The biggest hindrance to cleaning is clutter and owning too much stuff. Many of us have too many clothes, movies, CDs, paperwork, books, etc. Once and for all, we can be rid of all the excess! Here is the plan:
In 30 days (they do not have to be consecutive), we will attack one item a day. It should take no longer than 2 hours each.
All you have to do is print this out and put it into your binder, or tape it to the fridge. Attack one item at a time. Then cross it off the list. If you are feeling energetic and have a free day, do a hard job. If you are ill and have too many errands, then choose an easy job.
I realize this won't be easy. But I will be doing it right along with you. I remember how I used to clean my bedroom as a teenager. Every so often, I would put everything in the hall (with the exception of my furniture), and sort and clean and sweep. Then I would put things back. It was neat and tidy. I have always been able to do this with my own things... that is, until I had a large family, and started homeschooling, helping with home-businesses, etc. Things just tend to pile up. No one has the energy to sort, or toss things anymore. Then it gets to be overwhelming. There is always one way to tell if you have too much stuff - it takes you longer and longer to clean your house!
Before we get started - just remember this - My house is very, very old. It is in need of major repairs. The rooms need to be painted, and our furniture is very humble. (smiles). The point is not to have a perfect, new house, but a clean and tidy house.
Are you ready? Here is the list:
1. Go through the filing cabinet and toss everything you no longer need. (Generally, anything 3 years or older)
2. Sort all movies, DVDs and videos. (Toss, Give Away or Put Away)
3. Organize kitchen cabinets and drawers - throw out duplicates or things no longer needed.
4. Sort through your own clothes. (Toss, Give Away or Put Away).
5. Have all your children sort their clothes. Supervise this.
6. Sort your husband's clothes (with his permission, of course.)
7. Mend Tears and Rips in blankets, pillows and sheets.
8. Wash (or air out) all curtains, iron and hang them back up. (Start early in the morning.)
9. Sort books. (Toss, Give Away or Put Away).
10. Clean out your closet.
11. Have your children clean out their closets. (Supervise).
12. Vacuum or sweep the entire house, including baseboards.
13. Wash all floors.
14. Dust all light fixtures, clean doorknobs and light switches.
15. Clean your front entryway - inside and outside.
16. Wash the inside and outside of your oven, toaster, and microwave.
17. Wash the inside and outside of your refrigerator.
18. Scrub and polish sinks and bathtubs.
19. Clean out all junk drawers.
20. Sort all your mail, catalogs, magazines, and papers. Then set up a new system to keep it under control.
21. Scrub kitchen counters, clean the walls and cabinets.
22. Wash all windows, mirrors, and picture frames.
23. Dust and polish all the furniture. (Include chair and table legs)
24. Organize your desk, computer area and bookcases.
25. Clean off your bureau, and end-tables.
26. Supervise and help the entire family clean out the garage or storage room.
27. Wash and air out all bedding. (If you are not already doing this weekly.)
28. Make sure all shoes and coats are properly hung up or put away.
29. Clean the inside and outside area of your back door.
30. Dust walls and window blinds. Remove cobwebs.
Continue with this list each month to keep your house orderly and clean.
PS - Amy (15) wanted me to add something to the list. She said we should remove tape from the ceiling. (She tapes crepe paper to the ceiling at every celebration and birthday). But I told her that I didn't think anyone else did this, so it wouldn't need to be on the list. (smiles)
Blessings
Mrs. White
From the Archives:
Have you Visited Here? - Tour of Our Vermont Estate Grounds.
Mister and I are - Not Happily Married.
Marriage - When Groceries are the Presents.
Order My Books:
For Home-keeping Inspiration, - For The Love of Christian Homemaking.
A 90 Day Bible Study, inspired by John Wesley, - "Early Morning Revival Challenge"
To Encourage the Mother of Waywards - Mother's Faith.
The incredible life and marriage testimony of Connie Hultquist - Dear Kitchen Saints.
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19 comments:
I like this list. I can already mark one off but that's because I don't have any curtains at all! However, if I need to clean the blinds, that will be a huge chore.
please tell Amy i too have to remove tape and bits of crepe paper from my ceiling too :)
Just this very day, or was it yesterday, I was thinking of doing this exact same thing on my blog!!! I really need to do this. Really, really!!!
Tell dear Amy that one of the things I need to do is get the tape off my walls and ceiling. I was also just looking at it yesterday and made a mental note to have one of the tall boys take it down. We just had a birthday rush and it is now over. We have a birthday on July 28, three in August, and one in Sept. We are done until mine in March! So, yes, I will add taking the down tape to my list!!!
