tcufrog I'm training my kindergartner to wipe the kitchen table down where his sits after he eats. He is a very messy eater and it saves me time if I don't have to wipe off crusty oatmeal after he leaves for school. Another thing that saves me time is using a 3 compartment laundry cart. I save time by sorting laundry as I gather it up instead of waiting until I do laundry. As for putting laundry in the washer before work, that's what the washing machine timer is for. I put it in before I leave and set the timer. That way it gets washed right before I get home which prevents moldy and wrinkled wet laundry.

My final time saver is the electric hard floor vacuum I purchased. My Electrolux Ergorapido is cordless, low profile, lightweight enough for my kindergartner to use and has a built in hand vac. It gets up most of the trash on our tile floor and when I get to the kitchen counter or table I can easily remove the hand vac to pick up debris on the counter or table. It's faster and stirs up less dust than sweeping. I tried a Scooba but it wasn't able to pick up trash from our wide and deep tile grout lines.

Becky Harris This is my kind of cleaning - I thought I was the only crazy person who half-makes my bed while still in it or wiped down the shower while waiting for the conditioner in my hair! Another tip that has helped me immensely with my clutter hot spots and seems to fit in with this ideabook, came from, oddly enough, Marilu Henner's blog:

"If, every time you leave a room, you do a quick scan and pick up one thing that belongs where you’re going, picking up the house becomes less of a problem. If everyone in your house does it, just think of how much easier it will be to clean the house, and how much more free time you’ll all have."

mactwin great tips, and i love all the rooms in this post!

Jamie Edie I know one of the recommendations is to "toss washed laundry" in the dryer before going to work. Please do not do this. While it might be a time saver, it can potentially be a fire hazard. Saving a few minutes doing laundry is not worth coming home to a house that has burned down.

midmodfan Many of these things are second nature to me. I always say: you have to do it anyway, so why not do it now (if you have the time)? Cleaning up the kitchen after a meal is not my favorite chore, but I rather do it before looking at the mess for another two hours. I also never 'fling' anything anywhere - putting it immediately where it belongs takes less time than flinging it now and tidying it up later.

I could even train my husband to consider most of my 'rules' and after a while he committed that they do indeed, by and large, make life easier. Woohoo! ;-)

Sierra Jones In a house with 7 people, organization is KEY. Simple things: like a bin with each child's name by the front door for winter items that they can grab n go at any minute (and put back just as easy!), a magazine holder by the phone for newsletters, agendas, or anything the kids need me to sign for school, Clorox wipes in every washroom for quick counter wipe downs after everyone finishes brushing in the morning...
Also, EVERY child in our house is responsible for their own room, as well as helping with the chores. Age appropriate of corse, but like tcufrog mentioned children as young as 3 or 4 even, are more than capable of helping out. Our play room has labels on EVERYTHING, with pictures so even the younger kids that can't read know where to put things at clean up time. Which is by the way fifteen minutes everyday before bed. That way when kids are in bed I can actually sit down with my husband, without worrying about what needs to be picked up.

comfy by design Very well written. It makes sense to do as you go. I hate when life is busy and things build up. I will use these to help me from getting overwhelmed by the clutter that I have in my house and life. Thanks for the article. Sometimes when we are so busy we forget the ease of using a routine in our personal life.

sherry403 The Home Routines App is wonderful. I find it has helped me immensely. I love it when unexpected company arrives and don't panic!

bruinette Like Becky, I thought I was the only person who makes the bed before getting out of it! Clearly there are more of us about than any of us thought ;) And wiping down bathroom surfaces with a microfibre mitten on one hand while I brush my teeth with the other hand not only helps to keep the bathroom looking clean, it also relieves the boredom of cleaning my teeth, a task I've always found really tedious!

Hi-Lite Manufacturing Co. Houzz writers have this habit of continuously changing my life.

Cleaning the dish washer while waiting for coffee? 8/10 (not 10/10 because being awake in the morning is mildly annoying.)

Fixing the bed WHILE IN BED?!?! 10/10

Tidy the entrance in the evening? 10/10. I always forget that the Love-seat, recliner and general entry way is NOT a pants drawer & coat rack.

Clear clutter hot spots? 10/10. The clutter is the problem. It starts with one paper plate, then someone gets asked for chocolate without specifying which kind and suddenly there's a plastic bag from Ralph's full of Reese's, Snickers and generic milk chocolate.

Thank you Laura!

okalaky Our family cleans/picks up for 12 minutes each night. We set a timer, and stop when it goes off, even if we aren't finished. If we finish before it goes off, even better. 4 people x 12 minutes = Momma being happy.

midmodfan okalaky: that's genius! I'd like to watch ... ;-)

Luciana I bought some microfiber slippers; they are great! You can clean floor dust and polish the hardwood just by walking around. I now rarely need to hoover the wood stairs (I hate doing that!) as I tend to just swing my foot around and collect dust (and cat hair!) on the slippers. http://www.amazon.com/Slipper-Genie-Microfiber-Cleaning-Slippers/dp/B000R9B3L4

My trick for unexpected guests is to present them with this:

scarbowcow As I read this I had to scroll to the top to make sure the author wasn't written by Marla Cilley aka Flylady (hotspots? swiping the mirrors? 'snow angels' to make the bed while lying in it? All Marla Cilley's stuff). It seems to be all her ideas without the overwhelming information she throws at her members. She probably doesn't mind people sharing her tips; in fact, her website and membership are free. But credit where credit is due, huh? Namely, http://www.flylady.net/.

Peapod Interiors I always go through the mail right away and discard any junk instead of letting it pile up. While emptying the dishwasher at night before bed might be a drag it is WAY less so than doing it first thing in the morning. I program the coffee maker at night so the coffee is ready when I am. Clutter has a way of becoming invisible to those who own it (myself included!) so definitely try to pick up each day so it does not become a major production. If I could figure out a way to get my dog to wear microfiber socks to pick up his shed fur I would be in heaven!

charkit Another vote for FLYlady.net ... where we-the-reader (I) do these things because I deserve a well-enough-kept home, not out of guilt. "You are not behind, jump in where you are!" :)

mauishopgirl Just a reminder, never ever run your dryer when you're not home. It has been a cause of house fires. Love this list, "make your bed while you're still in it" is the type of housekeeper I am.

Lanie Brown This is what manic people do anyway. :) I unload the dishwasher while I'm waiting for the microwave to heat my milk for my coffee. I can't just stand there.

Jody Thompson I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE FlyLady!!! As wife and mom to four boys and full time employed, FlyLady has helped me develop routines. It has also helped my boys develop routines. They are growing into self-sufficient young men, who can clean, do laundry, cook and stay organized. Thank God for FlyLady!!

yvonnecmartin Many helpful hints above. The best advice is to never go to bed or leave the house with a messy kitchen. It's too depressing to face later.

One thing that I do is keep a spray bottle with cleaner and a cloth under the kitchen sink so that I can quickly wipe up spills on the kitchen floor as they happen. This increases the time between necessary full-floor mopping. When that is necessary I use a sponge mop and water over a five foot deep section of the floor, then immediately dry-mop that section with a terry-cloth covered shmopp; repeat on the next section of the floor. This results in no streaks and I can do the whole kitchen floor in five minutes.

I also keep four laundry baskets in a closet next to my washer and dryer: whites; light colors; dark colors and red; and cloths used for cleaning, grubby gardening clothes including gloves, and general work or cooking clothes that have stains or might stain other items. My trip from the bedroom to the kitchen to make breakfast is interrupted by depositing yesterday's dirty clothes in the appropriate basket. If one is full it can be started while the oatmeal microwaves.

A lazy help--we have cleaners who come every two weeks. It doesn't take much to get rid of the last vestiges of clutter the evening before they come so that the whole place looks amazing when we come home after they have been here. Somehow this bi-weekly reminder to take out the old newspapers, to finally file those last papers, or to part with a forlorn flower arrangement works for us. I could comment that part of the reason that the house looks so good after they have been here is that, in addition to real cleaning and polishing, they also straighten all the throws and chairs that got misaligned, plump the pillows, and arrange the objects on the tables neatly; these are little things that one can overlook but when fixed make a big difference.

