Yes, yes, yes, good husbands are hard to find and FAR MORE IMPORTANT than house work. I try to do the things that are most meaningful to him first (Clean clothes for work, food on the table and a sweet personality,lol) and then if time and energy all the rest.
Six Simple Housework Hacks
Photo: DH Goodman
Need things to be easier? No available budget monies for a cleaning service? Boy, do I hear you! Here are six simple things I've started doing to maintain housework sanity on the home front.
Scrub brushes.
It never ceases to amaze me just what an elbow grease saver these really are. I love having them in all shapes and sizes for different jobs. Nail brushes, regular scrub brushes, old toothbrushes, you name it. They are all fantastic for jobs you would otherwise struggle with. Bathroom sink handles getting goopy around the bottom edges? Residual leftovers in last night's frying pan, even after the overnight soak? Still got some raw chicken goop under your fingernails, and you are ready to start chopping green salad? Having a collection of the correct types of brushes when and where you need them will cut down scrubbing (and running around looking for them) time dramatically.
Take off your shoes.
Seriously. Just take off your shoes. As soon as you enter the door, as far as I'm concerned. This requires (and here's the catch) getting your whole family into the game as well. Trucking in extra dirt, grime, grass clippings and lord only knows what else if you have animals of any sort onto your floors and carpet is just an extra job you don't need. I realize when you are in the middle of large outdoor projects and you are home alone this can be challenging, particularly if you are a laced up work boots type of person. But the ringing telephone really can go to voice mail if you let it, and it takes way less time to take off your work shoes than it does to scrub the floor. Again.
The upstairs / downstairs basket system.
While I appreciate the free stair master workout replacement, making individual trips up and down for something as small as a comb or tech gear charger just isn't time efficient. My answer? A basket / bucket / receptacle of some sort at both the top and bottom of the stairway. When we are at either level of the house and notice something that needs to make a trip in the other direction, we go to the basket and toss it in. Granted on shopping day the bulk toilet paper doesn't exactly fit. But you get the picture.
Then for example, once the downstairs basket has been walked up, and everything dropped off at its necessary location, that now empty basket becomes the one to toss new things in at the top of the stairs, and the full one goes back downstairs with me for the same drill. Obviously, this is most helpful if you have a two story home. However, if you have a long hallway in your house that feeds off into various rooms, you could still have one that you carry from one end to the other, dropping off and picking up items for distribution in each room that you hit.
Certainly this is a helpful tip for any household, but I think it's of particular note to those who are multi-tasking in their home to a greater degree for things like an at home business, home schooling, or in-home care of a loved one. Every bit of time efficiency tweaking helps in those situations.
Stock your work stations.
Nothing frustrates me any more than going to a spot to do a job and having nearly nothing there to actually pull off the project. I realize that with some home projects, this is unavoidable and a fair amount of set up is required. But for your basic everyday stuff, you can cut down on the stress a fair amount by having things like lotion, cleaning spray, scrub brushes, cleaning rags, hand soap or sanitizer, spot treatment and more available. While each family has different needs and situations, nearly every home could stand to have stations stocked at the following locations: kitchen sink, each bathroom, the laundry room and if you have one, the mud room.
Cleaning caddies.
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These can be extremely helpful for a couple of reasons. First, even having all the items your work station needs stored in the cupboard won't help as much if they are all loose and falling around. This is hardly conducive to taking care of business. Second, things will inevitably happen in areas of the house where this is no work station. For example, at our place the living room is adjacent to the kitchen. But there is no sink in there, so it is clearly not a place where a stash of cleaning supplies is easily incorporated.
Enter, the cleaning caddy. This can be either a coated wire basket with handles, a cleaning bucket or an empty gallon vinegar jug with the front top half cut out. Store a cleaning spray, spot treatment, an old toothbrush or smaller sized scrub brush and some clean rags, as well as anything else you think you might need for on the fly clean up such as salt for red wine spills. If you have an unexpected spill or pet accident in the living room, you can grab the caddy only and have whatever you need in one trip. If you are working at the kitchen or bathroom sink on something, you only have to reach in and grab one item as well, versus dealing with all kinds of tipped over containers and things piled on top by well meaning guests.
Let it be.
This one was tough for me, as I like to have things look a certain way in our home. However, I also like not being a shrew to my husband , and having time for other projects and writing assignments. And, as we all know, there is only so much time in every day. When I have to choose between not dusting or not putting up an article, the dusting is what falls by the way side. Another way I prioritize is to ignore the things that don't create chaos first.
