When I was a kid my father insisted we clean our rooms periodically, and I had no problem with that. My dad loved all things military so our rooms had to pass inspection before we could play or do anything else, usually on a Saturday.
I would zip around and throw dirty clothes and clutter under the bad, in the closet, stuffed into drawers, etc. Dad would open the door, see a room that looked neat as a pin, and I was good to go. Thank God he didn't run his finger over the tabletops or open the closet door.
My brother would be in his room, patiently cleaning out each dresser drawer, making sure the clothes were folded precisely. The bed would be unmade, dust and clutter everywhere, but those dresser drawers would look awesome.
I thought of that last weekend when Michael and I got back from the beach. My brother had already left. I had left a "To Do" list in case he got bored caretaking for Elva, which isn't a full-time job. He didn't do anything on the list. He did all my son's laundry, which was very nice. He also cleaned out my freezer. So Mike has clean clothes, my freezer looks amazingly beautiful, and Mom and Lola are fine and dandy, but the rest of the house...
When I lived alone my condo was always neat as a pin. I was an obsessively neat person by then, even to the point of dusting fairly often. I did serious cleaning up every Saturday. Took about 20 minutes. Now, years later, I live with an 85 year old lady, my 23 year old son, and a slightly incontinent Basset Hound. My house is never clean. I gave up on that long ago. I settle for a "doesn't stink / doesn't look like a hoarder house" level of cleanliness.
However, I have come up with some housecleaning tips that work, if you are ok with my level of clean...
1) GET A DOG! If you have kids that spill food a lot, a dog is your best friend. You will never clean up food off the floor again. If you get an acrobatic dog like Lola, she will keep the kitchen counters clean, too, with her 19 inch reptilian tongue...
2) PAY YOUR KIDS! Kids really don't like cleaning, typically, but if you will take what you would normally pay a maid, reduce it by 50-80%, and offer that amount to your kids, you will be amazed. I wanted some floors mopped before we went on vacation, and the hall bathroom upstairs cleaned, and my son did it for far less than any of the maid services I contacted would have charged. At 23, he always wants beer money.
3) THROW A PARTY! Yes, you will need to spend a little $$ on food but if you're like me, and party guests are coming in a hour, you will be AMAZED at how your dirty, cluttered house will be suddenly transformed. Embarrassment is a great motivator. It will help if you drink an energy drink or big cup of coffee before starting your beat-the-clock cleaning. Just don't hide clutter so well that you have no idea where you put it later... BTDT
below, the refreshment table at Mom's 80th birthday party a few years ago
4) DE-CLUTTER! Yes, if something doesn't bring you joy or you are done making payments on it, throw a big yard sale and get rid of it. OR sell it on Facebook. A lot of folks I know are turning away from e-bay and embracing Facebook, where you can sell anything.
5) MOVE! Yes, this is a drastic step, but when you are faced with paying someone to move all your crap, you'll be amazed at how you suddenly are motivated to buy heavy duty garbage bags and take a few runs to Goodwill. Then you have to clean the house to show it to potential buyers, or clean the apartment so you can get your deposit back.
me at the beach condo last week-
this photo has nothing to do with this post, just thought you might be curious to see what I look like. Why I wasn't positioned with the ocean behind me, I don't know...
