Tuesday's Tip ~ Cleaning

~Cleaning....Let me explain myself

It has been a couple weeks since I've given you a tip. I'm still catching up from my Lasik surgery or maybe it's because I'm always behind. HA! Either way, here you go.

I've had several people ask me recently, "how do you keep your house so clean"? First of all, thank you for the compliment. Secondly, I don't have a secret to cleaning, but I will give you ideas on what I do every day or week.

First let me explain myself. I am OCD. No, have not been diagnosed as such, but I know it can't be normal to constantly clean or organize. It is actually unsettling at times. I feel very anxious and can not relax until I'm finished. Sometimes, I never feel finished, which is not good. So, you see it is not always great to have your house spotless (which mine is not). There have been times that I have missed with Mason because the dirty dishes can't wait. Isn't that terrible?!

There is a reason I feel this way. Actually, I was just talking to my Mom about this the other day. I don't feel either one of my parents are OCD so for me, it wasn't inherited. I honestly think this is the reason why....

As a child, I frequently visited a house that was FILTHY!! I mean NASTY. Never vacuumed, never dusted, mouse droppings, roaches, etc. Plain and simple....disgusting. I'm giving you a generic story because of my privacy, but you get the point.

Seeing this house made me think, "I will not live like that". "My house will be clean". I truly believe seeing these things made me who I am now. It could be worse right?

So....on with my tips on cleaning. Because I am the way I am, I try to limit my cleaning. You have to find out works for you.

For example, I generally do 1 load of laundry per day. Clean 1 room per day. It doesn't always happen this way, but I would like it to. If I try to do more, I get overwhelmed. The kitchen is pretty much everyday because I'm in there so much. Go into the room, dust, organize, pick up, etc. The master bedroom is really 2 rooms because I clean the bathroom on the same day. I'll admit the dusting doesn't get done because I despise it.

As far as products, I use the basics. I don't buy into the everything has it's on product. I like Pine Sol. I use it to clean my toilets and my floors. I also like Multi Purpose Windex. I use it on my counter tops, stove top, windows, mirrors...Just like it says, Multi-Purpose. I do use a separate cleaner for the showers and tubs. I really like Scrubbing Bubbles. It works great on soap scum. For dusting, I use a swiffer and swiffer dust and shine for polish. The polish is great because it cleans, shines, and smells great with the febreze freshness. I sound like a commercial. HA!

I guess that's it. Don't overwhelm yourself. 1 room per day and 1 load of laundry per day. Sound's easy right? So why do I always feel like I'm cleaning. Of course there are messes that come in between the other daily duties.

I am really trying to relax a bit more, enjoy Mason while he is still little, and take some time out for myself too. Easier said than done, right?