One technique that helped me get my mess under control is the “one room a day technique.”

 I target one room per day of the week, and I break that down to a manageable hour or so. For instance: 

• Monday: Kitchen & Dining Room

• Tuesday: Bathrooms

• Wednesday: Rec Room

• Thursday: Bedrooms

• Friday: Living Room

• Saturday: Once a Month Cooking/ Kitchen again

• Sunday: REST 

This gives me focus. Instead of being overwhelmed by all the big jobs in my house, I can be overwhelmed by the big job in one small room.

The Right Tools

Cleaning is so much easier when you have the right tools (and if you have decluttered first… but don’t sweat it if you haven’t.) Here are some of the tools I have tried and like, and since I am a bit lazy, these get the job done with a minimum of effort:

• A good vacuum cleaner: I use a Panasonic canister vacuum. It’s quiet and sturdy and really does the job. It doesn’t have a beater brush, but with as much hair as three pets and one long-haired human put out, a beater brush would burn up pretty quickly. A good vacuum cleaner is very important: it should be quiet, comfortable, and easy to use. I consider mine the backbone of my cleaning supplies.

• A broom: I prefer plastic bristles. The wood ones lose bristles. I use my vacuum on hard floors, so the broom isn’t used as often.

• A good cloth mop. I use a Libman head with a Libman handle, but it doesn’t have a wringer on it. It’s fine, because my mop bucket has a wringer. The cloth head can be thrown in the washer, I’ve heard. I don’t like yarn mops or sponge mops.

• A mop bucket. I use a rectangular mop bucket with a wringer-strainer attachment across the top. If you don’t have a wringer on your mop, this is a great accessory, so you don’t have to wring the mop out with your hands.

• Cloths: I use flat cloth diapers. I don’t use t-shirt rags or anything like that. A couple packages will fit you out for a while. (I also try to have at least 7 dishcloths and about 10 towels so I can change them out every day and have extras.)

• Feather duster: I just use a cheap one from a discount store

• Cleaners: I’ve gone through periods where I have had a LOT of cleaners around, but I have pared down my list to just a few items.:

  • General cleaner: I use lemon-scented Pine-sol diluted in a spray bottle for messes. I also use the same product for cleaning floors.

  • Glass Cleaner: I use windex or diluted vinegar in a spray bottle

  • Wood cleaner: Lemon oil or Murphy’s oil soap

  • Febreze: I use this mostly in the living room. I prefer to steam clean the carpet when it’s dirty over using Febreze, but Febreze does come in handy for some of those mysterious little smells.

  • Scouring powder: I don’t use this often because I try to hit trouble spots with the lemon-scented cleaner and a toothbrush before stuff gets too stuck on

• Swiffer: this is expensive, but can be useful. I haven’t tried the Swiffer wet, but some of my messie friends swear by it.

• Dishpan: I use these to collect things that don’t belong in the area I’m cleaning. I have to discipline myself to put all these things in their proper places when I am done cleaning. (This can also be used to hold the cleaning supplies in a cabinet.)

• Plastic bags: I use the bags that come from grocery or discount stores to collect trash. I either hang them off a chair or knob in the room, or hang the bag off my wrist.

Jenne’s Helpful Homecare hints for reluctant Homecarers 

(I made a few of these myself, but most of them came from my online messie friends or were distilled from the many books I read on the subject.

• Think of cleaning as home-care, not “housework.” Think about how nice the phrase “homecare” sounds.  Be mindful while you clean, and figure out a way to make it pleasant for you.

• Make a list of 5 things you can do in the morning to make your day go smoother, and 5 things you can do at night to make the next day go smoother. Even if you don’t do anything else all day, these 10 things will make a big difference. 

• My messie friends also Mt. Vernonize: You can find an explanation for that on the Messies Anonymous homepage. The gist is, you start at the door of whatever room you’re in, and work around it clockwise (or counter clock-wise,) cleaning as you go. It gets more advanced, but that’s as far as I’ve gotten with it. It’s a great way to start when you feel overwhelmed. Try grabbing a plastic bag and starting right at your computer, throw away trash, working methodically around your room until the bag is full. When you’re cleaning, work methodically around the room, and work from the top down. (Vacuum or sweep and mop last.)

• Many messies realize that we’ll never be Cleanies, but we do set minimum standards for the day: I feel best when my dishes are washed and put away, the vacuuming is done, and the laundry is put away.  (Maybe this is why these three chores are the ones I put off the most.)  Everyone has her own threshold, though. 

• Ease into cleaning by developing a habit of the month. This could be something as small as making your bed every morning or as large as cleaning the kitchen thoroughly every night. Set yourself up for success, though. Pick a habit that you know you can do every day for a month, but that you don’t already do. You’ll find that the little daily habits make a BIG difference! (Of course, on the new month, you need to ADD a new habit, NOT replace it!) (Claire’s idea, but JenJen reminds us of it each month.)

• Puff’s 5 POP.  That stands for 5 pieces of paper.  When you sit at your desk and you have a couple of minutes, pick up five pieces of paper and do something with them. File them or toss them. Only plan to do five at a time.  Five’s not overwhelming at all, is it?  (Maybe that’s why it’s the Messie Magic Number.)

• Another tip from my Messie friends: 15/15: Set your timer for 15 minutes. During those 15 minutes, clean as much as you can. When the timer goes off, reset it for another 15 minutes and reward yourself. Go on-line and chat with your friends, read, crochet, do something fun and rewarding. Keep cycling through those 15 minute bursts. You can use the working time for any chore you tend to put off. 

• Play music and have fun! I have a cleaning CD–a CD I really like, but only play when I’m cleaning. Whenever I hear the music, it inspires me. My favorite cleaning CDs are Curtis Stigers and Steely Dan. One messie friend wears a walkman and listens to books on tape. 

• If you’re getting pressure from others who live with you, a quick tip is to clear off as many horizontal surfaces as you can. That helps things look less cluttered. You can also rearrange pictures and knick-knacks. You could clean all day, but that other person might not notice unless something is different. 

• Don’t forget: you are not alone. Develop a Messie Support System with other messies in your town. You can also check out online forums, including the one here at My Messy House. Other sites also have messie forums… in fact, Claudia has one on her website, I have one on my website, so shop around and see which one you like best. On-line forums are like “real life” groups.  You’ll fit into some better than you will into others.  If one doesn’t work for you, keep looking! 

• Spend some time with Cleanie friends.  Not only will you pick up some great tips, especially if you admit you’re a slob and ask for specific hints, but you may also find that while you envy your Cleanie friend her home, she may envy the time you “get” to spend rubber-stamping, or sewing, or drawing, or writing,or going to college classes.  She may help you to become neater while you may help her to learn there’s more to life than a clean home.  (Stay away from the ones who “have it all together,” at least at the start, because they may make you feel worse.)

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