One thing that I think should be common sense is apparently not so common. Cleaning and keeping things clean. I have been ill and spent a few days in the hospital recently. I will fully admit that I have not done a dang thing to keep my house clean other than the minimal, washing dishes, clothes and kids. I have been tired, sore and nauseated for 10 days. In addition my husbands business partner has been in town for two weeks, and when that happens, he more or less takes off from family life. This combination has led me to this post and to my home being darn near condemnable. It is plain filthy. Some of the surprises I have found are against what I believe to be common sense. Following are some easy guidelines to keeping a presentable place.
1.) If you do not use cleaning products it is not clean. Each type of surface has an appropriate cleaning solution. Degreaser is not a good choice for wood furniture as it ruins the finish and makes it look dull.
2.) If you spill something, clean it up right away. The longer a stain sets and the drier it gets the less likely it will come out. Using the couch as a napkin is not appropriate. If a child does this, wipe it up and teach them to use a napkin. If coffee is spilt on the carpet use the carpet cleaning machine right away to clean it up. Dry stale coffee smells like ass.
3.) Just because something comes out of the dishwasher does not mean it is clean. If it is dirty do not put it away. Clean it. Some things need to be rinsed before putting them in the dish washer. Brillo is our friend.
4.) Yogurt is not a toy. It is to be consumed at the table, with a spoon, and the container goes into the garbage. The spoon goes into the sink. If yogurt gets spilled onto a table do not use degreaser to clean it up, use furniture polish. If it is done right away, it wipes right up. No elbow grease required. If it is spilled on the carpet, use a wet rag and hot water to clean it up. It is really easy at this stage. Once the stain dries and sets it may never come out.
5.) The floor is not a filing cabinet. If you need to find a place to put the papers and mail, some amazing genius invented filing cabinets for this. There are two in the garage that have been requested to be brought up and be used for their purpose in life. They are probably really sad down there, remaining useless.
6.) Trash goes in to the trash can. Leaving the soup box and the empty cracker packages on the kitchen counter is considered littering. When the garbage can is full, take the trash out. Gathering 5 bags of trash together before taking it out is not appropriate and is unsanitary too. The 100 foot walk to the dumpster is good exercise.
7.) Just because it keeps the kids quiet does not mean it is a good idea. Cat litter is not a good choice for a play activity. Letting the kids mix all of the pieces from all of the puzzles and games is not an acceptable. Once one game is done being played with, put it up before getting another out. Put all of the pieces away. Once the pieces are lost the game becomes unplayable and the money spent on the game is wasted. Saying you want them to explore is fine but then you have to clean up after them or teach them to do it. A good rule of thumb, If you can't see the kids, they are probably doing something bad.
8.) Taking 2-5 minutes to do something asked of you to help can save hours of cleaning and drama later on. Changing a light bulb is not a big deal. Just do it.
9.) Never under any circumstance is it ok to not rinse out your dish. If the sink is full of dishes, clean them. It takes 30 seconds to rinse a dish and 5 minutes or more to chisel petrified cereal off of a bowl. Clarification: I am guilty of the above shown pan. I let the soup scorch that I made the day after I got out of the hospital, but I did not put the pan away with a giant scorch mark.
10.) I apologize in advance that my snoring habits may drive my husband to the couch. Please put the pillows back on the couch when you are done using it. I know it is a fun activity to make forts and throw the pillows everywhere. Put them up when you are done. Let the person be damned that invented couches that have 15 pillows to put them together. NEVER AGAIN.
I feel like a complete whiner but sometimes it gets really old doing the same damn things day in, day out. I do not feel well, and I do not need more obstacles in life right now. I have spent all day scrubbing stains and crust and goo. If I felt like puking before, amplify that by 10.
The End.
1.) If you do not use cleaning products it is not clean. Each type of surface has an appropriate cleaning solution. Degreaser is not a good choice for wood furniture as it ruins the finish and makes it look dull.
2.) If you spill something, clean it up right away. The longer a stain sets and the drier it gets the less likely it will come out. Using the couch as a napkin is not appropriate. If a child does this, wipe it up and teach them to use a napkin. If coffee is spilt on the carpet use the carpet cleaning machine right away to clean it up. Dry stale coffee smells like ass.
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| Chocolate Milk Making Remnants |
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| Cleaning Math |
5.) The floor is not a filing cabinet. If you need to find a place to put the papers and mail, some amazing genius invented filing cabinets for this. There are two in the garage that have been requested to be brought up and be used for their purpose in life. They are probably really sad down there, remaining useless.
6.) Trash goes in to the trash can. Leaving the soup box and the empty cracker packages on the kitchen counter is considered littering. When the garbage can is full, take the trash out. Gathering 5 bags of trash together before taking it out is not appropriate and is unsanitary too. The 100 foot walk to the dumpster is good exercise.
7.) Just because it keeps the kids quiet does not mean it is a good idea. Cat litter is not a good choice for a play activity. Letting the kids mix all of the pieces from all of the puzzles and games is not an acceptable. Once one game is done being played with, put it up before getting another out. Put all of the pieces away. Once the pieces are lost the game becomes unplayable and the money spent on the game is wasted. Saying you want them to explore is fine but then you have to clean up after them or teach them to do it. A good rule of thumb, If you can't see the kids, they are probably doing something bad.
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| Cat Litter as a Means of fun |
9.) Never under any circumstance is it ok to not rinse out your dish. If the sink is full of dishes, clean them. It takes 30 seconds to rinse a dish and 5 minutes or more to chisel petrified cereal off of a bowl. Clarification: I am guilty of the above shown pan. I let the soup scorch that I made the day after I got out of the hospital, but I did not put the pan away with a giant scorch mark.
10.) I apologize in advance that my snoring habits may drive my husband to the couch. Please put the pillows back on the couch when you are done using it. I know it is a fun activity to make forts and throw the pillows everywhere. Put them up when you are done. Let the person be damned that invented couches that have 15 pillows to put them together. NEVER AGAIN.
I feel like a complete whiner but sometimes it gets really old doing the same damn things day in, day out. I do not feel well, and I do not need more obstacles in life right now. I have spent all day scrubbing stains and crust and goo. If I felt like puking before, amplify that by 10.
Actually, I have to say- thank-you for this. Much of it I already do- except the filing. However, I have always been a clutter monger and my house is rarely presentable to guests.
ReplyDeleteI really need a "cleaning coach" to help me learn the things my mother never taught me (and she was a neat fanatic who didn't want me cleaning because I never did it as good or fast as she did). I don't suppose you know anyone who does something like this?
I was mostly being a smart *** to my husband and kids. I do like to keep a clean house but with a 2 year old, 4 year old, and 37 year old it is tough sometimes. :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome!
ReplyDelete