What are your routines that prevent mess, minimize cleaning?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do two "Pick up 10 things" drills every day. We run around like crazy, putting things away and counting aloud. My kids jump at it because they usually pick the easy stuff to pick away. In a family of 4, if you pick up and keep 40 things in its proper place, twice a day - you are GOLD.

- I have made beds easy. My kids have a faux down comforter and no top sheets. They just have to spread out the comforter to make their beds.

- No shoes indoors.
- Everyone makes their bed as soon as they wake up.
- Everyone puts all dishes for snacking, cups, saucers, bowls from their rooms on to a tray in the hall in the morning.
- Everyone puts all their dirty clothes in hampers in the morning.
- Everyone takes care of disposing off mail addressed to them and any paper
- Everyone puts their dishes in the dishwasher after meals.

Some assigned chores specific to the family members.
-My DH runs and empties the dishwasher (thrice a day...we cook and eat a lot). He also takes care of breakfast and puts away leftovers in the fridge.
- My youngest waters the indoor plants, recycles and composts the kitchen scraps and will hang coats inside the coat closet.
- My eldest is in charge of panty, fridge and refrigerator organization - as well as making shopping lists by store.

- I clean (since my twice a week cleaning lady is no longer an option) the bathrooms and all the floors, once a week.
- I wash at least 2 loads of laundry a day. All my towels, bath mats, bed sheets and bed linen are white so I can wash on hot and use bleach. I fold everyone clothes and they are in charge of putting their clothes away in their dressers. I Konmaried clothes in the begining of the pandemic and I fold clothes in a specific manner based on whose clothes I am folding and their storage space in their bedrooms
- I take care of the yard and outdoor stuff.
- I cook some entrees during the weekend. Mostly DH is cooking but if I have to cook, I cook in the morning just after I finish my breakfast.

Thank the LORD that I do not have pets. Less responsibility and my house is cleaner because of that.

Food does not leave the kitchen/dining room.

Agreed! The idea that there would be food dishes upstairs is nasty.

[Anonymous]

It is best to minimize knick knacks around your home so overall you will spend less time dusting the house.

Also:
• Be careful re: refrigerator spills.
If you spill something inside the fridge - make sure to wipe it immediately.
This way you don’t have to worry about using all of your elbow grease cleaning them up after they have dried up.
• Wipe down microwave immediately if splatters appear.
It is best to wipe down splatter stains while the microwave is still relatively warm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:we have 3 kids 8, 5, and 3. we have VERY few toys. I keep the stuff with pieces/parts up high and they have to ask to get it down. only one toy at a time, the other must be cleaned up before a new messy one can come down. they make their own beds, put away their clothes, and bring in their dishes. we also carve out time where everyone just straightens up together for 10 min or so. my house is always tidy. honestly being a minimalist is key tho.

This is SUCH good advice, thank you!! This is the kinda thing we're going for - can you share more tips??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everything single thing in the house has to have a "place." Even if it's often out and in use - it has a place. Hook for purse in closet. Place for mail (outgoing/mine/his). Baby's swing has a spot. Diaper bag has a spot. A place for everything! Stops stuff from getting overwhelming.

What is your place for water bottles? Constantly in use, frequently wet?
What about books and magazines you are currently reading?
Bread and bananas?
masks?

I'm the PP.
Currently in use water bottle - mine goes on the bedside table, husband's goes on his desk next to his computer. They are probably the thing most likely to not be in their place though! Ha. Never wet on the outside - probably because we just use tap water, so it's not super cold, ergo no condensation.
Magazines go on the back of the toilet.
Book we're currently reading - our bedside tables
Bread - in the pantry
Bananas - we have one of those banana hanger things on the counter
Masks - we have a hook for them by the door

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everything single thing in the house has to have a "place." Even if it's often out and in use - it has a place. Hook for purse in closet. Place for mail (outgoing/mine/his). Baby's swing has a spot. Diaper bag has a spot. A place for everything! Stops stuff from getting overwhelming.

What is your place for water bottles? Constantly in use, frequently wet?
What about books and magazines you are currently reading?
Bread and bananas?
masks?