Here's an example: Skipping the floor cleaning might bug me, but it doesn't cut down on efficiency. Skipping the dish washing can throw an immediate wrench in the gears of our household machine when the spatula or carrot peeler are not available. So I might ignore the floors for a week or two if need be (remember, we don't have toddlers crawling on ours so your choices might be different) but keep things rolling on things like dishes, laundry, etc. Like I said, this wasn't easy for me to do. It really does bother me, especially if someone is coming to my home for the first time, if things look less than sparkling or even cluttered. It also impacts my creative energies, so I try not to let it get too out of control. That being said, there have definitely been times when the depth of dog hair on the carpet was . . . well, disgusting really.
How did I get comfortable with it? By buying into the belief that being nasty or cranky with my spouse from being too stressed out was worse than having my house look less than stellar. I'm not saying I pull this off perfectly mind you, but I do try to bear it in mind. Great partners are hard to come by. Vacuum cleaners are not. Your call.
That's it, people. Six simple housework hacks that make our lives simpler. I invite you to consider our strategies and share any others you have found helpful.
Best of Wise Bread
I follow all of these tips, too, except for the shoe removal. We decided against ANY carpet in this house so the floors are easier to clean and don't absorb odors.
You're absolutely right that relationships are more important than cleaning. I mean, we can't live in filth, but a little dust and grime won't kill us.
Hi, I found your article to be very interesting! I thought you made several good points. I've divorced after 25 yrs. so yes a good one is hard to find, haha. We do remove our shoes and it does help a lot with the constant dirt battle. I also don't mop everytime the floor needs it, I'm so glad to hear other's don't as well. Keep up the great writing.
If you can spring for a roomba they really do cut down on the time and effort you have to put in. If we ran ours daily we only had to sweep and vac the house once a month to get the deep down or behind things.
Yes, relationships are more important than cleaning. But what to do when I am the one who is working ( my wife is "retired" ), the kids are in school all day, and "Let it be" means the house looks like a garage sale?
Myscha, say it ain't so! You will love the roomba:
http://store.irobot.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2525116&cp=2804605&a...
It is the easy way to clean floors, put it down and watch it go. But, it's a lot pricey-er than a broom, and the recharger does suck. (Electricity, that is).
I didn't save time at first, either, because it's so fun to watch, I just followed it around.
One of my tips is to declutter. Not only do you end up with less stuff (and less inclination to buy stuff) it's actually easier to clean around too - less stuff on the floor, less stuff on the tables tops and therefore easier to pick up and clean around.
#2 - You know, we were hoping for no carpet too. But, they came with the house and the builder didn't do customizations in an effort to keep the prices affordable. So at least the carpet that is here is new and there is tile in all the important places like bathrooms, laundry room, kitchen / dining area and foyer. So we are sort of rolling with it and will just place the Persian carpets over the regular wall to wall when they get here and try to be OK with that. They are definitely more work though, no doubt.
I have a Roomba, too! Although I'm a bit disappointed that I haven't been able to use it as much as I thought I would. We are remodeling, and there is just too much for the little guy to push over, get stuck under, or accidentally suck up in the meantime. But I do absolutely LOVE my Steamboy ... I could never find the time to scrub before this guy. It is a lifesaver for little boy wee-wee around the toilet!
Linsey Knerl
I agree with the no shoes thing. Keeps the floors cleaner and you are more comfortable. If you do it, there are a few things to plan:
1.where do you put your shoes when inside? Have one place to put the shoes you were most recently wearing (and remember that when you put on a different pair of shoes, the ones in that location need to go back (unless you have all of your shoes in that one place). We have a little line of shoes near the front door for recent shoes and then I move the shoes I'm not wearing right now back into my closet.
2. If you need to step out front or out back for a minor thing (take out the trash, get the mail, water the plants) you may not want to go get your latest pair of work shoes by the door. I keep slip on shoes just outside the front and back door (out of the way) and when I walk out the door for a small errand I slip these on and they are off again at the doorstep. Saves my feet from damage, keeps them clean, and reduces shoe hassle.
These can be found in packs of 6-12 and really do a better job of mopping up spills, cleaning and dusting than paper towels, and just go into the washing machine when they're used (don't put them in the dryer, their lint-attracting properties are adversely affected). In the long run, much cheaper than paper towels and less icky than sponges.
