The best way to start cleaning a home is by organizing your clutter.
What? you may say...
Putting things where they belong, whether that be in the garbage, recycle bin or in the proper closet, drawer or shelf, makes a world of difference before you start cleaning--or before your housekeeper shows up.
Doing a room at a time is what most people seem to think of, and that's great! but I suggest tackling it a little differently. Walk around your house for a few minutes and put stuff where it belongs, throw it out or give it away. And then do it again next week! And the week after! and eventually you get your home under control by doing what you can each time.
Making the home easier to clean will usually give you incentive to keep going. I don't do all my cleaning in one day like I do when I clean other peoples' homes. I pick a day where I have time to clean the bathrooms, then a day when I have time to dust. After that, I will find time to vacuum and wash floors. It may not always be the same day of the week. As long as I get to it between 1-2 weeks, I'm happy.
In my house, I have a tenant, a.k.a. son who moved back home, who cleans the bathroom downstairs. I don't clean the bath/shower area very often on the main floor bath because that one very seldom gets used so I wipe the sink and give the toilet a swish and wipe once a week or so. That only leaves the ensuite bathroom that has a small shower that I'm more particular with, as my husband and I use it frequently and I don't want soap scum to build up.
It's been so much easier to clean the house lately as we don't have very many people living in the house any more but boy, I sure remember those days! As the kids got older, they understood the importance of cleaning and how important it was to me and would pitch in more often.
Yes, it is a never-ending task but that's the cost of having a home.
If you have an area that doesn't necessarily need cleaning as often because it really doesn't get used, skip it until it gets used. Maybe you can get away with just occasionally dusting and vacuuming a seldom-used room. Get the junk out of there and don't bother with it too much.
Have a bin in the house that is for donations. Clothes that don't fit well but still in good shape, unused toys, pare down the stuffies on the children's beds, or excess towels and bedsheets are great candidates for the donation bin or better yet--box that closes. Kids will try to pick out stuff that you put in! When the box is full, drop it at a thrift store or the donation bins that sit in the corners of parking lots. I will drop donations on my way to work or shopping so it's not an extra trip. Save one or two Amazon boxes or swing into the cardboard recycling lot some day and pick up a box or two specifically for donations.
Professional organizers so often say to do a big declutter. If that's the way you want to do it, then that's great! but remember, you need to maintain it. Do bits at a time and you will naturally maintain it. It doesn't need to be perfect and your home will be easier to clean and keep clean.
I lived in small homes for many years so I couldn't let stuff build up or there would've been no room to live. Now that I have a larger home, I still go through all my stuff and junk because one day I may go back to a smaller space.
I've cleaned homes that were on my bi-weekly schedule for over 9 years and the homeowners kept the same almost-empty shampoo/conditioner/body wash bottles in the shower the entire time. So for over nine years, I moved those bottles out of the shower to clean it. And then I put them back.
Taking 30 seconds to throw out unused shampoo, soaps and shower puffs makes it so much nicer to clean and looks better too.
I have a smaller bin in my office/spare room where I throw flyers and other pieces of paper that accumulate and when it gets full or annoying I take it to the garage and dump it in the recycle bin.
Tip that works for me--I leave things like this at the door or stairs and grab it on my way out or in.
But Rebecca! I'm not that organized!
You don't need to be an organized freak.
When you meet Jesus, who's going through your crap?
Here's an old TV show I found on YouTube of two ladies who help clean people's homes.
I think it's a comedy 😁
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