A couple of weeks ago I interviewed one of my best friends, Shiloh, about how she keeps her house immaculate at all times. But I forgot to encourage the readers to ask her some questions about keeping a clean home. So, here is your chance! Ask Shiloh whatever questions you have regarding cleaning and homemaking and she will do her best to answer as she has opportunity in the next few days. She will be answering in the comments section of this post. However, if she goes into labor, your questions will go unanswered ladies!
15 comments:
What happens when you are sick and your kids leave toys laying around. Do you ever feel like the house is a mess?
1) What cleaning products/tools do you use?
2) What cleaning product/tool would you never be without ?
3) Why they are your favorites?
(One Mrs. Clean to another :)
There are circumstances that happen,like when I am sick, that I have to just let things go. Last week, I had a horrible cold for ten days and I had to let some cleaning slide. And that is o.k.! Life happens! :) I do have to admit that I can't stand tripping on toys all the time, so I try to stick to picking up everything at bedtime, even when I am sick. The key is to stay on top of it when you can and then it is no big deal to let it go when you just can't do it. So yes, the house can get to be a mess, but since I try to be pretty regular about my cleaning, I can usually get caught back up pretty quickly when I need to.
Laura,
1) For mopping, I use the swiffer wet jet and its multipurpose floor cleaner. For glass, I use microfiber cloths with water. For the toilet, I use regular toilet bowl cleaner. (Usually whatever is cheapest or on sale at the time!) For dusting, I use the Pledge duster. And for everything else (counters, shower, etc.), I use a mixture of vinegar and water in a spray bottle. I do two-thirds water with one-third vinegar.
2)I would never be without the microfiber cloths!
3)For years, I used good 'ol windex and was always mad at how streaky and bad windows and glass still looked even though it says on the bottle "streak free." Then, I discovered the microfiber cloths! All you do is dampen one and use the other to dry. The results are literally amazing! I am not exaggerating! :) And the best part is, I am saving money by not having to buy glass/window cleaner any more! You should be able to get these at any local hardware store. I got mine at Ace Hardware.
How do you organize children's clothing, storage stuff, holiday decorations, etc?
Hi, Linds and Shiloh!
Shiloh, how do you organize those things that don't seem to have a place to belong? For example, toys that don't fit with any other toys, little gifts to give people that you're waiting to send, etc.
How do you balance the "big" projects with the day to day general stuff (floors, toys, bathrooms).
I feel like I am keeping up fine, but then I take time to tackle a project like the blinds, filing cabinet, a bathroom remodel etc and I can't keep up with the little daily tasks and then it takes me forever to catch back up.
I feel like I am always having to choose one or the other.
How do you balance it?
One more from me:
I can have one or two rooms looking spotless at the same time, but NEVER every single room of the house like you. How do you keep every single room picked up every single day? It seems like if I make the bathroom immaculate, the kids are destroying their room. If my bedroom looks great, the pantry looks cluttered. If I clean the kitchen, the living room gets full of toys. It blows my mind that every room in the house could be equally clean when there are little ones running around!
Mrs. Jo,
I have "rubbermaid" tubs for children's clothing. I have one big tub and one little tub for each range of sizes. As the kids grow out of one size, I put the clothes I want to keep into the appropriate tub. The clothes I don't want to keep, I immediately take to the thrift store or give to friends. Each tub is marked with a permanent marker telling what sizes are in it. We decided to do tubs instead of regular boxes because we store them in our shed. We do the same with holiday decorations. We have two for Christmas and then one for all other holidays.
I have to admit, regular storage stuff is put in a closet and the door is kept shut! :)
Heather,
For a long time, we had a big toy box where we threw all the toys. It was really hard to find anything and the kids always had to take everything out just to find one thing. So, this last week, we got shelves with tubs to put all of our "little" toys in. Each tub has a different theme. For example, we have a cars/trucks tub, princess/barbie tub, animal tub, imaginative play tub (dress up clothes, purses, shoes,etc.) and a miscellaneous, doesn't go with anything else tub. All the bigger toys are still in the toybox.
I also have a gift box where I put things I would like to give people. Whenever I find something that would make a great gift I put it in there and then I know, if I need a gift for something, I go look there to see if there is anything that would work. It is in our storage closet. If I have a specific gift I know for sure I am going to give someone, I actually have a drawer in my dresser that is designated for that, so that it is put away, but accessible when I am ready to send it or take it to them.
I hope these answers are helping! I will answer the last two questions (and any others) tomorrow as I am being told I need to go spend some time with my hubby! Keep the questions coming ladies, I'm having fun! :)
Thanks for answering these friend!
I still plan on answering those last questions! The last two days have been a little crazier than expected!
The Three 22nds,
This is a great question and one I struggle with too! What I try to do, is plan "bigger" projects on days I don't normally clean or have too many other things planned. If there is a big project that my husband can help me with, then I let him know ahead of time when I would like it to get done and then he can tackle it. I have an ongoing list of projects and I usually try to get at least one or two done a week, but that doesn't always happen. If it is something that has to take high priority, then I take time off from my "normal" routine to make sure it gets done.
Mrs. Jo,
There are basically three rooms of the house that the kids can play in. The living room, family room and their bedroom. Of course, there sometimes when I am tripping over toys in the kitchen or on the stairs, but in general we try to limit them to those three rooms. This way, it keeps their toy messes in specific places and makes it way easier to clean up.
I also live by the mantra, "A place for everything and everything in its place." So then when things are out, they can easily and quickly be put back. In the evenings while the kids are cleaning up their toys, I go around to each room and straighten up and put everything back in its place.
One other thing I do is sort things as soon as they come into the house. For example, when the mail comes, I immediately go through it and toss what needs to be tossed, put the bills where they need to go and so on. Or when the kids bring home stuff from preschool, I sort through it as soon as we walk in the door. That way, it doesn't pile up, end up all over the house and get so overwhelming.
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