S.A.M. GUIDE TO KEEPING A CLEAN HOME

I think any stay at home parent (S.A.M.) can attest to the fact that it seems our lives can become one big blur of cleaning. And yet somehow, our home seems to never be clean. We can blame our little buggers for this, especially when they are at the Penelope's age of rampaging every nook in our home. Add to that the dirty dishes, the messy bedrooms, the never ending loads of laundry.

I've developed a routine that works really well for me. It's quick, it's easy and it's not OCD. This means that my house isn't spotless and that's because people actually live here and enjoy ourselves. But it will be clean and visually appealing with no strange smells permeating our furniture. Cue the nose pinching emoji.

MORNING:

• After breakfast, keep an empty kitchen sink (load the dishwasher and wash your pots)
• Wipe down counters and stove
• Throw a load of laundry in the washer
• Take a minute and clear out the dining table. Loose clutter is not allowed here!

NAPTIME:

• Make the bed
• Throw clothes that need to be folded/put away on your bed
• Spend 15 minutes only picking up everything your child rampaged.

MID-AFTERNOON:

• Load any more dishes into dishwasher
• Throw washed clothes into dryer

EVENING

• Load remaining dishes and run dishwasher
• Wipe down counters
• Put away clothes on bed
• Do a 15 minute only pick up of whatever you can get to

Pick one major chore to do each day. For example:

Monday - Vacuum

Tuesday - Sweep and mop all rooms

Wednesday - Clean bathroom #1

Thursday - Organize and wipe down desk

Friday - Dust

Saturday - Wipe down microwave

Sunday - Off

The key to the 15 minute pickup is that I don't think anyone realizes how much you can actually accomplish in 15 minutes. When you are only picking up/organizing. Another great thing about this is it puts into perspective how little time you actually have to spend cleaning.

It's important for me to keep a tidy home since this is my "workplace". It's where I raise my daughter and it's also where I run my business. A messy home starts leaking into every other area of your life. With these tips you will always keep a tidy home, but still make sure that you are living and enjoying rather then constantly running around picking up after everyone.

Let me know if you tried it and how it worked for you!