In another post, someone mentioned the book Home-Making (?),
but, of course, I can't remember which post so I'm starting a
new thread on homemaking books, etc.
I just can't resist sharing one of my favorites called, Home Comforts:
The Art and Science of Keeping House by Cheryl Mendelson.
I like this book sooo much, and have recommended it to so many
people. I just bought copies for two of my nieces for their
wedding present. If you don't want to buy it, I'm sure you could
check it out of the library. Even if you aren't interested in the
book itself, I highly recommend you get a hold of it just to read
the first chapter. I love what she says about homemaking, and
couldn't agree more with her about the different views on homemaking.
She also lays out a schedule that you can follow to help you
keep track of the things you need to do around the house.
The schedule is meant to help keep you on track, not for you
to be a slave to it. For anyone who is interested, here's what
mine looks like.
Naturally, how you break up your chores, and how often you
do them, will depend on what you feel needs to be done and
how often.
I prefer using the Microsoft calendar because I don't have to
rewrite everything over and over. The program automatically
forwards each chore to the following day, week, month,
etc. - however you set it up to do it. It can forward your
schedule forever - there is no stopping date. So, each Monday,
you can print up that week's chore schedule and be set for
the week, or you can just look at each day's chores from the
computer.
Daily - make bed (I like to use breakfast time as the time
to let our bed air out before I make it); wipe down sinks
and tubs after use, if necessary; follow through clean-up
(which just means cleaning up any mess that was made from
getting ready and making/eating breakfast, lunch, dinner,
etc. - dishes, quick sweep, damp mopping, and vacuuming,
if needed; put out clean kitchen towels and rags, if needed;
laundry - wash, fold, hang up, put away, drop in hamper any
clothes lying around, etc.; neaten/tidy up; light cleaning of
floors - main traffic areas: quick sweep, damp mop, or vacuuming
if needed; dishes (unload dishwasher before going to bed so it
is ready for loading throughout the following day)
Weekly - change bedding; dust all surfaces in living room and
dining room - including tables, light fixtures, and other easy
to reach surfaces; clean our bedroom; vacuum rugs, floors,
upholstered furniture, lampshades, wash all floors (Because I
do a general cleaning of main traffic areas each day, I schedule
just a weekly (deeper) cleaning of floors and rugs to get what
has been missed during the previous days.); wipe all fingerprints
or smears from doorknobs, woodwork, telephones, keyboards,
etc.; deep clean master bathroom; general cleanup of kitchen -
outside of refrigerator, outside of stove, backsplash, sinks,
counters, floor, etc.; wash out kitchen garbage cans; clean
hall closet (Shoes, etc. pile up there quickly. This is more of a
*check up* on what's been tossed in there, and a good cleaning
if it needs it.); clean car - inside and out.
Bi-weekly - Dust bedrooms (older kids can dust their own
bedrooms); clean refrigerator; clean and dust laundry room;
dust ceiling fan and blinds.
Monthly- dust top of refrigerator, cabinets, armoires, door
tops, and other high spots; deep clean kitchen, dining room,
and living room; deep clean kitchen, dining room, and living
room (which can be broken up throughout the week according
to how the rest of your week looks); clean garage; organize cd's,
dvd's, and video tapes; clean and organize junk drawer, cabinets,
closets etc.
Seasonal (every 3 months) - wash pillows and those blankets
which need it (especially the ones that are only pulled out
on occasion); turn mattresses; clean windows; dust/vacuum
books; clean under kitchen and bathroom sinks.
Yearly/Annually - move and clean under heavy appliances
(this may need to be done seasonally depending on how
dusty it is in your area); clean walls and ceilings; empty and
clean all closets, drawers, cabinets, etc., tossing out things
you don't need that have collected in these areas
(spread out over several days).
As you may have noticed, I have different levels of cleaning
that I schedule - a light (daily) cleaning, a general cleaning
(which is usually weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly cleaning),
and a deep cleaning (which is usually done monthly,
seasonally, or yearly).
