Dishes don't belong in the sink

I am ready to give an answer to another one of my loyal follower's questions.

This one just so happens to come from best friend Bee. So here goes:

"I think you should blog about how you keep your house clean and organized"

This is a great topic in my opinion. As it is one of my life's passions.

Nothing makes me happier than coming home to a clean house.

And I ALWAYS Do.

Because I have one rule that makes it all happen.

RULE #1: BEING CLEAN AND NEAT IS NOT AN OPTION IN MY HOME

Plain and simple. If you want to live in my house, you will be clean and neat. That includes small children. And I have instilled this in my children from the time they were old enough to listen and comprehend. And by doing so, my children understand that having a clean house makes life easier. And we don't panic to find things in the morning. And we rarely have conflicts about anything related to cleaning or our house. Because they know what is expected. And they know that if they don't comply, they have to answer to me. This is something that is not good. As I am better known as The Cleaning Nazi.

But lucky for them, they are so well trained in the art of clean, that I almost never have to get on to them. And if I do, I'm usually nit-picking because I want it to be perfect.

This might sound harsh to some.

But to me it is worse on my kids to be yelling at them for not knowing where something is.

Or to let them live in a home that is dusty or has dirt or crumbs on the floor.

And my kids don't have chores to do all week because we have 1 time a week where everyone helps clean for about 2 hours. And after that, my kids are free to do whatever they want for the other 6 days and 22 hours. So I will argue with you that my way is the right way if you want to argue. But I think my kids will tell you that they like being part of a clean household.

And so now the real answer to Bee's question- HOW DO I (we) KEEP A CLEAN? ORGANIZED HOUSE? I'll answer it with several points.

1. We clean once a week, as a family for about 2 hours. Sometimes more, sometimes less. But we get everything done around the house. We dust, vacuum, clean base boards, scrub toilets, mop floors, disinfect and everything else that goes into cleaning a house. Nothing is skipped.

Most of the time, our regularly scheduled clean time is about 10am-12 noon on Saturday. Recently, we have had baseball so we have moved cleaning to Sunday from about 2-4. It makes it so easy to have a scheduled time because the kids get into cleaning mode and know that soon it will all be over and they will have a clean house and plenty of free time.

2. We do not allow making messes. If you want to make a mess, go outside or somewhere else. But there is really no justification for a mess. I will say that I let my kids play like all kids should, but when they get something out, they must put it up before getting something else out. How easy is that? And they also know that crumbling cookies into the carpet or getting out paint or glue without me know might cause their demise (just kidding people).

3. We do not allow clutter. I live by a simple rule: IF YOU DON'T USE IT AT LEAST ONCE IN 30 DAYS, IT DOES NOT BELONG IN YOUR HOUSE. There are a few exceptions, like the Christmas tree, but that is why it lives in the attic. Everything else falls under the rule. We do not keep baby items that our kids aren't using. We give them away immediately. We do not keep papers, magazines, brochures, mail. We do not keep old clothes or shoes. We do not keep old lotions or shampoo or items that we didn't like after buying them. We give ALOT away. Because I feel like if we don't use it and someone else can- that's a win-win.

4. We always clean up after a meal. Completely. As in we put the dishes in the dishwasher. Wipe the table off. Wipe the counters off. Sweep the floor. And we leave the kitchen the same way every time- clean. And everyone helps.

5. We do small things that make a huge difference. Here are a few:

-We NEVER put dishes in the sink, they will pile up

-I vacuum daily unless I'm dying or have surgery and a doctor's note. You can eat off of our carpet. And we will not be in the market for carpet any time soon because we take care of it. That's big money savings.

-We don't wear shoes in the house. Which doesn't just help the carpet. It keeps alot of dirt and grime out of the house in general.

-We have a "spot" for everything. Everything goes in the same place every time. And if something is out of place, my kids hear, "That does not go there" or "That doesn't live there" and they know what I mean. Move it or it goes in the trash. Easy enough.

-We don't keep items sitting out on counters, dressers or on the floor. The hair dryer does not belong on the counter. Surfaces are to be nice and clear. Some people might say boring, I say clutter-free.

-We don't wait until spring cleaning to do certain tasks. We clean every thing every time. So it's always clean.

-We clean before we leave on vacation or have a major life event like a surgery (which we have had our share of lately). Coming home to a clean house is fabulous.

And I could literally go on for hours about keeping my house clean. Because again, it is something I find important. And I don't miss out on special times with my family because I am cleaning. And I don't stress out when someone is coming over.

My life is better because we choose to keep a clean house.

Plus, the little voices in my head wouldn't have it any other way.

And when it is clean, no one gets hurt.

PS- It is not unusual for my child to insist on helping her friends clean their room. And at least on one occasion, I have had another mom tell me that Haley told their child that being clean is not an option in her house! I'm so proud.