# Cleaning tips?



## Linkovich (Apr 17, 2009)

Hello,

I have a quick question. A friend told me last night how messy I am, and his words were "filthy". I know there are times when I really let things pile up, especially dishes, but I don't see myself as being filthy. Perhaps I have a very high picture of filthy, whereas to other people a bit of dust is filthy. It is a bit discouraging to me. I would like to be a bit cleaner than I am now, but to be told it in this way, makes me not even see how I will ever get to the standard of clean, unless I clean 24/7. Anyhow, enough whining...

Looking at my house, I can see the main problem areas are with the continuous upkeep of dishes or laundry, as well as lots of clutter (which I try to keep in baskets). Oh, and my front porch is often messy, particularily with dirt. So I was wondering, does anyone have any tips on how to tackle these areas? I do love to clean, and do a really good job of it when I have the time to tackle it, but it's the daily things that just get me.


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

Read through the various threads on this forum and you'll find lots of tips. One resource you'll find mentioned over and over is Flylady. She advocates things like 5 minute room rescues, where you just give 5 minutes of quick cleaning and straightening to each room, putting out "hot spots", which is anywhere you know dirt and clutter tend to accumulate (like your front porch?), setting a timer for 15 minutes and working on a set task for just that 15 minutes (you'd be shocked at what you can accomplish in 15 minutes), 27 fling boogies, where you just start grabbing anything you know is clutter and find 27 items that you can throw out, give away, etc - and then DO IT, and she has a schedule of areas of the house to tackle each week of the month. Check out the website www.flylady.net for a lot more info, and her book, Sink Reflections, is great. 

Along the same vein, and where Flylady gets much of her info from, is S.H.E. or the Sidetracked Home Executives. Two sisters started this in the '70's, in my neck of the woods, and eventually went nationwide. Their slogan is something like "we save lives with 3x5's". They thought up a card system with 3x5 cards in a file box, that tells you what to do and when to do it, basically. I used it very successfully years ago, and sometimes think I need to go back to it, lol. They also have a website and forum www.shesintouch.com that will give you more info. They've written a number of books, and they (the books AND the sisters) are hilarious. I saw them in person on the local morning show years ago.

The main thing Flylady says about clutter is that you can't organize it, you have to get rid of it (paraphrased). Washing the dishes at least once a day, laundry daily from washing to folding and, most importantly, *put away*, and 15 minutes a day on the porch will probably get you well on your way. 

Now then, about "filthy". Do you trust the person who said this to you - or should I say, do you trust their appraisal of your home? Is this a person to whom a speck out of place is a crisis? Or is this a person who has a comfortable home that isn't always in apple-pie order, but is basically clean (kitchen and bathroom scrubbed, and rest of the hosue reasonably clean, for example)? What do you see in your mind's eye as filthy? Taking an objective look at your home right now - is your home "filthy", a bit messy, or what? What do you want your home to look like? How close to that are you? If it's not even close to what you want, then you just need to start working on it, a bit at a time. It didn't get "filthy" overnight, and it isn't going to get or stay clean overnight, either. 

The key is to keep what you clean, clean, and add to it as you can. In 15 minutes a day, every day, you add up to 1 hr and 45 minutes of concentrated cleaning in a week. Multiple that by a month, or a year, and you have some serious cleaning done, all in 15 minutes a day...add a bit of time each day for maintenance of the areas you've already cleaned, and you can keep it looking good. It's much easier to KEEP it clean, than it is to clean it up when it's a mess. I find that when I backslide and let it get messy, I tend to get depressed and not want to deal with it at all. When I'm on top of my game and doing daily maintenance, I find that not only does it take very little time daily, but I have time to do the extras. I love to cook in a clean kitchen - I hate to even walk into my kitchen when it's a disaster.

Well you asked a quick question, and I gave you the book, lol! Sorry about being so wordy - when I put it in print, it helps ME see where I need to be, too.


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## Linkovich (Apr 17, 2009)

Thanks for the advice! I checked out Flylady, because it was mentioned a few times. I love it! Especially the idea about the sink, because that's where the most depressing part is! So I went out an got myself a baby bathtub from the trift store to stick under the sink for dishes. 

