Cleaning--one small thing a day!

[wenrob]

You can edit it and just add a ] in the /QUOTE tag. It looks like that got cut off somehow.

To the OP, I hate cleaning so much. I have tons of "stuff" (nerd collectibles) and they just accumulate so much dust. I need to do something about that and soon or I'll have more dust than stuff.

I have the same problem in the form of photo frames and various collections of vintage things. My entertainment center is so large I need a ladder to reach the top half. Then there's a crazy amount of blinds in this house. I've thought of hiring a service once a month just to dust because it's so overwhelming but there are so many things I wouldn't want them to touch like my grandmother's steins, a cuckoo clock that's older than me, a painting of a farm from the 1800s and the list goes on. I'd be paying for not even half of it to get done. So, yeah, lots of dust happening here too.

My problem is that as soon as I get an area nice I have four other people and the dog coming in behind me screwing it all up. If I could get past wanting it "done right" and settle for "good enough" I maybe could get somewhere.

 

[DisneyHardin]

I'm a teacher and am planning the same thing this summer. I've been writing down each chore as I think of them and am planning to do one a day. Some of mine are fairly time consuming, but others are very small.

 

[Twilight Sparkle]

I've missed this thread lately. Before heading out of town last weekend, I cleaned out three drawers and threw away about three grocery bags worth of junk. Since returning home, I have not continued this challenge, but I'm hoping to get back into the habit soon.

 

[Twilight Sparkle]

Yesterday - started cleaning out the coat closet

Today - threw away broken patio furniture, tools, etc.

 

[anniemae]

I'm with you! Hmmmmm what to do today? I think I will tackle the junk drawer.

 

[Swimnoid]

Grand idea! That said, I have trouble just trying to keep the kitchen clean. But I did clean off the computer desk and get rid of a ton of useless, outdated paper. Did the same thing at my office. What next?

 

[manning]

Now where to start

 

[paisleys]

Love this thread! School ends here on Friday and I was starting to panic. Last week I made an index card and wrote down all of the things I have a hard time getting to most days and have been 'assigning' them to the few free days I have. One item is to deep clean the staircase. Our walls and trim are white and we have wood stairs. It's amazing how much grime the this area attracts! Last week I spent an hour a day over three days each on the pantry and it's much better.

 

[Alice Sr.]

Subscribing for motivation

 

[Erin1700]

I have a walk in toy closet to conquer!

 

[lucas]

Subscribing for motivation

Me, too!

 

[Julylady]

I start with writing down a list of 15-minute chores. Things like "clean out the silverware drawer," or "dust the bookcase." I make a list of about 30 chores. I then do one chore per day and force myself to just stick to the chore. My problem is that I start something small and then go a step further until it becomes a large, complicated project that I never finish. With this method, I just stick to the list. Once my list is finished, I start a new one.

In addition to the one chore per day, I also take 10 things out of my house each day. The items leaving either go to the trash, are recycled, or put in a bin to donate. At the end of the month, I have 300 fewer items in my house, plus I have tackled 30 small jobs!

 

[OhMari]

Refrigerator-Sort of a big thing-but syrup spilled so I took everything out and cleaned it up.
Floor is scrubbed in kitchen, walkways, but I swear I could already redo it.
Bathroom grout-I just take towels and go over the grout in the shower.
Slowly still tackling the basement and cleaning out boxes. We moved 2 years ago.
This thread has helped me kick it in and clean.

 

[si-am]

I do this on a small scale when I know I'm having company: about a week before they arrive, I'll make a schedule of things to clean every day in order to avoid the night-before cleaning crush.

However, I have so many other beyond-daily-cleaning projects that need to be done (like closets and cabinets) I think this is a great idea except I might make it one thing every weekend since they will all take longer than 15 minutes!

 

[DawnM]

Yeah, that still won't clean my house. I need a min. of 30-45 min. a day. If I work on one drawer per day or one small area, then that particular area will just get to be a mess by the following week.

And those 15-30 min. don't include the normal 30-45 min. a day I need to do the regular cleaning, like dishes, counters, vacuuming, dusting, toilets, laundry, etc.......

I recently hired a professional organizer. She spent over 25 HOURS on my house with me working too, so 50 hours. It still isn't done. And some areas have gone right back to being a wreck, like the laundry room.

Sigh. With a husband and 3 teen boys, I can't keep up, and yes, I make them help.

 

[lovesmurfs]

I'm in, too. DD is graduating high school this weekend, and will be gone for the summer with a drum and bugle corps. So I actually have some hope of cleaning stuff out. Then she leaves for college in the fall, and we're officially empty nesters.

I'll just start practicing my mantra now, "If we haven't needed it in XX years, we don't EVER need it."

 

[Uncranky Donald]

As my twin Liz Lemon would say: "I want to go to there!" Count me in, I so very much need to do this, every day!! Clutter is the scurge of my existence and I am so very bad at accepting small tasks...this will be a much needed challenge!

 

[Uncranky Donald]

I'll just start practicing my mantra now, "If we haven't needed it in XX years, we don't EVER need it."

May I share your mantra?? It's perfect!!

 

[Nancyg56]

Is the flylady still a thing? This sounds like that method of cleaning. It was popular in the early 2000s.

Yes, I found it. http://flylady.net

I found the fylady several years ago after we renovated the house. I had fallen out of a routine and was lost. Well FF to this year, and my first one that I was as involved in our office during tax season. I fell behind at home and since confusion confuses me, things just got worse.

I am practicing the Flylady method again, and feel better.

OP- I'm in! So far my closets are organized, and clutter is thinning out throughout the house. As I clean the windows are done in each room,and my bathroom is back to my being able to clean it every day. I have a mental list of my priorities, and plan to do one extra task a day, even if it is only a 15 minute challenge.

 

[brooke789]

I'm doing this too except bigger than 15 minutes and repairs more so than cleaning! We're having to paint our whole house. DH and I have gotten baby sitters for the kids for whole days and tackled 2-3 rooms at once. This will have us paint he entire house in three days. However with the kids home I need to paint all of the trim.
This part of the project just started this weekend. On Monday I put down green take along all of the trim in the dining room. Then on Tuesday I painted the baseboards, chair rail and door frames. Today, Wednesday, I'll be doing a second coat on the dining room trim.
Hoping to green tape our bathroom either today or Thursday and start painting the trim afterwards. We have our second of three full painting days this weekend on Sunday. This is a massive undertaking.