Ah, chores. They are such a necessary evil.
It may be hard to believe, but I don’t like to clean.
Instead, I choose to do a tiny bit each day to ensure that I never waste a day cleaning house when I could be out conquering the world.
Or answering email.
I look at it as getting all the Have-Tos over and Done With so there is more time in the day for the Want-Tos.
And trust me. Cleaning never has been nor it ever will be a WANT TO!
ugh.
Our family has a list of chores that we try our best to accomplish daily. Now that the kids are old enough to help, they do.
When I am sick or am away from the house, the kids and my husband step up and help maintain order in the house.
Sort of.
We’re still real people, and we don’t live in a museum. I’m not going to lead you astray and say that I make sure the following tasks occur each and every day no matter what. I might burst into flames.
and the smoke detector started beeping last week and I haven’t replaced the batteries yet…
I write about The Daily 7 in my household planner for moms — Totally Together: Shortcuts to an Organized Life and I have shared these tiny chores with hundreds of thousands of women from all over the world. (probably there were some men sprinkled in there, too! 😉 )
Number 1: Make Beds Right Away
Number 2: Do One Complete Load of Laundry
Number 3: Empty All Garbage Cans
Number 4: Keep Your Kitchen Sink Empty
Number 5: Clean Up After Yourself and Help Children Do the Same
Number 6: Bathroom Wipe-Down
Number 7: Before Bed 10-Minute Clean Up
I have outlined all of these steps in my Clean Less, Play More book in detail.
Want a Printable Daily 7 Checklist? Here You Go!
Make Beds Right Away
The second you climb out of bed in the morning, make it. It’s such a wonderful feeling to have accomplished something at 6am. Teach your children to do the same—if beds are made daily, they don’t get destroyed as easily, and it really takes less than a minute to pull a sheet taught and straighten the comforter. If you haven’t already done so, streamline your bed linen to the bare essentials. There’s no need for 50 decorative pillows or an elaborate stuffed animal collection. Really.
Do One Complete Load of Laundry
A complete load means one that is washed, dried, folded, and put away. I’m not trying to be mean; I’m trying to be realistic. It is no fun to save all the laundry for one day a week and not be able to leave the house. Do a little each day, and you will no longer waste away a beautiful afternoon because you are stuck inside tackling a mountain of clothing. I hate ironing, but have found that if I iron clothes while slightly damp I save a ton of time.
Empty All Garbage Cans
On our honeymoon, Adam promised he would empty the garbage cans every single day without being asked. This hasn’t happened. It actually kind of pisses me off. Instead, the kids help with the wastebaskets in the bathrooms and their bedroom, and I take out the kitchen garbage every morning after emptying the dishwasher. If I fill it again during the day, I put it right in the middle of the kitchen with the recycleables and hope Adam trips over it. I’m kind of mean like that.
Keep Your Kitchen Sink Empty
I don’t know what it is, but if you put something, anything, into the sink, other pieces of flatware are magically drawn to it and all of a sudden the sink is completely filled and rendered useless. Instead, take the time to put your dirty items into the dishwasher right away, or wash the item quickly by hand. It really doesn’t take that long. Just do it.
Clean Up After Yourself and Help Children Do The Same
My friend Alison homeschools her nine children. I love Alison. I met her before having children of my own, and she is hands-down my mommy idol. She shared with me once that the secret to parenting is to remember that your goal is to raise capable adults. Chores are not only okay, they are necessary. Model good behavior for your children. Take the time to put your shoes all the way into the closet and hang up your coat. Once you are putting your own things away, your children will be more likely to follow suit.
Bathroom Wipe-Down
This is my favorite. I keep a container of disinfectant wipes in the bathroom, and wipe down the toilet (inside and out) every day. If it’s been a particularly um, busy day—I will do it twice. This keeps me from never having to scrub out the toilet with one of those scrubber brush things that I find beyond disgusting. I also quickly wipe down the shower stall and bathroom floor. After showering, use an item from the dirty clothes pile to dry the shower walls and door. This will keep mold and soap scum from accruing. Now use your damp item to quickly mop up the bathroom floor. Dust and hair will disappear and will keep you from needing to mop.
Before Bed 10-Minute Clean Up
Before retiring for the night, do a super quick once over the living spaces of your house. Recycle the magazine left on the coffee table, and stack leftover drinking glasses in the dishwasher. Put the couch cushions in order, and fold the blanket. You will wake up much happier each morning if you aren’t greeted to last night’s mess.
and that is it!
YOU CAN DO THIS. 🙂
Want a Printable Daily 7 Checklist? Here You Go!
Learn the Exact Strategies I use to Keep My House and My Family Running Smoothly
(without losing my marbles) by downloading this free cheat sheet for moms. Enjoy!
