A clean house?

Keeping a clean house can sometimes be mission impossible around here. Somehow I manage to do it, our house is generally clean and tidy. My big downfall is the washing but reluctantly it also gets done.

How do you keep your house clean?  Besides the obvious, you clean it.

My method to keeping my house clean is to set a goal, pick a room to clean and never have an empty hand.

Set a goal for the day, this is something that is not an everyday chore. For example it may be cleaning out the linen cupboard, rearranging kitchen cupboards and drawers, sorting out toy boxes or cleaning ceiling fans. It is not a priority but I generally start it in the morning and then hope (hope being the operative word) to finish it sometime during the day. By starting it in the morning I somehow seem to think it gives me motivation to get it finished but the end of the day, even if the kids are in bed or if you just can't finish it, it gets completed the next day. There is some sense in my method as it seems to work for me.

Pick a room to clean. Whatever room you may choose it must be clean by the end of the day. This means dusting, changing the sheets, whatever is needed to make the room "perfect". I do not vaccum or mop the floors in the room as part of it as I do the entire house when it needs doing. We have a four bedroom house, adding in the loungeroom , kitchen/dinging combined and bathroom and laundry combined it gives me 7 rooms, one for each day of the week.

Never have an empty hand. As you walk around the house there are always things out of place, well when you have three kids there is. So if you pick them up as you go it seems to save alot of time. When you change a nappy and put it in the nappy bucket - put a load of washing on or take a load out of the machine - empty the lint filter in the machine, put it in the bin - empty the bin if need be. When putting clothes away - take out pyjamas and school clothes. Somehow there seems to always be something to do right next to the thing you are already doing, if you do it straight away you won't be doubling back. Eventually cleaning becomes habit as you walk though the house.

A few other little things I do to save time ...

When making school and work lunches, I make food for the day for Jensen who stays at home with me.
If I am stuck for time I strip the bed first thing in the morning, wash and dry them and then put them straight back on the bed - saving time on folding.
I cook enough food for dinner aswell as leftovers for lunch the next day.
I wash the bath before filling it up, so it's always clean.
The kids help me dust - it seems to be the one chore they don't always make difficult.
Do one big shop a week, then send hubby for needed supplies during the week :)

Do you have a particular way of keeping your place half decent? I would love to know ...

Today's goal: clean out the "junk" toy box before it goes into the new toy room.
The boys helped - aren't I lucky ....

Life will slow down one day, but for now ...

I have been unwell, so while my three little treasures are sleeping, this sick mumma bear is off to have a hot shower and get some much needed rest.