Save TIME and MONEY when cleaning

I'm always looking for ways to save both time and money.  There are days which I have very little time to keep up with even the basic chores and then need to do a quick cleaning.  When I was younger I was very scattered and often found myself overwhelmed.  With help from my husband, I have learned to first not let a mess pile up and also be able to create a routine for a quick pickup.  I'm still learning, but I am getting much more organized and getting a little faster.

Cleaning products are VERY expensive and often contain harmful chemicals but advertisers tend to scare us into thinking that we cannot have a truly clean home without using them.  Ease your mind.. there are natural household items that you likely already have in your home that work just as well!  Did you know, for instance, that Vinegar kills bacteria and mold?  Vinegar is very inexpensive too!!  Baking soda provides a scratch free surface scrub.  Dish soap removes grease from surfaces.

I have recently read some articles which shared some great ideas on how to quickly clean and I have utilized some of those ideas to help create my own cleaning routine to save time and money!  I'm still learning to perfect this method and may update this blog post as I find additional solutions.

The first step is to see what appliances can be running while you do other things.  A load of laundry can be quickly put in and be washing while you are off doing other chores. (See my blog on homemade laundry detergent.. $12 for the ingredients, easy to make, cleans better than Wisk, All or Arm and Hammer and some who have used it say works as well, if not better than Tide; and for my family at 2 loads a day lasted me 5 months.)  http://simplybalancinglife.blogspot.com/2012/03/simple-homemade-laundry-detergent.html

Next on to the kitchen.  If you have a dishwasher,empty your dishwasher if it has clean dishes in it.  Load it up w/ the dirty dishes and run.  If you do not have a dishwasher or have many to hand wash, run the sink full of soapy water and place your dishes (especially ones w/ stuck on food) into the water.  I have learned that by turning the dishes and bowls upside down that they appear to be better immersed. Fill any dirty pots w/ soapy water and also place items that did not all fit into the sink into them.  Sprinkle a little baking soda on your stovetop if you have a glasstop stove (take out the burners if you have a traditional stove top and sprinkle the top w/ baking soda) Take a couple of dishtowels and dip them into the soapy dish water.  You want sopping wet dishtowels but not dripping.  Lay over the top of your stove top.  You can also do this on your counter tops if they have stuck on foods.  Now on to another room.

Go around your house and just put away items.  No cleaning.  Just putting away items to give your house a picked up look. If I find items of my kids that is out I just place them in their rooms so they can put them away.  Starting with rooms that may be seen by guests first.  DO NOT get caught up in organizing a messy drawer or closet as you put things away.  This was something I use to get caught up doing and the rest of my house never got cleaned.  Once your house is clean you can then go back and clean out a drawer or closet if you have time.

Check to see if clothes are ready to go into the dryer and put another load in.

Microfiber cloths are awesome!! I recently discovered these and they not only easily pick up dust but also are great at shining mirrors.  Use a microfiber cloth and wipe down all surfaces such as tv's, mirrors, end tables, coffee tables, fan blades etc...starting with the least dusty to the most dusty.  (Do not use fabric softener with microfiber clothes or they will not pick up dust as well)

Check clothes if they were not previously ready during this step. Put the next load in.

Back to the kitchen.  Put away left out items.  Wipe down the counter, kitchen table and stove top.  Everything has had plenty of time to soak and washing the dishes (even the stuck on stuff) should be very easy.  Wash, dry and put away.

On to the bathrooms!  Unlike most people, the bathrooms are one of my favorite rooms to clean because they aren't very big and I can quickly see results.  Wipe your toilet down with toilet paper and flush. I squirt a mixture of vinegar and dishsoap into the toilet and then sprinkle in some baking soda.  Let it sit.  

Spray your mirror and wipe down with a old washcloth or rag. Go over with a microfiber cloth afterwards for a nice shine.  I use a product called Advanage that I purchased from a door to door salesman.  I love this product!  It is rather pricey initially but only a small amount and then mixed with water makes quarts of products.  In the long run it is cheaper than other cleaning products and puts a shine on mirrors and also prevents finger smudges.  I'm not sure when I am finished though I will buy again because I can save even more by using a couple of  tablespoons of vinegar to a quart of water will work to clean mirrors as well; I can put up with a few finger smudges.