120 Comments
I think I need to take out a billboard (or full-page ad in the newspaper) that says this:
“the secret to parenting is to remember that your goal is to raise capable adults. Chores are not only okay, they are necessary.” I swear, too few people I know seem to understand this AT ALL. The last thing I want to be doing in my golden years is taking care of grown children who are incapable of taking care of themselves. But I know people who will be….
I love this concept. These are all really easy, manageable tasks, and I can definitely see where it will help to do them each day.
Ohhhh, I love it. My 2009 resolution that I am desperate to maintain (yah- it’s March, but I’m trying!!) is to get order into my crazy house. These are reasonable, achievable and maintainable for anyone to do! I am loving this!
I am years older than you are … my two children are grown and on their own now, but I was amazed to see that over the years of parenting I somehow incorporated many of your ideas into my own daily routine. Especially the bed making!
For me, the before bed ten-minute clean-up is what I refer to in my mind as the “final three.” That includes; 1) set the coffee-maker to have my coffee ready brewed when I wake up; 2) put out my clothes for the gym – which is where I head first thing after my coffee; 3) brush and floss and rinse.
You are on a good path …
the coffee pot! what a great idea!
xoxo steph
I was just diagnosed with adult ADD and keeping house has been one of the most frustrating, tear inducing hardships for me. I wrote this list down and posted it on my fridge. I KNOW I can do these things every day, thanks so much. really.
I was diagnosed with adult ADD 4-5 years ago. One book that I read that really made a difference was Delivered from Distraction – some ADD traits are actually positives – usually creative, spontaneous, fun people – just have to buckle down & get some stuff done so the world doesn’t fall apart. Good luck!
A great list.
Only quible I have is regarding the dishes.
We do not have a dishwasher and I’m not handwashing one or two items here and there throughout the day. The part of Australia I live in is in the middle of a dreadful drought and we are on very strict water restrictions. I make sure to wait until I have a full load of dishes to wash to make the most of the water used. Generally once a day I wash all the dishes.
Same goes for laundry, never put the machine on unless it is full, otherwise it is just wasting water.
One day we will hopefully have a grey water recycling system and be able to recycle all water used in our house (shower, washing machine, sinks) to flush the toilet.
Hi,here is a great tip. Here in Israel we don’t use a top sheet,like we did in the states,just a duvet.It makes it really easy to make the beds right after you wake up.Even the kids can do it by themselfs.
I would agree with that, Marita! The important thing is to have a system in place that works for you—and it sounds like you do!
We have super dear friends from Melbourne; I know how horrible the drought is right now.
xoxo
steph
Great idea, Robin! I love duvets.
xoxo steph
This is a great list, Stephanie. I have been married a long time and do most of the things on your list, like make bed as soon as I get up, empty sink,(except I do soak dirty pots overnight.) set up coffee pot at night, and do a before bed check. What I don’t do but will try to incorporate is laundry and wastebaskets every day,
and bathroom wipedown.
I love the bathroom wipe down suggestion! I hate the bathrooms because they always turn into such a chore, but this might help save me from that.
Do you have any recommendations if you married a guy who never did chores growing up, and can’t understand how the house doesn’t just clean itself? I hate doing all the cleaning myself, and it’s a bad precedent to set for my kids.
I have always always thought of chores as a morning thing. No play until work is done, sort of thing. Well it wasn’t working, hasn’t been working for several years now. We recently started doing an evening clean up like you mention here and it has completely changed the workload around here. Every morning we wake up to a tidy house and it is easier to keep it tidy now. LOVE it!
I love your 7 habits of highly successful mamas! Glad to say I do many of them, but with my one year old try to do the laundry every other day. One thing I don’t do is wipe the bathroom down every day and that makes A LOT of sense. Kudos! And best of luck to you with your new venture, it looks like it will be a great resource, thanks!
I love these ideas! However, some of you may be shocked to discover that I almost NEVER make my bed, and I’m okay with that. I do have good reasons…my dog spends most of the day in the bedroom while my fiance and I are at work. The bed is her playground, as she is a wiener dog and loves to burrow. Needless to say, I feel that making the bed is a waste of time because when I get home it looks like my dog ran a marathon under the covers. Also, my bed is my sanctuary and sometimes I love to just come home from work and grab a lap desk and do paperwork in my bed. It’s just so comforting to be under a warm fuzzy blanket, even if you are working on your taxes. I do make my bed when company is coming, but other than that, I probably won’t ever have that on my chore list until I have children and curling up in bed during the day becomes a rarity. I’m curious though…is there anyone else out there who doesn’t make his or her bed on purpose? Am I the only one?
