Clean Routine

How to have a clean routine!

Housework can be so tasking. I have always made sure we are neat and tidy but not nessercarily super clean. I love doing the big clean, I find it very rewarding. In fact, as Rob is out tonight I might just do it! I defiantly need to coach myself into it as you can tell. This post alone is making me think of what I need to do!

I think having a love for your house really helps in how you manage cleaning it. I am sure for all of us we might have a space or room that we just don't go into as it is awful and you dislike it in someway. For us it used to be our old downstairs toilet. It was the only room we didn't decorate when we moved in, it was pretty rubbish we didn't use it either, had it as a store room in the house where we just always kept the door shut. But now we have re built there isn't one space I don't like.

 The only room that probably doesn't get done as much is our bedroom. Rob and I are good and its a nice clean room, but because it has a bit stored in there as we slowly re home our old things, it looks a bit full of stuff. Neatly full though! I have made sure of that! The kids rooms are nice an easy to clean, a good hoover and some dusting sorts them out. We try and keep them lived in but tidy.

Bathrooms are bathrooms and I think most require the same amount of work.

And our downstairs well, because it is all open plan it makes hoovering easy, but thats about it. Same amount of dust for 3 rooms, same amount of cobwebs, toys and craft bits to match and just everything that we all have downstairs but just in one big space.

So to help me tackle this I do some quite specific things.

I do hoover most days or hoover one and target sweep for a couple. The unfortunate thing about having a wooden floor means you can see everything that sits on it. Paper, fluff, crumbs, its always there pressuring you to clean! So that gets done as part of the routine daily straighten.

Toys.......well I have one crate for each child and anything else is upstairs in their room. We don't have a lot of toys, my mum has a playroom so the kids can get lots of playing done in there. We have quite age and subject specific. Etta has a lot of baby toys, tethers, shakers and noises things. Raph has a lot of vehicles, tools and characters that he likes to play with. But we have them all in the two boxes, and obviously the Duplo crate that we all enjoy playing with! So three boxes.
 In the day I don't mind things being out but if Raph is just emptying for the sake of it I try and get him to put something away before he gets more out. I usually try to put all the toys away if we are going out. It's just nicer walking into a clean floor.

We have play mats which helps contain the toys. Raph loves rolling cars across the table but we try and keep them on the floor on a mat. Etta has a mat that I made with a bit of padding in for these early days when there is a lot of tumbling. She just sits on that and plays with things around her. She is not crawling yet so I can just pop her down and know she isn't going anywhere.

One thing I always do is put all the toys and kid related things away just before they go to bed. It creates that adult space so when we come back downstairs from bedtime the pillows are in place and the floor is clear for us to enjoy.

The kitchen is definitely a bit of a chore, we are good at keeping most surfaces clean and clear apart from next to the sink which is where we put dirty dishes as we don't have a dishwasher. We always have a basket in the corner too for loading and unloading washing. I try to keep the cooker top nice and clean, don't go inside that much but I should!! We also have a nice dresser which has open display shelves where we have most of out daily crockery. I like the look of a dresser and it fits well with the rest of the house. And as there was never great storage, it gives us extra cupboard space. It can get cluttered though. Post can sit on it and lots of bits and bobs. When it gets like this I try and just spend an afternoon placing things in their proper homes. As we don't have a table in here it makes it easy to just swoosh a hoover around the floor and it brings it up nicely.

I am a fan of a sideboard. It Is a great surface to put decorative bits on but the cupboards underneath are great for storage. We have shoes and kids coats in ours. Means that you don't have to be running upstairs for them but also keeps them from pilling up at the back door.

To help me get through the day to day cleaning I find there are a few easy tricks to making your house fresh with out the 'big clean' hassle.

1. Put things away! Toys, blankets ect does not have to take long, especially with kids, make it a game!

2. Remake the sofa! It always looks good with pillows in place.

3. Wash the pots. We like to drip dry but it takes them off the work surface and there for gives the illusion of no pots even if they are sat on the drainer.

4. Make sure the dining table is clean and clear. This opens up a room and stops it becoming a dumping ground.

5. Open windows as it allows natures freshness to scent your house.

6. Always take tea and coffee cups off the coffee table, don't  let them accumulate.

7. Dont let things pile. If you start any kind of pile and don't just instantly put it away in its proper home, it only gets bigger!

8. Make your bed. Doesn't have to be fancy just means its welcoming when you go and get in it. And if their are toys all over the kids bedroom floor, you don't notice them half as much if the bed is made.

9. On a similar note, put washing in the washing basket. Even if you can't get it done, at least its hidden away nicely!

10. Put rubbish in the bin. Stops bread bags sitting on the side and empty food packets being left for someone else to throw away. Just get rid!

So I hope that helps ease your stress of cleaning. Just thinking about it is making me write list of what I need to do. I will get some music on and just enjoy pottering around and making my house nicer.

Post by Emily