I find that printing up my weekly chores and posting them
in a prominent place helps. I list my chores with (D), (W),
(BW), (M), (S), or (Y). This way I can see at a glance the
frequency of that particular chore. I don't try to "keep up"
with chores per say, unless they are the monthly, seasonal,
or yearly chores (which I try to get done sometime
throughout that week if I don't have time to do it on the
assigned day). The other chores may be dropped if needed
because they will be coming around again soon. You have
to allow for the unplanned stuff of life that happens and roll
with the punches. It's not about perfectionism, but having
some sort of guideline to keep you focused. I do not keep a
perfect house. I'm working on getting better at it all the time.
Also, kids have a way with making it look like your house has
not been cleaned for days even though you just cleaned it.
Our kids are at the age where they are better at remembering
to do the follow up cleaning (you know, put the toys away
when you are done with them), which helps a lot. It will take
some habit-forming time before I don't have to bother with
it anymore (much) and they will automatically clean up after
themselves (I hope).
Keeping a cleaning schedule that works for you and causes
you the least amount of stress is the key, I think. What brings
you the greatest amount of calm, and least amount of stress,
is where I think the balance needs to be. If this type of schedule
would cause you to be more stressed, you wouldn't follow this
type of schedule. I think the biggest mistake people make in
resisting schedules of any type is that they picture the type of
person who is uptight, stressed, and overwhelmed by sticking
exactly to their schedule and if something messes that up, they
are on the verge of having a heart attack. The point of using a
schedule is to reduce your stress. The schedule should never
have control over you. When it comes to schedules, I'm not real
strict about it. I have a schedule as a basic guide, but priority
dictates how strictly I can stick to it.
This is about doing what works for you. The cleaning system
is the "ideal". I put EVERYTHING that I would "like" to get done
in the schedule, spreading the chores out accordingly (daily,
weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, etc.). I do what I can according
to our family's circumstances.
I put EVERYTHING into the cleaning schedule (which can make
it look daunting) so I don't forget anything - it is all in the
schedule. The only reason it would actually be daunting is if
you were trying to keep up with it beyond what you are capable
of doing. It's just meant to be used to remember all your chores
for you, and to keep it all organized so that you don't have to
think about it at all. If I have the time to do an assigned chore,
especially one that I would normally have forgotten to do, it gets
done instead of forgotten. For example, I forget about cleaning
the top of the fridge, but with it in the schedule, I don't forget
about it. If I have time in the day, I get it done. If I don't have time,
I don't get it done. Either way, I will get to it then, or the next
time around, and I don't have to worry about completely
forgetting about it.
I don't try to "keep up" or "catch up". I am not a slave to my
schedule. I use it in a way that works for me. Just having all the
chores in my schedule and having it all laid out for me for all
eternity (or as long as I wish - because of Microsoft calendar's
automatic roll over feature), without ever having to think about
it (except to print up the schedule for the week each Monday),
removes a lot of the stress of chores by freeing up my mind of
the whole issue.
Some of the chores, like wiping down the tub/shower, are based
on the saying, "A stitch in time saves nine." Mold grows quicker
in a moist environment. If I take a minute to wipe down the
tub/shower, I can go longer without having to do a deep clean
on the tub/shower. For me it's about making cleaning as easy as
possible in the least amount of time. Doing small things like this
saves a lot of time overall. The more you can get done, and stay
on top of things (as much as possible - time permitting), instead
of letting things pile up (when you do have the time to do a
chore), chores actually take less time to do, which saves you
time overall.
Please don't imagine that my cleaning schedule is an indication
that I have an immaculate house; I don't. Or, that all I do is clean;
I don't. But, with the time I have for cleaning, it's clean enough
for me not to be stressed out all the time by looking at an
over-stimulating mess of clutter, which is always nagging at me
to clean up.
PrettyPansies
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