Less Than an Hour of Cleaning Saved My Sanity

For the longest time, I was doing the bare minimum around the house to keep it looking clean and in good running order. I'll be honest -- the only time I really got down and did some heavy duty cleaning was when we knew people were coming over. My parents. M's Grandfather. A few friends. If we worried what they would say or think, we cleaned. Otherwise, I stuck to vacuuming when it needed it, sheets and laundry, and dishes. Nothing beyond, for the most part. The house wasn't gross ... but it needed some serious attention.

And then something happened. Something just sort of ... clicked. And I started cleaning ... and enjoying it! I don't really know what else to say, but it just worked! I started getting up in the morning, figuring out what needed to get tackled that day, and then getting right to it.

But there's been one "chore" that has seriously helped the state of my house.

Every couple of days, I grab an empty laundry basket, and go room to room through the house. Anything that is somewhere it doesn't belong? It goes straight into the basket. It doesn't matter if it's in the bathroom and simply needs to go to the connecting bedroom. I don't stray. Into the basket and I keep going. Until everything in the house has been checked and looked over.

That basket may sit in the corner for an hour, or even a day. But its nice to look around the house and see things looking much neater, much cleaner. Everything visible is where it's supposed to be.

And then, it only takes a few minutes of sorting stuff out and putting it back where it needs to go. And honestly -- most of whats in the basket is kids stuff: toys, pajamas, L's spoons that need to make their way to the kitchen.

And then with the rest of the day, I can focus on other things. Spending time with the kids, reading a book, or even finding other deep cleaning projects that need to be taken care of.

I'm so thankful for that little bit of time, and the way it's made my house feel!

Do you have any little cleaning tips or tricks that help your house feel more pulled together?!