Cleaning & Organizing a House
- 1). Create two simple schedules in your folder -- one for the morning and one for the evening. List the tasks that you already do as soon as you get out of bed; be sure to include breakfast. Add in three small tasks that take less than 15 minutes. You might add loading the washer and dishwasher or a quick swipe of the bathroom. Your evening schedule should include clearing up after dinner and preparing your clothes for the next day. Follow these two schedules daily, regardless of what you do during the rest of the day.
- 2). Expand on your schedules for the following week. Add one extra task to each. Set your timer and spend 15 minutes each morning picking up and disposing of clutter. You can choose to declutter one room or you can run around the house with a trash bag. Your evening routine is to include clearing and cleaning your sink and drain so that when you get up in the morning, you won't be faced with a sink full of dirty dishes.
- 3). Divide your house into zones. For example: the kitchen, utility and dining room will be zone one. The master bed and bathroom, zone two. The upstairs hallway, family bathroom and children's rooms might be zone three. Zone four could include the family room, sitting room and downstairs hallway. You will work in one zone a week as well as keeping up with your morning and evening schedules.
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Clear your sink every evening.Jupiterimages/Creatas/Getty Images
Spend half an hour a day for one week in the area designated as zone one. Carry out two tasks that take no longer than 15 minutes each. On the first Monday you could clean one window and mop or vacuum the floor. On day two, clean horizontal surfaces, such as furniture or counter tops and perhaps another window. Day three might be cabinet fronts and mirrors. Don't do more than two 15-minute chores each day. On the following Monday move to the next zone. Repeat this for three months and your home will be clean and bright and it will have taken no more than half an hour a day, plus the time allocated to your quick morning and evening schedules.
