“My grandmother has always excelled in the art of housekeeping. Not only does every dish, appliance and snowman have a specific place from which it should not be moved, but she also has a very strict dusting schedule that keeps these snowmen at their best.
I may not have such a strict dusting schedule, but I have a cleaning routine that I rarely break, and this routine keeps my apartment clean and my taxidermied deer head free of dust. I start with the kitchen, washing the dishes before removing the appliances and giving the counters a good scrubbing. Once the kitchen is finished, I move on to the main room of my study, starting by dusting and tidying my desk, then proceeding clockwise throughout the room until everything is dusted. Working in this methodical way, in the same way every week, is a bit Zen-like. Besides my busy schedule, there are other things that help me keep the apartment in a livable state:
- I try to make it enjoyable: I like putting on a little music or an episode of a show I’ve seen a million times (like The Office) to provide a bit of background noise, but I’ve been know to mix up a little cleaning cocktail to take sips of in between tasks.
- I try to keep it realistic: As Apartment Therapy points out, expecting your home to look like a Pinterest board come to life will result in constant disappointment and stress you out unnecessarily. Though I often have to battle the urge to make it look as if no one lives in my home, it’s important to keep in mind that it’s just that—a home—and it’s okay if it looks a little lived-in.
- I don’t do everything in one day: Breaking your space down into chunks, rather than trying to marathon it makes it a much less daunting and manageable task that you are much more likely to actually do.
- I get the good cleaning supplies: I’m all about Mrs. Meyers products and—even though they cost a little more—the gardenia scented dish soap is almost make me excited about doing the dishes.
It also helps to have some sort of award system in place. I usually end a day of cleaning by cleaning myself in a nice hot bath, and that can help drag me through the less than pleasant tasks. How do you all keep your home nice and clean? Do you have a schedule? Do you have young people you can delegate to?
