How do you KEEP your house clean?

timesdragonfly: How do you KEEP your house clean?
It never fails, I spend my weekend running errands and cleaning my house. By the time I go back to work, I need a weekend from my weekend. I promise myself I will keep my house clean so that NEXT weekend, I’ll be able to relax a little. Alas! The house is looking crummy by Wednesday and down right dreadful by Saturday. How do you keep your house clean. What is the secret?

Answers and Views:

Answer by eskie lover
Clean as you go. Conceal clutter. Put away what you take out. It really is that simple. For example, when you take a shower, clean the shower. During the week use a mister bottle full of one of the commercial cleaners or vinegar & water. Both help keep soap scum and mildew from taking over the shower. Do a heavy duty cleaning when you take your weekend shower and because you kept the shower mostly clean during the week, a sanitizing clean on the weekend takes little effort. Wipe out the sink when you wash your hands after using the bathroom. I keep cleaners and paper toweling or sanitizing wipes under each vanity so I clean the toilet and sink as they are used. Clean the kitchen after you use it to prepare a meal so grease and bacteria don’t have a chance to take root.

Conceal clutter. I like the use of containers for other purposes concept. I have decorative boxes in almost every room in my home that look like part of my decoration, but when you open them they contain remote controls, unpaid bills, chapsticks, handcream, and other stuff that when left out looks junky. Every container I get, whether it is a candle jar or a liquor bottle gets re-used to store something. Dishsoap sits on my counter with a liquor pouring spout in a beautiful bottle that used to contain some alcoholic beverage. So do EVOO and vinegars in a beautiful copper container that make them look like kitchen accessories instead of daily use items and counter clutter.

Put away what you take out. This is the hardest one because it means you either use up what you take out or return it to where you got it. Clothing for example, goes back to the closet when you are finished wearing it. So, have laundry baskets on the floor of the closets, one for dry cleaning, one for darks, one for lights and one for lights. That way, your laundry is sorted automatically and that makes the task of doing laundry go faster. If you get the newspaper, read it and then it goes to recycle so it isn’t sitting around looking messy. I use a large brass bucket next to the fireplace for the ads, grocery circulars or other stuff I want to save from the newspaper until shopping day. Then, I shop with them and they go right to recycle while I’m unloading the car. The key to keeping your house clean is having systems in place to make the job easier and to do each task as you go. That way, nothing piles up to become overwhelming.

Answer by ehnstephenson
clean everynight when kids go to bed

Answer by steven e
it is diffucult when we are working,but we try to do it on our days off.room at a time if possible.

Answer by momlove
Sorry but if you have kids, its a whirlwind until they learn to help clean up. If you do one or two small chores a day, you wont have such a mess by the weekend

Answer by juanmoorebeer
I brought a girl in to do that. Licensed, too!
(Marriage license)

If you tell her I said that, I will deny it to the end.

Answer by ~Brittles~
Sounds alot like my life! I am such a neat freak my bf is always telling me to let it go and blah blah blah but I cant. I wont be able to sleep at night if there is a sock on the floor or something. I pick up the house in the am before I leave for work. Im 29 weeks pregnant and usually to tired at night. Wednesdays our kids spend the night with family so we have some alone time which I hate to admit is usually when I vacuum and clean really good for a couple of hours.

Answer by 65% water
We started taking our shoes off before we come into the house, and that goes for anyone who comes in. That keeps the house amazingly clean.

Of course if you have children or dogs, you’re lost. Consider hiring someone to help out.

Answer by bananacoladasmakeyoufat
clean as you go, clean in the eveings duringthe week and then you can take the whole weekends off to have to yourself instead of spending them cleaning.

Answer by Need 2 Know
Everything has its place and everything is in its place. Once you clean your house the way you want it cleaned, keep it clean by putting items back where they belong, e.g., clothes go on hangers in the closet or in the laundry basket. Dirty dishes? Rinse them as you use them and keep them in a dishpan. You could even put the dishpan in the oven, out of sight. Newspapers, mail ? Throw away or file away. Wipe up spills when they happen. Use handy wipes, e.g. cleaning cloths, dust cloths, to go over coffee tables, end tables, etc. Use small trash bags for your trash and take them out when filled. Another thing you can do is clean your house in small increments, e.g., one room at a time during the week and leave your weekend free. Finally, you can always enlist the help of others as motivation. Who wants someone else going through your things?

Answer by nite_angelica
At my house, everyone picks up after themselves – everyone includes my hubby lol. My sons are 16 and 18, so this may be easier for me than for someone with small children.

I empty the dishwasher every evening when I get home from work – when someone uses a dish, it goes in the dishwasher, counters are wiped off everytime you make something in the kitchen, etc.

A great rule at my house that applies to everyone: If you see something that needs to be done, take a minute and do it. Don’t leave it for mom to do on the weekend. It really is a matter of cleaning as you go and takes the entire family.

Something else we did: We have 2 large and 2 small dogs that pretty much had the run of the house. When we bought our new house we built a privacy fence for their safety. The two dogs stay outside except for bad/cold whether (then they are confined to the game room), and the 2 small ones stay outside during the day. You would not BELIEVE the difference this makes in keeping things clean.

Answer by Cindy-Lou
We have 2 dogs , 2 cats, and 5 children…. I spend my LIFE cleaning….. but KEEPING it clean?? sorry. Let me know when you find the answer 🙂

Answer by Dani
No TV or games until homework and cleaning chores are done. The chores are rotated and posted on the frig every Sunday night. No chore last more than 20 minutes, but it all helps.. ( take out trash, sweep kitchen, dust living room furniture,run one load of laundry, etc…)