Today if Friday - my day off of work (woo hoo). It is also the day that I clean (or attempt to clean) my entire house. Although we are gone a lot during the week, the house can still get pretty dirty, as one can imagine, with 2 small kids and one large husband who don't always do their part. Naturally, I've had to devise some ways to maximize my cleaning with the least amount of time. So, here are a couple of things I have found that save me time and get things cleaned faster. If anyone has any other tricks or products they'd like to share, I would love to hear about them!
This is the Scrubbing Bubbles shower cleaner. It hangs in the shower. After a person is finished with their shower, they push the blue button, and cleaner gets sprayed all over the walls and floor. I don't think it would work well for the shower/tub combinations, but for the shower its great. I'll admit I was a bit skeptical when my mother-in-law gave me this for my birthday last year. But it does work really well! I haven't had to scrub my shower since. I do still give it a quick wipe-down when I clean my shower. But no more scrubbing. My only complaint is that the refills only last about 2 weeks.
This is the Swiffer floor duster, and I love it. The duster isn't the best for tile, but on the wood floor that covers at least 1/2 my house, it works great! The cloth is disposable, so when it gets dirty it just goes straight to the trash. Oh - and my kids love to use it
A great companion to the floor duster is the Swiffer Wet Jet Mop. It has a handy button on the handle, when pushed, sprays the cleaner out. You mop it up with disposable pad - so no yucky water to deal wtih. I don't use this for the "deep cleaning" my floors get about once a month. But it works wonders for the in between cleans - or when my kids spill something sticky all over the floor. And my kids can use it too - there's nothing better than having your 3 year old attempt to clean the floor. The cleaner and batteries last for a long time too. I hightly recommend this product!
Today if Friday - my day off of work (woo hoo). It is also the day that I clean (or attempt to clean) my entire house. Although we are gone a lot during the week, the house can still get pretty dirty, as one can imagine, with 2 small kids and one large husband who don't always do their part. Naturally, I've had to devise some ways to maximize my cleaning with the least amount of time. So, here are a couple of things I have found that save me time and get things cleaned faster. If anyone has any other tricks or products they'd like to share, I would love to hear about them!
This is the Scrubbing Bubbles shower cleaner. It hangs in the shower. After a person is finished with their shower, they push the blue button, and cleaner gets sprayed all over the walls and floor. I don't think it would work well for the shower/tub combinations, but for the shower its great. I'll admit I was a bit skeptical when my mother-in-law gave me this for my birthday last year. But it does work really well! I haven't had to scrub my shower since. I do still give it a quick wipe-down when I clean my shower. But no more scrubbing. My only complaint is that the refills only last about 2 weeks.
This is the Swiffer floor duster, and I love it. The duster isn't the best for tile, but on the wood floor that covers at least 1/2 my house, it works great! The cloth is disposable, so when it gets dirty it just goes straight to the trash. Oh - and my kids love to use it
A great companion to the floor duster is the Swiffer Wet Jet Mop. It has a handy button on the handle, when pushed, sprays the cleaner out. You mop it up with disposable pad - so no yucky water to deal wtih. I don't use this for the "deep cleaning" my floors get about once a month. But it works wonders for the in between cleans - or when my kids spill something sticky all over the floor. And my kids can use it too - there's nothing better than having your 3 year old attempt to clean the floor. The cleaner and batteries last for a long time too. I hightly recommend this product!
11 comments:
I love the swiffer! The wood floor cleaning solutions works great on my laminate floor. Sorry I don't have any tips for you. I don't really love to clean. And congrats on losing weight this week!
Okay well as mentioned in my blog, I can't stand mopping. But I am obsessed with cleaning. Frantic might be a good word too. It's impossible to do much these days with Landon screaming "mommy" every second so I have to do things as fast as possible.
I need to try that shower thing. I am not so good about scrubbing mine down. Every now and then when I get a long shower, I'll grab the scrub brush just to amuse myself.
One thing that works well for me, living in a house with the bedrooms upstairs and the laundry/family/kitchen down...when I take baskets of laundry upstairs, I load the basket not only full of laundry but all the toys, shoes, junk etc that has to go upstairs too. Then I don't have to make another trip. I do the same with the dirty laundry that I'm taking now stairs...the basket is usually filled with dishes (thanks, Jeff) or bags of trash. I just get tired of the up/down. Not much of a tip, but it saves me some time.
I'm also totally for the "kid helping" type stuff. We have two little vacuums so when I vacuum, Landon can "help" and not be so scared that I'm going to suck him up.
Enjoy your day off! And I hope there is another get together so we can hang out more!
Thanks for the tips! I too am a cleaning fanatic but I get so dang frustrated so I just procrastinate and blog :) We are currently ripping out and remodeling our master bathroom so I am totally going to try that shower thing as soon as we are done. I HATE cleaning bathrooms. I am going to try to invest in a cleaning lady this spring and have them come in every other week. That is my cleaning tip! Have a great day off!
Great tip Adrian! I actually had a cleaning lady until Ben got laid off - then I had to let her go. But she came for 3 hours, every other week, and was only $45 a time. Total bargain!