Laura Gaskill scarbowcow - Sorry for any confusion, but I've been making the bed while I was in it since I was a kid when my older sister showed me how to do is as a short cut! Flylady sounds like my kind of gal though!

nanaanne Great post Laura. You picked the most important things to make the house feel clean and orderly, and presented them so clearly and made them seem fun. I'm starting to do them, and they don't take that much time. I'm amazed at the difference. As for the comment about Flylady, I like her site, but have never seen her talk about snow angels. And hot spots are a pretty common term. I think you're an original Laura! Keep up the great posts.

brendaberry22 All the above, plus a great housekeeper 2 x a month...:)

astraea Loved the article, but anyone who uses a high efficiency washing machine, knows that the cycles are loong. Unless it takes you 2 hours to get ready in the morning, don't expect to be home when the clothes are ready for the dryer!

Seattle Staged To Sell I am a firm believer in H.I.O.O. or Handle It Only Once. For example, when I come home, I put my keys back into my handbag right away, hang my coat, and go through mail and sort it out. If I have to mail anything after opening the mail, then I deal with it right then. When I cook, I wash whatever gets dirty, while waiting for the rest of the food to get cooked. When I take off my clothes, they either get hung right away or go into hamper. By not letting things lay around, i keep myself ahead of the game. When my kids leave their stuff around, I just shout out HIOO and they quickly come back and deal with their stuff. Having a place for everything helps tremendously. To them, I might be a crazy mom, but "doing" and keeping up as you go, is a good habit to have.

annoulaxeni - Put the clothes in the washer in the morning; put them in the dryer when you get home in the evening (if your dryer doesn't have a timer). Nothing happens to them in an 8-hour period.

- Break big jobs up into parts which don't overwhelm: Sweep the kitchen floor and consolidate the dirties / put away clean dishes & load dishwasher / clean sink, stove, appliances / wash up hand-washables / wipe counters and consider yourself done. Take significant breaks between all parts.

- Beds need airing! Turn the covers down completely and move the pillows when you get up. After coffee/breakfast, shake bottom sheet from one corner, shake and pull up duvet, fluff and place pillows. Takes about one minute.

- Agree completely with taking one item to its proper place pretty much every time you move through the house. Works miracles.

- Favorite housekeeping tool? A manual (not re-chargeable) carpet sweeper. Astounding what it picks up, is no more effort than a broom, keeps carpets tidy-looking between vacuums.

annoulaxeni Ah -- and open your windows every day for 10 minutes to get fresh, sweet-smelling air in the house!

olldroo Keep a window squeegee in bathrooms and wipe glass shower screens dry after each shower. Not only does this keep the glass clean, but drying the glass immediately stops water getting into it and turning it cloudy.

JAN MOYER Agreed on all but one. The ventilation in your bath is ideally enough to almost ELIMINATE steam. If it isn't, crack a door or a window! Steaming up the bath is an invitation to mold. Swiping the mirror while steamy will only cause linty streaks. Make sure the fan is on, door open a bit, and as soon as you're dry and wearing a fanny cover..... open the darn door!!! And let the fan run while you're dressing. A lot easier to clean some toothpaste from a mirror, than scrub tile grout free of mold.
And one more. Ignore the fridge coils at your peril. You will pay for it in shorter life of the appliance, and higher energy bills. It isn't a big deal to yank it out for a vacuuming every few months, and you won't believe what it back there.

janbhan Tidy a drawer or a shelf a day. Keep a carton handy for stuff you want to give away, seal it when full and give it to Goodwill...throw out the junk right away. A painless way to declutter.

Pink Fortitude, LLC In addition to the daily's, I have a monthly calendar of "bigger" cleaning to remind me to tackle the bigger or monthly chores... changing out the furnace filter, washing windows, cleaning the pantry, etc. Makes it less overwhelming.

janbhan Somebody introduced me to FlyLady several years ago, and after two weeks I deleted her... She was so irritating. It felt like school. However i am tempted to sick her onto my husband, who had first his mother, then his army batman to pick up after him. At 70, i reckon he is incurable. I wait until he leaves for work, and blitz the house. I don't want to nag him, so maybe she can!

janbhan Oh yes, I discovered the microfibre slippers on my last visit to UK. They are great for our parquet floors, especially when my son's two cats come for a visit. Use them just the once, then rinse the hairs off before you put the slippers into the machine. They work best when clean. I use the mitts to dust my books off. A microfibre duster tied to a broom deals with cobwebs, though my daughter has given me a proper wall and ceiling mf dingus on a long rod. Love those microfibres!

dmomm Most of your tips I already do, except making the bed while I'm still in it, I'm going to try that. I not only wipe down counters and mirrors when having a shower - I take the cleaning supplies into the shower and scrub everything. it's much easier because your clothing doesn't get wet - lol.
I am fortunate that I have my office at home so it's easier to fit in a lot of chores in between work, unless I have outside appointments. I have found that if I can dedicate at least 30 minutes each day to thoroughly clean one room, the house will get a thorough regular cleaning every week, and then apply the tips in your article to keep everything tidy.

JAN MOYER Just an aside, there is nothing wrong with all the quick "as you go" type cleaning. But what is missing from most homes today is the "take it to the walls" event that needs to occur twice a year. How much time you need for that type of clean depends on what you've been doing for the last six months, and the size of your home. But let's say that is 3000 square feet. All the normal stuff on the first floor, three or four bedrooms, two and a half baths. What could you do with three people, on two consecutive days ( you, and two others hired). Assuming you worked for six hours together, that equals 36 cleaning hours. It probably means 500.00 to 600.00 for good "help". Or......pay two reliable energetic teens half that amount. But in that time, you can take a house apart and put it back together. Kitchen, pantry, under and behind appliances and furniture, inside cupboards and drawers, floor to ceiling, and wall to wall, behind pictures, windows washed inside, baseboards, door casings and trim, bedding to the laundromat/cleaners for a seasonal switch of quilts and blankets, and a wash of accessory items, you name it. Books dusted, floors polished, light fixtures dusted, washed. Vanity drawers wiped out, and goo removed, tile and grout scrubbed to a shine. Louvered doors, cupboard faces, knobs polished, mattresses flipped or rotated...... the house aired to the breeze. Every nook and cranny. Now think what you spend on your hair. Just saying!! Over the course of a few years (and most homes go far longer, if not forever without this type of attack).... the difference is astounding. And the result of your effort is bliss inducing. Even though it doesn't sound like it here : )

gailjoy great post and I also do many of them - including the bed making :) taught my husband that one too!!!

Went to a mattress seminar once and learnt that your mattress will last a lot longer if you turn it regularly... HOW TO REMEMBER???? I wrote on the corners = one has Jan/Feb/Marc then the opposite corner has April/May June then on the other side has the other six months. REALLY EASY NOW When I change the sheets close to the beginning of the "moving month" I just turn the mattress....

G P I love all the tips - here's mine, just discovered after 58 years....once a week, after showering, i toss the still damp towel on the bathroom floor and, with my feet, "mop" the floor. The towel is going in the laundry anyway. Great for capturing tumbleweed hairballs and dust - and easier to get behind the toilet than anything else I have tried.

schielein To get a jump start on wash at the end of the day, i wash a load as i lay in bed reading and first thing next morning i put it in the dryer.

janbhan You would think a 16th floor flat would have almost no dust... But this is sunny Mumbai, our windows are open most of the time, and we are surrounded by traffic and construction sites and the sea. What we get is salty sticky black dust... It has to be attacked on a daily basis or it corrodes everything it lands on. The micropore mitt works overtime here! Our deep-down wall to wall cleaning is a monthly event. I have a boy coming in for an hour every day whose only job is to clean lights, fans and windows!

viloria Do stuff while you are talking on the telephone. Telephone conversations can take up a lot of time. Why not multi task? I clean, do laundry, iron, make beds, and even cook while on the telephone.

tcufrog One thing that I've found helps streamline laundry are the Shout Color Catcher sheets. When you use them you can wash red clothes with other colored clothes. If something is relatively new and heavily dyed I toss in two. Now I don't have to worry about my new red pants leaving streaks on my light blue shirt do I can do fewer loads saving money and time.

leslielevin I like to make small, daily cleaning activities a game. If I've made a big mess in the kitchen I begin the "sweep" on one end of the counter and bull-doze my way through whatever lies in my path-I don't allow myself to skip around but must handle whatever comes next. It's funny to stop occasionally and see the line of demarcation between where I've been and where I'm going. Or, for small clean-ups in the kitchen, I allow myself 60 second blasts of activity, counting in my head, seeing how much I can do in that 60 seconds. Also, I never go upstairs without at least one item that needs to go up and I never comes downstairs without at least one item that belongs below. Finally, at one point, everything is where it should be!

