In this series on The Reasonably Clean, Pretty Neat, and Comfortably Tidy House, you will learn many things, unless you already know them.
I'm not going to put everything in one post. That's overwhelming. And I'm not going only to talk about cleaning, obviously. So you will have to be patient and do things little by little, just as with menus and laundry.
In this series, we will talk about where in your home to start getting cleaned up, and you may be a little surprised when I tell you. Can you guess?
We will talk about how to do more, and how to make sure you don't do too much. Yes, that can be a problem, please tell your husband to stop laughing.
{How rude.}
We will talk about how to have The Reasonably Clean House with a nursing baby and a toddler and while homeschooling.
We will talk about how to get your kids to help you and why.
And we will talk about many other things, all of them fascinating and deep.
But I'm just going to go ahead and tell you my biggest secret to just getting things done already, whether it's organizing a shelf or cleaning the garage.
It seems simple. I hope you won't be disappointed. But I can tell you that human nature is such that doing it sort of takes a leap; consequently one often doesn't, much to the detriment of progress in this area.
It seems simple, but I have never really seen other guides start with it, or tell you right off the bat about it. They seem to take it for granted — sometimes they tell you the opposite– but it really helps to know.
First, don't hate me, I will say this: I really think you should gird your loins for cleaning by going ahead and taking a shower and getting dressed. {This is not the secret. This is the pre-secret.}
Often, I've noticed, persons who stay at home put off the showering/dressing process, perhaps thinking that it doesn't make sense to tackle a dirty house by getting oneself clean first.
However, I beg to differ. You will work hard, but you really aren't going to get dirty. While it might make sense to clean the bathroom or the garage before taking a shower, for the most part, it is counterproductive to delay.
I mean, don't get dressed up. If you think your normal jeans and top will get soiled, you should wear an apron.
If you don't do as I say, what will surely happen is that you will be tired from your exertions and find yourself not all that inclined to shower and dress after all. And then an emergency will arise, and lo! You will find yourself in the doctor's office with a sick baby — tired, not showered, in sweats, and looked upon with scorn by any passing nannies.
And that will not help our cause one bit.
Besides, being clean and dressed invigorates you, makes you ready to take on all your tasks, and, to use an odious word, empowers you generally. If you are in your yoga pants, there are all kinds of ways to put off getting up and getting going.
Another thing (also helped by being dressed for action): make up your mind to try to be fast in whatever you do. Right now it's more important to get through a task than to take a lot of time over it. Some people are in the habit of working so slowly, they really stand no chance against the onslaught of the forces of entropy.
Watch someone lively do her work, and measure your own motions against hers. Could you be faster? Try!
All right, here it is.
The secret.
When you are cleaning something, particularly for the first time (or for the first time in a long time) —
Start by getting everything out and off, then sort. Don't try to de-clutter in place.
Put back only what you have determined truly belongs, and not one other thing, even if it means leaving that thing in the middle of the room.
That shelf you are trying to clean? The table you need to locate under the stuff?
Take everything out of it and off of it. Vacuum and/or wipe it down. Then replace only what belongs there, without thinking about how to deal with the rest.
I can't tell you how often I have seen instructions that have you taking things out of a closet, say, one by one, and deciding which bin to sort it into. I'm all for the bin-sorting method of de-cluttering, don't get me wrong. But unless you don't need me anyway, you will likely never be done with the job if you go about it that way.
First, you need the immediate gratification of the gleaming, shining object carefully arranged with its proper contents.
Second, it's all too easy to stop halfway through the task to do something else urgent — and then, you might as well not have started! Whereas my way, you will have the newly arranged space and the pile of junk to deal with — no turning back!
It's total commitment and instant gratification all rolled up into one step.
So these are the principles with which we will start.
Get dressed.
Get cleared off and out.
Here's a little completely staged tutorial.
Oh my. Look at that sideboard. There's so much junk on it. Looks like people just walked by and put stuff on there. They probably thought — Oh! A horizontal surface! Let me pile my junk on here. Not permanently, no.
