Photograph Credit: MorgueFile (Jane M. Sawyer)
Is a picked-up house, a clean house? Some would disagree with me, but I say, “NO.” Most of the time, I maintain a picked-up house: toys put away; floors vacuumed; laundry cleaned, folded and put away; etc. However, just because my house is organized, it is not necessarily clean.
Before I had children, my house was cleaned every 2-3 weeks. Now that I have 3 children with one in school during most of the year, my house gets a good cleaning every 3-4 months. These cleanings are my deep cleanings. As I write this post, I just finished a 3-day cleaning of my downstairs. Lest you think I live in a huge house, let me say my house is a modest 2-story home with approximately 2,000 square feet.
Why does it take 3 days to clean the downstairs? Glad you asked. I have a method to my madness. I clean everything. Here is my system:
- Begin on left and work around to the right. I work with the left wall first. I dust, wipe, and clean items in front of the wall. I put toys together and organize each section (like an end table, couch, toy station, etc.)
- Move items away from walls once cleaned and organized. As I complete a section, I move those items completely away from the wall.
- Work from top to bottom. Once the area in front of the wall is empty, I begin dusting the ceiling (especially corners, lights, and ceiling fans), walls (using Windex on mirrors and picture frames), and baseboards.
- Clean the floor. I will vacuum the floors with carpet or sweep and mop hardwood, tiled, or linoleum floors.
- Return clean items to their designated areas. When the area is clean, then I move the clean, organized items back and proceed to the next wall.
This system takes quite a bit of work and, in some cases, help from my husband in moving large pieces of furniture. Though the process is tedious and I get interrupted with requests from my children, meals to make, and errands to run, I enjoy the end result. I am able to find missing pieces, remove dust and grime from items, and organize messy stations. My time is valuable, and using my time wisely 3-4 times a year to get a good, deep cleaning for my house is worth every precious moment.
What about you? Do you have a time for deep cleaning (e.g., spring, fall), or do you have a schedule for cleaning each week or month? I would love to hear how you schedule the cleaning of your house.