We also use a concentrated general cleaner (we like Mrs. Meyer's because they're environmentally friendly and they smell good,) and Murphy's Oil Soap - a bottle of each and a couple of spray bottles on each floor or at each cleaning station/caddy, and you're set for most tasks. The oil soap, much to our surprise, works not just on wood but on leather sofas.
I'm just discovering the benefits of these things in certain situations versus regular old cleaning rags. Man, can they polish a sink! I didn't know about the dryer thing, though. Oops.
Myscha, you always make me laugh! I, too, figured that you were going to suggest decluttering, but your other suggestions are also helpful. I'm wondering about the Roomba - does that work well on hard floors? We've got hardwood with only a few rugs (like three in the whole house.) I would love to find something that would pick up all the dirt/cat hair/dropped cheerios but wouldn't be fazed by legos and barbie shoes. Any suggestions, everyone?
The basket system is interesting. However, I try to take advantage of those short trips to put something away by using the room-to-room method. For example) I bring a dirty glass downstairs to the kitchen, in there i see a coat hanging on the back of the chair, i bring it to the hallway closet, in the hallway i see a pair of shoes that I won't be wearing for a while so I take them to an upstairs closet. See, I didn't waste the trip downstairs to the kitchen. Granted, it's a little bit more time consuming :) But that way, it's like you're cleaning up the house without really being conscious of it.
Funny comment about Barbie shoes. Yes, it picks up most things (especially pet hair, dust, and paper litter.) It does tend to just scoot around anything too large (like a lego.) At my house, this is a benefit, as I would lose my head if Barbie's shoes got sucked up, like in a regular vacuum.
I live in an apartment which is completely carpeted except for the kitchen and bathrooms.
I do the no shoes thing in my place because the carpet is light and I hate to vacuum. I have three mats ($5 each at Walmart and they are LARGE) at the front door. One is to wipe your feet as soon as you step in and the other two are to place shoes on when you step inside.
It works well for me and all my guests don't seem to have a problem.
I love the no shoes concept but it doesn't work if you have dogs that can go in and out :-P
Discovered that gem when I was in college with a japanese roommate, I was astounded at the difference a no shoe rule made. If you can do that, DO IT!
My mother always made us take our shoes off, growing up, which made our Japanese exchange students feel right at home. I change into slippers first thing when I get in the door. However, I have to admit that my laziness and messy little dogs mean that I might as well wear my shoes inside - but it's such a habit that I change into slippers even though the slippers are as dirty as outdoor shoes at this point.
Roomba: great. Scares the bejabbers out of the dog, but tickles the human.
If you have a house that's all or mostly hard floors, try Roomba's answer to the shop vac: "Dirt Dog." A whole lot cheaper than the vacuum cleaner, it's a kind of electronic broom. It doesn't have an onboard vacuum cleaner, so all it's doing is sweeping. But on hard floors, it performs exactly the same as the more expensive Roomba vacuum.
Neither of these contraptions can completely replace an actual vacuum cleaner operated by a human...but they can delay the day of reckoning for a few weeks.
Re Sarah's comment: Murphy's also works well on the plastic, vinyl and leatheroid in a car--excellent for DIY car washing.
Woot regularly has deals on Roombas. I don't have one but a good friend swears by them. They work well on carpet and hardwood floors. you can even get one that cleans the floor vs just vacuuming it. And there's a roomba for the lawn too.
My best housework hack is having a schedule. It can be as complex as Real Simple's periodic table for cleaning or as easy as Housekeeping 101's daily list. Mine has me doing a few tasks a day, every day. If I get off track, I just get started on that day's list. Any tasks I miss don't move to tomorrow, they move to next week. That's the key for me. I can easily get overwhelmed so I like to keep my list short and simple.
I'm not so good about keeping the no shoes rule, but I do keep a pair of clogs and a pair of slippers by the door (a pair of thongs in the summer). A friend used to keep a big basket of beautiful knitted socks for people to change into when they came to her house.
Jenn, I especially like the "it gets bumped to the next week" idea. This would work particularly well for those things that don't throw a wrench in the gears if they don't get done, like window sills, etc. I'll have to check out the lists you mentioned.
Removing shoes at the door is the thing to do. Eseential to keeping an home clean.
I have an whole blog on that subject.
Shoes Off at the Door, Please You might want to take a look.
Thank you for your submission to the December 2008 edition of the advice for women from women blog carnival.