Just until I do “this one thing”…
So your sideboard isn't pretty or even orderly, it's just piled.
Should you address each thing in turn, walking it to its rightful place?
No, because this would be tiring. And halfway through, you'd wonder if that Latin curriculum is really the right one and go google reviews, or the phone would ring, you'd be off finding your husband's important papers he forgot, and the sideboard would still be a mess.
You can't even get the people together to deal with it, because they are finally studying, aren't there, or the truth is, it was you.
Instead, get everything off of there. EVERYTHING.
Some things belong there, like this cake plate and the candles. Should I just leave those things?
No.
What about the wine bottles? They can stay, right?
I wasn't too sure about this gift of Amaretto — such pretty wrapping — or the little apothecary jars I got at a thrift store for 25 cents each. What should I do with those?
Stop thinking about it. Take them off.
I wish my sideboard were refinished. Other people have refinished sideboards. Maybe I should spray paint it. Would black be too much?
You literally got it out of the trash, thanks to a friend who alerted you that a rectory was being cleaned out and a pile of furniture was out in the driveway! It's a miracle you have a decent sideboard. It even had some linens inside!
Maybe it should be painted, but NOT NOW! This is it and it needs to be cleaned. Let's clean it today and worry about refinishing it tomorrow. Truth is, you will be a lot more contented with shabby-chic when it's all clean.
That's what I'm talking about. Completely cleared off. Where is all the stuff? Turn around.
It's all on the dining room table! But that's okay, and you'll soon understand why.
I allow you to put some things away right now if their proper place is in that same room you are cleaning. So the box of candles can go in one drawer of the sideboard (and why, pray, were they not put there in the first place? Doh).
Otherwise, just live dangerously with everything else on the dining room table and get out your rag.
I favor flannel rags (from torn up flannel sheets and pjs). The rag should be either slightly damp or soaked with furniture oil.
You might as well just not do it — especially in January! You will be merely flinging the dust in the air, and shortly it will settle right back where it was.
Now wipe off every surface of the sideboard. Start at the top and wipe every inch, including legs and sides. If we were cleaning the inside, you would have taken everything out and you would wipe all the sides of the drawers.
Now start putting things back. Only put back the things if —
1. They belong there.
2. You really love them there.
3. They work there.
4. They are clean.
The linen piece from your mother-in-law. At least shake it out — or, if it's been a while, launder, starch, and iron before putting back.
The candlesticks (from a yard sale, stuffed with paper towel to make the candles fit, tied with ribbons to hide the paper towel). Wipe them with a clean damp rag. If you haven't recently, actually wash and dry them, replacing the pieces of paper towel. Must be classy, people.
Here is where I “store” my extra cake plate. The eggs are by Deirdre. The extra cake dome is here too. If I need to display a cake on a stand with a dome in the kitchen, the eggs by themselves in that crystal bowl look fine on the linen.
The Polish pottery (from T. J. Maxx) goes here — no where else to put them, and they are pretty.
Think carefully though. Don't just put them back because you always have. Make a decision about them.
On the other side, a couple of “more special” wine bottles, to protect them from being drunk willy-nilly on an ordinary day. The third bottle just got put in the rack. These are attractive enough to be here.
I'm also okay with putting this candy dish with the last of the Christmas candy here, so that someone other than myself will be eating it. And this little plate will soon go on a wall in the den, so it's okay here too — I like looking at it.
I'm good with this now. It's clean, it's pretty, and it feels like I meant it to be just like this.
What about the table behind me?
As I went to get the rag, I put the scissors where they belong:
The apothecary jars are in the kitchen. They need to be washed out and then I'll think of what to do with them (they held Christmas candy when everyone was here).
Some of that other junk was Christmas decorating flotsam, so I have a bag in the kitchen that is collecting such.
The books obviously go in the child's homeschooling shelf (and she really didn't leave them there, but she could have!).
And now it looks like this — a couple of gifts that need a home and a table that needs to be wiped. I can live with this if I need to take someone to an appointment right now or if my bread needs to be put in the oven. This is nothing! And my sideboard is pretty and fresh.
