In an effort to be less of a garbage-person, I have been trying to introduce some routines into my life and today’s focus is on cleaning. I’m saving health and fitness for future Michelle, she’ll love that. While I like having a clean and organized house, I seem to have a hard time keeping it that way. A little background: I have three levels of hardwood floors and a basement that I generally avoid. I hate cleaning and would much rather be working on a project, laying down, or eating a hot fudge sundae, so those “15 Steps to a Clean House” checklists don’t really apply to me. I have all the standard cleaning things: vacuums, mops, buckets, brooms, Swiffers, etc. I just rarely use them because they are heavy or annoying. Also, I have two pets, and they leave fur everywhere. So I came up with a two-part cleaning routine that is not eco-friendly or particularly cheap, but my house can pass for clean and it helps keep the fur to a minimum.
Part 1
Get a bunch of Clorox or off-brand wipes and put them in every room that has a surface that should be wiped. I have a container under the kitchen sink, in the upstairs bathroom, and in the basement. The important thing here is that the wipes are in the same room as the surface you’ll be wiping. No walking down the stairs to get cleaning supplies, because going down the stairs leads to a couch or other distracting things like snacks.
Wipe stuff down semi-frequently. Whenever I see something on the wipeable surface, I wipe it and throw the wipe away. Sorry environment. You’re welcome, counters.
Part 2
Get a dustbuster or super lightweight vacuum. I have this Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Cordless Hand Vacuum and I love it! Keep it plugged in all the time so you are always ready to bust some dust. The critical thing here is that it needs to be lightweight and stored in a convenient spot, not the basement because I don’t go down there.
Next, you’ll probably become obsessed with dust-busting and vacuum up anything you come across. Trust me, this is easy to do. I like the Bissell Pet Hair version because it has a spinning upholstery brush which works really well on dirt on my porch furniture cushions. I’m also that person on the street who uses a dust buster on my porch floor and rug. This dust buster is also very effective at sucking up all of the cat and dog hair that accumulates on my stairs. Brooms and Swiffers just push the hair around and my other vacuum is way too heavy.
I find myself “cleaning” a lot more frequently after putting wipes all over the house and storing the lightweight dust buster in a cabinet in the dining room. Plus, dirty looking surfaces and piles of dust are the two most noticeable things for me that make a house look dirty, so now hopefully people won’t look down and think “god, this girl is a disaster.” If you have any other super lazy cleaning tips, let me know!
