Welcome back to A Bowl Full of Lemons week of “Daily Cleaning 101”. Today I am sharing my 6th step to “keeping a clean home”, 10 minute pick ups. During the day, things get left out, moved, and cluttered easily. In order to keep the house straightened, you must go through each room and declutter. A 10 minute pick up at least twice per day will alleviate pile ups that tend to happen.
If you missed the previous steps, here they are…
Step 1 – Kitchen
Step 2 – Floors
Step 3 – Bedrooms
Step 4 – Bathrooms
Step 5 – Laundry
Step 6 – 10 Minute Pick ups
Step 7 – Schedule
Step 6 – “10 Minute Pick Up”
- Begin AND end your day with a 10 minute pick up. Go through each room and put things back where they go. Take only a minute or 2 in each room. Use a laundry basket or a basket with a handle to collect things.
- Teach your kids to do the same, every evening before bed. Set the timer for them so it’s more fun.
I use the Reisenthel Carry Bag to do my 10 minute pick ups. Its sturdy yet collapsable when not in use.
Free Printable
Click on the picture below to print the Daily Cleaning 101 checklist out. It will remind you of what needs done and how little time it takes. Please do not redistribute. Personal use only.
My favorite cleaning products
- Cleaning Plain & Simple by Donna Smallin (My “go to” book for cleaning tips, how to’s & recipes)
- Get Clean Starter Kit (Contains everything in my cleaning kit minus Scour Off)
- Scour Off (To clean my sink weekly)
- Real Simple microfiber cloths
- Oreck Magnesium Vacuum (Giveaway at the end of the Series)
- Fresh Laundry Concentrate
- Basic H (Floor cleaner)
- Reisenthel Carry bag
Conclusion
Taking 10 minutes twice a day to pick up the mess will keep your house in order. Its so easy. Don’t forget to teach your kids to do the same!
I absolutely love your blog and have been following it for a while. As a young 20 something just starting out and living with roommates keeping the house clean and organized is extremely hard. This series is helping break down the basic tasks so even if some days I am the only one in the house that is cleaning up it is not so overwhelming. I am hoping that by following this plan I can lead by example and soon not be the only one who it bothers if dishes are left piled in the sink overnight.
I am excited to learn more about the Oreck giveaway, it seems no matter how many times I vacuum the floor with my $30 Walmart vacuum it never gets clean. I have been trying to save up for a good one but on entry level pay it is taking a while lol. Thank you for doing what you do!
I LOVE what you can get done in 10 minutes. It’s so amazing. And your sweet brown basket on the staircase is a wonderful motivator!
And, if by some chance you have 15 minutes, here’s another bit of motivation
http://creeksideministries.blogspot.com/2011/12/take-15.html
Even on this dreary, rainy day, this I can do!
You will love being 60, life takes on less intensity. You can always do the chore tomorrow or whenever.
Thanks for sharing your experience Dolly, much appreciated.
LOL, I feel the same way, Dolly.
Hey I nominated you for an Inspiring Blogger Award. Come check it out!!
http://myyoungfamilylife.blogspot.com/2013/02/just-when-i-thought.html
xoxo Jennifer
THANK YOU SO MUCH JENNIFER.
Someone’s earlier post about setting a timer to not get too involved sounds like a good idea. There is one room of my house where 1-2 minutes will really frustrate me, but I bet a little each day will eventually tackle it!
awesome tips!!! i surely wanna apply it in our life…thanks for sharing
Hi! there your ideas are really good one to apply. I Just searching for a blog on how to organize and manage home and your blog really help me a lot.
I love your 10 minute pick up tips. Working from home it is easy to let the chores mount up. This is a brilliant website.
I really like the idea of setting the timer for a 2 minute pick up for the kids each evening. That will make it nice because they will know there is a time limit and will make a game of it to see how much can get done in 2 minutes. Great idea!