Easy Housekeeping Tips

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Housekeeping - yuck! If you're at all like most people you dread housekeeping and can always find something else to distract yourself with instead of getting started on house work. Not only is cleaning house not a lot of fun to do, but it's often difficult to find the time to do with a hectic schedule and not a lot of free time. Even if you do have a bit of free time, the last thing you probably want to do is grab a broom and dustpan and clean! Fortunately, it doesn't have to take a whole lot of time to keep your house tidy...or at least presentable. These tips should help you tame the housekeeping beast and make cleaning seem more manageable.

1. Let go of the guilt! OK, tip #1 is by far the most liberating. You are hereby granted permission to not have a perfectly spotless house. Neat and tidy is great, immaculate is not required! Surprisingly, many cleaning tasks don't need to be done as often as you have been led to believe in order to keep yourself and your family healthy. The main rooms you should focus on are the kitchen and the bathroom since they are the rooms where the most germs and grime accumulate. The other rooms in your house can go longer between cleanings and don't require as much attention, so if you don't get to dusting in the livingroom, don't worry about it! The only exception is if you or someone in your family has allergies, in which case it's a good idea to dust and vacuum a bit more frequently. The point is, though, that your house doesn't have to look like it belongs in a TV commercial for the latest cleaning product, so don't stress yourself out or feel guilty if you can't (or just don't want to) get to it all.
   
   
2. Try a clean-a-thon. Set a timer for 15 minutes and pick up/clean as much as you can in that time. Having the timer will help you to work faster, and knowing that it's only going to last 15 minutes will help you stay focused on cleaning instead of getting distracted from the tasks at hand. Really challenge yourself to see how much you can accomplish in the 15 minutes, and you'll be amazed at how much you get done. Do this everyday or just a few times a week and your house will stay neat and tidy and cleaning won't be such a chore. If you have spouse or family get them involved in the clean-a-thon and you'll get even more done!
   
   
3. Reward yourself. Give yourself a treat when you finish cleaning. Hate cleaning the bathroom? How about treating yourself to watching some TV or a relaxing soak in the tub when the cleaning is done? Keeping your "eyes on the prize" while you are cleaning will help you to work faster and feel less put upon, making the actual cleaning part a bit more bearable. And let's face it, if you spend a few minutes eye to eye with your toilet you've earned that reward :-)
   
   
4. Splurge a bit on cleaning products. There are so many new fancy gizmos on the market designed to make cleaning easier and faster. If you see something that you think will help make cleaning easier or more enjoyable for you, by all means spurge on it! Sure, some of the products on the market are expensive, but if they save you time and make it so you'll actually clean, aren't they worth it? I think it's better to have a nifty $25 mop you'll use than a $2 mop that sits in the corner and gathers dust. And if you can shave 30 minutes off your cleaning time, that's 30 minutes you'll have free to do something you'll enjoy instead of stuck inside scrubbing.
   
   
5. Listen to a book on tape. Many people turn the TV on while they clean to help pass the time and make cleaning more bearable. Instead of the TV, though, try listening to a book on tape. Even if you have phenominal willpower, you're probably going to stop cleaning and watch a bit of whatever is on TV.  This just prolongs the time that you have to spend cleaning, though, and can eat up your whole day. A book on tape, on the other hand, will still provide you with entertainment while you clean and help pass the time, but won't tempt you to stop and watch (or even glance) like a TV show would. That means you'll get through you cleaning faster and have more of your day left to enjoy.
   
   
6. Focus on the end result. There's something a bit magical about a clean house, isn't there? It feels roomy, light and airy. Rather than focusing on the huge pile of dishes, the stacks of clutter, and the enormous amount of work there is to do, picture how fabulous it will be and how good you'll feel when it's clean. You can even plan a relaxing afternoon kicked back with a good book and cup of coffee in your freshly cleaned house to give yourself something more to look forward to.