A Room a Day - Helps Keep the Dust Elephants Away!

One way of implementing the Flylady system that I have found to work for me is to work on having a morning routine.

Something I just started doing in the last few weeks is to concentrate on straightening up/cleaning/anti-procrastination type jobs while my washer is processing its daily load.

I wait to start the washer until we're all dressed and fed. That helps!

My basic 'routine' is;

1. Start the washer.

2. Go to our bedroom and start picking up and putting away whatever is out of place, working my way across the house, emptying the dish drainer, etc.

3. Choose one room to do more of a 'Saturday cleaning' type of job in. Generally the living room, kitchen, office or laundry/main bathroom. The one I do is the one that is looking the worst (obvious right?) and if none of them look too bad, I skip it! I DON'T clean the bedrooms more than once a week!

4. If I get that done, and the washer is STILL running, I look around to see what needs to be done that I've been putting off. Examples, a book that needs a page taped back together, a shelf or drawer that is absolutely overflowing or else hopelessly disorganized, some outgrown clothes to be taken out to my storage spot . . .

Generally by the time I get that all done, the wash is ready to be hung out and then I can get on with my day with a clear conscience! I must say, it is fun to sit down to work on a project, knowing that there AREN'T half a dozen other things that should be done first!

This morning I focused on cleaning our office. I thought maybe somebody would enjoy seeing the dirt pile I swept up.

It included, but wasn't limited to; scraps of wallpaper (I just gave Benji an old book of samples for him to play with, cutting it up, coloring it or whatever he feels led to do. He's having fun!) gravel (I was babysitting three extra children yesterday, and somebody - I don't know who! - felt led to bring in some gravel!), a clod of grapenuts that I found in the corner (I was making grapenuts yesterday, and the children love to grab a chunk to eat . . . ) a scrap or two of broken crayons, some fabric scraps (I've been sewing), and the usual dirt.

My cleaning in the office consisted of; putting things away, picking up toys, dusting, wiping off fingerprints from the computer screen and desktops, sweeping the floor, and scrubbing some crayon marks off the floor. Here's Benji helping scrub;

The end result is not perfect, but presentable.

One of the benefits of doing the 'extra' cleaning during the week, is that it makes my 'Big Cleaning' on Saturday (or Friday if I can manage it) into more of a touch-up job, rather than an all out cleaning. I enjoy that!

Now I think I'll tackle paying some bills (the desk is nice and clear!) and I may even be able to work on the look-alike dresses I'm making on for Katri and I!

P.S. The term 'dust elephants' is an old one in my history. It comes from when I lived in Romania, and the apartment we girls lived in had no screens in the windows, and dirt roads all around. The result was much larger than a dust bunny, in spite of our frequent efforts to keep it clean!!