Yes, a cleaning lady would be my #1 tip... but since that isn't going to happen for me, I have a bathroom cleaning system that I LOVE. I know it sounds weird, but I don't clean my bathrooms anymore. I used to get out the rubber gloves and heavy duty cleaners every Tuesday and get to work and if I missed a week it was just awful. But now, after reading a tip on www.flylady.net (I LOVE HER!), every day after I get ready I put away my stuff, spray the mirror with 409 Glass & Surface and wipe it off. Then I use the same paper towel to wipe off the sink and vanity and a little more spray if I need it. Then I wipe the toilet from top to bottom with a Clorox wipe. That's it! And the bathroom never gets dirty! I haven't got out my scrubbing bubbles and sponges since I started this system last June because I haven't needed to and I don't have to worry that the bathroom is gross if people drop by. I wipe down the main bathroom while the boys are in the tub at night, and I wipe down the bathroom by the kitchen whenever I use it during the day. It takes like 10 seconds. I do the toilet bowls at least once a week, too, but that only takes a second. Anyway, that is my long tip, but it is a lifesaver for me!
I have 2 people come every other week for 3 hours. I used to feel guilty, but I just can't keep up with the 4 kids, husband and house. We tried to have one night a week when Tom would watch the kids and I would clean. Because it's pointless to clean when you have 4 kids following behind you messing up what you just cleaned. He kept forgetting he was watching them...it just didn't work. I do some things on a daily basis that help. I don't go to bed until the house is clean. It makes for late nights sometimes, but it's worth it. It's easier to wake up to a clean house. I keep up on my laundry, otherwise I get overwhelmed. I have a 3 part bin in my mud room that is separated into lights, darks and towels. I do about 2 loads a day. I also have my kids trained that they don't get to go mess up another room before they clean up the room they just messed up. I'm a mean mom! I do the same thing Julia does with the laundry baskets. Although by butt and thighs could use a few more trips up and down the stairs a day. I like Anne Marie's idea on bathrooms. I enjoyed meeting you last night. I'm sad you had to clean on your day off.
Hey Christie...the Swiffer mop jet rocks. My best friends I use to help me clean are the Swiffer Vac...great tool. I use it like twice a day and its run on a rechargeable battery that I plug in every night. It vacuums up hardwood and laminate floors so I never have to sweep. It's simple to empty out the little compartment and you also put a swiffer dust cloth on the bottom!! My other best friend is the Clorox wipes...I use them for everything!! And I like the swiffer dusters too!! Oh and I love my Dyson Vac!! I'm a Nazi mom when it comes to getting my kids to clean up after themselves...I won't let them take toys out of their rooms and they have to put their shoes and backpacks away as soon as they get home!! And my two older ones are old enough to do chores now...so no more garbage and emptying dishwashers for me!!
The swiffer is my favorite since 2/3 of our apartment is hardwood floors! I have not tried the shower thing, because of the shower/tub combo! I am with Janae, I love to clean at night when everyone is out of my way. Last night I watched a chic flic and started cleaning at 11 pm, no vacuuming for the neighbors sake, but it felt good to wake up to a clean house. This is one of my weird quirks, but when I clean at night I do the bathroom last so I can clean the shower and myself last. One of my favorite things in life is to climb into bed, clean sheets, clean hair, and clean shaven legs. I figured this out when I was 13, and have never looked back!
Great tips Christie! I had wondered if the automatic shower things worked. I'm a big Swiffer fan too! Sawyer loves to push it around too, so funny.
lynita, I am the same way about bathing before bed! It keeps your sheets clean for longer too. :)
This is more about organization than cleaning, but my biggest pet peeve is clutter. I declutter our whole house at least twice a year and it feels so good to get rid of stuff! With Sawyer's toys, I keep most of them put away in plastic storage boxes and a few out in baskets he can reach to play. Then every few months I rotate new ones out and put others away. It really cuts down on the picking up I have to do, and he's excited to play with toys he hasn't seen for a while.
I feel like copying down all those great tips!! I agree with everyone about the Swiffer stuff.... They're great. Also, like Gina, I love love love my Dyson vacuum. It makes me actually WANT to vacuum. :o)
I want to try those shower things, too!! Great idea!! I am always for anything that makes cleaning easier....'cause I don't enjoy it. I would love to have someone come clean my house again..... Janae was totally right when she said that our husbands "forget" they're watching the kids, when we're supposed to be having cleaning time. It never works for me. Also....I put my kids (minus Matthew, of course! ha ha) in the bathtub and let them play....and then I can get my bathroom done. Maybe that sounds dumb, but it really does help me. I need to try Anne Marie's bathroom tip!! I love your blog.....I always get GREAT ideas from you. I loved talking with you the other night, by the way. You looked great!! You have such a great smile...I love that about you. :o)
Great tips & advice, I think I may have to do a post asking for cleaning tips & tricks, because I'm sure I'd get lots of new info!
I LOVE my swiffer as well. I don't have the wet jet one, but I use the dry swiffers & the wet ones & they are the best. My mom's friend just had hardwood put in & they told her not to use swiffer because it dulls the floors. Well I noticed this to be true, but it doesn't stop me. I just use the Floor cleaner & polisher every few months... it's amazing how new & refreshed it makes the floors look. It's a task though, because I push all the furniture around so I get ALL the floors.
I don't go to bed with a messy kitchen, there is nothing I hate more! I can have toys left out & other messes, but the kitchen is something I just have to have clean!
Anne Marie, I love the flylady & I try to do the swish & swipe also. I'd love to know more of your little daily flylady tips you do.
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