My Clean Routine

Okay, this post may be borrrring to some, but if you're like me, a little on the ocd side, you will love this. It's all about cleaning! Lots of people ask me how I keep thing in order and (semi) clean with a 1,3, and 5 year old. The answer is lots of wine. Ha!! Just kidding, but one glass does help;)
Moving on, if you know anything about me, you know I like to make lists. Lots of lists. So it should come as no surprise that when it comes to my cleaning routine, I have a list. I searched Pinterest (my BFF) and found a printable list I could fill in to my liking. This is an example of what I came up with.

Basically, there are things I do every day: make the beds, unload/load dishwasher {I run mine at night when we are sleeping. Gotta love the delay start:)}, manage clutter {just like it sounds, pick up stuff that just isn't where it belongs. and that does mean toys. Some people have different feelings on this, they say "why pick it up, they are just going to get it back out again" and yes, they are, but I just can't help it. And I'm just talking about the baby's toys here, the bigger girls pick their own things up. I really feel like managing the clutter is the key to not letting it get piled up and overwhelmed.} one load of laundry, sometimes two {I realize that this may not be feasible for, say, a household of 2, but with 5 in our fam, if I don't do at least one load of laundry every day, it get out of control in no time. And I don't want to spend a day that my husband is home doing laundry!}, wipe down kitchen counters {that is a constant!}, spot sweep {if there's a mess after lunch, I sweep it up, then after the kids go to bed at night, I sweep the whole floor. On days that I mop, I will vacuum the entire floor first. I don't have any carpet in my house except in the bedrooms, but I use the vacuum on the tile in the kitchen and the hardwood in the living room and hall to ensure that every little speck of anything is gone before I mop. There's that ocd again.} I also spot clean the bathrooms every day by just wiping down the counters and toilet with a Clorox wipe. {Wednesdays are the day I really clean them good} That's what I do every day. When you see it in writing, it seems like a lot. But, it literally takes me maybe 30 minutes...In addition, to the daily things, each day I have something different I add. For example, on Monday's, I also vacuum all the bedrooms, and clean the appliances. I have stainless steel appliances and 3 small kids, you can imagine the fingerprints...ahhhhhh! I use a stainless steel cleaner I get from Sears. On Tuesdays', I clean the windows, and all the mirrors in the house. You get the gist of it. On Saturday, I like to go back and do some of the things I may not have done during the week. Because, let's face it, I am human and life happens, so maybe one Friday, I don't dust, I make it up on Saturday. Sunday is a day of REST! I realize this may seem a little crazy, or weird to some, but this is what works for me. If I have a list I can reference, and check off, I am one happy mama! I love this approach, and find that usually, if I stick to my routine, then it's never really a chore to clean. Not letting it get out of control is the key. That's not to say that doesn't happen here, because it does!!! On the subject of the kids and cleaning, they are basically responsible for picking up their stuff from the living room {or where ever it may be} and putting it away in their rooms. This is a constant struggle because they are kids!! They do it sloppy, they don't put things exactly where they belong, they groan and complain about it. It is very very hard for me to not just do it for them, because then, it will be like I like it. Okay, maybe I have some control issues. But, I am trying to let them do it themselves. They will never learn other wise, and I don't want them to grow up expecting everyone else to do things for them because that's what their mommy did!! Lol.

I also am not a big fan of splitting chores between my husband and me. I know a lot of people disagree. They feel like everything should be split equally. Blah, blah, blah!!! I am old fashioned, and I feel like since I stay at home, that is my job! I cook, clean, and raise the kids! The outside is the hubs job! So don't expect to see me using the weed eater anytime soon! I will work in the garden and flower beds, but that is about it. Ha! Having said that, I'd like to give a shout out to said hubs for washing and cleaning out my car yesterday!! I do also want to point out that he will help me with inside things. He will do laundry, he will clean bathrooms, he will put dishes away. He doesn't mind at all. I just don't want him to. Obviously, it wouldn't be done the way I like ;) I know, I know, get over myself. But the measuring cups don't go there!!!!!! Hahaha!!!

So that's it. That's how I keep things going around here. Is it perfect? No. Is my house always sparkling clean? Uh, No. Would this approach work for everyone? Negative. This is what works for me. us. :)

Ps. one very important thing to me too, is for my house to SMELL good. Whether it is the smell of Pine Sol or bleach, or the candles I burn constantly, it has to smell good. You never know when someone will pop in unexpectedly, and it's easy for them to ignore that little pile of toys on the floor if it smells good! And that leads me to my last thought {thank goodness, right?!} I hear people say "I don't care what it looks like, people aren't coming over to see my house anyway, they are coming to see me" This is true, but when your surroundings look nice, and smell nice, you just feel good! Okay got to go, those windows aren't going to clean  themselves. Unfortunately. Do you have any tips or routines that help you stay on track with your cleaning?