If I only had 20 minutes (maybe talking on the phone to my friend?) I could do this. If I was deep-cleaning my dining room, I'd use this exact process in every part of the room and then do it to the table. I'd dust the actual room itself thoroughly (another tutorial for another day) and vacuum.
And then the room would be clean.
And it starts with this little secret which you will apply to all your cleaning tasks, large and small:
Start by getting everything out and off, then sort. Don't try to de-clutter in place.
XOXO!
Kate says
An addendum to "getting showered and dressed" is putting on shoes. No kidding. I never feel like I'm really ready and serious about a task if I'm barefoot.
Leila says
That's funny, Kate. In Sidetracked Home Executives they talk about that, and mention a time at a talk when a lady came up to them and said she took their advice and bought special "cleaning shoes" for comfort and effectiveness! They looked at each other (they had been joking about the shoes) and went out and bought some themselves! It's so true.
Mab says
I really like your advice about needing to shower first thing! It has taken almost four years of being married to realize that my entire day will be so much more productive (not to mention that I'll be a nicer wife and mama) if I just get up and take a shower! And I like that shoe idea…
southerninspiration says
good ideas with wit mixed in…gotta love that!suzanne
Domestic Accident says
So glad you kept the wine. Now I know I can truly trust your advice.Brilliant. As always.
Bethany says
Great advice. Thanks! When I have done this style of cleaning, it's always when I get the most done. Funny that when I was first reading it, I thought that your big secret was taking a shower before you started cleaning. I sat pondering this and really thinking about how it was going to change my life. Then I read on. . . 🙂
Margo says
I just love seeing how other people clean! And it's so rare that I actually get to see that because it truly is a private thing.So thanks for all the pictures and advice.I'm already on board with the shower – but we are rather European inside and leave our shoes at our doors (not that my floors are cleaner because of this – sighhhhh).
Unsinkable Kristen says
Thank You! I've been cleaning like this for years, when things get truly too messy to do anything else. All the rest of the time I tried following all those other people and those other "systems" – but this really is the best way to clean. It's the only time I ever get every single thing put away.Thanks for the pick me up – again – how did you know I was sitting here feeling overwhelmed and about to scrap it all to google curriculum??
Mama Kitty says
I enjoyed this and am looking forward to the rest of the series.
Mrs. B. says
Thank you, Mrs. Lawler! Is it "lawful" to shower last thing at night, while committing to getting dressed first thing in the morning?I guess one corollary to "The Secret" is that everything in the home should have a place. Often, things get piled up on dressers and sideboards or counters not just because we are not putting them where they belong, but because they do not belong to any place. Some things, like your Amaretto bottle, will find their right place, but we should always be prepared to let go of things we don't really use/need and are just collecting dust, making our housekeeping unecessarily more complicated.As an aside, I am truly crazy about that striped floor…
Polly says
I too love your floor.I also like this post for its wit, usefulness, and applicability to my life (I have a sideboard a lot like that one! Pawn shop!).But mostly I like it because you said "gird your loins," and I JUST read that phrase in The Pilgrim's Progress not half an hour ago. Oh, literary-bloggy synchronicity!
Saved Sinner says
I always love the posts like this that you do. I find them so encouraging and motivating.
Pippajo says
"Here's a little completely staged tutorial. Oh my. Look at that sideboard. There's so much junk on it. Looks like people just walked by and put stuff on there. They probably thought — Oh! A horizontal surface! Let me pile my junk on here. Not permanently, no."Well, this made me truly laugh out loud! The thought of you scurrying around, finding stuff and then piling it on your sideboard just tickled me!Now, is there anything that can be done to PREVENT the sideboard or the dining room table, or kitchen desk, or kitchen island or coat cupboard or dryer or husband's dresser from looking like this AGAIN? Like something involving electricity?Thanks for the tip regarding paper towels in the candlesticks. Why didn't I think of that?I will try the showering/dressing thing, but I absolutely draw the line at shoes. Slippers, fine, but shoes make me feel like I'm going to church.Also, had to laugh at your distaste of the word empowers. I get it completely.
