Cleaning

The question I am most frequently asked by guests is "How do you keep your house so clean?" I'm married to a veritable hoarder (you know, he NEEDS those VHS tapes of his high school sports teams), so it isn't always easy. However, it's necessary. I can't relax in a pigsty. My best advice is to multitask. A few times a week, while I'm in the shower, I hose it down w/cleanser. I finish my shower and then squeegee the walls. Every so often, I use a scouring pad to scrub it down--but you'd be surprised how frequently a little cleanser & steam do the trick. I keep cleaning supplies in every bathroom--if I notice something needs cleaning, I do it when I see it. Cleaning up little messes generally prevents BIG messes.

While I'm not the sort of homemaker who has a strict schedule (Monday is marketing, Tuesday is laundry, etc), I always clean the house on Friday and do a touch up on Monday. Dust, vacuum, mop & wipe down bathrooms. My favorite tools are a dusting wand, vacuum cleaner & bleach/baby wipes. I use baby wipes on everything from painted & upholstered furniture (test in an inconspicuous area) to walls and switchplates. They also work well on vinyl & ceramic tile floors. And they'll remove makeup in a pinch. My daughter is toilet trained, but I'm still buying them by the case!