It’s time to go the zoo and you can’t find your daughter’s left shoe. There are other shoes she could put on, but they just aren’t the best match for her favorite giraffe shirt. What can you say other than you raised a fashionista, and she’s only four?
Your son is impatient, ready to see the monkeys. He’s acting like a monkey already, hanging on your calf as you search for the shoe. You do not like how the day has started. It’s 10:00 am.
While all of us are good at finding huge time wasters, there are few things that suck the life out of a day than mess, clutter, and disorganization. Keeping your home clean isn’t as difficult as it seems. It might even get you to the zoo in time to meet your playdate friends.
Here are five tips to keep your home clean this summer:
Load The Dishwasher Nightly
Nothing starts your day off more wrong than not having a clean coffee cup for that first, much-needed java. If you have to scramble to clean a mug and the best low acid coffee maker carafe, you might as well just show up at Starbucks, morning hair and all, because life might almost be over.
Loading the dishwasher at night before you go to bed could solve this entire drama. When dinner is finished, ask everyone to clear their plates and put them in the dishwasher. Face it; even a poorly loaded dishwasher run overnight will produce a clean coffee mug. Mission accomplished!
Make All Beds Daily
Why do I need to make my bed if I’m just going to mess it up again?
This is surely the question your children, perhaps your husband will ask every single day. But the fact is that you will sleep better in a bed that was properly made. The sheets won’t be tangled. The comforter won’t be shoved at the bottom of the cover. Pillows will be fluffed.
If it’s been a while since you last slid into a well-made bed, you’ll immediately know the difference. You’ll sleep better and be happier as a result. You might even find that sock you lost a week ago deep in the abyss of sheet entanglement.
Wash and Fold Laundry
We’re going to include shoes with laundry. Why? Because feet can’t be naked all the time.
Remember that shoe you couldn’t find to match your daughter’s giraffe shirt? If you do the laundry, fold everything, and put it where it belongs, paired-up shoes and all, this wouldn’t be an issue. Sure, laundry can be overwhelming with a family, but grab the kids and ask them to sort their own clothes. Make it a game. Teach them to fold and you’ll have a child laundry army ready to go.
Get Carpets Professionally Cleaned
You might not think keeping carpets cleaned is a big deal. Sure you run the best laminate floor vacuum when you feel like the dog hair is a bit unmanageable. The reality is your kids are playing on the carpet, leaving little Lego bricks for your toes to find later. How sweet that they leave you surprises! But while they are playing, they are closer to allergens, dust, and germs.
More than vacuuming, professionally cleaning carpets gets everything deep down on the carpet that your vacuum just doesn’t suck up. The feel of a nice, clean carpet will make you want to sit with the kids on the floor to build the next spaceship, or just nap on the floor while the kids re-enact Gulliver’s Travels.
Vacuum at Least 3 Times a Week
Once the carpet is clean, save yourself the troubles of caked in dirt. Vacuum at least three times a week to pull out any build up and keep those carpets Gulliver-ready. You’ll find less dirt ends up in the vacuum canister and you’ll feel accomplished with dog hair either on the dog or in the garbage can.