Deirdre says
As I read this post, I thought about how my friends would read it and come to understand my personality that much more. "So this is explains why Deirdre is always trying to do things fast!" or "This is why Deirdre is obsessed with her morning shower, even on housekeeping days!" For the record, now that we are in Ordinary Time, the post about pysanky (those decorated eggs)I've been planning is more seasonally appropriate and therefore forthcoming. Maybe after this Reasonably Clean series is done.
Sarah says
I am really enjoying this tutorial! It comes at a perfect time, as we are in the process of sorting, packing and cleaning our house, because we are moving at the end of the month (into a rental while our new home is being built).I have one question about not dusting with a dry cloth. Are you saying to use a dusting product, like Endust or Pledge? Or are you saying it needs to be "wetter" than that? And if so, what should we be using? Thanks =)
Melanie B says
Oh so wonderfully motivating. I hadn't thought about how quickly I'm moving. Mrs B,I am firmly in the shower at night camp. I do find that the sooner I get dressed the more productive I am. For me the equivalent of the shower is brushing my teeth and my hair.Sorry, I just can't get into the shoes thing either. I'm most comfortable barefoot. Shoes are for going out or for protecting feet from the weather. I need bare feet to feel productive.
Sue says
I think you might be related to my husband. He always cleans that way – except that he leaves all the cleared off/out stuff for me to deal with later. We're a pretty good team, I guess. I suppose I'll have to show him this post and tell him that he was right all along ;o). I tend to bathe at night (it's a Japanese thing), and you certainly won't find me wearing shoes in my house, but I totally agree that getting dressed first is really important. It just helps to shift the mind into work mode.I am loving this series. Can't wait for the next installment!
Breanna says
Shoes: try house shoes–Birkenstocks or something similar. Sturdier (and slightly, though not much, classier) than scuffs.I. Always. Clean This Way. Otherwise you end up just shifting things from side to side, making it worse. THANK YOU for enunciating it!And I have to agree with the shower-and-look-good thing. And I aspire to an apron for each day of the week, with a couple extras for holidays and Sundays. ;)I really dig this series!
Anna says
I think this is the best way to clean, too. But I have serious- really!- serious trouble dealing with the last of the stuff. If I talk to my sister on the phone, she distracts me enough that I don't over-think putting it away. Otherwise, I'm Sue's husband. ;)By the way, on my formica, I use a dry erase marker and write "NO STUFF" on it! It works, until I erase it out of embarrassment when I have company.
Little M says
Some great tips. I'm glad I found your blog!
cindy says
Why is it that moms everywhere always say "clean your room", but never explain exactly what they want done or how to do it? My mom is a naturally neat and organized person, and I am her polar opposite. I can "crisis clean" with the best of them, but then I can never find what I need because I just shoved it in a box in a closet…somewhere.I have been a stay at home mom for about 18 months now, and feel guilty when the house is messy — it's not necessarily dirty, but just disorganized and cluttered. I usually end up moving things to clean under them and then putting them right back where they were. Although with two toddler boys, I don't have much in the way of knick-knacks lying around – they'd become projectiles or hammers or cargo or…Thank you for your guidance in helping me have a "reasonably clean house". It feels like my mom is finally sitting me down and lovingly telling me how to do what comes naturally to her. Not like I'm being criticized, but like a gentle smack on the behind, then a quick hug and a big smile.I'm so glad I found your blog – reading it is like I'm visiting you and sharing a cup of tea and some homemade scones with a friend or a sister.
Terri says
Leila, I am DOING this! Working full time I only have a little bit to get the place up to my standards of comfortable and "pretty much clean"…and sustainable. I necer thought of cleaning this way as a matter of course, only if I'm doing a major reorganization. You are a genius for helping me tackle the intimidation of clutter!
Alice says
1) I'm teaching two high schoolers from Henle Latin right now. It seems pretty good (they're in year three) and quite challenging. It's a good price, and classic.2) Putting a cake stand over the pysanky also prevents the side-effect of a tragedy we suffered one Thanksgiving: heater-induced pysanky explosion. Oh, the smell! It wouldn't have been quite so bad if they were covered.
