Cleaning is a real chore in our family. No one likes to do it and when we have to do it, it doesn't yield good results.
Our first obstacle is we're limited in space. Our house is over 1500 square feet, with not so much storage space. Part of the appeal in getting this house was the amazing "family room" area that used to be the garage. We pictured a place to relax or where a couple of our kids would play. We quickly realized we had a bunch of crap that didn't really have a place for and yearned for a large storage area. With my father moving in with us in 2007 and my wife continuously getting pregnant, we ran out of the little space we had pretty dang quick.
I really don't understand why babies aren't delivered with their own 10' x 10' room.
Having five kids, heck even having one kid, means you are constantly picking up after them. Eventually you become so tired of picking up it just stays there. With bed ridden wives, constant overtime and sick kids and babies it's really hard to keep up. Then when you have a break, you just want to relax and nothing gets done.
Sometimes we do take advantage of the extra time and hit the major areas in our house where stuff collects. KC and I have different approaches to cleaning and each of us dislikes the way the other attempts to get it done.
The Eric Way:
Our room (the amazing family room as mentioned above) is where the laundry accumulates (both dirty and clean). It's also the catch-all room when cleaning for guests. So if I were to tackle the room, I would first consolidate everything. I'd make distinct piles of the different categories of crap.
- clean clothes
- dirty clothes
- toys
- trash
- miscellaneous crap
There could be a few piles of miscellaneous crap based on where it might go. I would put the clean clothes away, either start some of the dirty ones or cram it in the laundry basket in the utility room. I'd throw away stuff in the trash pile and want to throw away stuff in the toy pile. If the stuff in the miscellaneous crap piles have a definite place, I'd put it where it belongs. The other stuff without a permanent place, I'd put it to the side (usually on the shelves) and get to it when a place is found. I take this same approach when I clean a cluttered desk. I don't make it a priority to dust, I just want it free of clutter.
The KC Way:
There's no consolidating with her. She will start at a certain point (i.e. her night stand) and focus on that particular place until it's clean. Every paper and envelope will be checked. She will then dust and clean that spot she was working on and then move to the next hot spot area. Sometime during her process she'll have an idea about storage of something.
The Pros:
My way gets rid of the major clutter where I don't have panic attacks every time I enter a room. Her way gets the hot spots cleared out and polished.
The Cons:
While my way gets things off floors and out of the way of any traffic. It does put stuff in areas not used where it can stack up with the intent of being put away once a place for it is found. A place is usually never found. Her way just takes for-friggin'-ever. She can start at 9:30 in the morning and when she's done with the night stand she'll realize it's March. Also, as a preamble to her idea about the storage of something she says, "I don't know how much it will cost, but....."
Obviously:
If we work together using both our methods, in theory we could get EVERYTHING done. I'd go there there like gangbusters and she'd close it out all Flylady like.
More Than Likely:
That will never happen. When she's in a cleaning mood, I have to follow her ways of doing it and my way overwhelms her. So it's probably best if I don't involve her at all if I want the house clean before the Rapture. Something that I'm sure she will never object too.
How goes the cleaning in your house?
Have a great week my friends...
The Pros:
My way gets rid of the major clutter where I don't have panic attacks every time I enter a room. Her way gets the hot spots cleared out and polished.
The Cons:
While my way gets things off floors and out of the way of any traffic. It does put stuff in areas not used where it can stack up with the intent of being put away once a place for it is found. A place is usually never found. Her way just takes for-friggin'-ever. She can start at 9:30 in the morning and when she's done with the night stand she'll realize it's March. Also, as a preamble to her idea about the storage of something she says, "I don't know how much it will cost, but....."
Obviously:
If we work together using both our methods, in theory we could get EVERYTHING done. I'd go there there like gangbusters and she'd close it out all Flylady like.
More Than Likely:
That will never happen. When she's in a cleaning mood, I have to follow her ways of doing it and my way overwhelms her. So it's probably best if I don't involve her at all if I want the house clean before the Rapture. Something that I'm sure she will never object too.
How goes the cleaning in your house?
Have a great week my friends...
Comments
Post a Comment
Here.