Sheila While I agree with most of the tips here, I have to say that my husband is not trainable in most all these areas. Hanging his coat? Getting rid of mail or newspapers? 30 years and I'm through will nagging. I have a housecleaner every other week to deal with the major cleaning, and have to close my eyes to other things that I can't handle. Using a squeegie on he shower door is a must. I take whatever has to go upstairs each time I go up, same for downstairs. Sounds like simple stuff but not everyone thinks to do it. I miss the days before my husband retired and I could keep mess to a minimum. Would you believe my house was in better shape before my kids left home?

sunbird7 I have a great one!
Get your hubby to pitch in! Who says you have to do it all if both is working?
Cleaning doesn't have to be boring. My husband does his bit of the 'women' chores. We put on some good music and then we clean for about an hour on the week ends. We dance with the vacuum, mop and each other, clean, hug, clean,.... downside is having to make the bed twice.
And everything is clean. Sofas vacuumed, floors mopped (under furniture's too), behind and under stove and fridge (we hate roaches!).
As we go in the week:
Bathroom: After shower, do a quick rinse off walls and floors before turning off the water. As we like clean things the towel gets used once, us-walls-floors (tub)-bin.
Same with the finger towel by the sink. That leaves the toilet...a 20 sec. job.
Bed: last one out pulls sheets and duvet and shakes it on the balcony (30 sec.) First one makes coffee (strong) and loads the washer. One showers, one makes the bed and straighten the sofa. The other one shower while the first takes a quick mop to the floor (dogs). Eat breakfast together, one tidy kitchen the other walks the dogs and feeds the cats. This takes us less then 45 min in the morning and we come home to a nice tidy and fresh home after long day. Feels good. Doing all this together bonds us, to each other and our home. Very often, when we are done, we look at each other and say: "You know what? We did good!"

sissygirl My Best Cleaning tip: Remove your shoes at the door like the Hawaiians.

genelle21 I agree with these methods and they make life so much easier. The best tip I've ever found is to set a timer for 15 minutes and get as much cleaning done in one room as you can. Reset it if you want to clean another room. You can get a lot done in a short period of time and you feel great about it!

olldroo genelle - I also find that works well at really busy times, when things can mount up, it is amazing what a timed 15 mins in a room can achieve so what is left doesn't look as daunting.

lisaferrell I keep extra cleaning supplies in the rooms in which I will need them. Specifically, I keep extra countertop cleaner and extra rags in all the bathrooms for a quick clean up without having to spend time looking for the supplies.

cnyambani Love all these tips, many of which I know and follow, but sometimes let slip.
On bed making, yes straighten sheets etc while still in bed but then roll back carefully as far as will go, plump pillows and leave to air - open window- then later just roll back up.
I always keep additional cleaning stuff in bathroom and upstairs, so close by for a quick clean.
Best tip is that a tidy room looks cleaner than an untidy one, so just cleaning up the clutter, folding clothes, plumping cushions, will make the room look cleaner and make you feel better.
And white, light furniture and carpets do not show up dust as much as dark ones.

Carolyn Best cleaning tip. - don't drop things when finished with them, get into the habit of always picking up after yourself. Friends comment on how clean/neat our house is, but we spend very little time cleaning (once a week)

elinors17 A tip I got from my shower glass installer. Use RainX (from the Auto parts stores) on your shower glass, keeps the water rolling off and avoids spotting. Works for quite an extended time.

suzanneb116 I have read most of the tips (and they are all great ideas) but I have not seen my favorite - I keep bottles of rubbing alcohol under the bathroom sinks and when I am finished in there, I grab a handful of toilet paper, douse it in alcohol and give every thing a quick wipe beginning with sink handles, sink, toilet top, handle, seat, rim - then flush away. Everything sparkles.

agesq1 invite your neighbors in for coffee...you will be amazed at how much cleaning you will accomplish in the 10 minutes before they get to the house! hahahahah

Mandi Smith T Make sure everything has a home. If there are items in your space that you routinely use, they need a permanent place to land. I find with clients that clutter is usually items they need that simply have not idea where to keep them! M.

ekc3502 Turn picking up into a game. Take a deck of cards - assign one suit to an area of the house. Start having the kids flip cards. For example if diamonds are for the kitchen, and the kid pulls a 10 of diamonds, they have to pick up 10 things in the kitchen...you won't get very far through the deck before the house is clean.

datdamwuf I like the timer idea, going to try that today. I simply do not make my bed unless I have company coming who may see it. And I was recently vindicated by this study :)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4181629.stm

Tamara B Laura: GREAT GREAT suggestions & following these patterns leaves a lot of day to do what you need/want to. It resonated with me. The little mind game I play with myself is I don't allow myself a shower & getting dressed until I've tidied those areas in my pj.s Then I allow myself to get on with the day!

annoulaxeni datdamwuf . . . nice try, but read the end of the article which basically says "just kidding!"

But not making the bed up immediately after you get out (or while still in it -- I still say ewwww) makes good sense. You need to air it for an hour or so to make sure it's dry before you shake the bedding (getting rid of mites and what they feed on). It smells better, feels better, looks better. For you, not just your company.

susanh316 Motivation and discipline are key. Start small and clean as you go.

judygilpin Disappointed. Who doesn't do all of this stuff already? EXCEPT leaving the dryer on when you aren't at home. NEVER...NEVER leave washers, dryers, dishwashers, etc. on when you are gone. You're testing fate. Fires, flooding...need I say more? I was hoping this article would give more tips on deep cleaning. Looking for the best products and techniques on making the "dirty" jobs easier to contend with. Professional house cleaners....where are you?

JAN MOYER @judygilpin,
Sad to say, very FEW people do the tidy as you go thing. If you don't believe that, ask a professional house cleaner. They will lament the difficulty in actually cleaning a home for the clutter and surface messes, and failure to do a single thing between cleanings.. My sister is a pro, I feed her clients from my design business. But I often feel like I am setting her up for torture. She has one home, where she ROUTINELY does ten loads of wash in their double sets of wash/dry, and often can not get to a large chunk of the first floor at all. She never catches up, despite being there weekly. She offers "specials" on deep clean for a specific room every season, and few take the bait. It drives her insane, because a house being cleaned weekly, without a pause for attention to deep clean every six months, ends up being a surface clean home over time. Some will not believe that, but try six hours with no lunch in a 6000 sq foot house....trust me, you need special days for specific deep clean tasks where you can skip the rest.
As to the dirty jobs.... they aren't nearly as "dirty" when done every six months. There is no "easy" just dig in!!! ?? Remove clutter, wash, dust, polish etc...lol

Debbie Abate Just bought a floor steam cleaner to get rid of the chemicals, cheaper in the long run and disinfect better. Yes working on my cupboards now, almost done, like the tip, putting my Christmas dishes somewhere else, just freed up more precious cupboard space :))

JAN MOYER If you want a super duper list of what a whole house deep clean entails.... check the link below. And it's exactly what granny did in her day, only it was harder then for lack of all the products and conveniences of today.
http://www.imperfecthomemaking.com/p/thorough-spring-cleaning-checklist.html
PLEASE DO NOT SHOOT THE MESSENGER LADIES...!!!!!

susanh316 Organization~ I have an small junk drawer in my kitchen which forces me to clean it out everytime it won't close. I still have a lot of re organizing to do.

susanh316 Cleaning out your lint trap will cut down the risk of fires. Everytime I toss a load in the dryer I clean the trap. I never had a flood from a built in dishwasher and there are safty measures to prevent that. Visit your harware store for more info. Back in the day when I had a portable dishwasher as long as the drain was free there was no frear of flooding. If you are looking at updating a sink, look hard for those two sided sinks with a lower partition. That way, if one side becomes blocked, there is an overflow system in place.