Lindsey in AL says
"But what do we do once it's clean and the kids start putting their Latin books and bottles of wine on the sideboard again?" she whines.
Leila says
Lindsay, you simply have to discipline your children. Try spanking them when they don't put their bottles of wine on the rack where they belong!Be patient, dear friends. What took me 30 years to learn can't be conveyed in one blog post. First, you children must grow up and move out…
nutmeg says
First, you children must grow up and move out…LOL!:)Mrs. B, I take showers at night too! But can never start my day until I'm "dressed to the shoes" (That's a Flylady saying! Is she still around??) and my indoor shoes are obnoxious (cheerful!) orange crocs, which I never wear out of the house.:)Love these ideas, Leila! How did you know I'm hosting a huge party for my daughters' school this weekend?
Mary says
Yes, FlyLady is still around! So much wisdom, though she would say to limit the area that you clear off and start over to what you can accomplish in 30-60 min – at the most.
Mrs Bossy says
This is fabulous! This is an alltimer:"We will talk about how to do more, and how to make sure you don't do too much. Yes, that can be a problem, please tell your husband to stop laughing."You are a prophetess of domestic economy.
Eternal Optimist says
I could not stop smiling. This is wonderful advice, and wonderfully funny.
Jensamom23 says
So smart! Love your site as well!
Anonymous says
I can attest to the "children moving out" method. Our oldest daughter has gone to college and my house is that much cleaner…. :)Cathy
beckygiggles says
Thank you so much! This is one of my goals this year. I've gotten better at laundry and meals and I'm ready to do more. I'm reading 'The Messies Manual' by Sandra Felton (really gets into how our thought patterns as messies cripple us) and the book you recommended 'Confessions of an Organized Homemaker'. Thank you for recommending that one. I checked it out from the library today and I can already tell I'm going to have to buy my own copy. I can't handle Martha Stewart trying to tell me how to live, but you, and these other women who know that we'd all rather be reading a book, giving me advice on making my home more livable, it's so encouraging and enabling! Thanks again!
Beth says
I love your blog! Thank you for offering the great service of both experience and encouragement rolled up in entertainment. It is a gift that I am grateful that you share. I especially appreciate the small look into another home schooling multi generational family searching for perfection and living with humanity. You're wonderful! Please- keep writing. You buoy my winter days!
Crafty P says
I'm 50% there. Love the advice about taking everything off. Well, off or out of the space, you knew that's what I meant, right? he he
Lindsey in AL says
Lindsay, you simply have to discipline your children. Try spanking them when they don't put their bottles of wine on the rack where they belong!Ah, there's the rub! We have no wine rack. Honestly, we have a lot of trouble with putting things in their places because we have too many things and not enough places. 877 square feet is not much for 6 people (going on 7) and their belongings. I always feel like we just have too much stuff but my mom assures me that if I had a bigger house I'd realize I have a pretty normal amount of stuff.My Keith is supposed to put up some more book shelves for me soon but since he's blacksmithing the brackets, it's a little slower going than if we just ran to Lowe's. I did use your splendid tutorial to clean off my main kitchen counter two days ago and it still looks decent! That's a good thing because it also separates my kitchen from the living room and is instantly visible from the front door. I feel much better about it now. I also have 2 bags and a big box of stuff in the back of the car to go to Good Will.
Melanie B says
I discovered one wee problem with the pile the stuff on the dining room table method: the toddler. When the baby woke from his nap halfway through the sorting process and I had to go fetch him, she climbed up on a chair and wreaked havoc. Now all the random objects that were tucked away on that top shelf (which is now nicely dusted and looks great, by the way) are scattered on the floor beneath my dining room table. Yikes! Two steps forward one step back. I've set the three year-old to picking things up and putting them back on the table.
Leila says
Yes, dear Melanie, there are issues. Having toddlers is never going to be conducive to order — more on that later.
