Friday, October 19, 2012

Fantastic Friday: Plan, Work, Enlist and Enjoy

I'm writing about a topic that is honestly very close to my heart.  That topic is cleaning!  Yes, cleaning!  I love a clean house, as many women do... but sometimes I find it very hard to make that a reality with a busy husband, two part time jobs and two very busy kiddos.  But I know that I'm a happier person when my home is in order, so I wanted to share my how to tips with today.

Do you feel like your housework is never ending?  It can feel like a never ending task.  If we don't control it, it will begin to control us!  But I've broken it into three easy steps.  I think these are steps everyone can follow, if they just think about it, and put their mind to it.

Here's how I get my house clean in very little time!

I start with my schedule.  Plan the work!  If I don't have a plan, how can I follow it through to completion?

I schedule my house keeping chores for the two days I have off each week, Monday and Wednesday.  I do the majority of the work on Monday and leave Wednesday for follow up chores, errands and laundry catch up.  You may only have evenings, you may only have weekends.  Whatever YOUR schedule allows, make a plan!  If it's only 30 minutes a night...don't feel guilty about it.  If you only have time to dust and vacuum each week...don't feel like you have to keep up with everyone else.  Determine what tasks are important to you, for your family, and then schedule the time to make those items happen. Plan your work - so you can work your plan!
  

Second, I work the plan.



I start with one basic cleaner:  Shaklee's Basic H.

It cleans EVERYTHING - super easy, super fast, super inexpensive.  One 16 oz bottle of super concentrate makes 48 gallons of all-purpose cleaner.  The Price is less than $0.50 per bottle.

It cleans everything and I use it for EVERYTHING.  Here is a small of items I use Basic H2 for.

     My leather sofa - 1/4 teaspoon in 16 oz of water
     My windows - 2 drops in 16 oz water
     My floors - 1/4 teaspoon in 16 oz of water
     My Kitchen Counters -1/4 teaspoon in 16 oz of water
     My Cherry Cabinets- 1/4 teaspoon in 16 oz of water
     My vinyl floors -1/4 teaspoon in 16 oz of water
     Spot treating laundry - a couple drops full strength
     My Carpet -1/4 teaspoon in 16 oz of water
     Mirrors - 2 drops in 16 oz water
     My trash cans -1/4 teaspoon in 16 oz of water
     My CAR- 1/4 teaspoon in 16 oz of water
     My Ceiling fans - 1/4 teaspoon in 16 oz of water
     My lamps- 1/4 teaspoon in 16 oz of water
     My lamp shades- 1/4 teaspoon in 16 oz of water
     My shoes -1/4 teaspoon in 16 oz of water
     My kids... yes, my kids! - I use it as needed to get off all sorts of items such as permanent marker,
     temporary tattoos, tar, grass stains, etc.

Third, I enlist help!  Don't be afraid to dole out tasks to little helpers!  It's easy when you use a cleaner that's non-toxic and all natural because it's safe for small helpers to use!  Ask your husband, there are tasks you can give him to do, too!  He'll feel needed and appreciated when you praise the efforts of his hand!   I even have a friend who found it was cheaper to hire a mother's helper for a few hours a week than to hire a house cleaning company.  She pays a high school girl up the street a few dollars each week to play with her kiddos after school while she cleans her house.  Amazing solution!  The cost savings there is $35 per week for child care vs. $170 per week for a cleaning crew!  Awesome!

Small children ages 2 and up can dust furniture, pick up toys, gather dishes from around the house, pick up dirty clothes, fold socks, put away their own clothes... so many tasks little hands can do, if given the training and the encouragement.

So I plan the work, I work the plan, I enlist help where needed... then I sit back and enjoy... at least until the kids get home from school :)

I do it all,

Only By His Grace!

Billie

What are your favorite products to use?  Have you ever tried all natural, organic cleaning products?

You can purchase them today at my personal website: abetterwayoflife.myshaklee.com