I'm the PP.
Currently in use water bottle - mine goes on the bedside table, husband's goes on his desk next to his computer. They are probably the thing most likely to not be in their place though! Ha. Never wet on the outside - probably because we just use tap water, so it's not super cold, ergo no condensation.
Magazines go on the back of the toilet.
Book we're currently reading - our bedside tables
Bread - in the pantry
Bananas - we have one of those banana hanger things on the counter
Masks - we have a hook for them by the door

This. I think you are trying to be clever and imply that there are lots of things that can’t have a designated “place,” but the reality is that they can. And I will add that a good tip is to designate a place similar to where they end up naturally. E.g., we have a tiny kitchen with very little counterspace or storage and we constantly had random objects ending up piled on the counters—lighter for the candles we keep on the table, thermometer to take kids’ temps before school, rubber bands from produce, etc. We had other homes for these things but they weren’t easily accessible so we kept not putting them away. I added a bin with a lid on one counter and everything goes in there. It’s the equivalent of the “junk drawer” most people have, but there’s only 2 drawers in our whole kitchen so we didn’t have one. Now we have a junk box, which matches the decor and is a designated home for items that were previously a source of clutter.

[Anonymous]

I used to be a horrible paper hoarder. Now I give myself deadlines to use, donate or recycle books, magazines, newspapers, and even pieces I have written. I also force myself to give away clothes regularly. All other tidying becomes so much easier when you have much less.

[Anonymous]

Be scrupulous about donating. Maintain a donation bag either in your closet or the trunk of your car. Yours, mine, ours...challenge yourself to fill the bag. Don't let your kids see it.

Use it or lose it. Can't stand a particular water bottle or dish? Mismatched Tupperware? Trash/donate/recycle.

Random new trick: do you have a rarely used toilet? Clean it then let cleaning solution remain. Cuts down on mold and mildew. Leaving for a few days? Do same for all toilets.

[Anonymous]

I put vinegar in our toilets and in my water heater to get rid of the chalk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everything single thing in the house has to have a "place." Even if it's often out and in use - it has a place. Hook for purse in closet. Place for mail (outgoing/mine/his). Baby's swing has a spot. Diaper bag has a spot. A place for everything! Stops stuff from getting overwhelming.

What is your place for water bottles? Constantly in use, frequently wet?
What about books and magazines you are currently reading?
Bread and bananas?
masks?

I'm the PP.
Currently in use water bottle - mine goes on the bedside table, husband's goes on his desk next to his computer. They are probably the thing most likely to not be in their place though! Ha. Never wet on the outside - probably because we just use tap water, so it's not super cold, ergo no condensation.
Magazines go on the back of the toilet.
Book we're currently reading - our bedside tables
Bread - in the pantry
Bananas - we have one of those banana hanger things on the counter
Masks - we have a hook for them by the door

This. I think you are trying to be clever and imply that there are lots of things that can’t have a designated “place,” but the reality is that they can. And I will add that a good tip is to designate a place similar to where they end up naturally. E.g., we have a tiny kitchen with very little counterspace or storage and we constantly had random objects ending up piled on the counters—lighter for the candles we keep on the table, thermometer to take kids’ temps before school, rubber bands from produce, etc. We had other homes for these things but they weren’t easily accessible so we kept not putting them away. I added a bin with a lid on one counter and everything goes in there. It’s the equivalent of the “junk drawer” most people have, but there’s only 2 drawers in our whole kitchen so we didn’t have one. Now we have a junk box, which matches the decor and is a designated home for items that were previously a source of clutter.

I agree with this. My husband always had little things he wanted to keep handy — business cards, slips of paper with phone numbers, little parts to something he needed to fix, etc, and they always ended up on our kitchen island. I originally made a little place in a kitchen closet that I hoped he’d use, but it was too “out of sight, out of mind” for him. So I gave in and got a ceramic bowl with a cover for him to keep his little treasures in. It’s attractive enough and it works great for him. Organizing doesn’t work if you’re fighting the natural flow of things.

[Anonymous]

NP. I am finding this thread really helpful so thank you to everyone who has contributed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Vacuum everyday, it will help with crumbs and everything will generally look cleaner. Wipe counters down and do dishes before bed. Also, one load of laundry washed and put away. That’s pretty much all the energy I have for daily cleaning.

Weekly are toilets, shower and change out linens, dust and anything else that look dirty.

