Saturday, January 12, 2013

31 Days to a calm, clutter-free home: {Day Three}

 {Source: Pinterest}

In 2010, I declared that my year would be all about adventure. I said yes to every invitation that came my way. I went on dates with boys I wouldn't ordinarily consider as potential boyfriend material (ironically, that's how I found my husband!). I went bungee jumping. I explored my country on several road trips. Adventure seeped into 2011, too: I got a tattoo. I applied for a new job. I took the plunge and moved cities. I moved in with my boyfriend of eight months. All big steps, all in the name of adventure.

2012 became the year of love. Of responsibility. Of growing up. We tackled the issues that often arise when learning to live with someone else. I took more responsibility within the home: less takeaways, more cooking. Less lazing on the couch, more cleaning. We got engaged. We moved house. We discovered that we were expecting a baby. We got married.

2013 looks set to be the year of family. Our little family, a brand new family. You may have noticed a sudden shift in focus on this blog: as we prepare to welcome the new addition to our family, the little being who will forever tie us together as a family, I've started to focus on our home. I've begun the tiring and never-ending process of decluttering, and I'm putting all the energy I can muster during these final weeks or pregnancy to good use by cleaning whenever and wherever possible, and ensuring that our household runs as smoothly as possible ahead of baby's arrival.

As I've grown (and grown up), I've discovered that managing a household is really all about habit. This may seem fairly obvious to most of you, but I'll admit: I've been a pretty bad house keeper up until recently. These are just a few of the ideas I implement on a regular basis to ensure that our household is relatively well-ordered most of the time, despite manic deadlines, an active social life, and soon, a baby:
  • 20 minutes is all it takes. When I moved into my first apartment, I used to spend whole Saturdays cleaning: doing laundry, washing the dishes, vacuuming, changing bed linen... you know the drill. Over the years, I've learnt that it's much easier to split tasks up into more doable chunks and to clean up as you go. Yes, it's a pain in the you-know-where, but washing the dishes or loading the dishwasher immediately after you've eaten dinner helps you to stay on top of things. There's nothing worse than waking up to a messy kitchen!
  • Same goes for laundry: I used to dedicate one specific day to doing the laundry, but I've realised that doing one load today and another tomorrow is a much easier way of doing things. Yes, I often end up doing laundry every. single. day but it makes sorting, folding and ironing  that much more manageable, too. I'd much rather fold a couple of shirts every day than do my entire wardrobe in one go, know what I mean?
  • I keep a sponge and Handy Andy in the bathroom. Always. I wash the bath as soon as I'm done with it and if I notice that the sink is looking a little grubby, I deal with it right there and then.
  • I make a habit of wiping down the kitchen counters while waiting for the pasta to boil or for the chicken to finish roasting in the oven. That way, my kitchen counters get a good scrub on a daily basis and there's no need for a massive kitchen clean-up on saturday mornings, when I'd rather have a lie-in! 
  • I hate grocery shopping. As in, loathe it. It is, quite possibly, my worst chore. Ever. I'd much rather wash the dishes every night for the rest of my life, thank you very much. As a result, I started doing a big, weekly shop on Saturday mornings to stock up for the week ahead. I'll usually plan the week's meals in advance, draw up an ingredients list, then head out to stock up on the week's necessities. It's not my favourite thing to do on a Saturday, but it sure beats having to plan meals and go grocery shopping on the go every evening after work! I've decided that 2013 will be the year that I finally give in and try online shopping though, so I'll let you know how that goes...
  • I also like to split up chores and do one or two projects every day, as opposed to doing all the big chores at once. For example, I'll usually sweep out and wash the ground floor of our house on Mondays, and I'll tackle the upstairs floors on Tuesdays. Wednesdays are devoted to giving the kitchen a good once-over: removing clutter from the kitchen counter, giving the counters a wipe, etc. These tasks never take longer than about 20 - 30 minutes and can easily be done while waiting for your dinner to cook. Washing windows can seem like a ginormous task, but it really isn't, if you think about it: next time you have half an hour to spare, grab your bottle of Windolene (white vinegar does the trick, too) and some newspaper and start wiping down a few windows. Whatever you don't finish in these 30 minutes can always be left for the following day. I can pretty much guarantee that once you start, you won't stop any time soon, though!
I'm certainly not perfect (and my house is proof of that!), so I'll readily admit that I don't always stick to my own advice, but I certainly try my best and I've learnt that maintaining your home doesn't necessarily have to an overwhelming task. Just 20 minutes a day can get you on track and once you've gotten into the habit of making the time, it'll be pretty easy to stick to in the long run. Do you have any other household hints to make maintaining a tidy home more manageable? I'd love to hear them!


2 comments:

  1. Love, love this post! Let's just say I'm not a domestic goddess and this truly inspired me. ;)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Victoria! I'm no domestic goddess myself, so glad I could inspire! x

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