As for the person's review, their house is not spotless, but I think the extent of the word might have been to hurt me a bit, because I had just upset them that evening (not in order to hurt them, but some things had to be talked about that weren't pleasant). My idea oif filthy is to have dirt or grime caked to things, or to not have any place to sit, eat or move around. Sometimes mud gets tracked into the front porch, but I really don't like it grime, so that I try to keep on top of. Perhaps that is a high definition of filthy, but I want a house that is lived in too, not a spotless but cold home. The bathroom is the one area I like cleaning, because I cannot stand a dirty bathroom, and all it really takes is a few minutes, and it doesn't get dirty easily either!


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## Queen Bee (Apr 7, 2004)

My house had become messy--places that haven't been really cleaned in years--oh, I would re stack shoes, clothes, games but not REALLY clean out the closet. I would move things from the upstairs to the basement but not really put everything away...You get the picture!!! Well, I have decided 2010 is going to be different. I have started cleaning out one drawer, one closet, one basket--one something EVERY day. I mean really deep cleaning, throwing/giving/donating things away! 

In my situation, the clutter was starting to take over. We have too much stuff to even have ample storage for it. So, it going.. Dh wasn't happy to find out that some of his clothes (that are 4sizes too small) are gone! That he longer has 8 pair of mud shoes.. That the old towels (that have holes/raggedy edges) are now in the rag bag and the newer towels are in their places.. and the linen closets will actually not attack you when you open them.... 

Do what I am doing --taking baby steps.. doing something little every day or three or four times a day -as time allows..


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## kaymiller2 (Dec 26, 2009)

we should keep ourselves accountable to each other...well, I should, anyways! lol! I am so bad about setting goals for myself, then never 'keeping on'. Anyways, Flylady is too daunting to me, so I just use my timer. 5-10 min per room. You'd be amazed how many times I can basically clean a room in 10 min! Also, having my kids do a toy-pick-up at 5pm EVERY day. Oh, and forcing myself to do those dishes after dinner. I can't beleive how much better I face my day, if my counter is clean. FWIW.


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

If you're bad at keeping up with dishes, try this. 

Either run a sink full of water (if your stopper is good) or get a dishpan and fill it. Add a squirt of dish soap. Put your dirty dishes in there, and even if you don't get to them right away, they won't get crusty and difficult to scrub later!


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## FarmerChick (Dec 28, 2009)

if dishes are piling up then I think the word "filthy" comes to mind.

I truly can't stand dishes piled up in a kitchen when I enter someone's home. The crusty leftover foods etc. BUT that is if they are from a few meals ago..LOL.

Dishes. Wash as you go. If you use a plate for a sandwich just wash and dry and put it away. Train the family to do this if you can..LOL

Also, how about some paper plates or something? That way a sandwich on a paper plate can be thrown out and no dish to wash. (I wouldn't normally say buy those paper plates cause I don't use them as there is only 3 of us and I hate disposables, but sometimes in life a stack of paper plates can come in handy if you are super busy)


hope that helps a bit


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## junie (Jun 25, 2007)

I tried Flylady for several months. It drove me crazy! I DID like the part about keeping a shiny sink and have kept up with that for several years now, but the rest got to be too much. I was also homeschooling and running the farm. I didn't have time to drop everything and do what the emails told me to do. 

Then I ran across this article and it made things so much easier. Now my house is always company ready. 

*Simple Homemaking *

Some times the things that we should love the most, become a burden to us. To make homemaking the joy that it is supposed to be, simplify your life as much as possible. The main things that need to be done are:

Dishes washed
Laundry done
Meals prepared
Children's immediate needs
Clutter controlled

Every time you are in a room, go around and straighten it up. Better yet, don't drop things casually in places they don't belong. You'll only have to pick them up later. Dishes can be collected in the sink, until you have a large enough load to warrant washing. Just keep the top of the cabinet top free of dirty dishes, and you'll feel more optimistic about the job.

If you do a load of laundry every day, you are more likely to keep up with it and not get overwhelmed, than if you save it up and do it all at once.

Before you leave the bathroom, clean it up. Wipe the sink, faucet and mirror. After a bath or shower, wipe the tub and walls with a wet cloth and a little soap. Fold and stack things orderly before you leave that room.

If you will clean your bedroom and get dressed and ready for the day before you even leave that room, you will find that homemaking is a pleasure and living at home is relaxing rather than stressful.

Hope it's a blessing to you.


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## Muddy Boots (Jan 23, 2010)

When I "spring Clean", I first go through the house, and I take things that I can donate or sell at a garage sale, then I box those up. Less to clutter up the house! I then make a list of things I want to clean up, and I tackle those one at a time, when ever I find the time... I try to stay on top of those with "Spring Cleaning" that way things don't get too cluttered...


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