Tackling the House and Sea of Toys

With 2 tired kids happy playing I thought it was a good time to have a sit down.  But as I walked the to lounge I stood on a toy and nearly tripped on another.  I stopped and looked around.  There was a layer of toys throughout our entire lounge, dining and sunroom.  On walking down the hall with a mere handful of toys I had collected I found more toys, discarded clothes and books.  Reaching each of the boys rooms I with the now armload of things to put away I found more books, toys and clothes, some that were very far from their homes.

Right!  Something has to be done about this!  I decided to put into action an clean up method I had read about.  Instead of focusing on just one room, scrubbing every corner and walking into the next room feeling like you've got a bit of Deja Vu, you tackle your entire house in steps, I started by just doing 3 jobs and some of number 4 before it was dinner time.


ONE - Put everything away
Grab your biggest washing basket and a rubbish sack then starting in a room at one end of the house put away everything you can in that one room.  Anything that doesn't belong in that room goes in the rubbish sack  or washing basket.  Move on to the next room with the basket and rubbish sack and repeat, putting away anything in the basket that belongs in that room.  I found it easier to tip the washing basket out and sort out what I needed to put away in that room (faster than digging around in the basket).  Strip the beds as you go and throw any other washing you find into the doorway.  Once you get to the end of the house you will probably have a few things in your basket, work your way back to were to started and empty the basket.  Pick up the washing into your now empty basket and deliver it to the laundry, put a load on while you're there.
Using a rubbish sack worked well for me on a Friday, which is rubbish day, so taking the sack outside gave us the new rubbish bin liner we needed - another job done.

TWO - Dust
 Start in one corner of your house and systematically work your way around with a duster.  Dust all of the window sills, tops of doors and windows, light fittings, cobwebs from corners, shelves, light switches, top of curtains and rails, picture frames, the tops of skirting boards, everything.  I don't actually have a duster (I think they just shift the dust around) so I use the little brush attached to the end of my vacuum.

THREE - Vacuum and Clean the Floors
Go around with your vacuum over your now clear floors, finishing each room by going around the edges with the 'wand' attachment - a favourite place for pet hair to collect at our house.  Then take a hot mop to the hard floors (I use a steam mop with a few drops of teatree and lemon oil on the 'slipper' thingy - no nasty chemicals and lovely clean smell).
For something extra, in one or two rooms move all the furniture away from the walls and clean underneath it, each week do a different room.

FOUR - Clean Surfaces, Sinks and Toilet (and Windows if you have time)
I don't worry about the kitchen bench at this stage - it gets a wipe over with hot soapy dishwater every time I do the dishes.  Dish liquid and hot water does an amazing job, I fill the bathroom sink with hot water and a squirt of liquid and use this to clean the sink, surrounding area and any other surfaces.  Repeat this with any other areas with a sink - like the laundry.
Half fill a bucket with the same stuff then work your way around the house wiping down windowsills, shelves, furniture - anything that needs it.  Just make sure you wring out your cloth really well each time you rise it so you're not sloshing to much water everywhere.  Refresh both the cloth and water every now and then.  If you want to make sure surfaces are extra clean go around with a spray bottle filled with white vinegar and a cloth and use like you would a nasty chemical cleaner.
Now for the toilet.  Give it a good scrub then sprinkle baking soda all over the bowl and a throw a good couple of tablespoons into the water.  Use your vinegar spray to wet the baking soda in the bowl and pour a half cup or so into the water - fizzy toilet fun.  Now spray the rest of the toilet with vinegar and leave for 15 minutes.  I grab a wad of loo paper to wipe everything down and flush it and all the soda down the loo.
If it needs doing, clean the windows.  Grab some newspaper, screw up half into balls, dampen and put into a bucket.  Clean the windows with the damp paper and polish dry with the dry stuff.  Take the used paper out to your compost heap, breaking it up a bit - it'll love it. Why not hang out that load from number one while you're outside.

FIVE - Finish Up
Go round and make the beds, straighten pillows, do the dishes (giving the kitchen a good wipe down with the hot water), fold any washing (I always seem to have a basketful waiting for me) and put another load on if you've got it.

Now you can relax and enjoy your clean and tidy home.  With my 2 boys at my feet we managed to get steps one, two and three done in just under 2 hours.  Then for number four we just gave the bathroom sink and toilet wipe down and scrub.  Next time it will be faster as I hadn't dusted for ages.

If you're expecting friends and you're in a hurry just do steps one, three, a bit of four then five.  Heck, even doing number one while the kids are in the bath each evening makes for a less clutter and a more relaxed home.