Ever have a friend who's home is so clean that it baffles you? I do! I decided to pick the brain of my cleanest friend and find out her secrets. Lately my house has been feeling less clean than I would prefer, so this week is spring cleaning week for me! I hope to de-clutter, organize trouble spots, and spend some time deep cleaning.
Shiloh is the mom to three-year-old twins, Carsen and Kennedy, and she works about 6 hours a week as a tutor for at-risk students in the local Jr. High and High School. She's also the wife of Jesse, who is the youth pastor at our church. I didn't know her when she was pregnant with the twins, but I can vouch for the fact that her house is absolutely spotless any time of the day or night when you drop by unexpectedly, whether or not she has newborn twins, twin toddlers, is in the midst of remodeling, or is living in tight quarters, etc. This is a long post, but I think you'll enjoy EVERY bit of it!!! 
Shiloh, at 33 Weeks Pregnant. She's due with a little girl on May 9th.Do you find cleaning to be enjoyable or something you don't really enjoy but do anyway?
Yes and no! I actually don't really enjoy the process of cleaning,but I enjoy the results so much that it is worth it to me!
What did your bedroom look like growing up?
I hate to admit this, but my bedroom was usually a mess when I was a kid! I hardly made my bed and clothes were everywhere, unless my mom cleaned it. She is a "cleaner" like I am and usually would clean it when she couldn't handle it any longer. :)
Do you think you were born with a knack for neatness or did you learn it in your family growing up?
I think I learned it. My mom cleans even more than I do; if you can imagine that! But I realized when I became an adult how much I appreciated that.
Do opposites attract? How clean is your husband and how do you divide up the household cleaning chores?
He is learning! :) He has never been one to really care about cleaning. However, he knows that I like to keep a clean house, so he does whatever he can to help out. If I have an unusually busy day oram sick or tired, he will gladly do the cleaning if I ask him. Right now, he has taken over the vacuuming and sweeping/mopping since I am pregnant.
What 5 tips do you have for women who find it difficult to maintain a clean and clutter-free home?
1. Try to keep things picked up every day, so that it doesn't get so overwhelming and you wake up to a clean house!2. Involve your family as much as you can. Let the kids help, especially if they are older and ask your husband to join in too!3. Have a cleaning schedule that works with your lifestyle, write it down and post it somewhere where you will see it constantly. People are more likely to do things that they have thought through and written down.4. Tackle what you can and then get to the rest of the chores when you can. Keep it in perspective; a clean house is not what life is all about and this is something I have to remind myself all the time! If my kids want me to do something with them, then I try to do that instead of worrying about how I need to clean my house.5. If you clean regularly, then if you have an off week or two where you can't seem to get anything done, then it doesn't matter because your house is still pretty clean!How many minutes/hours a day do you spend cleaning?
I probably spend about 5-6 hours a week? Although, it also depends on how motivated I am that week!
Any cleaning secrets you use to keep your house looking perfect?
The entire family picks up toys, clothes, shoes, etc. every evening.This way things look nice when we get up in the morning and then it never gets too overwhelming. Also, if the kiddos get out several things to play with, if they want to to get out more, I make them clean up one thing before they can get something else out. This cuts down on the clutter and the tripping over everything all the time.
What are your favorite products to use?
For a long time, I used anything that was available and in my price range to clean. Now, for almost everything, I use a plain old vinegar water mixture in a spray bottle. For the toilets, I try to use an"eco-friendly" cleaner.
How have you been teaching your kids to clean up after themselves?
I decided that if I started teaching them when they were young, then hopefully it would become such a habit to them that it would eventually be second nature. So, when they turned two, we decided that before naptime and before bedtime, they would pick up all their toys.When they turned three, we began teaching them how to make their beds. I don't make them do it perfectly though, just enough that their beds look halfway made. ( My son actually sleeps on top of his covers, so that he doesn't have to make it!) If they do these two things without being asked over and over, then we give them a nickel each day. As they get older, we will add more chores. We also try to let them help us with cleaning whenever we can. They like to help unload the dishwasher, wipe down the table and vacuum as well.
What kind of cleaning schedule do you have for yourself (in your head or on paper)?
For a long time, I would clean our two bathrooms, clean all the glass and windows and wipe down our counters and tables every Sunday. On Monday, I would vacuum, sweep and dust two rooms in the house. Then on Thursday, I would vacuum and mop. This, however, got to be way too much to do. So recently, I have changed my schedule. Since I work on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and would like to keep weekends free, I have started cleaning on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Mondays are cleaning the glass and windows and wiping down counters and tables. Wednesdays are dusting and vacuuming. Fridays are bathrooms and sweeping/mopping. I don't worry about cleaning the rest of the days and right now, since I am pregnant, my husband has taken over the vacuuming and sweeping/mopping. For the dusting, each week I pick two rooms in the house and don't worry about the rest, so really I dust each room in the house about once a month. Also, when cleaning the glass and windows, I pick two rooms in the house each week and do a thorough cleaning of them. All the rest of the rooms, I walk through and if something needs cleaned badly enough, I wipe it down, if not, I don't worry about it.
Any other thoughts on keeping a neat and clutter-free home?
I have found a lot of freedom in trying to be content with what I have. This has allowed me to have more of a simpler and clutter-free home. Whenever I feel the need to buy something, I really scrutinize whether I need it or not and usually the answer is no. Also, around Christmas and birthdays, I go through clothes, toys and books and get rid of some things in order to make room for the new things. I either take these things to the thrift store in our town, give them to friends or put them in a closet for a garage sale. I try to do a garage sale once a year with my friends and once the garage sale is over, I don't let the un-bought things come back in the house; I take them immediately to the thrift store.
Was there ever a time in your married life where you found it hard to keep the house clean?
Yes! When I was pregnant with the twins, I was so tired and sick,that my house was a total disaster! I have to confess that neither my husband nor I cleaned for the entire 9 months! One time, there were so many dishes in the sink, that we didn't have hardly anything in the cupboards! We ate off of paper plates and ate out for probably an entire week before we decided to do the dishes!
This skirt was $2.99 at K-Mart. However, they didn't have my size, just a size or two larger than mine. I loved the skirt, needed a new skirt, and knew I couldn't get the fabric to make one for that price! So, I got it and carefully removed about 4 inches from the waist elastic. It now fits perfectly and I love wearing it because it's so cheery and feminine!
Someone donated some adults clothing for our clothing swap. This pretty skirt caught my eye but was about 3 sizes too big for me in the waist. Again, I just cut out about 6-8 inches of the elastic and perfecto!
Jer lost his security blanket a few months ago and I made him a new little one out of fleece. However, he lost that one a couple of times (we found it though) and he often gets it dirty or wets on it at night. When it's in the wash it's really hard for him. So, when I saw this extra-fuzzy fleece on clearance, I got enough to make TWO blankets! Each blanket is 1/4 yard of blue fleece sewed to 1/4 yard of duckie fleece. One will go into the linen closet and will be pulled out when the other one is in the wash, or is missing. The thing I love about this is that now he actually has a "duckie" blanket. Ali has a duck security blanket which she has had for 4 years. Jer's two security blankets he has had thus far have not had ducks on them at all or been yellow but he has always called them "duckie blankies" mimicking Ali, which totally confuses everyone. Now the name fits with the blanket!
