15 minutes of cleaning? - How to have a {fake} immaculate house (part 2) | Organizing Made Fun: 15 minutes of cleaning? - How to have a {fake} immaculate house (part 2)

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

15 minutes of cleaning? - How to have a {fake} immaculate house (part 2)

To see the whole series on how to have a {fake} immaculate house, go HERE!






 
Ok...I have lots of friends who are seriously skeptical but I'm telling you, it's TOTALLY possible to keep your house clean with just 15 minutes a day of cleaning!  Really!  I did it for years....when my kids were babies.  It was not possible for me to spend an entire day cleaning.  I must tell you, this doesn't mean if your house is right now a complete pig-stye mess that you can get it cleaned up in 15 minutes.  NOPE!  Nice try....this is a way of MAINTAINING your home with just 15 minutes of CLEANING each day - not picking up or putting away, CLEANING!

how to fake an immaculate house
to have to cart around and get the job done quickly!

Years ago, I was inspired by Emilie Barnes,the author of MANY organizing books.  I can't even tell you exactly which book it was that inspired me.  It may have been Simply Organized or another one I can't even find now!  Anyway...I set up a schedule for myself based on reading something of hers. Here is how I did it {I actually found this schedule from years ago on my computer}:





**I no longer use any bleach products. I suggest using one of my favorite cleaning products instead**







You see...it's not much.  If you timed yourself, you can clean a bathroom in minutes - REALLY!  You do not have to sit there with a toothbrush and scrub the floors absolutely, perfectly clean!  Just wipe down everything and get it sanitized!  Depending on your house, you can vacuum it in 15-20 minutes.  Our old house was smaller than our current one - it was about 1800 square feet, but it was also two story, meaning I had to drag a vacuum cleaner up and down stairs AND vacuum stairs!  This would also make a difference if you have more or less bathrooms {my absolute most-hated room to clean}. 

how to fake an immaculate house
 Time yourself...how long does it really take to do that?

If you need to vacuum daily....you may have to give that up - let it go!  If you have a dog {which we have} you need to keep that dog OFF your furniture {yep, it's possible} and assign him/her a spot to sleep in so the fur stays in one place.  This doesn't mean you now ONLY have to do 15 minutes a day of anything for keeping your household up, either.  This is just to maintain the cleaning!

how to fake an immaculate house


Now, let me tell you, there will be days you won't even have time to get to your assigned "chore" - potty training, baby crying all day, having your period, whatever!  Just skip that chore and do it the next week.  It won't hurt your house for one week to skip it, really!

how to fake an immaculate house



Now, get to it...sit down and make up your weekly schedule and put it on your frig!





Just as a quick side note...I no longer do just fifteen minutes of cleaning a day.  Our house is a bit bigger so it takes me about 20-25 minutes a day but I still do one chore for the day.  Remember, as your kids grow, your schedule will need to change and be more flexible.  For example, my summer schedule can be seen here.


Want to know where I got that product? 
Go HERE and find it!

15 Minutes a Day Cleaning Schedule
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How to {fake} and immaculate house series:

56 comments:

  1. Love this idea. I'm going to have to try it out, but I will need to do a big clean up first.

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  2. Sounds like a good ideal.

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  3. Thank you!! Great schedule!!

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  4. What about dishes!!

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    1. I would imagine most people do dishes daily, so they wouldn't be on this weekly schedule.

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  5. I made a schedule just as you advice and started this week, already feel more organized and it really works!!!

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  6. That is truly inspiring. I hate cleaning but breaking it up into manageable tasks AND setting a routine sound like a masterful plan!

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  7. I have an Everyday Cleaning Concept that I made that is very similar to this. I spend 15 minutes a day cleaning scheduled rooms and take weekends off. I also have a "laundry day." To make sure I keep up with the little things, I create a "special challenge" for each day as well that I try to tackle in my free time. It works great and I never feel overwhelmed with cleaning!

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  8. Good idea for maintenance. I need to figure out where stuff belongs so I can put it away. My problem is I get great ideas for making things and even start them -- but before I finish I get another great idea and can't wait to make that and before I know it I have maybe finished only one project. That leave me with scraps and pieces of projects all piled up waiting for a miracle to happen.

