Happy Slob's Housecleaning - Making Your Cleaning Bursts More Effective

So, you've read my book The Happy Slob's Guide to Housecleaning. You're pumped up, you're ready to clean like you've never cleaned before, you're dedicated to this new routine of cleaning. Hurray!

But...maybe after a while you find that you'd like to increase the effectiveness of your cleaning bursts. Lately, I've been thinking the exact same thing! And so I've made some tweaks to help all of us get the maximum 'punch' out of our morning and evening cleaning bursts.

Here's what I've done to make MY cleaning bursts have more BANG:

• Create a list of cleaning burst essential activities. When you're first starting out, do as the book says - just tidy and clean whatever you possibly can in the time you've allotted for yourself. But, as you become (ahem!) a cleaning burst PRO, you'll want to take the cleaning up a level or three - make a list of essential activities for morning and evening cleaning bursts.

Here's what MY Cleaning Burst Essentials List looks like:

AM Cleaning Burst (I do it first thing in the morning!)

1. Wipe down surfaces in kitchen
2. Deal with the dishes (meaning - unload the dishwasher from the night before, and make sure the sink is empty of all dishes)
3. Make the bed
4. If time leftover - pick up in bedroom/living areas - wherever needs it most

This works great for me, because the night before I've already done another cleaning burst before I head to bed. So...moral of the story is -- for easier, less hectic and stressful mornings, make sure to do your evening cleaning burst!

My PM Cleaning Burst Routine

1. Deal with the dishes - again, that means making sure that the sink is emptied out entirely. Pots that were left to soak after supper are scrubbed and set to airdry on the countertop. (And then put away in the morning.)
2. Wipe down the surfaces in the kitchen AND bathroom. This sounds like such a minor thing, but having nice clean surfaces makes the whole room feel utterly lovely. And it takes (honestly!) just a few minutes to do. My cleaner of choice? Our Very Vinegar spray recipe - which is so easy you can hardly call it a 'recipe' at all! (Just pour a few tablespoons of white vinegar into a clean spray bottle. Add a few drops of natural liquid dish soap and then top off the container with water. Shake to combine and you're ready to go!)
3. Sweep
4. Clean cat litter & put on the Lampe Berger to destroy the stinky lingering odors. (What would I do without my Lampe Berger??)
5. Throw out 5 things (decluttering). I honestly don't do this every single day, but I try to as often as possible, to keep clutter under control.
6. Check garbages/recycling

That's it! So, your assignment for today is to make your own Cleaning Burst Essentials list, and then stick it on your fridge or a bulletin board - wherever you'll be able to easily refer to it when you're in the middle of cleaning.

And remember...this list will take some time to tweak and develop. I started with a different list, but then tweaked my own cleaning burst list until it did all that I needed it to. It's just a cleaning burst list, not rocket science - so have fun with it, adjust it, and don't stress about it. :)