cleaning hacks for people who hate cleaning.

i've been thinking lately about how much more calm i am when the things around me are neat and tidy. when my surroundings are nice and neat, it makes my brain feel nice and neat. and who doesn't need to feel that every day of her life? my brain is so rarely calm on its own, i need all the help i can get.but then the real conundrum is that to get everything around me neat, i have to be the one to clean it up (at least when Mister Man is gone, he helps me so much when he's here!). and the cleaning is the crappiest! so i use whatever i can to make the cleaning and the tidying a little easier on myself. i'm sure you all have your own cleaning hacks, but i thought i'd share mine in case they helped anyone out at all.the key to my cleaning hacks is that they're a way to keep everything clean between the deep cleans. it makes the deep cleaning easier, and keep everything nicer in the meantime.

1. swiffer rags: but not for the floor! i use swiffer rags to dust all the surfaces in our house. i don't know why, but getting out dusting spray and a rag just feels like SO.MUCH.WORK. plus, i have to use different dusting sprays for different surfaces, and i can't be bothered to do that. bonus points for the swiffer - amelia can use the rags to "help" me clean the house and she loves it!

2. bona mops & norwex rags: these are things that you have to buy specially, but they are so great for cutting down your cleaning time. if you have wood floors, the bona mop is the best invention. it's a natural spray mop with a washable cleaning pad, and honestly, it is so good at its job. when i get down and give the floors a good scrub, they are incredibly clean because we bona twice a month. norwex rags are great too. all you need is a rag and the cloth to clean everything. i use mine to clean the bathroom mainly, and i can get the whole thing done in about ten minutes. hallelujah.3. duplicate cleaning "kits": while we live mostly on our main floor, we do have to clean things in the basement. and i hate running up and down stairs to get the one thing that i forgot. so i set up cleaning "kits" on each level; a bucket filled with floor cleaner, toilet cleaner, clorox, windex, some sponges and paper towels. that way i always have what i need, where i need it.4. give everything a home: at the end of the day, my living room looks like this:but once the baby is put to bed, i can get it to look like this in about 2 minutes:the key is making sure everything has a home to go to. toys go in bins, books go on shelves, bigger toys get tucked away into their own corners. that way Mister Man and i can enjoy our evenings together without being surrounded by all the crazy kid stuff. the same goes for the kitchen and our bedroom. on any given night, the only thing that's out is usually some mail on the kitchen table. everything else has an easy spot to go to at the end of the day, and i can breathe easy.5. pick a day to do things: i've recently started doing particular tasks on different days of the week, and so far, it's been working really well. there is something about knowing that laundry gets done on monday, and the bathroom gets done on thursday, etcetera, etcetera, that makes me feel like i have all my ducks in a row, not to mention SO.PRODUCTIVE. and when you get things done during the week, you're all free for fun on the weekends!i hope any of these sparked some inspiration for you. any cleaning hacks to share with me? share them below!

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