Melanie B says
Oh no worries, I just thought it was funny and had to share. I'm just glad you motivated me to get that shelf clean. Thank you so much! I've been living with the mess for months, grumbling every time I pass by. (And Dom has done his share of grumbling about it too.) It looks so nice now. I should post a picture. Except I didn't do a before shot for contrast. Oh and getting the shelf done snowballed into cleaning out the basket beside my desk, throwing away a pile of papers and reshelving a bunch of books I was done with.And Dom cleaned off the kitchen table, another vertical surface that gathers junk! I do look forward to the more on toddlers and chaos, though.
scmom (Barbara) says
A big squirt of hot glue keeps candles in place. It's not forever and you can pull the glue back out if the candle comes unstuck or you need to replace the candles, but it stays set for a good long time if you don't fuss with it. And it's clear.
Anonymous says
Oh thank you Leila for this wonderful series; such a concrete help and so witty as usual.(In our country as far as I know everyone showers morning and night.)Thanks for all your help! (And it's true about the 'children' moving out.. the house is so much tidier.) Linda
beckygiggles says
Yes, please, on the "more on toddlers" bit! I have a four year old and a two year old and they both loving pulling out all the pots and pans, all the kitchen utensils, leaving toys strewn about, etc. I don't want their home to be the land of no but I also don't want it to be a pit of despair.
Anonymous says
I want to be better. But I hate, hate, hate, loathe, and detest showering. I hate, hate, taking the time to do it when so many other things need to be done, when I have no clothes to wear anyway, when no other human is going to see me, when I feel so ugly and fat. I hate, hate, hate the morning. I feel like there is something wrong with me for hating showers so much. Most normal humans do it, but I will go two or three days without one. I feel so depressed.I quit my job a little over a year ago to stay home with my kids 6 years old and not quite 1 year old. I like this idea of trying to be as fast as possible. Perhaps that will help. Thanks so much for your amazing blog.
Leila says
Dear Anonymous and other shower-worriers:Take the darn shower. I don't care if you take it at night. I don't care if you take it in the morning. It's like the oxygen mask on the plane. Put it on before you help others. Be clean. Be pretty. Be ready! This is your life! XOXO
patches of me says
I love this. Again you've added humor to drudgery.Yes, cleaning self first is essential. Taking the shower first also cleans up my attitude. lolAnd as the day goes it makes it possible to answer the door when someone just drops by – otherwise I just might not have answered the door – and missed a good visit with a friend – since I looked so grungy. And what if I suddenly had to run to the emergency room with my neighbor after he fell off the ladder. Yes, life happens – and we might as well give our day a clean start.
Anna says
Oh Anon, your post makes me so sad. There will always be more to do because the work never ends.Let me put it this way. You're likely to feel better when you're clean and fresh. Your children see you, and they need you to be at your best.Open the windows, turn off the TV and take a shower!
Breanna says
Psst: another thing for Anon: if you never wash your hair, you'll feel fatter and uglier. I know what you mean about hating to take the time. I know what you mean about having nothing to wear. I've been there! Have you anything you can sell to buy yourself a couple cute shirts that fit, just for now? How about your local resale shop?Next: what do you eat before bed and in the morning? I know I get terribly depressed when my blood sugar's out of whack. So have a little snack before bed–like a couple graham crackers and some milk–and eat a protien-rich breakfast pretty quickly when you get up. I'm serious. When I feel fat I don't want to eat, and then I get grumpy and eat too much to make myself feel better.Turn on some music and sing. Stuff you like, with a beat. Dance while you make breakfast. Have the kids dance with you. Get dressed right away and wear something that makes you feel pretty–perfume, a necklace, something.You can do it. You're worth it (because God says you are, not L'Oreale). Hang in.
scmom (Barbara) says
Well, Leila, you can teach an old dog new tricks. Today when I dusted my bedroom I took everything off. Everything. And then when I replaced everything, I realized that even though I dust my bedroom every week, I had been picking up and dusting under one diaper pin (I have no idea why we still have diaper pins) and a pair of earrings for weeks. Now they are PUT AWAY!Thank you.Oh, and new house rule (for which I gave fair warning): any loose change left around will be considered a tip. There's another good reason to get dressed before cleaning — put on pants with pockets — I gathered 45 whole cents! 😉
Anonymous says
Leila,
I just found your blog yesterday and have been so encouraged. Thank you for your cheerfulness and wise advice. I enjoyed reading some of your old posts about laundry and cooking, too. I usually declutter a whole room before dusting which takes a big bunch of time. If I do it your way, I can do a little every day instead. Thanks for the tip.