Jimena Campos This sounds suspiciuosly like the kind of routines Flylady (www.flylady.net) suggests. Some other people made the same remark. Her system is genius and easy to follow, all the things in this article plus much more it was not mentionned.

JAN MOYER Hey ladies,
Give the writer( Laura) a break huh? This is hardly "new" stuff. It is clean/pick up/tidy as you go and make the mess. and a lot of it is nothing more than USE YER NOGGIN! Do the task while the task is small. Don't save up for later, as later is harder, and inclined not to ever come. It isn't rocket science, it mimics the cycle of a day of life in a home, whether tent, trailer, or mansion... with all due respect to flying ladies : ) of course.

academicvixen I use what I call my three things method. As I unwind at night watching TV, on each commercial I must get up and do 3 things. Can be small - put away that pencil or large - load of laundry. But when I'm ready for bed I feel like I've spent the evening relaxing but I've gotten a lot of housework done. As for the bed, which I hate, I make it as I get dressed in the morning. Each time I walk by the bed I must do one step - fluff up 1 pillow, pull up the sheet etc. each task takes about 20 seconds and by the time I'm dressed the bed is made.

sclawson Most dryers these days have a built-in feature that turns them off if they overheat. Cleaning the lint trap, though, is paramount. My new steam dryer has a "refresh' cycle in case I don't get a load out right away and it's wrinkled--15 minutes and no more wrinkles. If your dryer doesn't have such a thing, just dampen a washcloth or hand towel and put it in with the wrinkled clothes. Run the dryer on low heat or fluff for 10-15 minutes, and it does the same thing.

JAN MOYER Speaking of lint traps....... skip the fabric softener!!!! It really isn't necessary when your rinse is thorough. and it plugs up the lint screen. If you don't believe it, try running water through yours. It will literally sit on top after a while. It also reduces the absorbency of your sheets and towels in a big way. I haven't used a drop of it, or a dryer sheet in more than a decade and my towels are soft, white, and fluffy as new fallen snow.

judygilpin JAN MOYER.....How do you have enough time to tend to your design business when you have so much time contesting and giving so many "in-detail" advise to the rest of us "dummies". God, how did we ever get along without you and your expertice in everything. ?

JAN MOYER @ judygilpin
I am getting my taxes ready for the accountant while I see hear the "ping" on the mac : ) I am a multi tasker to the max.... I have laundrygoing as we speak, the next "ding" will be the DRYER LOL

datdamwuf annoulaxeni, the article doesn't say "just kidding", it has another opinion, that the avg Brit home is damp enough that not making the bed would not help that much - my house is dry as can be so it applies to me. Also, it's just a fun thing when someone gets weird about how making the bed is so important, meh, not to me.

judygilpin Jan M. Lucky girl...you have an accountant that works on Sunday.

kanike Hands Down, NUMERO UNO, my tip is have no shoes allowed in our home. Leave them at the foyer, invite socks and slippers to put on instead...leave the junk of the world outside and your home will automatically clean itself, when speaking in terms of shoe junk! If you need to wear shoes inside, then just have INDOOR SHOES waiting for you at the foyer and switch 'em. Save your flooring/carpets and time and ener-chi ! If you have lived in Asian countries, or Hawaii, or have studied martial arts or Yoga, you get this. :)

sydawilson Have a small basket or box in a central space for things that belong upstairs, take it upstairs after breakfast or after the dinner and put it all away.

wantsideas I toss the junk mail right into the garbage can in the garage before it even gets inside the house. I am already doing most of these ideas but keep them coming.

dochop1 Just discovered the very best way to deep clean a kitchen : REMODEL IT! I'm a busy single mom and because of the demolition deadline I attacked those cupboards and drawers for the first time in years. Now they will never ever ever (as my teens say) go back to their original state. ;0)

Sharon Always cover what you put in your microwave with a paper towel. This keeps it from splattering and spewing. I rarely have to clean my microwave because the paper towel catches all that. When you do need to clean it., take a cup of water and heat it in the microwave. The steam will loosen the stuff that might be cooked on the surfaces.

sadiesattorney Great tips - and totally do-able. I sneak in a sink cleaning while I am brushing my teeth, and declutter the counters. I can get it all done in two minutes - the timer on my sonic toothbrush tells me so!

foosiebug Hire a housekeeper. Many middle-class people see this as an extravagance. NOT SO! Shop around; ask your friends, co-workers or people you do business with for referrals. It is worth every penny.

kaz2 I know a few Houzzers have mentioned DO NOT LEAVE A DRIER GOING WHILE YOU ARE NOT AT HOME. I have to second that. I used to work in a photo lab and for insurance people would have to photograph their burnt homes for their insurance claims.. The fires often started with the clothes driers. I also won't leave my dishwasher going for the same reason.
Sorry I try not to be negative here but this one is important. It may not necessary be the machines fault. Clothes can over heat too and then combust. Best to ring your fire dept if your queering this.

astraea @elinors17 – Love the Rain-X suggestion, especially since I have a bottle of it in the trunk of my car! My only concern would be whether there’s anything in it, that I wouldn’t want washing off onto my feel in the shower!

@JanMoyer – Your sister may be a better cleaner, than a businesswoman! Her clients may just be cheap .. and if she continues to try squeezing in all the cleaning AND laundry, and as you say, “never catching up” .. her clients will continue to overload her to get (more than) their money’s worth! If she knows that doing a thorough cleaning of a home takes all day, she shouldn’t try to include laundry with the “package”, but say that takes extra time at additional cost .. and at least she'd be able to finish the routine house cleaning.

@Susanh316 – I think my fairly new dryer has a sensor that tells you the “filter’s clogged”, unless you take it out before the next load. Once or twice I didn’t take it out, and got the warning .. but the filter was clean because the last load had almost no lint, so I’m guessing that’s a safety system to remind people to clean the lint filter every time it’s used!

Lynne Forrestal At the end of each day, get an empty laundry basket walk room to room picking up and depositing items where they belong, very quick and easy.... OR If you have kids,
give them a 15 minute WARNING, they need to pick up and put away everything of "thiers" before I do the laundry basket... ( If mom puts it in the laundry basket, it STAYS THEIR UNTIL SUNDAY NIGHT!).... so, if you are missing homework, school book, gym shoes.... OH well, YOU explain it to the teacher/coach.... and guess what( the kids don't FORGET AGAIN!!)
My son, lost every pair of shoes, and a history book in one week..... after having to wear gym shoes for the rest of the week full time, and explain to teacher where his book was, he didn't lose them again :)

Julie Absolutely cannot start a load of laundry first thing in the morning... Water pressure in my home does not allow for washing machines or toilets or even a sink to be on at the same time as showers, lest the bathing victim experience scalding or an icy blast.

hotsudge I don't think I read (sorry if I missed it) anyone taking advantage of the delay cycle on the washing machine and then moving the damp laundry to the dryer when you get up and your dryer is then done before you leave for work. We do the same thing for the dishwasher. We like these options because the noise doesn't bother us while sleeping and the electricity rates are cheapest in the middle of the night.

One last thing - the personal feud via Houzz has taken what should have been a light hearted and helpful column into a cat fight and that's a waste of time.

lincr When I use a paper towel, I often rinse it and recycle it to spot clean the floor. Really extends the time between moppings.

privateclient These tips work for me:

Keep small garbage bags, a roll of paper towels, and a pack of Windex wipes in every bathroom.

If you are remodeling, install electric plugs INSIDE bathroom riser cabinets and in the cabinet under the sink. Keep a DustBuster type hand vac under the sink. Electric razors, toothbrushes, etc will stay hidden inside cabinets. It keeps your countertop free of messy items and makes it easier to wipe everything down quickly. The handvac gets hair off the bathroom floor quickly.

