From cleaning products to make-up, here are four things that I’ve discovered recently and am enjoying so much I thought you might like to know about them!
Category: Cleaning
Three Rules That Keep My Home Presentable (not perfect)
I’m one of those women that has to have things in order at home to be able to think straight. I feel so unorganized and discombobulated when my house is messy! Are you like that? But life is busy and it’s easy for things to get out of whack in a flash! Here’s what I try to do to keep things presentable at my house.
#1 – Have a routine. 
My best friend in relation to keeping things presentable is one word – Routine. It’s not so much that I clean the floor on this day and dust on that one (though I try to do that), my greatest routine is with the daily things that happen. Let me explain. Every day when I get up, I have a routine that goes like this:
- Feed the cat then sweep the laundry room floor (where Liza’s things are)
- Empty the litter box
- Throw in one load of laundry – On the days when there aren’t enough clothes for a load, I try to wash kitchen towels and pot holders or the throw rugs. This is another way to keep things presentable! In the spring it will also include one room of curtains.
- Make the bed – Let me just stop here and say that this is HUGE to me. The bed takes up so much of the room. If it gets completely made with the comforter smoothed out and straightened up, pillows in place, and accent pillows arranged, the whole room takes on the look of being clean!
- Clean the bathroom. I do this as I’m finishing up getting ready. I actually have a little way that I challenge myself to get it done quickly each day. Other days I’ll deep clean it, but it generally takes me about three or four minutes to wash out the two sinks, the tub, shower and toilet. Everything is shiny and smelling clean when I walk out!
- Empty the waste baskets. When I bring the dirty litter out of the laundry room, I immediately empty the trash in the rooms upstairs and set the bag at the top of the steps to go down to the trash can.
- Put away any clothes or items that are in the bedroom or bathroom.
With all these things done, when I go downstairs and start my day, the upstairs has been touched and cleaned so that it’s all presentable. It might be dusty or need a vacuuming, but it’s straightened up and clean! I love that.
I have another rule of thumb that I say to myself often:
#2 Don’t put it down, put it away.
This little rule keeps my morning routine much easier. That way there isn’t a lot of things that are lying here and there that need attention. That means I immediately put away
- my jewelry when I take it off
- my shoes
- any paper items
- devotional books/prayer journal
- make up
- coat
#3 Have a place for everything. 
I keep all like things together and have a place where they are stored when purchased or not in use. For instance:
- Cleaning products
- Paper products
- Books
- Shoes
- Coats
- Medicines
- Extra toiletries
- Purse
Which of these three rules are the most difficult for you? Make one little change at a time, if necessary, until you get your house to a place that makes you feel rested. That’s when you know it’s also presentable, because no one else matters but you and your family!
Refresh your home with three little rules!
The Blessing of Creating a Home Work Schedule
Work – too many people associate it as evil. But to be able to work is really a blessing!
To have
- something you own that needs to be cleaned
- the health to get up and work
are two simple reasons to tell God thank you!
Work was created in the Garden of Eden before sin entered the picture. God works. We should work. Our purpose is that it is ordained of God and we should do it for His glory.
There are LOTS of quotes about housework, like Continue reading “The Blessing of Creating a Home Work Schedule”
Spring Cleaning Tips
Okay, you may still be looking at white, fluffy snow outside your window, but you know that spring is around the corner somewhere! Why not use this time while you have little desire to go outside to get the spring cleaning taken care of? That way when it’s pretty you won’t feel so bad about Continue reading “Spring Cleaning Tips”
Simple Techniques to Keep Your Oven Clean
Cleaning the oven is probably at the bottom of most of our most-loved chores! But I have a greater disgust for a dirty oven than I do the chore itself, so I have tried to learn simple techniques to get my oven clean and keep it that way. My food is going in there, so I want it to be clean and as sparkling as possible.
Here are the tools I use:
That’s right – I don’t use chemicals or sprays. I simply use a Brillo pad, a razor and rubber gloves. I might add paper towels to that list, just to be technical.
Here’s the process:
- I remove the racks to make it easier to clean the inside of the oven.
- I wet the Brillo pad a little to get it soapy. I use it to scrub the inside of the door, the sides, the floor and top of the oven wall.s
- I use a damp paper towel to wipe out the soap. I can then to assess and see if there’s any dirty residue that needs more scrubbing.
- If there’s anything baked on the floor of the oven or the door, I use the razor blade to scrap it, then I use the Brillo pad and paper towel to wipe and check.
- Once the inside is clean, I put the racks back into the oven to clean them. I don’t have a sink big enough for them to fit into, so this is much easier!
- I pull one rack at a time out as far as it will go and still stay secure in the oven. Then I use the Brillo pad to scrub each rung of the rack. I wipe it with a paper towel.
- Repeat with other rack(s).
- Give the whole oven another wipe down with a damp paper towel.
- Use window cleaner on the front glass, the top of the oven door and the drawer beneath.
- Hang a clean towel over the door.
- Stand back and admire!
The real key to a clean oven is taking care of a mess as quickly as possible. Don’t let several days of splatters and spills accumulate, or you’ll never want to attack it. However, if you’ve neglected it, just do it. Turn on a good podcast and listen while you scrub away.
Then vow to keep it shining!
There are other methods you can try, too, if the oven is a huge mess.
What is your most dreaded household chore?
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