I think people set them up for failure in hoping, wishing or even praying for a clean home. That’s because they believe it’s all or nothing. “I either spend all afternoon cleaning, or it’s a mess.” Not true!
And here is my confession — I have no “cleaning day.” I never spend hours scrubbing, dusting, etc., but I perpetually get compliments on how neat and clean our home appears.
Now I am not talking that you can eat off the floor or won’t find a speck of dust on my blinds, but I never feel like I need to apologize how the house appears when someone stops by (or to myself when I wake up).
My secrets? Glad you asked. 
Pickup – My Mother ingrained this in me. If you pick up each day (and in our house it’s in the morning and the night), the house already looks clean. Sure, there might be dust, but if you put the remote back by the TV, plump the cushions, and deal with any of those clutter monsters (mail, newspapers, etc), your home will look neat. That, alone, is half the battle. Make it a habit in the morning, or when you first come in the door from work, or before you go to bed at night. Just make it a habit. Like I said, I have my a.m. run through the house, the 5 p.m. run, and usually a quick pickup before bed. Total I may spend 15 minutes a day.
Do a little each day – There are so few people who have hours to spend cleaning house (and who wants to?). But I would hazard to say we can all carve out 15 to 30 minutes a day to work toward this effort. Add it up — if you spend 30 minutes a day tackling a couple tasks in your home, by the end of the week, you’ve spent 3.5 hours cleaning. Three and a half hours! When I cleaned homes for a living, I could do a 2,000-square-foot house in 4 hours, so I think this timeframe would cover most any one’s home. The secret is to breaking it down. In 15 minutes, I can do all the “wet work” in the bathrooms — scrubbing toilets, sinks, and tubs. The next day I may do the spit and polish. Another day I clean the glass tables and vacuum. This way — and this is important — the house is in a perpetual state of being clean. I think that’s ideal — the house is always neat and clean, not just one day a week. A little every day adds up to a lot after a week.
Make it a game — set a timer – Flylady (a well-known Internet cleaning maven) advises and I agree in effect, to set a timer for cleaning. I no longer physically set the countdown on the microwave, but I do set goals: “I’m going to dust the downstairs and clean the glass tables before I check email.” I also like, “I’m going to pickup/clean the kitchen in the 15 minutes before 5 p.m.” I give myself a time — and focus. In that small amount of time, I take care of what needs to be attended to before I sit down, change my clothes, or any other reward I may assign to myself. It is truly amazing what you can accomplish! The secret is that you are focusing just on cleaning and accomplishing a task. I like it in 15 minute timeframes, but give yourself 30 if you want to take care of some big tasks. Just stay focused. Much better than spending a Saturday afternoon cleaning!
Hope these suggestions help. You can do it. Just remember a little every day adds up to a lot in a week and beyond!
2:32 pm
GREAT TIPS! I do that every ONCE in a while. LOL Will have to try do be consistent!
3:42 pm
Love these posts!
3:46 pm
Oh thanks, you guys. Glad to hear it.
4:19 pm
These are good reminders. I need to remind myself it doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothin’ thing.