Wipe out any toothpaste or anything that is fairly stuck on the sink w/ a paper towel or toilet paper and throw away.  Spray with cleaner or use the vinegar/soap mixture and a little baking soda.  Use a wet rag or old washcloth to wipe down the sink (I try not to use many paper towels).  Rinse the rag, and use the vinegar/soap on the rag to wipe down the toilet lid and around and under the seat.

Use your toilet brush and scrub the toilet bowl and then place the brush between the seat and the bowl to let the brush drip dry.  You can then come back and spray with an antibacterial spray or spray w/ vinegar to kill germs on the brush before putting it back into the holder.

Depending of if you are going to mop, you may want to hold off  cleaning your bathtub or shower until you are finished mopping so you can rinse out your mop and bucket.  You can now mop if you are putting this in your schedule for the day.

My shower gets very dirty and grimy and sometimes is difficult to clean, but I found a way that is fast, easy and works well!  Throw out your scrub brush...it does not work as well as a

Scotch Bright  heavy duty scouring pad.

Sprinkle tub or shower w/ baking soda then squirt or spray the vinegar/soap mixture.  Use the scouring pad and scrub down and rinse. You will be amazed at how quickly you can get even the worst shower or tub.

Go back, check your laundry and put in another load if you have one.

Your dishwasher should now be close to being finished.  Empty.

Vacuum.

Fold laundry and let family members put away their own.

Now that everything is put away and clean, if you still have time and energy, you can tackle that drawer that drove you nuts when you put away that pair of scissors.  ;)

Working to balance what appears to be unbalanceable

As you can see, it has been quite a while since my last post.  In the process of trying to keep things on the simple side I found myself giving up a few things for the sake of time and that included keeping up with my blog.  I have a full time career that keeps me very busy along with family demands.  I am certain that many of you relate.  While I would like to be able to be more consistent here and provide what is working for me and what isn't, my work hours are going to be changing up a bit, so I suspect it may add to complication....but who knows...maybe it will work better!

Anytime my life schedule changes up it throws me temporarily out of balance and I have to make an effort to put myself back on track.  I am currently frantically thinking ahead to planning out meal plans as my career takes me into working evening hours, including all weekend.  This means my hubby will be making dinner for us after he gets home from work.  Fortunately, I work from home and I will get to enjoy these home cooked meals.

Something I have not been so good at is putting my children to work on a consistent basis, and this is an area that I will need to make a higher priority.  I am thankful that at 11 (my son) and 13 (my daughter) my children do not do much complaining when I ask them to help me around the house.  I have found that it helps that I don't over burden them with demands but just request 1-2 simple chores to help keep the house picked up.  I also found that it helps to remind them on those occasional times in which they would like to negotiate, that we all live here and it is not fair for one person to have to do all the work...I lay on the pity party and try to encourage them to put themselves in my shoes by asking how would they feel to be the only one doing everyone else's work for them. This works most of the time.  :)

While most chores are not paid, I am trying to offer them ways to earn at least some money.  This past week my son worked very hard helping his dad in the yard and mowed the grass while his dad used the weed eater.  Then my husband edged our badly overgrown sidewalk, driveway and street front while my son went behind him and shoveled it all up into a wheelbarrow and hauled it to the back yard.  To be honest, while my son was enjoying knowing his hard work was paying off (literally), I think that he enjoyed just as much to be working outside with his dad.

After seeing my son outside, my daughter asked for ways she could make some money as well.  I had her do some of the chores I normally would not pay for, however since I had so many of them I was more than willing to give her the cash to get the house caught up a bit.  She did a great job of thoroughly cleaning out both our bathrooms.  I was so proud of both of the kids for all the hard work they put in that day.

Keeping a balanced life often means making sacrifices and while I hope to start spending more time sharing my experiences here, I want to be sure to take the time to thoroughly spend time with my amazing husband and kids...it's the simple things around us that we need to fully appreciate.