Buy a high end vacuum with a wood floor setting. It's much easier and quicker than sweeping and works great for areas containing cat litter.

Never buy more than one extra of everything you need unless you have massive amounts of storage or a huge family. Costco sized quantities sit around collecting dust and cluttering space. It's easier to buy a replacement supply as you get close to running out than it is to have things tumbling out of messy cabinets every time you open them.

Buy an extra carafe or two for your coffee maker so that you always have a clean one on hand instead of having to wash the one you used that morning as you're rushing out to work. The used one can go straight into the dishwasher until you're ready to run it.

Kellie Davis My husband and I have always had what we call an "hour of power" first thing on a saturday morning. We start by jumping out of bed, stripping the sheets and remaking. Sheets and towels go in the wash. We jump in shower and discuss our plans for the day, then he gets out and vacuums while I stay in and clean bathroom. We put away any random items (clothes over doors/chairs, tidy clutter, file and throw paper). Then I mop floors while he hangs out wet laundry. Then a load of clothes go in the machine, we dress and go out to breakfast....we come home to a lovely clean home after a relaxed breakfast and leisurely hang the wet washing...its a great way to start the weekend.

Now we have children, they contribute to the hour of power by tidying their bedrooms and the playroom. IN winter we tend to alternate stripping the beds ours one week, kids beds the next...in summer it becomes hour and half of power cause we try to do all the beds every week and then there is more laundry as well!!!

And now we go to swimming lessons, choir and football instead of breakfast!!! Sometimes we'll skip the whole routine and go for an early breakfast as a family or one of us will go with one of the children for some one-on-one time....after all family is much more important than the home and you have to live life :)

We've added "5 minutes of power" to each morning before we walk out the door and each evening before they hop into bed. I doesn't always go to plan, but it makes life with 3 children in a small home much more manageable and the adults get the rest in the evenings after the kids are in bed :)

Cheri Stinn_Boyer Keep a windex and cloth under each bathroom sink, so if unexpected guest arrive you can go in each bathroom, spray the mirror, sink, and clean top surfaces.

mistykhan Have a place for everything so that I can clear clutter quickly. It takes a lot longer to find a place for something then it does to just file it or put it away. I find purging one room a month (pretending I'm moving and cleaning out closets, cabinets, etc.) helps keeps things organized. When I don't have a place for something, I know I need to ask that hard question about whether it is really needed or not. If I do decided to make space for something new, I try to see if there is something old I don't use anymore that I can get rid of to create the new space.

kansaslady When I really need to make a difference all over the house I start at one end of the house. With supplies gathered at hand I set the timer for 5 minutes. I work only in that one room for 5 minutes - doing whatever will make the most difference first. That's generally picking up the clutter. When the timer goes off I stop and move to the next room. I keep a large container with me so anything that needs to go to another room can go in the box and I take it out when I reach that room. After spending 5 minutes in each room I start over and spend 10 minutes in each room. Next I spend 15 minutes in any room that is not completed. Only big things are left to complete.

It keeps me from getting bored with cleaning or spending lots of time moving things from room to room and getting sidetracked. If I get interrupted and cannot finish everything, all the rooms have received some attention and the whole house looks better.

Yeah, it's kind of my little mind game - just do whatever works for you.

Winnie Ogorman I have found "micro-fiber" rags are great for multi-purpose cleaning. Great for cleaning grease on appliances (just use water) no chemical smell, no need for rubber gloves, great for dusting and glass. Available in large quanity-Amazon, QVC. You will find a million uses, try it, you'll like it.

lenachristina Buy a Roomba.

judyg Keeping a home clean is a commitment to family hygiene. We have all the tools at our disposal; those which our parents, grands, did not have. Keep your bathrooms, beds, kitchen immaculate. Dust has no germs.

jwenglish I have a clothes cabinet that has three large shelves: one for delicates, one for whites, and one for darks. (I bought a corner kitchen cabinet "left over" on sale at Home Depot and painted it), t When the shelf is full, I know it is time to put in washer. One shelf is the perfect size for a load of chothes. Also, I fold and put away as soon as possible.

goodbetterbest My mantra is " A place for everything and everything in it's place". Even when my house isn't spotlessly clean, it looks good, because its picked up and organized. Walking into my house instantly calms me down.

janbhan i have enjoyed this. Some really good tips!
But when I went to bed last night I dreamed that I was whirling through the house with micropore slippers on my feet, mitts on my hands, a duster in my teeth, and a swiffer ready to go...washing machine rumbling away in the background. I woke up exhausted. Incidentally, those micropore slippers can be dangerous. Don't wear both together unless you are a champion skater... dusting the floor with one foot is a good leg exercise, as my physio pointed out when she found me at work. But if you are elderly, have something to hold onto which you do this.
At almost 70, I am not going to make a fetish of an immaculate house. I deep clean one room a month. I don't have a dishwasher so dishes get washed up meal by meal. Clothes dry outside the kitchen window. Dusting gets done daily on a surface basis, once a week totally. I vacuum my books every couple of months. My husband does the ironing, sets the table, makes tea and helps to make the bed as I can't bend. I cook, he brings the groceries.
Now can we start a new thread on ways to simplify housework for the elderly?
Or for the handicapped? I'd love to hear suggestions for both.

wantsideas Enlist everyone in the household to contribute to upkeep. Do they live there? They contribute as age appropriate. Pick your battles. When my new husband would put dirty dishes in the sink instead of directly into the dishwasher it drove me nuts. It was an ugly few days but I left them there and when he ran out of clean drinking glasses he got it and we haven’t had that issue again. But he refuses to squeegee the shower after use. I let it go and usually shower right behind him so not an issue for the less than 60 seconds to do it. Having lived in tiny and spacious my mantra is everything has its place. A little cleaning/picking up every day certainly helps but as others have said, at some point you need to seriously deep clean. Mold, mildew and dust mites are no ones friends.


I don’t know how my mother did it. She worked full time with raising three kids and the house was always Martha clean with not a lot of clutter. In hindsight, I do know that we all sucked at contributing to the upkeep, (memories of her banging the vacuum on my closed bedroom door on Saturdays,) but I do think younger generations are getting better at it. Or at least I hope so.

olldroo janbhan - isn't it amazing how much housework we accomplish in our sleep.

Simplifying housework for the elderly?? - I am simplifying the house, ignoring trends, simple easy clean surfaces and furniture with extra height - I have have even just installed two extra high toilets - drawers instead of cupboards or I use baskets on low shelves to easily access things. Paring down accessories, less to dust and clean and minimising everything to create more space and so family won't have a big job when I am gone. Oh, and I am installing soft touch closing doors and drawers - even the toilet seat and lid - for a deaf husband who doesn't realise how much noise he makes.

janbhan Well, a lot of my cleaning up these days is aimed at getting rid of things we never use, like that set of fancy lager glasses we got for our wedding. Still in the original box....The less we have, the less we need. Wish we had garage sales in Mumbai!
But yes, higher counters, fewer places to dump things, a place for everything. I look for ways to minimise the work, so now most of my books are now behind glass. I use a dustpan on a long handle to pick up things I have dropped as well as collecting dust! (it gets cleaned first). Long handles on almost everything, come to think of it. I put the shelves under the kitchen counter on runners so i can pull them out to clean and retrieve pans and dishes. And like you said, drawers, not shelves. Less dust, easier to get at.
I sit on a stool to access low shelves and drawers. I use a library stool to access high shelves. And the knick knack collection of 45 years is slowly being given away to anybody that says, I like!
My husband still works full time, so he can't share all of the chores, but he wakes me with a cup of tea, and makes salad when he comes home. He does all the ironing and the shopping... Takes out the trash, sets the table and helps to clear it. At night he removes and folds the bedcover. He does what he can to help, and I think that's great.

annoulaxeni Regarding those dryer fires (which I'd never even heard of) if you read up about their actual cause, it seems to be thanks to misuse, either lack of proper handling (lint removal), and/or lack of proper maintenance, and/or lack of proper venting. That, plus just plain not following instructions as to what you can dry and what you can't.

