Using Time Wisely

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Time to Clean

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When I was a teenager, Saturday mornings were deemed cleaning the house time. My brother and I had a list of chores that had to be completed before the fun activities commenced. I quickly began to dread Saturday mornings.

Up until this year of my married life, I have worked hard to keep the weekends free of housework. This plan worked for me as I am a stay-at-home mom. This year was a big change for our family. Our eldest child started school. My week days are spent driving to and from school, and my time at home is broken up into small sections. I still attempt to keep Saturday mornings free, but the cleaning must be done.

My cleaning schedule is currently in a transition phase. I am trying to clean one room at a time on different days. With each day having a different schedule, I am still testing out ideas. Here are some ideas:

  • Clean the same type of room on certain days of the week? For example: Mondays – bathrooms, Tuesdays – laundry, Wednesday – bedrooms, Thursday – heavy traffic areas, and Friday – laundry.
  • Start at one room clean in geographical order? For example: start in the upstairs bathroom, and then move counter-clockwise to a bedroom, then to the next bedroom, etc.
  • Choose an order based on my answer to the question, “What must be cleaned first?” For example: clean the downstairs bathroom since guest will be arriving, or the kitchen since milk was spilled all over the floor this morning, etc.

As I continue to try these options, I have a better understanding of why my mom used Saturday mornings to clean. With a block of about 4 hours, my mom, with help, could have her whole house cleaned. Though it is nice to have the entire house clean at once, I still do not like cleaning on Saturdays.

Have you found a system that works for you? I would love to hear your suggestions and guidance as I adjust to a new cleaning schedule.

1 Minute of Cleaning Now, Saves 5 Minutes Later

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Do you clean messes as they occur? A wet mess is easier to clean than a harden mess. If a glob of toothpaste falls on the bathroom counter, then the minute to stop and wipe it up while wet saves me 5 minutes of scrubbing later. If I were to wait until bedtime to address the sticky mess, it will be hard and require extra time and energy to scrub it clean. Here are some other messes that save me time by cleaning them now rather than later:

  • Boiled over pasta water on the stovetop
  • Heated spaghetti sauce in the microwave
  • Leftover food on dinner plates
  • Spilled milk in the refrigerator
  • Cups knocked over onto the carpet
  • Drips during a meal on the table/high chair
  • Fabric softener dribble on the washing machine

When I notice that these messes have occurred, I do my best to clean them up immediately. Though I want to clean up every mess quickly, I don’t always succeed since I may be in the middle of helping another child or just don’t know that the spill happened. When I find the mess, I try to clean it while it is wet. By doing so, I save myself lots of time and energy from scrubbing a baked-on or hardened mess.

Do you attempt to clean up spills and messes right away? By staying on top of spills, my home will be a cleaner place, I’ll save time and energy from having to scrub, and I can spend my time wisely with my family.

New Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Cleaning Gel

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Photograph Credit: SC Johnson

When my husband was shopping at Sam’s Club, he received a sample of the new Scrubbing Bubbles continuous clean toilet cleaning gel. He brought home the cleaning sample, and I added it to my cleaning supplies.

THE PRODUCT

In preparing for company to visit, I cleaned the half bathroom and decided to use the new product. I cleaned the toilet from top to bottom like I usually do. After the toilet was cleaned, then I used the new Scrubbing Bubbles continuous clean toilet cleaning gel:

  • Opened the box and read the instructions.
  • Put the dispenser together.
  • Using the dispenser, stamped one star-shaped gel dot onto the inside of the toilet near the rim.
  • Flushed the toilet to activate the gel.
  • Put the cleaner away and out of reach from my children.

The gel will dissolve a little with each flush. The instructions state that each stamp should last for 1 week. After 2 weeks of use, our stamp is still in place. It has not yet dissolved all the way. When the stamp has dissolved completely, then I will just stamp another gel dot on the inside of the toilet. Our 1 dispenser holds 6 stamps and will last at least 6 weeks. Woo Hoo!

