# Dos anyone here us a system to housekeeping? CLEAN MAMA says you can spend 10 minutes a day is all



## Terri (May 10, 2002)

I am interested in trying her method, though I have a gut feeling that 10 minutes a day is not enough time to follow her list. POSSIBLY 20 minutes, but even that sounds more acceptable than what I am doing. And, she does not mention dishes at all.

I don't much like housework, but I do like a clean house. Do any of you folk use a system that works for them? Because, if I can reduce my housework to a few minutes a day that would be pretty cool.


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## Oregon1986 (Apr 25, 2017)

I wish cleaning only took me ten minutes a day! I don't really have a routine,our daily schedule is hectic


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## chaossmurf (Jan 6, 2017)

I think everyone would love to only spend 10 minutes a day cleaning their house ,
Im not exactly sure how happy they would be with what the house started looking like after a few weeks ,
BUT im sure sitting here wondering where this post will lead too 
muhahhahahaha


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## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

Several years ago I tried the Flylady system but got tired of being inundated with e-mails -- several each day. Also, the system really didn't work for me, and it took a lot more than 20 minutes a day. 
I'll be interested in your experience with Clean Mama.


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## Forcast (Apr 15, 2014)

No kids no pets no husband and a empty house maybe


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## chaossmurf (Jan 6, 2017)

lol forcast ---that's a much easier house to clean


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## vickinell (Oct 10, 2003)

Is CLEAN MAMA a web site? I will have to check and see. Over a decade ago I did the fly lady thing. It did help me.
The spring of 2016, I had a just turned 5 year old and 13 year old come to live with me until until the end of August, right before school started. So for two summer breaks I had them. That is when I usually do my deep cleaning.
My house is in need of a lot of decluttering, deep cleaning, and reorganizing. I hope to get that done this summer. But even living alone, I don't think I could keep it done in 10 minutes.


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## COSunflower (Dec 4, 2006)

Vicki - My granddaughter has helped me to dejunk, organize and deep clean for the past 3 summers and we still aren't done and I don't have her THIS summer as my son and family moved to the coast. I retired because of physical problems 3 years ago so really did need the help. Most of it is done now so I can do the rest little by little. I used to do Flylady when I was working and it really helped keep things at least presentable. You can opt out of the emails. I really should go back to her site and get back on the wagon to keep up the good habits


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## COSunflower (Dec 4, 2006)

Terri, I decided today that if I am going to put my place up for sale next year and get a smaller place that I am going to start pretending like I'm moving NOW. I'm going to go thru each room one more time and decide what are the bare necessities that I am willing to take with me to the new smaller place. I really don't want to move much as it's so hard to find people to help move.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Well, the first day was promising, though the list took 25 minutes instead of 10. Still, the place looks a bit better that it did before I did the work.

First off, she points out that interruptions make simple jobs take forever, so I waited until I was alone in the house, cranked up the music, and kicked it as fast as I could go.

It took me 15 minutes to clean both bathrooms: I did not do the floors as Thursday is mopping day and I will do them then. Then I worked for 10 minutes on the DAILY list of make the bed, dust, clutter, and wipe counters. Did I try to do the daily list on the entire house? I did not. I de-cluttered and wiped down 3 counters instead and I dusted just one area. I think I will make dusting a daily thing and take it just one part of the house in a day.

Best of all, you folks KNOW housework is never truly done, and yet I have a feeling of "finished". I think that half the problem is that it drags my spirits down that I never feel "finished".

I did alter her list to dust daily instead of tuesday, as it is a drag to dust the entire house. This way I can hit part of a room and it will be over very quickly. Besides I do not think dusting should be a daily thing. Clutter is more of a problem than dust

Tomorrow I will kick it again.

Of course, now I have dinner to cook and the dishes to wash, and that was NOT on the list, but, oh, well.

After dinner I will sew some more, which is more interesting than cleaning.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

CoSunflower I hear you about paring down possessions. I am 62 and there are a few potentially useful things that I think I may not use before I am dead. Some of those are now gone. They are that much less to take care of.


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## COSunflower (Dec 4, 2006)

I hear ya Terri! I'm 63 and I KNOW that I still have stuff that I will probably never use again!!!


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## vickinell (Oct 10, 2003)

I visited clean moma and revisited flylady, and tomorrow I am going to the library to get the book: the magic of tidying up. I have so much stuff. I still have some of of husband's stuff. The books from his study at church where he was a pastor, plus his books in our study, his baseball cards. I have my son's stuff, grand son' stuff. My mom's stuff and my grand daughter's stuff.

Friday is my last day of school. My grand daughter graduated from college this May, and she already has a teaching position. I am going to tell her she has to take her stuff and my grand son to get his stuff.
I want to get busy and get rid of the clutter. I will have to do that before I can use the ideas in clean moma. I do want to try some of her home made cleaning supplies. It looks so neat and uncluttered.


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## Clem (Apr 12, 2016)

I used to spend 10 minutes a day keeping the house clean, too.

After a year, I had to take a month off work to clean up all the mess I left after the 10 minutes(daily) was up.


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## COSunflower (Dec 4, 2006)

Vicki - I bet there is a church organization that would love your husband's book. Check with your current pastor or a local church of the same faith. I used to have EVERYONES stuff too but then just started hauling it to THEIR house if they didn't come and get it!!! I had a lot of my mom and grandma's stuff too which I had to get tough with and donate. The memories were nice but the stuff was causing stress. I realized that I ALWAYS will have the memories but needed a clutter free house more than the stuff. Look online and see if there is a local place that you can sell the baseball cards at or give them to your son or grandson if they are into that kind of collecting too. If THEY will sell them though - you might as well yourself and use the money to decorate your house after you get it cleaned up.  I'm sure that your husband would want you to have that treat.


