Sunday, May 28, 2006

How do you clean house?

I'm fascinated with everyday life, which is probably why I like to read blogs. Reading about people's everyday annoyances and triumphs entertains me for hours, so here's a little piece of my life.

Today my project is cleaning my house. Since I broke my foot the house has not really been cleaned, so the mess is somewhat overwhelming. I enjoy a clean house but have trouble getting motivated. Recently I discovered a strategy for tackling the house cleaning. First of all, I do one room at a time, taking a break in between to do something fun. The key though, is to get started right. I like to start with the bathroom. The bathroom is the smallest room in the house, so it can only collect a limited amount of clutter. It also gets really dirty and the grime is very visible. This means the bathroom is fairly quick to clean but once its done the cleanliness is highly visible. Somehow cleaning the bathroom seems less overwhelming than cleaning the kitchen or straightening up the clutter that collects all over the rest of the house. After the bathroom is clean, I take a break and just bask in the glow of the mirror and shiny white counters. A clean bathroom is so enjoyable that I start to feel motivated to clean the rest of the house. Also, the contrast between the bathroom and the other rooms makes the dirt even more annoying. Pretty soon I feel motivated to tackle the next job.

This method works really well for me, but I know that many people have different feelings about cleaning the bathroom, so I want to hear from other people. How do you tackle a messy house?

3 comments:

Chaser said...

Aha. I clean the bathroom last. It's the smallest room in the house, but it's the one I am most embarrassed of if it gets dirty.

(This is logic that only works for me)

Anyway, that compels me to keep cleaning even when I am tired of cleaning. So I'm done with the kitchen...ennnh...can't stop...ruddy bathroom to do yet. Bedroom's done. Still can't stop...ruddy bathroom to do yet...

Pathetic, but it works for us.

Leslie M-B said...

I do not know this "clean house" you speak of.

Seriously, I wait until Lucas is occupied with something and then clean like a madwoman until he gets into some mischief.

Needless to say, the place, especially my office, is a bit of a disaster area.

Kelly said...

That's a really great idea. I have so much trouble getting motivated to clean. The kitchen is the worst for me, and I always try to do that first and then get frustrated and give up on everything. The bathroom is always my favorite - small, no clutter, and the satisfaction of shiny porcelain and tile, everything you said - and I never get to it because I feel so pressured to do the kitchen.