down a sink. I keep ecloth that I purchased from Milk Allergy Mom under every sink – in the full and half bath and under the kitchen sink. It’s within reach so I can whip it out, wipe something off, and put it back.
Before I get into the shower, I put a rag in there so that when I’m done, I can wipe everything down. This means I rarely have to deep clean my shower – mostly just scrubbing the floor of it once a week.
Keep a small basket caddy under the bathroom sink and put everything you need for the shower in it. Don’t keep bottles and such in the bathtub – it makes it so much harder to clean your shower and you’ll grow weird fuzzy animals in there if you leave stuff long enough. True story. When you’re done bathing, use your towel to wipe down the bottles used and replace them in the caddy. It literally takes seconds. (Soap can stay in the shower on a soap dish.)
What is pick-up time?
Around 4:30-4:45 (for us) there is pick-up time. It’s when toys are put away and the vacuum is used. That’s because I like my husband coming home to a house that doesn’t look like a scene from the movie Twister.
Does this always happen? No. But I always make my best effort.
It takes 15 minutes or less for everyone to pitch in and help.
After this, I let my children watch television. Yup. You heard me. I don’t believe television is the downfall of society. But, I do monitor what my kids watch.
This television time helps them wind down and they aren’t as CRAZY when Barry arrives home – it’s a bit more peaceful. Which, I know he appreciates. And I am able to get dinner done quickly without settling squabbles.
That might not work for you – you might choose something different, like art time our outside play…but that’s things we do all day long, so I throw out something different.
What are tasks that you can do daily to maintain your home?
See other posts in this series:
- Wash on Monday
- Clean on Tuesday
- Bake on Wednesday
- Town on Thursday
- Office Day on Friday
- Get Ahead on Saturday
- FAQs for Chores
- Each Day Has Its Own Proper Chores
- What Would Ma Ingalls Do?
- Embracing Your Inner June Clever
I love the tip to do something every time I go into the bathroom….you really can teach an old dog new tricks……I’m 68 years old….LOL!
Aww – that’s awesome, Carolyn! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Julie, HH team
Thank you so much for your posts and periscope show. You are encouraging and make me laugh. I get up around 5 to have time with Jesus and try to tip toe around to get a couple things done in the morning…even if it’s just me getting ready for the day with makeup and all. I tend to clean a little everyday, but would like to transition to one day of cleaning and daily keeping it up. We are starting homeschooling this year so I am just trying not to get too excited about stuff, but to transition slowly….we will see how that goes! Thanks again, Stacy, for what you do and for the ministry God has called you to through this blog.
Yes definitely transition slowly – homeschooling can sometimes feel like a full time job itself! 🙂 Go forth, mama and do your thang!
Time yourself to see how long it actually takes – Yesssssss! Loading & unloading the dishwasher was one of my least favorite chores. Timed myself the other day – literally took less than 5 minutes – Really Misty?!?!?! That chore is not so hated anymore, lol
Oh, now I need to time myself for that! It totally seems longer than 5 minutes. I hate it too. Ha ha!
I enjoyed your article. I am a “neat freak” so to speak. I like order and feel very frazzled when things aren’t exactly as I want them. I have always done “daily” chores and then a good thorough clean on Saturdays. My house is “always” visitor ready but not eat-off-the-floor clean where people feel uncomfortable visiting. I make our bed before going down stairs in the morning. This way it is always done. It’s part of my shower/get dressed for the day routine. I make sure dishes are done and everything is in order before leaving the house for work. I am a nanny for a one year old. I have to mention I raised three children and took care of two of my 8 grand children daily for the first 6 years of their life. I still watch them weekends. The family I nanny for I really wish would implement your cleaning and organizing strategy. Every morning I arrive to a total mess. Dishes piled in both sinks, baby’s bottles and clothes scattered throughout the house. I do basics but they NEED someone to show them how to clean and keep things picked up. They are a young couple to and should have the energy to do little things in the evening. And definitely on the weekends. Then an event comes up and they are over whelmed because of the time it takes to get things presentable. It frustrates me but I can’t keep doing IT ALL for them plus keep up my own house. I’m twice their age and seem to have twice the ambition. Energy – not so much. Wish I could get the little bit of cleaning here and there concept across to them without offending anyone.
Well, Lauren it sounds like you do a rockin’ good job! And I’m with you on the bed making. If my bed isn’t made, I feel like a disaster zone all day. 🙂 You can forward my series to this couple. Bahahahaha! “Well, Stacy says….” Ha ha!
Thanks so much for all the detailed cleaning posts and periscopes!! I have a cleaning routine but I am tweaking it to some of your ideas because I am the person who cleans a little every day. But I would prefer to do the main cleaning in one or two days and do the small daily stuff on the other day. I just ordered some ecloths from MilkAllergyMom and I am excited to try them out. Thanks for the suggestion!!
I hope you love them as much as I do, Jody! They are amazing!
Thank you, Jody! 🙂 Let us know if you have any questions.
Dear Stacy,
Thank you so much for such wonderful inspiration in my homemaking tasks. Your advice is so relevant, so simple and so necessary. It is a true blessing for me to receive this valuable information from you. I am truly looking forward to your posts.