A suggestion for left out school books–the subject isn’t complete and school work isn’t complete for the day until the books are put away. My children so long to be done with their work every day, they put their books on the shelf (I’m not a stickler for how well) in order to be checked off as done. 🙂
Joy
Anonymous says
No way to the shoes suggestion. Shoes atrophy foot muscles causing them to be weak as if they were in a cast. Also cause self-perpetuating foot pain due to weak foot muscles (that is, once a person who always wears shoes goes barefoot, their weak feet will start hurting). Also they are absolutely filthy, covered in chemicals and dirt. A complete antithesis to a clean house. Ditch the shoes!
Honey says
I've just found you and your clean series. I'm actually excited as I'm a "pull it all out till it's empty and then sort" kinda gal. It completely makes sense. :)I'll be trying the shower in the morning thing. I always shower at night as we have LOTS of chickens and they refuse to be potty trained. 😉 So, I'm going to try adding a "morning rinse."Also, I'm anti-shoe also due to shoes are icky, I like being grounded. I thought others who are not into shoes could look into some felt slippers or mocassins. Felted slippers are used by the kids to keep their feet warm and as they're made of natural material/wool they breathe and allow full movement of their feet which doesn't effect muscle development. I also a leather sole on the bottom as it allows for a better grip of the toes. Just one problem as they sometimes can be slick. You'll learn to walk in them though and I don't wax my floors into an ice rink.On a side note any chance you could number the clean posts or perhaps a master list to aide in flow? I thought your bedroom was the first post but then discovered there were a few more before it.Love your header too!~Honey
Anonymous says
Hi, I just found your blog today as I was looking for some house cleaning inspiration. Came to this post and laughed about the shower thing. Skipped the shower. And you will not believe it, I ended up at the pediatrician, unshowered, hair in a big mess, and ratty clothes. You were sooo right! Next time I will shower first. I love all your advice. Thank you for your great blog. irem.
Katedefleury says
I've just found your blog, and I like very much your take on housework. I'm someone who needs a push, sometimes, to get things sorted and end up feeling overwhelmed. What I like about your method is that it isn't too prescriptive – allows for a little bit of flexibility. I can certainly identify with the "flat surface" thing – my home is always like that, as my husband isn't able to resist a flat surface to dump stuff on!
Audrey says
I learned the shower-and-dress-first-thing-in-the-morning lesson the hard way yesterday, when my son ended up in the ER on “wash all of momma’s pants day”. Luckily, yoga pants (even twice worn ones that still smell like last night’s dinner) don’t look too out of place among hospital scrubs.
Thanks for writing these house-keeping series. Adopting your strategies has gone a long way towards keeping our house cleaner and momma saner.
Clara says
Thank you for this series on basic cleaning. 🙂 I need/want to adopt the shower and dress first thing as I am sitting reading this in my PJs at noon. 🙂 Thanks for the inspiration and the reasonable goals.
Alice says
I realize this is a very old post, but I had to write to you to let you know you changed my life (or at least my ability to keep my house somewhat organized) with this post. Thank you for sharing this incredibly easy and common sense tip that, no kidding, got me to actually clean something (and then a good bit of my house)! Thank you!
RubberChickenGirl says
Please put all your practical stuff in a book one day. STOP writing serious books and write funny, practical Momming books. I know the liturgical stuff is near and dear to your heart, but it doesn’t allow people to see how hilarious you are.
RCG
BTW I had forgotten this post, at least to my conscious mind, but I am still practicing this…..clearing everything to the next horizontal surface thereby going to the point of no return.