Yep, this is me. It’s perfect.

[Anonymous]

Get rid of a ton of the things you own. A huge clean out/declutter. Repeat as necessary and especially around the holidays, kids’ birthdays or other times a lot of things come in at once

Document (take a picture) and then recycle kids’ art and school work, greeting cards/letters or any other sentimental paper items you receive. Keep only the most special ones. Deal with any mail or other paper than comes into the home immediately (Keep a file box/folder to put any important documents in and shred or recycle the rest)

Don’t wear shoes in the house

Don’t allow food or drinks anywhere in house besides kitchen

Donate items to goodwill or other charitable organizations often, trash/recycle any broken or stained household items/clothing

Be really judicious about buying things/bringing items into the home. (I once sat on the decision to buy a new food processor for months before realizing we didn’t actually need one.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get rid of a ton of the things you own. A huge clean out/declutter. Repeat as necessary and especially around the holidays, kids’ birthdays or other times a lot of things come in at once

Document (take a picture) and then recycle kids’ art and school work, greeting cards/letters or any other sentimental paper items you receive. Keep only the most special ones. Deal with any mail or other paper than comes into the home immediately (Keep a file box/folder to put any important documents in and shred or recycle the rest)

Don’t wear shoes in the house

Don’t allow food or drinks anywhere in house besides kitchen Or dining room, of course

Donate items to goodwill or other charitable organizations often, trash/recycle any broken or stained household items/clothing

Be really judicious about buying things/bringing items into the home. (I once sat on the decision to buy a new food processor for months before realizing we didn’t actually need one.)

Fixed something above

Also adding a few more that we do:

tidy up, wipe surfaces and vacuum main living/dining area each evening after dinner so you wake up to a cleanish house the next morning
get in routine of loading dishes in dishwasher after each meal and then running dishwasher every night and empty it every morning
clean bathrooms while you’re in there anyway (I clean kids’ bathroom while they’re taking a bath; clean my shower while I’m showering, etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do two "Pick up 10 things" drills every day. We run around like crazy, putting things away and counting aloud. My kids jump at it because they usually pick the easy stuff to pick away. In a family of 4, if you pick up and keep 40 things in its proper place, twice a day - you are GOLD.

- I have made beds easy. My kids have a faux down comforter and no top sheets. They just have to spread out the comforter to make their beds.

- No shoes indoors.
- Everyone makes their bed as soon as they wake up.
- Everyone puts all dishes for snacking, cups, saucers, bowls from their rooms on to a tray in the hall in the morning.
- Everyone puts all their dirty clothes in hampers in the morning.
- Everyone takes care of disposing off mail addressed to them and any paper
- Everyone puts their dishes in the dishwasher after meals.

Some assigned chores specific to the family members.
-My DH runs and empties the dishwasher (thrice a day...we cook and eat a lot). He also takes care of breakfast and puts away leftovers in the fridge.
- My youngest waters the indoor plants, recycles and composts the kitchen scraps and will hang coats inside the coat closet.
- My eldest is in charge of panty, fridge and refrigerator organization - as well as making shopping lists by store.

- I clean (since my twice a week cleaning lady is no longer an option) the bathrooms and all the floors, once a week.
- I wash at least 2 loads of laundry a day. All my towels, bath mats, bed sheets and bed linen are white so I can wash on hot and use bleach. I fold everyone clothes and they are in charge of putting their clothes away in their dressers. I Konmaried clothes in the begining of the pandemic and I fold clothes in a specific manner based on whose clothes I am folding and their storage space in their bedrooms
- I take care of the yard and outdoor stuff.
- I cook some entrees during the weekend. Mostly DH is cooking but if I have to cook, I cook in the morning just after I finish my breakfast.

Thank the LORD that I do not have pets. Less responsibility and my house is cleaner because of that.

Food does not leave the kitchen/dining room.

Actually, in our house it does. I have 2 kids doing DL in their rooms. They are having meals their rooms, beverages and snacks. I need my morning tea in bed and I need 2 glasses of water on my bedside table. DH takes a nightcap at night in bed. Everyone has water at night. With COVID and our strange working situations we all have adapted to whatever works for us and is most comforting. I do not go chasing the dishes and utensils.

[Anonymous]

Have less stuff.