clean your home in minutes a day

Over the summer months I have received several questions asking for tips on how to clean and organizing in less time and with less effort. After all, it is summer and we don't want to "waste" it cleaning our homes. However, we need to have some sort of system for keeping things orderly and running smoothly!
If you really think about it, there are several ways you can clean and organize your house in less than 15 minutes! You can even set a timer and make it into a contest to see who can get the most done in the alloted time!

Here are some ideas to get your started!

15 minutes or less:

• sweep kitchen and entry way floors
  
• straighten the family room, living room, or bedroom
• purge the fridge of outdated and expired food
• wipe down the front and back doors
• change a bed
• organize one kitchen or bathroom cupboard
• go through one closet and pull out anything to be donated
• plan the day ahead: look at your family's schedule for the next day and plan for pick-ups, drop-offs, appointments, meetings, dinner, homework assignment, etc.
• make a grocery list: you will save time and money at the store if you have a list
• sort photos into piles that will later be put into an album
• balance your checkbook (hopefully this doesn't take longer than 15 minutes!)
• take the dog for a quick walk
• declutter the kitchen counter: even if you have to put the contents in a basket and sort through them later, it give you peace of mind to know that you kitchen counter is clean
  

10 minutes or less:

• dust one room floor to ceiling
  
• vacuum one room
  
• de-junk one drawer
• clean the bathroom mirror, sink, counter and toilet
• organize your bedside table
• sort piles of laundry
  
• fold one basket of clean laundry
• clean out the dishwasher or wash any dirty dishes
  
• clear your entry way of stray shoes, coats, bags, hats, etc.
  
• organize the clutter ON your fridge...toss old papers, coupons, etc and wipe down the surface of the fridge
• load your vehicle with items you plan to donate

5 minutes or less:

• start one load of laundry and move one load to the dryer
• wipe down kitchen counters, sink and fixtures with disinfectant
  
• clear of the kitchen table
• go through the days junk mail and recycle it immediately!
• check voice mails and delete any they are irrelevant or already taken care of
• load the dishwasher with any dishes left in the sink or on the counter
• check children's homework and make sure everything is completed and signed
• pack a lunch for the next day
• pick out your clothes for the next day
• write one card, note or e-mail
• clean out the clutter in your purse or wallet
• empty the trash

1 minute or less:

• every time you leave a room, take one thing that doesn't belong and put it away... every little bit helps
• write an important date or appointment on the calendar
• when you take something out...put it back before you move on to the next thing
• put a wastebasket in your car
• delegate one chore to each member of the family
• sign up for on-line bill pay for your utilities...this will save lots of extra paper lying around your house and on your desk
• wipe down the handles on the microwave, oven and refrigerator
  
• find a dinner recipe on-line or in a favorite cookbook
  

See, it is possible to keep your house clean and organized without spending all day working at it. You just need to get creative and really monitor how you are spending your hours each day.

If you would like more organizing ideas, check out my website: www.andreadekker.com