What doesn't make sense, then, is that it becomes a thoughtless phobia ("never!"). If you have a well-maintained, quality dryer which you're using correctly (not trying to dry things which will emit flammable fumes), I can't see where it's such an issue to let it run when you're out.

waterbabies Ha ha, I LOVE the snow angels in bed!! My husband would think me nuttier than I already am though!!

olldroo janbhan - try long handled barbecue tongs for picking things up off floors. There are special grips but I find tongs work the best.

av8ricks I add Rainex to my Windex. It helps my shower doors stay cleaner. Getting last person to shower to squeegee or microfiber the walls/door of the shower hasn't worked. Love microfiber cloths for cleaning to reduce the chemical use in the house. A water dampened microfiber can clean a lot, even picks up dog hair on a chair. I wait for Harbor Freight to put them on sale and stock up.

karla925h I was brought up to keep a clean house. I've been doing it since I was 7 years old, and I brought my 2 boys and my daughter up the same. They now have children of their own and teach them the same way. When you get up make your bed, clean up your room and make sure everything is in the proper place don't just shove it under the bed or in a closet. Myself I am a compulsive cleaner. Me and my husband live in a 1914 two story house with 4 dogs and a cat, so our house needs to be cleaned daily. I made my cleaning alot easier when I purchased a Navigator Lift away, This baby does make cleaning easier! It goes from hard floors to rugs to staircase to getting around baseboards and widow sills, walls it does it all. My husband does help, he says he cleans but I keep saying he only straightens. I'm not being mean but I ask him did you scrub down the toilet or clean the tub, no well then you didn't clean. So now he loves doing laundry, no problem here! I decided to make his laundry experience easier and purchased a dryer bar and that way I'm not picking up used dryer sheets from the floor when I clean up the basement. I don't care how many times they have been thrown away they always seem to escape the trash and end up on the basement floor. I start upstairs after morning coffee and make beds, clean cat pan, feed cat, dust then sweep and mop. I wipe down bathroom and yes mico-fiber cloths and cleaning supplies are stored in bathroom closet so I don't have to drag up and down stairs. I then sweep stairs down and do frontroom 1st, dust, sweep and straighten if anything needs done same with dining room, sunroom/office and then I end in Kitchen. I do dishes when dirty and wipe appliances down after dishes and that way all stays clean. I even use one day a week and rearrange furniture I usally change my furniture twice monthly. Only because it gives rooms a fresh look. I'm not saying everyone has time to do this daily but doing basics daily and picking one day a week to do rest you will find that it gets easier to do and will take you alot less time. My routine takes me less than 2 hours daily.

tdself Tip----cut out the hubby who refuses to pick up or put anything away LOL. Ok, just kidding.

suzannelovell I avoid the clothes in the dryer while at work by using the delay feature on my washer. The machine starts while I am asleep and I run the dryer while I am getting ready for the day. If I don't fiddle around I can even fold things before leaving for work. My best buddy for keeping up with things is my Rumba. Over the years we have used it so much it has had to be replaced once. I set it to run before going to bed then wake to a clean kitchen/family room floor. If I need to damp mop that happens while my coffee is brewing.

mrskk We had a neighbour whose house caught fire because she left the dryer going when she was out. Technically, it was a blouse in the dryer that overheated, not the lint or the vents or her inability to use the machine properly - trust me, it is not some myth to create phobias.

Some of us live in cities where the cost of electricity varies depending upon the time of day. Weekends tend to be off-peak, so I save my laundry for then. We all have a minimum of five pairs of undies each to get us through to then. :-)

Also, steam or no steam, good microfiber cloths never leave lint on your mirror. You only need a spritz of water to do the bulk of your cleaning, saving the need for chemicals.

My own routine with three kids and two pets is to do a task a day; in a two-week period you can cycle through the list with minimum effort. There is nothing more depressing than the self-imposed guilt that comes from avoiding a monumental cleaning project - you end up sitting at the computer instead and blaming Houzz for distracting you with the pornography of perfect-looking-other-people's houses!

Sierra Jones Dryer fires ARE very real. My thing is why take the chance? To get ahead one load of laundry? I don't think it is worth the chance whether your dryer is brand new or ten years old. Better safe than sorry...It's no different than 'I didn't think this could happen to me...' And it DID.
And believe me if anyone would like to knock a load off their chore list, it would be me. I do an average of 3 loads DAILY...if not more. But remembertThere is always some other...safe time.

Becky Harris I'm a worst case scenario type of person, and thus never leave the washer (I envision a flood from my second-story laundry room), dryer or dishwasher going when I'm not at home. However, I have to wonder if my system of letting them run right before I head off to bed is any smarter? It's probably more dangerous!

mauishopgirl Better safe than sorry. I've heard from many appliance serviceman and firemen about the dangers of leaving dryers unattended. I used to do my laundry when I would be home anyway, like after work. Doing one load here and there on weeknights was the key to keep it from taking up a whole Saturday. For me, that could easily be done without having to run the dryer after I left the house. It just became a habit, get home from work, check the bins to see if there was enough for a load. Folding/hanging everything right after the dryer is done works out much better too for preventing wrinkling. Now, I no longer have a dryer, I hang everything (the climate is perfect where I live for line dry).

nana25 Rather than doing a deep spring cleaning every year, I have started to do a quick wipe down of the baseboards, doors, moulding tops etc. in all the rooms. I do a quick check of the closets & drawers to toss/donate any items no longer needed. In the kitchen I wipe all the cupboards out & discard extra dishes/glasses etc. I do this quick run through in Jan/Apr/Jul/Oct so I don't do a massive spring clean. I do however move beds & furniture in my April clean-up & do a few big jobs like windows when the weather is warmer. This method for me is quicker & less daunting because it takes very little time because it hasn't had much time to get to be a big job. Bathroom shower cleaned after every use, stops mildew & no use for industrial strength cleaners, vinegar,lemon juice & baking soda is all I use.

itchai Sorry, but it's very dangerous to leave the dryer running unattended. It is a potential fire hazard. The other tips are worthwhile.

Mindy Bates I tidy one room during commercials of a favorite tv show. Since all our rooms are on one floor I can usually clean the whole house in one hour this way.Then I deep clean once every 3-4 weeks.

re-make truly great advice, but even if I already do most of what you propose, I still need about 1H every morning to say the house is tidy! As for the kitchen... never ending story :))))

janbhan The never-ending story- wipe out your microwave with a paper towel as soon as you remove the food. Minimises cooked-on splatter. In any case always cover dishes with a splatter guard. I relocated the paper towels when I realised how quickly one needs to do this fast cleanup.

sandyhamilton123 This almost makes it seem fun, like a game! Since my family is a bunch of clutter bugs (the old newspaper cartoon, Family Circle, comes to mind....ya know....you can track each housemembers path by their stuff) so now, if I pick it up, it's mine for a week. If they are desperate for it earlier they have to choose an extra chore! The first week was rough but the clutter has improved a lot!

Beatrice Lawson About dryer fres: the real danger comes from using dryer sheets which are made with animal fats, (plus some other nasty chemiclas) that can ignite when dryers run really hot. I have replaced them with dryer balls as soon as I learned that years ago. Seriously, do your research and find out.

Also, once a year get your vents, including dryer vent, cleaned, particularly if you have had any renovation. It is incredible how much dust gets recirculated through your central heating vac system, so no matter how often you dust, or despite it, you are losing the dust battle. Worse if you have wall to wall carpets, but if that is your preference or you are stuck with it, then vent cleaning will help.

We get the windows professionally washed once a year, and it makes a huge difference, everything loos so much brighter and neater.

Also, a floor steamer dies a great job, dual,y comes with attachments for showers, uses no chemicals and eaves a sparkling floor with zero residue. Every few years it is worth sending the money to get a pro steam clean of kitchen floors and showers. Unless you have mold (open the windows after a shower) it will make everything look new.