ENTER CHILDREN

Since I cleaned the bathroom after my children had gone to bed, I did not consider that they would notice that there was a star-shaped object in the toilet. (You see where I’m going with this story? It’s not really that bad.) The next evening, my son calls my husband into the bathroom to show him this object in the toilet. My husband recognized the cleaning product and explained the process to our son. Then our son shared that he had touched it because he “wanted to feel it.” My husband had him wash his hands and then brought our daughter into the bathroom to show her as well.

LESSON

Remember that children are inquisitive. They like to explore and are not afraid to try new things, like touching cleaning supplies that look fun and interesting. Now that I am aware that they are observing changes, I will be more careful to inform them of any changes. We will need a field trip (in this case, to the bathroom) with an explanation and demonstration. If my children understand the new product, then they will know to leave it alone. I will also allow them to watch me stamp the next star-shaped dot on the inside of the rim. Including them in the process usually keeps their curiosity at bay.

I’m thankful our son came to an adult for an explanation. This situation could have resulted in a trip to the hospital had our son decided to taste it instead of feel it. I hope this warning not only reminds me to include my children when I try a new product, but also helps you remember that little ones are very curious.

Multitasking: Giving Attention and Folding Laundry

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As my children continue through this really long phase of “Watch me,” I find myself constantly distracted from my tasks at hand. Routine chores can take twice as long due to the number of interruptions and moments spent watching my children. Realizing that my children will not be young long, I try to multitask as often as possible.

This evening while timing my loads of laundry, I gave my older kids the attention they craved while folding clothes. With the timer set for ten minutes, my son began playing his Wii game while I watched him and folded the laundry. He enjoyed explaining his player’s moves and being the center of attention. When the timer sounded, my son was off to take his shower.

My daughter’s game was then setup, and she received the attention. Of course, she needed help, but she was focusing on her game and showing me how she was winning. At the end of the time limit, my kids had been given special attention, and my load of laundry was folded.

In using my time wisely, I was able to multitask by giving my kids the attention they desired while folding a load of laundry. Though I am always looking for ways to multitask, I do not always succeed.

My goal is to use my time wisely while spending time with my family and keeping our home running as smoothly as possible. Multitasking saves me time and energy. I just need to find the components that work for me. If you have mastered a chore by multitasking, please share your success in the comments.

Cleaning: Use Both Hands

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (atf300)

Have you ever considered how you clean? If someone asked me this question, my response would be: “Yes, I clean top to bottom and right to left.” But after watching someone else clean, I will now add to my previous answer, “with both hands.”

My Observation

Recently, I had the opportunity to observe someone clean a store’s glass windows. These windows were rather tall, and the washer was concentrating on the lower half. She kept her right hand busy with all these tasks:

  • picking up the glass cleaner bottle from her cart,
  • spraying the glass,
  • placing the glass cleaner bottle back in the cart,
  • picking up the squeegee, and
  • working the squeegee in a zigzag motion from the middle of the pane to the floor.

Though her right hand was busy, she kept her left hand on her hip without utilizing it. I kept waiting to see if she would switch hands, but she did not. She was not in any rush, for she would stop to watch customers and to rest her right arm. (That right arm must have been quite tired.)

My Response

While watching her, I was thinking how this process could be improved to use her time wisely with the least amount of effort. These are my tips:

1. Use both hands. Hold the cleaner in one hand and the squeegee in the other. When one shoulder, arm, or hand gets tired, switch those products to the other hand.

2. Stay focused. Look at the window and keep working. As you complete a section, begin the next.

3. Continue to work from top to bottom. If you start at the bottom, you will likely need to re-do some or the entire lower portion when you clean the top.

Though I do not anticipate cleaning tall windows anytime soon, I will be emptying out my dishwasher, putting away folded laundry, and stacking grocery items in my pantry. So, as I accomplish these household tasks, I plan to use both hands, stay focused, and continue to work from top to bottom.

Question: What tips or tricks have you discovered from watching someone clean well or poorly? Please share your answer by clicking the Leave a Comment link below.