What is your method of housekeeping?

[lilafran]

Hi,

I'm was not a terrible housekeeper in the past, but was a "skipper-arounder" so no task was ever finished. I'd assess the house as a whole and said, "No way I can clean this mess so I'll read a good book". I also love to journal, make scrapbook for the kids and piddle around so I found millions of excuses not to keep the house orderly until I found FlyLady.

For me the site was a God Send because it deals with short term tasks and routines. For example, one of the routines is clearing your "Hot Spots". Hot spots are thoses areas of your house that seem to collect the most clutter like the dining room table or end tables in the den. Another is the 27 Fling Boogie which is one I really like because, in my childish approach to housekeeping, I took right to this game. You grab a paper bag and go around your house as quickly as you can and find 27 items to discard. Then you go around with a bag or box and find 27 items to give to charity.At first, I always hit 27, but after awhile, I couldn't find that many..yipee.I was becoming a housekeeping savant Miracle of miracles, my home became more organized and much cleaner..my hubby was so impressed, we made him a FlyMan list which he has followed. My home is now the sanctuary I always wanted with cozy little spots of relaxation. FlyLady is not meant for everyone, but it changed my life.

Lila

[A Karenina]

Lila, that sounds like fun. Do you have links to a website? Where did you find the house cleaning games?

I'm a huge fan of the Speed Clean Team. Their books are hilarious, but also full of helpful tips.
I don't use their products anymore, having switched over to Method (available at Target and online). Method smells awesome, cleans really well, doesn't need rinsing (time-saver!), and is environmentally safe...that's important to me with my cat, and myself, I guess.

The philosophy of Speed Cleaning is that there is a difference between cleaning and clutter-control.
That you work a room top to bottom in a circle until it's finished, then move on.
That you eliminate repeated steps (keep one bag for garbage, one box for things that belong in another room, etc).
That you use the tool you need for the job - don't try one cleaner, and then switch to something else...over time you will know exactly which tool to use on what.

Three people can clean an average house in 45 minutes. It works. I can clean my washroom in 12 minutes, ceiling to floor.

[lady cop]

call merry maids?

[Lon]

Like all of us, I am a product of my up-bringing, and my mother was a housecleaner supreme. I can stlill smell the furniture polish. That, plus four years in the military turned me into "Mr. Tidybowel" I just cannot stand a clutter. Newspapers and mags scattered all over the floor drive me nuts, as do dirty dishes in the sink, hairs stuck to the shower or bathtub sidings. Fortunately for me, I am married to a woman that is the same. Crumbs on the floor? Oh no!!!!!

[lilafran]

[quote=A Karenina]Lila, that sounds like fun. Do you have links to a website? Where did you find the house cleaning games?

The website is simply FLYLADY.net...........Recently she was on CNN, but I missed her.

Lila

[Cass]

I need to change my attitude about housekeeping... I tend to let it go and then fdo a huge clean all at once that takes the whole day. 4 bathrooms, kitchen, vacuum, laundry, dust, clutter

I really should make a schedule and do a few things every day - it would probably be much easier on me.

[Paula]

An organized home is a nice place to be. I have a meticulous husband everything from the interior of my car to the clothes i wear must pass inspection and commented on. We have a house keeper that tidys but doesn't clean like we do. We pay her 25.00 an hour, we have had her for 6 years.

Favorite Method-Call Malynda...

[lilafran]

[quote=Lon]

Like all of us, I am a product of my up-bringing, and my mother was a housecleaner supreme.



Ironically, Lon, my mother still is a meticulous housekeeper at 80. The smell that comes to mind when I remember my childhood is floor wax. We had wooden floors and mama waxed and polished them to a sparkle . My husband is also organized.

As an English teacher, with a love for reading and writing, journaling and making scrapbooks, I have a difficult time controlling my things (I can't call them clutter because they are so important to me ). We are preparing to turn our formal living room which is never used for it's primary purpose into an office and hobby room for me.

Lila

[lesley]

must try the fly .......we run our businees from the sitting room.....bit of a nightmare...but a very small house with five of us in it... i got more disorganised when i started the business.. now i dont really care cos i just want to work hard for a bigger house x

[greydeadhead]

What's housekeeping...??