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    1. Ah that's the same for me too!! And my new addiction to DIY on pinterest is definetly NOT helping!! LOL

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  9. I'm a house cleaner and sometimes my costumer will asked me about some tip on house cleaning. I will recommend this site to my costumers. Thanks a lot for this post.

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  10. What an awesome schedule :) I'm going to try it out after I throw practically everything away :) jk

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  11. Any tips on getting laundry done more efficiently? It's the WORST!

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  12. Any tips on getting laundry done in a more time efficient way? It's the WORST!

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    1. we do our laundry twice a week, Wednesday and Sunday, with a family of 5 it's definitely easier to manage.

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    2. We have 2 kids a boy and a girl. I do the laundry for me and the girl(tue or wed) and my husband does it for himself & the boy (thurs or fri). My husband is also responsible to make sure the boy stays on task with his room and helping him if need be. I do the same for the girl.

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  13. It may be troublesome for others, but cleaning the house is a task that we should prioritize in order to keep germs and diseases away. Aside from this, we get to keep things organized at home and we no longer have items misplaced because our things are in order.

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  14. I'm curious if you sweep your floor every day or wait till Friday when you mop. Our floor gets so filthy so fast that even doing it once a week it takes forever to sweep and mop. At least an hour...

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  15. I thought i was the only one to clean like this. I have no time for a full day of cleaning or money for cleaning lady. I have two twin boys in my house five days a week and two dogs, so I do a little bit every day, and floors every day. Great post.

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  17. Thanks for the great tips, as a recent stay home Dad I find it really difficult to keep the house cleaned up to wife happy standards... Cleaning schedule done, now just have to do it.

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  18. My great grandma also said the same thing so I don't think this is crazy!!!

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  19. I think your idea is great ,I have a different twist as I do this all the time ,I don't have a schedule I just walk around the house every morning and see what needs to be done and if it's the bats ,I do them etc. I do 1 big chore a day if it needs it and when I really don't need to do any every day cleaning I take on a bigger chore cleaning a closet,re arranging my cabinets bathing the dogs

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  20. Thank you for this very encouraging post. I have to admit that I do find myself lazy to do household chores, at times, especially when I am not in the mood. I have to add that I work and I usually have hectic schedules. This is not really an excuse because it is the truth. Anyway, these tips of yours will absolutely help me to always keep my house clean without the need of spending several hours on it.

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  21. I am an organized SAHM of 7 years. I do laundry MWF. I do all the bedding on M. I do all the floors on M because we are all at home on the weekend and the floors get filthy. I sweep on F. I follow a similar cleaning sched. to this for the rest of the week. I have an older son who is tasked w/cleaning the bathrooms. Younger son dusts and cleans up after the dog and feeds dog. Deep cleaning--baseboards, cabinets, shelving, fridge, are once-a-week project days.

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  22. Instead of banning the animals from the furniture (in my old house, it was the only place the dog could look outside!), I just... brush the DOG and remove the fur outside the house. This can be 1-2 minutes of those 15 minutes a day, one of the times you let it outside. Or, I suppose, 1-2 minutes extra. This would also work for cats. Pets that don't like being brushed can be taught to like it with positive reinforcement, and you can also clip them to cut down on hair.

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  23. Great article! When I have time I need to come back to read some more of them.

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  24. Great article! When I have time I need to come back to read some more of them.

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  25. Thank you, thank you, thank you! My house has been spotless for 3 weeks now. I have NEVER had the place clean for more than a few days!

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  26. I always wondered how to schedule my chores for working days and thinking whether this is possible at all.
    Seeing your schedule gave me courage to start my own. Thanks.

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  27. Great post, thanks! Love the printable take-aways.

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  28. Great idea! With this help, there should be no excuses for a dirty house!

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  29. These are some great tips, suggestions, and lists. Having a little one makes it hard to keep up with all of the cleaning, but organizing it like this makes home cleaning a lot easier. Thanks for the post, I will definitely be back to look for more tips!

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  30. These are some great tips, suggestions, and lists. Having a little one makes it hard to keep up with all of the cleaning, but organizing it like this makes home cleaning a lot easier. Thanks for the post, I will definitely be back to look for more tips!

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  31. Love this! But my mom always taught me to dust first then Vaccuum because of all the dust that flies around and falls to the ground.