Would you consider sharing what programs your children watch on television, by any chance? I do let my children watch television, but I sometimes run out of ideas of adequate programs for them.
Blessings to you and your family,
Anne
We watch a wide variety. Veggie Tales. Classic movies like Mary Poppins and Little Rascals. Wild Kratts. The Magic Schoolbus. PBS on the Roku. If you have a Roku and Netflix there are tons of options on there!
Oh one more! My kids LOVE LOVE LOVE Blippi!!!!! If you haven’t seen him on You Tube, totally check it out.
Thanks very much !
Thank you for the helpful housework posts. I’m working on implement some of your ideas on dividing up chores….I’ve also been getting up at 5:30 to start my day with Jesus then power nap when the boys go for quiet time. This is really helping!
You rock!
YEAH! Early morning people unite!
I love this series and love Stacy’s wit and wisdom! Very encouraging!
Wait…wit? I have wit?! I just thought I was humorous! Wahoo! 🙂
I loved this series! The days for everything and the 4:30 clean-up – along with a few other 5-minute tidying sessions is exactly what was laid out in Bootcamp for Lousy Housekeepers (by Heidi Schaap). You’re so real, it’s inspirational! 🙂
Well, I don’t know Heidi, but she sounds like a smart gal! 🙂
As for daily chores, but aunt told me that is how it was done back in the day
Those ladies back in the day were genius.
I enjoy reading your blog. Keep up the good work.
Thanks, Jane! I enjoy you all.
I watched a video recently (I forget whose) that said a task is not complete until all the components are done, so I find that motivating. Like how you do dishes – for me wiping the table, stovetop and counters, and a quick sweeping and / or floor mop are part of the job. Same with laundry – dumping it on the couch is not completing the job.
Having said that I get lazy sometimes. Like, My dishes from last night aren’t done :0 and I need to go make my bed still :0 :0 … I watch ‘clean with me’ videos to pick me out of a bad enough slump.
Yes! I heard on the Sorta Awesome podcast this gem: Do it now. Why wait? Why wait to put it away? Do it now and it’s DONE! Wahoo!
Amen Sister. My kids have rotating weekly chores and everyone spends a few extra minutes every day putting away random things that make their way to the family room. Bathroom and kitchen wipe down and sweeping around litter box are a daily must.
Random things do tend to migrate. 🙂
Amen to your daily chores! It really doesn’t take that long if you do it daily (or almost daily). Flylady says to time yourself doing something that you think you don’t have time to do – making your bed, for instance. It takes me 3 minutes tops. You’d be surprised how much we fuss about doing but it really doesn’t take much time at all. If I’m on the phone (not a business call), I will clean the bathroom, wipe down the counters, fold clothes, etc. Never sit and just talk – do something! I get up at 3:30 a.m. (my husband and son leave before 4:00) and I throw a load of clothes in then. They are washed, dried, folded and put away by 6:00 a.m. I am a morning person so this works for me (just don’t ask much of me after 7 or 8:00 p.m.). Ha Ha! LOVE your blog (and attitude and sarcasm) by the way!
I do so love the mornings too! Best time of day!
For me…what it comes down to is attitude. My husband and I have a “at home business” which makes our home a factory. We make and sell refurbished items, bird feeders, crafts in general. So quite frankly….all I want to do is create. And there always seems to be a craft show looming which makes it almost impossible to keep on top of the house. But when I take my eyes off of myself, and think about keeping things up is more about us as a household…or home…that helps. It’s not about my desires..but the sanctity of our home. And then I roll up my sleeves and get er done. Thanks Stacy for the pep talks!
Yes! And we set the tone for our household. Amen, mama!
For Emily: just thinking your home cleaning routine as one of your very important crafts! A tidy, ckean home is a beautiful thing made by your own hands, which will be admired for sure!
My situation: 7 people in the house, 5 of them ages 7 to 14 yrs. WIth each child playing a sport, school clubs, academics, etc., I find that I have to do almost all of these items – laundry, clean, errands, bills, e-mails every day. I do not feel organized, I feel like I’m always doing 1,000 things at once, and that is even with the kids helping out. My biggest goal right now is to initiate meal planning. I think that alone will help me tremendously, and I am going through your blog and recipes for help. Thank you!
You can do this, Megan. I believe in you. Take one things at a time and conquer it before moving on. Meal Planning is a GREAT way to start!!!
don’t tell the greenies, but I run my dishwasher after supper each evening (or after major baking sessions) even if it is not full. I usually run it on “light” which I find does just fine. Even if it’s just half full, I let ‘er rip and always have clean dishes in the morning – and less to put away. Sometimes excessive frugality( I can’t run it til it’s full and running over) gets in the way of reasonable compromises.
That’s ok…I don’t run full loads of laundry anymore either. That kept me constantly in the laundry mode. There’s only two of us…so I have the luxury. But I do just Monday and Thursday’s now. Trying to at least keep up with sorting throughout the week. But so far no police have come to my door over this…so I am good!
Welp, the greenies will have to be mad at both of us because I do that too. BHAHAHAHAHA! 🙂