Does your house ever become a pig-sty? Maybe you prefer the term warzone or pit.
It’s okay. It happens to even the biggest neat freaks sometimes. You get sick, busy, have a baby, or maybe you just take the week off from housework. You turn around and the next thing you know you discover a fossilized piece of pizza in a couch cushion.
There will be times when your house simply just gets out of control. Here’s how to get it back to normal again without going insane.
Unless you’re feeling very industrious (or have help) give yourself at least a week to get a very messy house clean. Could you completely clean an entire house in less than a week? Probably, but this game plan takes errands, small children, and life in general into account. Very few of us can get 12 hours of uninterrupted cleaning, so spreading out massive cleaning over a week only makes sense.
If, however, you get a call from your mother-in-law saying she’ll be stopping by in an hour all bets are off, it’s time to start shoving clothes, toys, and dirty dishes in the closets. Just make sure you don’t accidentally push a child in one in your mad-dash cleaning spree.
From Pigsty to Palace In One Week: The Game Plan
Before You Start
* Buy all the trash bags, cleaners, and all the paper towels that you will need. Also consider buying paper plates, and utensils for the week. The environment will forgive you. It’s just for one week.
* Plan simple meals for the week that are easy to clean up.
Day One
* Do all dishes and put them away.
* Clean kitchen counters.
* Take a trash bag and donation box around to each room get rid of as much stuff as possible. This will infinitely speed up cleaning this week.
* Take a box for misplaced items around to each room, and fill it with any odds and ends that are out of place. Tomorrow you’ll begin putting things from this box away.
Day Two
* Put away all misplaced items in their proper places.
* Pick up and put away all stray clothes in your home
* Clean your bathrooms
Day Three
* De-clutter your dining room, living room, and kitchen. Make sure everything is in its proper place in these rooms.
* Organize these spaces as needed.
Day Four
* De-clutter the bedrooms and family room. Make sure everything is in its proper place in these rooms as well.
* Organize these spaces as needed.
Day Five
* Catch up on laundry.
* Put away all clean clothes.
* Vacuum and sweep the entire house.
Day Six
* Clean the windows and dust.
* Wipe the walls as needed.
* Wipe down all kitchen appliances
* Properly file or shred paper work and mail.
Day Seven
* Maintain everything you’ve cleaned, then:
* Rest.
Bonus Jobs If You Should Happen To Have Extra Time
* Clean out the refrigerator
* Clean out and vacuum your vehicle
* Clean up your desk area or office
* Store out of season clothes Want a deeper clean? I highly recommend Sarah Mae’s 31 Days to Clean.
What are your best cleaning tips? Let us know in the comments!
KM Logan is a wife, mother, teacher, and Amazon best-selling author. She is wholly inadequate but strengthened by the Lord. She’d be tickled pink if you stopped by her blog and said hi.
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