I don’t know ab out ya’ll, but keeping up with housework is hard work! And, I do not like it. I struggle to keep my house in order on a daily basis with working full time and going to the gym five or six times a week. I never really cared for chores or keeping up my house. I never felt pride in keeping up with my house, and quite frankly, kind of blamed my wheelchair for “not being able to” when the reality is, I was just lazy. I didn’t want to take the time to keep my house clean. I didn’t know how much better it would make me feel. I now feel good when I come home and my house isn’t a mess.
I live on my own. I do not have a roommate, boyfriend, partner, or parents to help me out on a daily basis (Although, if I really needed something, either one of my parents would be to my rescue as soon as I asked – they are the bomb like that). It is all on me to keep my house clean. Until now, I usually picked a Saturday or a Sunday to do all my housework: dishes, laundry, picking up items used during the week, and then, if I had time, cleaning. I knew there had to be a better way of doing this. So, I went to the motherload of all websites: PINTEREST!
I started looking for cleaning schedules or some tips a
nd tricks to help maintain a household on a busy schedule. I ended up finding a couple cleaning schedules, and adapted them to fit my needs and schedule. Tuesdays are my short day at the gym with only one group exercise class, so I made that chore of the day a longer task. Thursdays I enjoy going to three group classes, so I made that chore of the day my shortest. Then, for Fridays, well, who wants to do housework on Fridays, so I made that one my “free” day.
Each day, I would make my bed and put the dishes away before I went to work. I have to admit, I HATE making my bed. I used to think it was a pointless chore that just wasted the 5 minutes it took me to make the bed. However, since I started making my bed, I have noticed a change in my mood. Whenever i would enter my room, it felt nice to see a nicely made bed. Feels like my life is in order (and boy is it not!). Then, every evening, I would wash all the dirty dishes from the day, wipe down all the counters in my kitchen, declutter my living area, and then complete the chore of the day. Before completing the chore of the day, my daily chores would take a total of 5-10 minutes. I think we can all spare that time!
Now let’s talk about how I set up my “chore of the day.” I knew I had to keep up with my bathrooms, floors, dusting, laundry, and a couple other odds and ends that might not need done every week. So, on Mondays I decided that I would clean my bathrooms. I have 2 bathrooms, and the one bathroom does not get used much. So, in that one, a simple wipe down of the sink and counter, cleaning the toilet bowl, and a quick swiffer of the floors, and I’m done with that one. In my master bathroom, the one I use all day everyday, I’m doing the same things, but a little more detail oriented. I have gotten into the routine of spraying down my shower after each use with a “Spray & Go” shower mist, so I don’t do much cleaning in my shower.
Tuesdays, since they are the days I’m at home the most during the week, I decided it would be my floor day. I have hardwood and tile flooring throughout my entire house. Who needs carpeting?! (My wheelchair HATES carpet). I take a broom to each room (except bathrooms since I di
d this the day before) and then go back around with a wet Swiffer. Frugal tip of the day: instead of buying the wet Swiffer pads, simply use a washcloth and floor cleaner, you can keep reusing the same one throughout one job, and machine wash it when you are done!
On Wednesdays, I take out my trash. Trash day is Thursday for my neighborhood, so I collect all my trash bags and take the bins out each Wednesday night. I have learned that the recycling truck comes through before 7:00am, so taking the trash the night before helps with not being so rushed in the mornings. Since Thursdays are my long days at the gym, I decided that I would do some dusting on Thursdays. I don’t have too much to dust, so it does not take me long to do so
. And, I figured that if I don’t get to this on Thursdays, then, since my “free” day is Friday, I can dust on a Friday. Either way, it would take maybe 20 minutes tops to be dust free.
Now it’s the weekend! Saturdays are my “Swing Days.” I do something different each Saturday, depending on the week of the month. On the first Saturday of the month, I will clean my oven, microwave, and fridge/freezer. Fridges can get pretty icky if left alone too long. In my opinion, once a month is plenty often. On the second Saturday of a month, I will wipe down the walls and window ledges. I tend to use some wall surfaces to help me “round a corner” or, if I am carrying something in one hand, the walls will help get me from room to room. Since I can’t get to my windows to clean (I have to open the window with the crank, go outside, and clean both sides of the windows there) I decided that if I keep the window ledges clean, that would be good enough for me. (Sorry mom! I’ll leave the window cleaning to you!! Appreciate and love you!!)
During the 3rd week of the month, I will wipe down my cabinets in my kitchen, and the fourth week will be cleaning my washer and dryer. While I clean the lint trap of my dryer frequently, trying to pull out any lint that may have been trapped is needed. I will also wipe down the outside of each machine.
WHEW!! Are we tired yet? I am just thinking about all this housework! Such a necessary evil in my book. I have not been through a full month of this schedule yet. Actually, I’m just finishing my first week. Things might need tweaked or changed a bit, and I know things will come up, but if I keep it pretty consistent, my house should be in good shape for whomever would want to pop on over to visit!
The Kaizen Way of living states that little things add up to big changes. It is my hope that if I do these little things each day, my house will always be clean and put together. Of course, like I state earlier, things will come up. I may be feeling under the weather, or have an event/obligation to do. Instead of worrying about getting the housework done, I might split up the day I’m missing over the next couple of days. Or, if it isn’t so bad, just wait for the next week.
Even housework is determined by your mindset. Our mindset is crucial to everything that we do in life. I think that is why I bring all my posts back to mindset. Without the right mindset, nothing will go right. Shifting your mindset into a positive, encouraging frame will let you push your limits, see things as lessons instead of failures, and achieve more accomplishments.