This reminds me a lot of flylady.com… I like it
You’re not the only one. We don’t make our beds here, either. It doesn’t bother us because unless DD decides to take a nap (rarely) we aren’t in the room between getting up and going to bed. If I want to accomplish something that will inspire me and make a difference to my house, I’ll pick something like the bathroom or kitchen!
STEPH! Did you know that under the “people who bought this book also bought” section on Amazon, 30 Day Shred is the first thing?? I don’t know why, but that totally cracked me up – I know (from your other blog) what a….ummmm…. experiance that has been for you.
So excited for this site and the book!
Jen
I don’t make the bed either and for a similar reason. My cat loves to play on the bed. But also, I just don’t really care if the bed is neat. It’s not something I look at all the time; it’s not something company can see most of the time, and my morning routine is so hectic that if I stop to make the bed amid cleaning out the litter, feeding the cat, feeding the dog, etc. I’d never get out of the house. The only time I make the bed is if company is coming (just in case they go upstairs) and if I read in bed at night. Otherwise, I just flop in amid the messy sheets and blankets and conk out, hehe.
I also don’t do the laundry once a day, but I don’t have kids, and my husband and I don’t produce enough laundry to need that sort of treatment, But, I love all the tips! I do most of the other things. The bathroom wipedown is a new one and one I will start doing right away.
Another thing I do for the bathroom is to keep my toilet brush holder full of water with bleach in it. From there, I can just swish it around in the bowl once a day without having to add cleaning stuff to the toilet and the brush stays disinfected and white. The end result is a nice looking toilet brush and a toilet I only have to really scrub out once a month or so.
Your list is a great one but it all sounds like you are a single Mom with no husband to help- What are his chores for the family’s home?
I was the cooker- he was the cleaner- and it worked out really well- of course we had cross over chores but with both of us working it sorted itself out. The best part of it was he taught the boys how to do their own laundry and they saw their father (a big hulking 6’3″ guy) as not a sissy for doing family chores.
I’m retired now- and my sons have their own homes and do the grocery shopping, cleaning or whatever chores need doing.
The roles your children see you doing is how they define their own roles as grownups. Spread those chores around!
Hi De,
oh gosh, Adam is the most helpful person around the house, ever. These are the family’s chores—whomever is around/available to help, does.
it sounds like you had a wonderful home environment when your children were small.
xoxo steph
Hey Rachel! I’m sorry you’re having problems with Dh and chores!! I had a couple ideas, and if you don’t like ’em or can’t use ’em, I won’t be offended!
– Can you make a list of daily and/or weekly chores and ask him which ones he’d like to do? Then put him down for those….
– Can you make a general chore chart and include him, yourself, and each of the kids? And if the kids wonder why mommy and daddy are on there, you could just be like “we all forget things sometimes, and this will help us with that!” Or something like that.
I do most of these! I’m so proud of myself!!! =) The only problem is that I got all on top of everything, and was feeling good about my routine, and then…. found out I’m pregnant with #2. And I have a 9 month DD. That threw me for a curve. Sigh.
A system that works is right. My dishwashing system has been slipping a little since oldest started school and our routine changed drastically. So working on a new system now.
BTW I’ve submitted this site to Parent Hacks as a link for their Links of the Week post – http://www.parenthacks.com
I don’t either… My brother’s allergist told him not to because a made bed is a breeding ground for dust mites.* My DD has the same skin allergies as my brother, so no beds are made here.
*(I have no idea if that’s actually true, but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!)
I do straighten up the beds once a week and if we have company.
Any good hints on easily making a top bunk of a bunk bed? It can take so much time trying to make the bed up there!
Hi Susan,
we don’t have bunks right now, but a loft (we’re in the market for some bunks!) which has the same top bed problem. It seems to work the best to streamline bedding to sheets and a comforter with a duvet only (quite inexpensive at IKEA). That way in the morning all that needs to happen is the top sheet gets pulled straight, and the comforter/duvet straightened out. In the winter if we need an extra blanket, it gets folded at the foot of the bed. xoxo steph
corrie you will be just fine! I have 2 boys that are only 11 months apart. you make it work. You will always have enough clothing to do a load of laundry, LOL. Good Luck!
We make the bed as soon as we get up and I hate dishes in the sink. If one is in there my DH thinks nothing should then be put in the dish washer! We do the 10 min before bed but do it right after the boys go to bed. We pick up all the toys and things. The one thing we do that was not on the list is pick the clothing out the night before and pre-pack for the day care. Makes things so much easier in the rush of the morning!
We started using the “duvet system” when we got the kids lofts (IKEA of course) and it makes having a neat and tidy bed so easy. We also bought only white fitted sheets for the bottom – but colored covers for the duvets. It makes keeping the linen closet in order a little easier!
