Let's Talk Dirt

** This post was supposed to go out on Friday, but for some reason it did not publish. Sorry. Enjoy! **

So... deep cleaning. No one enjoy it. In fact, I am sure that this is why the entire "housekeeper profession" was invented; because one day someone finally said, "THAT'S IT! I refuse to clean my shower anymore!"

Well, I am definitely with the masses on this one. I do not like deep cleaning.

But there are just some things in life that are necessary despite the enjoyment level (mammograms also come to mind).

So if this task of deep cleaning has to happen, I have decided to make it as simple and non-complicated as possible.

I do not have 10 different cleaning products, 4 kinds of vacuums/mops/steam cleaners, nor do I have lots of time. I feel like efficiency is the key when it comes to cleaning. No need to spend hours doing it. Just get it done quickly and effectively.

First off, here's a list of the products I use:

BATHROOM

 Yep, 3 products for the bathrooms. That's it.

• "The Works" toilet bowl cleaner (this stuff is crazy tough on hard water stains, which unfortunately we have a lot of here in Tampa).
• Tilex bathroom for the shower & tubs.
• Lysol 4 in 1 Antibacterial Multipurpose Cleanser for everything else.

I also use:

• O-cel-o large sponges. They're inexpensive but they work great. I use them a couple times and toss em. Gross sponges gross me out big time.
• Lysol toilet bowl brush & handled brush for the shower/tub

 And I carry them all in this blue bucket.

That way, I just go into the garage, grab the bucket and head to the bathroom with everything I need.

FLOORS/KITCHEN

Just two simple products:

• Pine-Sol for the kitchen/entry way & bathroom tile
• Fabuloso for the wood floors and multiple kitchen surfaces

Fabuloso  is a product I was not familiar with until I had a housekeeper (for 6 months when Payton was born...8 years ago). It's a great multi-purpose cleaner and it really gets rid of the guck & grime. I buy this large bottle and then cut it with water and refill a spray bottle. It's pretty strong in his pure form.

EVERYTHING ELSE:

• I already shared in this post about how I use Windex & Clorox wipes in the bathrooms.
• For dusting, I use old rags & spray Pledge.

Okay, now that we have the products out of the way, let's talk cleaning schedule.

Here are the things I consider "deep cleaning" (e.g. not something I do every day) and the frequency in which I do them (do not judge me, please - I realize I should clean some of these things more often):

At least once a week:

• Toilets
• Floors surrounding the toilets
• Bathroom vanities
• Kitchen floor
• Wood floors
• Dust all family room/playroom surfaces
• Change sheets
• Kitchen appliances (e.g. inside of microwave, toaster oven, wipe down outside of all appliances - Fabuloso is a great product for cleaning all of these)

*You may have noticed I didn't put "vacuum carpets" on the list. We do not have any carpets in the house, so the only time I vacuum is when I am cleaning behind/under the couches.

 Every other week:

• Bathroom floors
• Shower
• Tub
• Bedroom dusting

Once a month:

• Wood blind dusting
• Vacuuming behind/under furniture & couch cushions
• Washing all bathmats, door mats, etc.

As needed:

• Completely empty and clean all fridge surfaces/drawers, etc.
• Inside of oven
• Fans
• Baseboards

Now, I realize all written out like this it looks overwhelming and like a lot of work. The good thing is, it doesn't all have to be done at once. And broken down over a week, or a month, it's very do-able.

My schedule is very flexible since I stay home with the kids. There are a few times during the day that I am able to sneak in a little cleaning here and there. I especially like to do this on Fridays. Then I head into the weekend with a nice clean house. It looks like this...

Friday morning:

• Strip the bed, throw the sheets immediately into the washer (our washer will hold both our sheets and Payton's so it's a one-load deal).

Friday during Parker's nap time:

• Put clean sheets back on bed
• Clean bathrooms
• Clean wood floors 
• Dust family room surfaces

Friday late afternoon:

• Clean kitchen floors
• Give exterior of appliances a good wipe-down

Then I head into the weekend with a fresh, clean house. Of course this schedule looks a little different every week depending on if we are hosting people for dinner, if a kid gets sick, guests are coming into town, etc.

The key is to have a framework for what you'd like to get done every week and then allow yourself a little bit of flexibility about when you do it. Don't sacrifice precious one-on-one playtime with your kiddos because you want to clean your kitchen floors. Life will go on with some dirty floors! :)

My hope with this post is to give you a little bit of guidelines as to how you can get it all done. But I am certainly not the authority when it comes to cleaning a house. I would love to hear how you keep up with your house cleaning too!

We just recently started involving Payton in the housework and it's been a good learning lesson for him. Plus, it helps me out. He makes his bed everyday. He collects the garbage around the house and brings it to the main garbage can in the kitchen. And he puts away all of his clean clothes that I leave on his dresser. Just these few things really help save me some time. And I'm all about saving time!

I hope this has been helpful to you. I hope you try some of the products I mentioned. And most of all, I hope that you have a great weekend doing whatever it is that you enjoy doing. Cheers!