Nov 10 2008
Ladies let’s clean!
Now that all the ispirational messages are done I suggest reading one each day to get your day going in the right direction. There’s nothing like getting your mind in a great place to begin your day. It will definitely help with the next topic which is cleaning!
I hate to clean, I mean really hate it. I remember growing up my mom was such a clean freak she would even spend hours cleaning the house right before we would go on vacation. She said it was so that she wouldn’t have anything to do when we returned but honestly I think she did it in case someone broke it they wouldn’t see the house a mess. (smile) Seriously though, now that I have my own family and home I wish more then anything that at least some of her clean freak mentality rubbed off on me. It’s not that my house is a mess or that I don’t like it to be clean it’s because I can spend up to an hour cleaning the living room then go do the same in the kitchen only to return to the living room and see that my kids have destroyed it worse then what it was before I cleaned! It just really seems like a waste of time. Who has time during the day to clean a room a thousand times?
Ok I know it isn’t reality that we can’t clean because the kids mess it up over and over again. I’m spending this week trying to find easier ways to clean so that my cleaning job gets done without driving me crazy. That begins with a set routine and plan of action!
First things first.
I figure the best thing to do is start in rooms the kids don’t play in but are important rooms in the home. For me the first one that pops into my mind is my kitchen. My two youngest are four and two so they don’t spend much time going in and out of the kitchen unless they are going to get a juice. My oldest is 11 and while he’s messy in the kitchen he doesn’t go in there often.
I never clean without having music going. It makes me feel like I’m not cleaning. It’s also a good way to get moving and get a little exercise into the cleaning mix. Go ahead and figure out what needs to be done and what you’re going to do first. Get all the cleaning supplies ready so you won’t have to stop and search for anything. It’s so easy to take a five minute break to look for that favorite cleaning product only to end up not returning to finish the job.
Remember you are cleaning the kitchen, this is where your food and drinks are located so you don’t want to use just any type of cleaning products. I find that water mixed with baking soda or vinegar works just as good as the store bought all purpose cleaners. Whatever you choose is fine. It’s also a good idea to go ahead and put on some latex gloves because we are going to get down and dirty!
They say the best thing to do is start at the top and work your way down. However when cleaning walls you should start at the bottom and work up because it will leave streaks if you go from top to bottom. Now that is definitely something I didn’t know! After wiping down from top to bottom getting the dust and grime off, and I’m talking on top of the refrigerator and all, then start on the stove.
The stove may need a little hard scrubbing but it’ll look great afterwards. Don’t foget to soak the burner covers in an oven cleaner solution. Afterwards move on to the refrigerator, which in my home is worse then the stove! My kids pour more in the refrigerator then in any cup they drink out of. Take everything out of the frige. If you have removable layers and draws then go ahead and soak them in a cleaning solution of your choice. While those are soaking wipe down the inside really well. I usually use just a water and vinegar solution here also because it’s safe to use and works really well, if you have bad odors you may want to use baking soda. Clean the shelves and draws and replace everything. Don’t forget to wipe down the drink containers that may have dripping drink left on them. I’ve learned to put the kids juices and snacks on the bottom and in the draws so that they won’t knock everything else down when the rush to the frige to get what they want.
Something that most people forget is to clean the cabinets. We wipe them down from time to time but never go inside because it’s just too much trouble to move all the dishes or food out to clean. Think about it, many people don’t wash a plate before they use it instead you pull it out of the cabinet and eat off of it. We trust that it’s clean but there is so much dust and grime in your cabinets you might as well be eating off of a dirty plate! So take everything out, wipe down the inside of the cabinets and all the items in it. That’s right rewash the dishes! Your body will thank you later. While you’re at it go ahead and finish up any dishes that are left around the kitchen.
After all this work it’s time to stop right? WRONG! Wipe down your counter tops and the outside of your cabinets really well with a degreaser cleaner or again vinegar water. Wipe down anything on your counters. Empty draws and clean the same way we did the cabinets.
Microwaves are the easiest to clean. Place a bowl of water in there and turn it on for a few minutes. The hot steam will loosen up any food or grime, making it simple to just wipe clean. This is also a job that should be done after using each time so that the food will not build up.
Now we are almost done! WOOHOO! Time to clean the walls. Wipe them down with a cleaning solution of your choice or again vinegar water (yes I live by this) and remember start at the bottom! Then we need to clean the floors. I have to say I use pinesol on my floors because I love the way it shines and smells.
I know this looks like a lot and it was supposed to be simple but really if you do this deep cleaning it isn’t something that has to be done daily yet your kitchen will sparkle for days as if you have. Daily everything needs to be wiped down, not scrubbed just wiped over, which will keep you from having to scrub it later. Always wipe the refrigerator when needed instead of waiting and that job will also become an easy one. Of course dishes are a daily routine but everything else after this deep cleaning can remain an easy job if it’s wiped down daily. This will save time and energy from having to do the whole deep cleaning and scrubbing routine.