As for tidying.... I think that we are all largely trained as kids. I grew up with a tidy mom, my hubby did not. He can get the job done but rarely sees the point. I am trying to teach our little guy that at the end of the day you put away toys, dirty clothes in a laundry bin not on the floor, you hang everything at the door when you come in (he does it but his hat and mitts still get dumped occasionally on the bench or whatever). As for shoes in the house - absolutely not acceptable at our house. Sure, if we host a fancy dinner party then it's OK for guests, but they don't traipse through the entire house and it all gets cleaned the next day. I could never understand why anyone would want to go to their bedroom in shoes they wore through dirty city streets, or farm dust or whatever.

Finally, if you can afford it, get help for the big cleaning jobs and use the saved time to keep things tidy - no one but you can organize your fridge, pantry, closet or bookshelves. It can save your sanity to come home to a clean house, because no matter what anyone says, I really believe that living in a messy, dirty place does impact how you feel even if you are not aware of it.

zsuzsikonyha Once I read an article about why the Swiss houses are so tidy: The Swiss housewife ALWAYS "repairs" everything she can when she notices it, right away.(Like: the wall has spots, clean it ...etc) By this method, not only looks your house always neat but it really saves money: instead of having to paint the walls ca. every 5 years, you can easily prolong it considerably

julietviney I love all the suggestions! However, what do you do about a husband and a 19 year old son who takes after him, neither of whom value order or neatness? After 24 years of marriage, I have "trained" my beloved reasonably well but there are so many things that he just doesn't see - they are invisible to him! He is not unwilling or lazy, he just does things differently and I find it hard to see that as "wrong" - even though it drives me nuts!

tammytimamy What I don't get is why some people don't do these sort of things anyway! I am naturally a bit of a tidy freak, my husband isn't. Sometimes I see him standing around waiting for the toast to brown, or kettle to boil etc. I say to him 'why don't you do this while you are waiting?', 'Oh, I never thought of that', but then proceeds to still stand there and do nothing. I just don't get it. I hate leaving things to build up, it just stresses me out!

cnyambani Tammytimamy. You know the answer. It's all about multitasking, a process that does not seem to come naturally, if at all, to men. How many men would think of wiping round the basin while cleaning their teeth, as mentioned by someone earlier. My (male) partner's pet habit is to put empty cereal boxes, jam jars, etc back in the cupboard...what is the thinking behind that!

olldroo cnyambani - ummmmmmm.... so you don't forget the box/jar is empty when you go shopping????

tammytimamy cnyambani - yep, that happens in my house too (empty spread tubs put back in the fridge). And I always wipe round the sink when I'm cleaning my teeth!

astraea No .. the containers aren't totally empty; they're left with 1/4 teaspoon of something in them, so they can't be accused of having left an EMPTY container in the fridge or pantry (LOL)!

pauli12 When a jar or box is empty, walk to the drawer with the post it notes and pen and write it down and then throw the box, jar away. Takes a little practice, but makes things go much smoother. In fact I have post it notes in the bathroom drawer too because it seems that in the morning things I need come to me and I write them down before I forget.
I love this idea book. Love all the photos and ideas.

olldroo My iPod is my new "bible" it is with me all the time and the minute I find something I need to replace or check out at the shop I add it to my shopping list. When shopping I can delete things as I buy or check, make notes of anything I might need to check dimensions for and take photos of interesting things I see - colours, accessories, fabrics for curtains or cushions, so it is all there when I get home. When I go back to the shop too and can't find something I have the photo to show the sales assistant so they can readily locate it. No more scrunched up pieces of paper at the bottom of my handbag, lost notes, or trying to translate hurriedly scrawled notes.

artzzle After we've gotten ready in the morning, I clear the vanity counter, spritz all surfaces with glass cleaner (mirror, top, tub, toilet, everything IF I have time) then quickly wipe surfaces with the used towels and/or cleaning cloth. For obvious reasons, we start at cleanest common area (vanity) and work to tub, then finally toilet areas. Shower curtains are closed (prefer to see the design), I make sure there is extra tp in toilet area and put fresh towels on rack and vanity. Dirty towels, clothes etc. are taken to the laundry room on the way out. We give the bathrooms a good scrubbing when time allows, usually that's on the weekend. This really only takes a few minutes, and is easy for kids to do too!

c080331 I'm exhausted just from reading this. The "quick" cleanups would not be so for me! I wish it wasn't so...

Lynne Forrestal just start with the routine morning and evening for a month or so.. then add in one at a time weekly, to get into the groove... it's called "baby steps".. you'll be surprised after forcing yourself to do a few routine things every morning and every evening even if you are beat tired, how much it counts and shows... and how it inspires you to do more when you can.
I'm in middle of a remodel, have been for 3 months, so this is hard to do, but the routine part is still doable and really helps with my sanity!

lenachristina I'm impressed with over60stilldesigning. My Mom used to have us use our towels only once. Doesn't the amount of laundry with daily fresh towels get cumbersome? Or do you only use a fresh face towel daily?

wibbus I couldn't get my glass shower door shiny clean - my window washer recommended Unger Rub Out - went through the process 5 times (scrubbing, rinsing, drying) and thought I had it shiny clean - but no, sun shining through window on it shows it still looks "smeary." Maybe it's etched. Or maybe I didn't rinse it well enough. So frustrating!

wibbus I'm going to try kansaslady's 5, then 10, then 15 minutes in each room - I think it will help me because my tendency is to be really thorough in the room I start in and then as I continue to clean and start getting tired and bored, I do less and less in each room. I've tried starting in a different room each time I do my regular cleaning, and that helps somewhat, but I like timing how long it takes me to do something so kansaslady's method sounds good for me.

Lynne Forrestal wibbus, alot of this info is laid out at this web site, some of it is corney, but the principals are good. www.flylady.net

artzzle lenachristina, I work from home now (have more time for laundry, ha). With just two of us, I usually put the shower towels in laundry everyday, but don't wash until there's a full load. I have my "good" bath and hand towel hanging on the rack and a hand towel on the vanity. Each day, I clean with the old vanity towel, then replace it with the rack one and hang a different one. Every few days, the rack bath is used and replaced. We have a colorful striped shower curtain so I alternate with three fun colors to brighten things up. I like mixing more than matchy-matchy.

We have 5 kids and when more were at home, everyone was suppose to try to hang their towels in their rooms and use them at least twice. This didn't always work in the humid summers, but better in winter because the heated house dried out the towels.

Now that I have more time on my hands, it's not a chore to do laundry. I like the smell and feel of fresh towels as I fold them! :)

judyg I bought a small plastic piece from IKEA with a removable strainer in it (probably meant for kitchen scraps). I fill it with warm water and an antibacterial liquid, like the purple Lysol. i keep my sponge in that, and use it everytime I wipe the counters and sink/handle, etc. Keeps the kitchen smelling great.

lenachristina I might try your approach over60stilldesigning (especially since my husband does the towel laundry, LOL). One of my big problems is that my husband's body is very, very hairy. You wouldn't believe the amount of hair that falls on the bathroom floors on a daily basis. It's a bit of a pain as one of the bathrooms that I only use is a cinch to clean compared to the ones he uses. I remind myself that one day if he goes before me I will be very sad not to see that hair on the floor. In the meantime, I probably should swiffer every day, but I don't. How often does everyone wash their bath mats?

lenachristina By the way, has anyone looked at the enviromental working group's report on cleaning fluids. There are very helpful comparisons of brands. I try to use as natural or non-toxic as possible. Plus I always wear protective gloves.

Beatrice Lawson Lenachristina, you are so right. I use a combination of 7th Generation and Method. I am astounded at the array at chemicals that people blissfully spray all over their homes, pour down the drains and inhale. That may look clean but they are all so toxic, hence the warnings to call doctors, a hospital or a poison centre in a variety of cases. When we were shopping for a home I would just walk out of any house that suffered from what I call the Febreeze syndrome. Mind you I suffer from asthma and allergies but I would think anyone would prefer free clean fresh air over that...or the horrid smell of some of those cleaners.

krysti0069 Okay so my tips are keep lysol wipes in each bathroom, and everyday before I get in the shower I take wipes and wipe down the top of my toilet, the outside of the toilet and the top and underside of the seat. I get a fresh wipe and use it to wipe around my sink, the faucet and then the inside of the sink last. I also grab the hand towel on my way out and replace it with a fresh one from the linen closet daily. One a week I take my cleaning bucket filled with hot water and vinegar and a microfiber cloth into the shower with me and before I even shower I clean the entire shower, walls, glass doors and fixtures and they are squeakly clean and streak free.