Mrs. White, I do hope you'll share with me what you plan to do each day and maybe we can keep each other accountable!!! :)
Love and hugs to your lovely family. I thought of you today when I put a new table cloth on the table! :)
Just this very day, or was it yesterday, I was thinking of doing this exact same thing on my blog!!! I really need to do this. Really, really!!!
Tell dear Amy that one of the things I need to do is get the tape off my walls and ceiling. I was also just looking at it yesterday and made a mental note to have one of the tall boys take it down. We just had a birthday rush and it is now over. We have a birthday on July 28, three in August, and one in Sept. We are done until mine in March! So, yes, I will add taking the down tape to my list!!!
Mrs. White, I do hope you'll share with me what you plan to do each day and maybe we can keep each other accountable!!! :)
Love and hugs to your lovely family. I thought of you today when I put a new table cloth on the table! :)
Just an additional note:
After the 30 days is over and the house is all tidy, work together to KEEP it that way. A daily little clean up is all that is necessary :)
I like the idea of keeping each other accountable! Love this list! Hope you have a blessed, wonderful day.
Thank you for this really worthwhile challenge Mrs White!
I will be printing out the list and will put it beside the kitchen calendar. I do look forward to seeing good results from this plan.
I have 2 older daughters who help out a lot in our home, and they are learning like Amy. This plan will help us so much in teaching them the basics.
Excellent! You are speaking to my wife, who will read your posting in a few minutes! She stuffs things into cabinets and drawers and keeps them for who knows why...
After a while, we've got stuff we don't need coming out of our ears.
She won't let me go thru "her stuff" and clean it out, because she's afraid I will get rid of all of it (she's right :))
Hopefully your blog will motivate her! Thank you!
Hello Mrs. White, your post did speak (YELL) at me. :-) Clint, my husband, who posted right above me, is getting happier right now. I am in the laundry room, have a large cabinet cleaned out and took about 40 nice magazines to the library for reselling. At least I have started ...
Thank you for this helpful and most important post.
Cindy Ellison
Mrs. White,
Uplifting and encouraging post!
Our small community will be having a city wide sale next week-end and we hope to participate. Started going through many items and decided to say Good-bye to them!!!
Should be fun.
d
We don't have curtains either- white faux-wood blinds. In our last house we had a bookcase downstairs and my third son, Jonathan, built a huge bookcase upstairs in the hallway(with 6 homeschooled children we had many books). Before we moved(to a one-level 2bath 3bedroom house- son's family lives downstairs- high ranch) we gave away most of our books to a family with many children-in church(Conservative Baptist)- our youngest is 17. We also gave them several DVD movies- now we don't own any movies. It's fun to declutter and clean- ever read Don Aslett's book- Clutter's Last Stand.
I love your idea and have printed out the list!
I'm going to print the list out, but as we have already had a yard sale this month several of the items can already be checked off. I would add cleaning ceiling fans and light fixtures as well.
I'm going to print the list out, but as we have already had a yard sale this month several of the items can already be checked off. I would add cleaning ceiling fans and light fixtures as well.
Thanks to my daughter, I understand about the tape. We seem to have at least 1 piece of tape on everything in the house.
Thanks to my boys, if you move a piece of furniture away from the wall, you will find a Nerf dart and/or a paper airplane. ;-)
Thank you for this list! I really like the idea. Since I'm not married and don't live in a house like yours, I changed the list to my own situation. Before I planned tasks for a certain day. But that didn't work out for me, because sometimes I have to work extra or just have other things to do on a day. And then my list was mixed up. Now I just pick some tasks according to the amount of time I have on that day.
Do you all go down the list or just pick some tasks? I added four collums for the four weeks of the month. So I can see if I did clean something only two weeks ago or already a month ago.
One thing I really like about your list is sorting things out and put/give/throw them away. It's less messy and cleaning is much easier :)
LOL had to comment....yes, I used to put tape on the ceilings and walls, ect to hang decorations for celebrations. Now, the tape takes off the paint when I peel them off, so I decided that the tape looks better than missing paint does, LOL...you are not alone here. Thanks for the great articles. My favorite writer, you are!! Patiissa
This is a good list, and remove tape from ceiling and walls is definitely on our list!
Ah ha! Amy isna fly on the wall in our home. $1 crepe paper streamers last for many celebrations through the year and I am notorious for leaving little bits of tape and paper in corners and on light fixtures.
Recommended to your blog by YouTube and Author Kate Singh of Coffee with Kate. So grateful I came over. Thank you for this homemaking encouragement! So much of what you post here is relevant and timeless, sage collective wisdom. Thank you.
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