How timely this is for me. I’m on a mission to take back the control of my house (which I seemed to have lost years ago). Most of these things I do, but not every day. Except the beds.
This really gets me thinking…Thanks so much for this!
Blessings,
Sandy
I love the “Empty All Garbage Cans” section. I laughed out loud when I read that and I had to read it out loud to my husband. I do the same exact thing – leaving the garbage and recycleables out in the middle of the kitchen, hoping he will see them and take them out. It’s not mean, it’s necessary!
These tips are awesome! We just completed spring cleaning and these tips will be so helpful to keep our home the way it is right now. Thanks!
OK…just wanted to give my updated input with the 7 habits. I’ve been putting them into practice for the last two weeks (I think) and I’ve made a few observations.
1) With four bathrooms, I cannot wipe all of them down every day. The master bath alone is too huge for that. But wiping them down every two or three days is workable and still helps them to stay cleaner than they were when i was only deep cleaning them every week or every two weeks…or, or…..never mind.
2) With three kids, I cannot only do one complete load of laundry a day and stay on top of it. I need to do at least two, usually three. Factoring in towels and bedding. Again, it’s better than what I was doing, which is doing all my laundry on one day, which turned into three days and 7 baskets. Overwhelming.
3) The little swiffer dusters are great. I used to spend a lot of time dusting with a rag and polish. I just started swiffer dusting for five minutes every few days and my house looks so much cleaner.
OK…that’s all I’ve got. Just wanted to share.
Sandy
wow, Sandy! I’m really impressed with all that you are doing, and I’m so glad that things are working out so well for you. I absolutely agree 4 bathrooms to wipe down daily would be bonkers.
is it bad that I’m jealous of the bathrooms?
envious?
wistful?
I’d love to have a bathroom all to myself. And a closet!
🙂
xoxo
steph
I <3 Swiffer Dusters!
Another favorite for quick-cleaning is the Pledge Orange wipes for wood. I have a lot of wooden furniture, and a lot of dust! It helps to wipe everything down quickly before company comes over – not only does the wooden furniture shine nicely, but the orange oil smell can’t be beat!
My friend Joey also loves the new Pledge cat hair thingie – I really want one, but so far the only store in town that stocks them is one I boycott – I just have to wait for smaller stores and regional chains to get them in. But I thought I’d pass on the recommendation, because he said that they work really well, although he did mention that you have to be able to push hard, and it might be difficult for someone with smaller hands – which makes it the perfect job to pass on to the men in your lives!
hahaha, thanks for backing me up, Katie! xoxo steph
We don’t make our bed, either. DH perspires a lot while sleeping, so we throw the covers back to the bottom of the bed so the bed can “air out” during the day. We straighten everything before getting into the bed at night. Also, I enjoy afternoon naps, and would just “un-make” my side of the bed each time I nap. If company is coming, we shut the bedroom door!
My first thought was, holy smokes! How much trash do you generate that has to be taken out every day! We have little trash cans in each of the bedrooms and bathrooms and I feel guilty when I take a half full WalMart bag out of each one on Saturdays. We have a larger can in the kitchen, and another in the office. Those are taken out on Wed and Saturday. And I live in Florida. And I don’t run the a/c. They don’t smell – I buy those “anti-smell” tall kitchen trash bags.
The only exception is chicken. When I make chicken, the little tray it comes on goes STRAIGHT out to the outdoor can.
But getting people to NOT put stuff in the sink is such a challenge! We have a graphics company – we make vinyl graphics (like on the back window of your car, etc) I made a decal for the bottom of the kitchen sink that says “Put it in the dishwasher!” Then I picked that one off and made a big red STOP sign! LOL Reminds people, without being heavy handed about it all.
lol, I love the decal idea! very clever. xoxo steph
Steph,
You’d only be envious of the bathrooms when they are clean. Trust me. The 4 bathrooms are much less glamorous when they are covered in pee, toothpaste and hair.
Thanks for this plan. It really is working well for me. You rock!
Sandy
I love calling that genre of books Self Development. Sounds so much more intentional than Self Help – which sounds like one should be in a rehabilitation center!
Great ideas! And the comments are worth their weight in Pledge.
I’m a natural born organizer/cleaner, so my challenge is to let ‘good enough’ be enough – then get down on the (clean) floor and play with the children.
Because this is my challenge, I actually make a list of games/activities to do with my kids and check it off when I’ve played one. Sick…I know!
Lol, not sick, Debbie—-you know who you are and are doing what needs to be done for you. I find that admirable.
The over-cleaning is a struggle for many, many people—-the fact that you can recognize that in yourself is huge, you should be proud of yourself.
xoxo steph