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## DKWunlimited (Sep 11, 2006)

The best thing I ever did was massive downsizing and decluttering. I gave my kids 1 month to claim anything and get it boxed up with their name on it, then I had the local thrift shop bring thier truck and haul stuff kids didn't want. Now my routine (every other day) is up at 7, make bed, load dishwasher and start (from everything loaded yesterday) wipe down counters and swiffer wetjet any spots on floor. Start a load of laundry all that takes about 10 minutes, then I work out for 30 minutes. Water outside plants and then head for the shower. Around noonish, I move laundry to dryer and unload the DW. Wipe down both bathrooms. When dryer is done, I put it all away.

Once a week I scrub toilets and tub. Sweep porch and garage. Clean out fridg and wipe out. Then shop for groceries.
Once a month I dust blinds and clean glass doors.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

fI wasn't feeling very well so I only sort of did the list.

I made the bed, vacuumed, and sort of did the dishes. The house looks no better and no worse than it did yesterday. Cooking was a snap because I did not cook: I let people get their own.

I am noticing a pattern.

The items on her 10-minute list are all things that are both highly visible and can be done with very little thought. That means if you can move fast enough you can make the home look much better very quickly. It does definitely give me a mood lift!

Not all cleaning can be done without thought, but getting a quick visual improvement does make me feel more optimistic.


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## trish4prez (Jul 9, 2006)

When my kids were little, and again when I lived alone, I had a weekly schedule that took about 40 minutes each weekday and a couple hours on the weekend.


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## Jade1096 (Jan 2, 2008)

I got clorox wipes and wipe down the bathroom counters and toilets every day. That goes a looooong way towards having a barely dirty bathroom on the weekends, when all the real cleaning is done. I also try to swiffer twice a week or so and vacuum on the weekends. Dishes get washed right after using them. I usually do laundry on my day off while watching Netflix.


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## D-BOONE (Feb 9, 2016)

Heres your answer


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## ShannonR (Nov 28, 2012)

Jade1096 said:


> I got clorox wipes and wipe down the bathroom counters and toilets every day. That goes a looooong way towards having a barely dirty bathroom on the weekends, when all the real cleaning is done. I also try to swiffer twice a week or so and vacuum on the weekends. Dishes get washed right after using them. I usually do laundry on my day off while watching Netflix.


I also use the Clorox wipes. Have been teaching my toddler to put his own toys away, that saves me from tripping over his little toy tractors and such in the middle of the night. He tries to help me sweep also, but hasn't quite gotten the hang of that yet. A swiffer, though... he might just be able to do that, kinda! I'm all for child labor.


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## RideBarefoot (Jun 29, 2008)

I use the Pomodoro method. I have a master list of all my cleaning tasks; of course not everything gets done every day, but it's all written down as a visual reminder. I set the timer for 20 minutes, scan what is priority that day, and get started. Anytime I have 20 minutes to spare during the day, the timer goes on.

Usually one session right after making coffee in the morning and another in the afternoon and I pretty well stay ahead of things.


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

Clean the messes you make before you leave the room you made them in.
1st Wife Chapter 2 v 3 New American Standard


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## Clem (Apr 12, 2016)

A cheap pair of mirrored, polarized sunglasses helps.

I mean, it don't help with the cleaning, but it helps you not really notice it. And hand them out to guests and insist they wear them. That'll cut down on other people noticing that the 10 minutes you spent cleaning didn't really cut it.


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## kilgrosh (Apr 29, 2014)

GTX63 said:


> Clean the messes you make before you leave the room you made them in.
> 1st Wife Chapter 2 v 3 New American Standard


When did they update from the Old american Standard?


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## emdeengee (Apr 20, 2010)

Ten minutes a day for all the cleaning? Not possible. But you can get an enormous amount of work done in many 10, 15, 20 minute sessions. I had to adapt as my physical strength demanded and this system, with equal time for relaxing/recovering breaks in between, works very well. I get it all done and since I am OCD it prevents me from being frustrated and cranky.


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## hiddensprings (Aug 6, 2009)

I'd rather muck a horse stall or cut grass and work in the yard over cleaning the house. With only hubby and I at home, it doesn't get real messy anyways. I use the swifter on the floors every other day (just because of the cat and dog hair) and do a full-fledge cleaning every other week.


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## Oxankle (Jun 20, 2003)

If I did not have a man in the house the cleaning could be done in a few minutes each day. However, I AM the man in the house and there is now way on earth that clean mama or flylady could clean up behind me in even an hour a day. I do some of the cooking, the dishes and vacuum, and I spend more than an hour a day on just those little chores. If the patio needs sweeping or the garage needs cleaning (Gravel roads, dust, leaves, etc) I can kill a couple of hours there. Poor Barb gets tired just looking at me.


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## newfieannie (Dec 24, 2006)

I'm the same. I'm so messy but thank goodness I'm alone and can clean up when I feel like it. I would also rather do yard work any day. when I plan to have company in I clean everything in sight for a couple days. i could bake for days though but i make an awful mess and i do clean that up. i have to or there would be no clean pots, pans or dishes. ~Georgia


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## jimLE (Apr 18, 2018)

It takes me at least 10 to 20 minute's to wash dishes by hand.if not longer..maybe 10 or less for sweeping.maybe 6 minutes at the most for moping. And i don't even want to know about the dusting..lol..


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