MamaBlogga

I have to brag about my husband. While he was home alone for two weeks, he tackled the huge project that has been on my to do list every month for more than a year. We don’t have any before pictures of our closet/laundry room, but let me describe it to you: The laundry shelf was organized—but that was about it.

There was a stack of very large Rubbermaid containers with some random things in them that reached to about hip height. Sometimes this stack ended up in front of the dryer door and had to be shoved aside. Usually it was between the extra washing machine and the built-in wood shelves, effectively blocking off 2/3s of the room. On top of the dryer and the extra washing machine were all manner of precariously stacked items that belonged somewhere deeper in the closet, but either we couldn’t get back there or they didn’t fit anymore. Things like Christmas decorations, painting supplies (we’ve been done painting for almost a year and a half)

The beyond there, the closet was completely impassible: a box fan, a storage drum, a couple hundred pounds of pasta (no, really), ski poles and boots (we haven’t been skiing since before we were married) (oh, and we have no skis), an old printer—and that’s just what was on top.

I was moved to tears to come home to this:

Oh, and did I mention that he does laundry—and dishes?

I spent some time working as a custodian (okay, a janitor). I deep cleaned apartments for four months and cleaned my husband’s offices (including 4 bathrooms and a large kitchen) for two years. So if you want the maximum results in the least amount of time, here are a few tips from an “old pro.”

• Work from the top down. Wipe down countertops (or dust other surfaces). Don’t worry about collecting all the stuff from your counters (totally gross), just wipe it right on the floor. Scrub spills if necessary.
• Sweep kitchen floor. Don’t stoop and fiddle with dustpans (I hate those). Sweep right onto a carpeted area.
• Vacuum up all the crumblies.
• It saves me time to use my DustBuster for edging carpets; this probably depends on the ease of using your vacuum cleaner’s tools.

If you’re going to be doing all of those things anyway, may as well save yourself a little time and effort in collecting and carrying all the trash around with you.

Biggest bang for your buck cleaning
For maximum impact, hit these areas first:

• Dishes in the sink. Stick them in the diswasher. I give you permission not to rinse them.
• Clutter on horizontal surfaces. Sigh. A constant battle in my kitchen.
• Stuff in the middle of the floor. Find a place for these things. In my house, this stuff is almost always toys, shoes and newspapers. I try to put these things away before bed; keeps the house cleaner so I can focus on other things if I have to clean in a panic.
• Vacuum. You wouldn’t think that it’s worth it, but a very clean floor makes everything feel tidy.

A little obvious, I know, but one of my biggest problems in “panic cleaning” is focusing on the most important things. I suddenly notice that the table is dusty, and I have to take care of that. I vacuum and realize that the table is dirty. I stop and clear it off and shake the tablecloth out and then start vacuuming again….