A New Philosophy On Clean: New Ideas for Keeping The House Clean

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By Rachel Derry
Staff Writer LIFamilies

Every wife and mom envisions herself as a superwoman, capable of leaping tall buildings and running at the speed of light…or at least being able to conquering all of the household duties, alone, while still working full time/taking care of her family. In reality, we women just end up tired and frustrated because sometime we just push our limits too far. As a modern working woman (SAHM’s, this includes you), you need to really start looking at what’s really important in our lives and come up with a couple new cleaning philosophies to keep your home and sanity intact.

Know when it’s time to ask for help. You may be able to overcome any day-to-day chores with the greatest of ease, but don’t feel like a quitter if you ask for help with the tougher jobs! Look into having a cleaning service come in maybe once a month. This won’t break the bank, and it will give you an extra hand for any tougher cleaning jobs that take you away from your loved ones on the weekend. Enlist the cleaning lady or your spouse to help you with seasonal cleaning, when you overhaul the whole house, or when reorganizational projects never seem to get completed.

Don’t be afraid to make the task wait. You take care of your children or work all day, and in many cases you do both. After you’re done with your day and your dinner, don’t be afraid to let the dishes wait. Leave them for your spouse or for the morning (sometimes the same thing). The world will not end if you don’t finish cleaning immediately. The same is true with stuck on stains that you've been working at for an hour: step away and start fresh tomorrow. A break and some quality family time may be just what you need to get the job done later!

Make sure to do the little things now that add up to a clean house later. When you’re in the bathroom, wipe down the sink, tub, and toilet with disinfectant wipes a couple times a week. Make sure that all laundry makes it into the hamper immediately and do small laundry loads whenever you have an extra few minutes. Make your bed when you get up in the morning and make sure that your family does the same. By taking the time to do the little things to keep your house clean now, when the weekend comes you’ll find yourself out, enjoying your time off, rather than home scrubbing.

Finally, when you don’t seem to have the extra moments to spare, do a little extra multitasking to keep yourself from becoming overwhelmed later. While you’re emptying and filling your refrigerator with a week’s worth of groceries, wipe it down and dry it off. While you’re in the shower performing your usual cleaning ritual, give the shower a quick wipe with a non-harmful cleaner. Then, wipe down your sink while brushing your teeth. Killing two birds with one stone now kills extra cleaning time, which you don’t have, in the future.

Long Island Home & Lifestyle Articles > A New Philosophy On Clean: New Ideas for Keeping The House Clean