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  32. Thank you so much for posting this blog on house cleaning. I agree with you, just a little cleaning each day can keep your home looking good. It amazes me how many people don't know how to clean. I don't like living in a dirty house so I am constantly cleaning! Would your 15 minute schedule change if you had little kids?

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  33. Great cleaning tips! Managing cleaning and raising a family is tough!

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  34. This is exactly what I was looking for! How did you keep your dogs off the couch? I've heard spraying then with a water bottle but I'm skeptical

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  35. Simplify, simplify, simplify. We all have too much stuff. Easier to clean a picked up room than a messy one. I recently got an iRobot vacuum that is perfect for hardwood floors, it can vacuum while I am doing other things. I think I will have to incorporate vacuuming one room while I am cleaning another. It will all get done eventually! I had a friend in college who completely cleaned one room every day on a schedule. Her house was always immaculate, and she always had every afternoon and evening to do what she wanted. The trick is having the discipline to stick to a system. If you have a six room house, you are all set to have it completely cleaned from top to bottom in a week. If you have more rooms, and clean each one in sequence, you know that the entire house is cleaned every 7 to 12 days, for example. Regular cleaning every 11 days is better than not regularly cleaning every day because you get overwhelmed. You can still have a five or six day cleaning week, but it may take two weeks to get around to everything. Organization is totally doable.

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  36. I use a similar idea- flylady.net. check it out. It all starts by shining your sink!

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  37. i often read Emilie Barnes books and i really admire all of her cleaning tips that she gave to people. Cleaner Jobs

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  38. This is how I lived when my twins were born. It did work, and I wonder why I stopped!

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  39. I really like this Idea and would like to create a fun free printable design with this information including your name and blog. May I have your permission?

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  40. Thank you so much for this! I deal with fibromyaliga and chronic fatigue daily. I'm also a stay at home mom to 2 kids (one is in school though). I used to be able to clean the house and do laundry in 1 day but not anymore. I do not have the energy. This schedule has lifted a lot of stress off of my shoulders.

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  41. I admire the way you organize cleaning task into manageable ones. Such scheduling makes them achievable and lessen procrastination.

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  42. I don't agree! I would maybe say 30 minutes a day(house size pending). I believe the house should be vacuumed everyday! So ur schedule sounds awesome just add in the vacuuming and it's 30 mins a day!

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  44. I love the schedule. I fine it very helpful to do second and split second things all day too. See a piece of paper on the floor - pick it up when I walk by it. Washing hands - take a split second to dry the sink to keep it shiny. See dust when the sun starts to set ( in a room with a west facing window like my living room), grab a cloth and skim the TV. This is a great way for me to keep up with the house. So simple and pretty much effortless and it becomes second nature really fast.

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  45. I love to have those cleaning basket. Easy to use and organized, cleaning won't be an intimidating task.

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  46. Earlier, I thought that cleaning was a nightmare, but now I know how to arrange cleaning:
    Cleaning as you dream.
    By the way, I followed you up with GFC, it'd be great if you follow me back.

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  47. My mom had the cleanest house on the block! her way of getting the house spic and span, was to give us spring cleaning as a punishment. she told us "Cleanliness was next to Godliness". So when we got punishment, she fixed our little red wagon, by having a spring cleaning day.
    Once a month on a Saturday was also spring cleaning day. we were assigned chores, and no one left the home until the were done. those who got done quick, would help those lagging in theirs! Of course, we then did something as a family to celebrate the clean house, by going out and doing something fun. a drive in movie, a trip to the thrift store, a Taco Bell treat dinner. Something cool!

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  48. Shouldn't the dusting day come before the vacuuming day?

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  49. I am absolutely amazed!! I HATE TO CLEAN! And use my allergies, asthma and back problems to avoid cleaning AT ALL COSTS!!! I am a retired senior and just read your ideas for cleaning 15 - 20 mins a day....I feel like I've been hit by lightning!!! WOW!!! I am going to try this starting next week and see how it goes, it's a revelation to me to break it down into such small chunks, great idea!!!! I'LL KEEP YOU POSTED ON HOW IT GOES....

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  50. Loved your post absolutely amazing post on house cleaning how 15 min cleaning task

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