Let’s get real shall we —
I get comments all the time about my house always being clean. Now most of you know that we usually only take pics of the pretty spaces in our homes, not what is really going on. I posted some 5 minute cleanup tips last year and that is how I clean most of the time. (This time I am adding in some real life messes too)
Ok, sometimes I am just too busy and have too much on my plate to clean my house, but I can’t stand it being dirty, so what to do. I don’t always have an hour or even a half hour, but several times a day I have 5 minutes. Utilize those 5 minutes to do a few things. Now I admit that since there is just two of us now, it is so much easier and we aren’t nearly as messy as a big family is, however when I was a full time working mother of 3, doing these 5 minute jobs is how I kept my sanity.
IN 5 MINUTES YOU CAN
1. Wipe down the bathroom sinks and counter.
Out of the shower and getting ready to put on makeup and do my hair.
Put away as I used everything and then wiped down the sink. (You don’t notice that I didn’t really clean the whole bathroom.)
2. Pick up all that stuff that is laying around –
put dirty clothes in hamper & shoes in the closet and toys in the toybox. Pickup all that stuff everyday and it won’t pile up on you.
(on a day to day basis, I don’t have a lot laying around, but I did when the children were small)
3. Put dishes in dishwasher
(now I am a clean freak about my kitchen so putting dishes in the dishwasher immediately is a habit)
4. Clean off and wipe down kitchen counters – (Yeah, I wipe down my counters all the time too)
5. Put mail & papers in files or trash
Papers and mail are an issue in my house. My hubby’s desk is something you wouldn’t believe. His desk is like the picture above and yet he says he know where everything is. The part I try to control is what drifts out and on to the end table by his chair. Notice the nails, everything lands here.
Check out the papers that aren’t read yet too. Two or three days of this and I am on a mission. Out they go. Today’s paper is enough to leave behind.
6.Clean up small messes – My Dust Buster Is My Best Friend – I grab this a dozen times a day to pick up little messes all over the house.
7. Make up your bed
We don’t have a large bedroom, so when all the pillows and quilt are draped all over the settee and the bed is rumpled, the whole room is a mess.
It really does only take 5 minutes to have a clean room with a made up bed. This is a must do for me, I ALWAYS make my bed. Now if I took 5 more minutes to dust the dresser, it really would look clean.
8. Straighten up pillows on sofa and table tops
The family room sofa looks like this a lot.
It doesn’t take even 5 minutes to straighten the throw and put the pillows back.
9. Dust one area or room
The coffee table can get a little cluttered in a hurry and snacks can spill and make a mess.
Window cleaner and a fiber rag have it sparkling in no time.
Since this table dominates the space, if it is clean the whole room looks clean.
(You don’t notice the dust anywhere else.)
10. Finish A Project & Clean Up
This is where I am the most guilty. I use the dining table to do my sewing projects and sometimes it stays spread out for days even if I am finished sewing.
I need to take 5 minutes to pick up everything and put it away, then do something to make the table pretty. Since you see the table from the front door, a simple pretty centerpiece and tablesetting is all that’s needed to make it look like I care.
It’s amazing what we can accomplish in 5 minutes if we just do it. I try to keep everything picked up and put up every day and my Dust Buster is always within easy reach. It takes care of all those little spills and dust bunnies that fly around.
If I keep up with these little 5 minute cleanups, when I do have time to “really” clean it is so much easier.
Next time you are feeling stressed, look around, there is something you can accomplish in 5 minutes and your home will always be cleaner and more organized.