For the women who have husbands like I did who just toss their coat on any piece of furniture they like, you can do what I did and add a bit of humor. For one week I documented each of the locations my husband deposited his coat by taking a picture using my cell phone. Then after a week, I posted a humorous account of Facebook called "A day in the life of (husband's name) coat. I then attached all the pictures of where his coat had been all week. Let's just say my husband has a good sense of humor and since then he has made sure to put his coat away in the closet when he gets home. LOL

jacque51 My 2 Roombas,bought at estate sale for $25.00 a piece,have made my life easier...

janbhan Ah....glad you liked that one. It was my mother's strategy for dealing eith the clutter created by right children, one husband, two dogs and two cats. And two grandparents. If you left stuff lying around or too long it went into the box. I am not so draconian, but it 's surprising how much clutter two people can generate, and the box helps. I encourage everyone to keep a clutter box!

California Fence Company Well, I agree to most of the tips mentioned above.I do my laundry in the evenings,while the dishes are taken care of after each meal..Having a squeezie wiper in the bathrooms helps in keeping them dry ,soon after a shower..
Vinyl fence

Robin I make my king size bed by lying in it also. It's just easier because I have to do it myself. I pull up the flat sheet and straighten it out on my husband's side with my foot (he sleeps like a tornado), then I quickly fluff and straighten the flat sheet and duvet by giving them a quick shug to get air under them. I also pulled my headboard away from the wall about two feet so I can stand behind the headboard to pull the flat sheet and duvet up if I need some extra straightening and shugging.

karenslikes Because we downsized I had to move ironing board into bedroom. What a blesssing in disguise. Board in closet iron underneath sink. Clothes ironed and hung in closet with a lot less steps.

zsuzsikonyha a message to wibbus: I developed a very simple method for the glass shower doors: With a sponge I wipe it lightly with pure vinegar 2/3 and water 1/3. Then I wash it down in one second with the hand shower and then I wipe it simply with a microfibre cloth. Easy, quick.

wibbus Thank you zsuzsikonyha - I'll give that a try - I'm on the brink of having the glass replaced because when one looks closely, the glass appears to be scratched and that is probably what is making it look smudged or "smeary" when the light comes through the window just right. I've also bought some huck clock towels which is as close as I've come to lint-free cloths.

pauli12 When we moved into our new home I knew I wanted to keep our lovely bathroom as lovely as it deserved.
I decided to try something to see how it worked and it does work and it is easy.
I fill a spray bottle with half vinegar and half water and a few drops of bleach alternative clear joy dishwashing soap.
When I get out of the shower I spray it, the tub (from having bath night before, and the lavatory and any surface that needs it.
I have old washcloths for the purpose of wiping the tub out ready to go and then I wipe the handle on the shower (rail) because it is bronze and I don't like it to stay wet. Then I swipe the lavatory. It takes me about 3 minutes and the bathroom is clean.
I use this same mixture for the toilets and do them about 2 times a week.

I mix half bleach and half water and put it in a dishwashing container and squeeze it under the rim of the toiler and in it and let it set and just flush, and I only have to use the brush on it every few months.
I was surprised this works so well.

It is just my bathroom so this is not a busy bathroom. My husband takes showers in it but other than that it gets only my use. Maybe that is why it is easy to clean... might not work if it was a busy bathroom.

I deliberately didn't get glass doors on my shower because I like to have a white curtain that I can take down every so often and throw in with my white towels and bleach.

Using all white towels is easy for me because I don't have to worry about sorting colors.

I have loved these results and now use only vinegar and water to clean with.

I even use it on my cherry floors if they need it.

I save money on cleaning supplies.

Bleach and vinegar are my 2 cleaning friends.

karenslikes In humid weather I switch to inexpensive towels. thin ones dry quickly and don't sour.

ar27dodo There's a lot of great tips here! I'm going to try quite a few of them.

In the laundry we installed an inexpensive hanging rail above the laundry tub so you can dry up to 20 shirts on clothes hangers there rather than trudging out to the clothes line, which makes me less inclined to run the dryer.

Regarding the clothes dryer safety issue - we installed a new fire alarm just outside the laundry door so I can sleep easier at night now when I run my dryer, as will get an early warning if there is a fire. Best $20 we ever spent.

California Fence Company I clean my bathroom just before bathing, clean my fridge just before going to the market. My dishes are left in the washer at night.Thanks to this thread for I've got so many cleaning tips. My life is going to be lot more sorted.

kaczfam6 As a mom of almost 5 kids (5 more weeks!) I've had to learn a lot of short cuts! I'm certainly not perfect and my house is rarely super clean, but we try to keep it organized and picked up. Here's a few tips I've picked up over the years...

Over the door shoe organizers work great on the inside of closet doors or the back of bedroom doors for all the little things that end up on top of dressers or stuffed in drawers: phone/game system chargers, clothing accessories, etc they also work great in the pantry.

Dryers and other appliances will cause fires, no matter how careful you or responsible you are, so take precautions to protect your family and homes. This has happened to neighbors and friends.

My friend once told me as she was helping me catch up on housework one day after I was stressing out, even housework done wrongly blesses the home. So find jobs for your kids to do, even if they don't do it right! For some reason, little kids think Clorox wipes and a task to wipe something down is fun!

My kids are each assigned a room a week and it is their job to make sure that room stays cleaned up. We all pitch in to pick up after ourselves and put things away, but it is their job to vacuum or sweep/mop that room, etc. then we switch it up every week.

And lastly, I had a friends mom tell me once when she had one of those difficult husbands who didn't help out around the house much that you just had to figure them out and get creative. For example, he would refuse to put all his dirty clothes in the hamper. They would end up in a pile right next to it. She finally figured out he was reluctant to "commit" to something being all the way dirty! He might be able to wear it again and he didn't want it to end up in the wash and not see it for several days. So she hung hooks right above the hamper and voila, he would hang those things up. It took some trial and error, but she was able to find some solutions for some of those things that drove her nuts!

Sorry for the long post! :)

kaczfam6 One more... We do the timer thing usually about on e a week too. The kids pick the room and we set it for ten minutes Nd work our way they the house. Within an hr to and hr and a half, the house is mostly clean. It works when we need to deep clean or if we are way behind on just picking up from a busy week. This way nobody gets too burned out and we can still enjoy the rest of the day!

janbhan I was the eldest of eight. we all cleaned up, and quickly learned that if you didn't look after your own stuff nobody else would! my mother ran the house like the army. funny thing, we didn't get a washing machine, the most basic of all requirements, until my youngest brother (no. 7) was on the way....

lenachristina I bought this very light metal drying clothes rack from Costco that my sister and niece swore by. It folds easily and stores in the closet taking very little space. Such a silly thing, but I absolutely adore this rack. It never rusts and I can take my clothes out of the dryer early and just hang them all to dry. It protects my clothes and makes it so easy for me not to have to wait for the dryer to finish. I'm blessed that I don't want for anything materially, but I have to tell you that this little clothes rack is one of my favorite things.

scorona On cleaning day, to stay sane, I clean for 10 minutes, play video games for 5 minutes, clean for 10.........

sandygill1 I just recently moved back into my house after my dryer caught on fire. We were home and got it put out just as the fire dept arrived but the whole house was smoke damaged. It was a Frigidaire, less than 5 years old and we cleaned the lint filter after every cycle (it reminded you to with an indicator). Anyway, everything we had was removed from the house and cleaned. Great time to get rid of extra stuff. Now I am trying very hard to keep it looking nice. I installed hooks in my walk in closet for clothes that I have worn but are still wearable. This keeps them from piling up in my bedroom. I also put a shoe rack under the stairs and made it a rule "No shoes on my new carpet". I have tile downstairs and can't imagine having the whole house carpeted. I heard somewhere that you need to do something for a month to make it a habit. I am working on that as far as keeping surfaces clean and tidy as you go. I am almost at the one month mark, wish me luck.