I am not a great housekeeper. My husband always assures me that our house is comfortable and decent and a good place to come home to, but no one has ever accused my house of being spotless. I’ve failed at FlyLady more than once, I don’t have a regular weekly cleaning plan, and dust is pretty much a permanent resident here.
Oh don’t worry, I do clean, but it’s more like, “Gee, when was the last time I vacuumed down here? I better do something about that.” Or, “Oh my, I didn’t realize there were enough crumbs under the table to bread 2 pounds of chicken. Better grab the sweeper.” In other words, my cleaning is more reactive than proactive. I keep telling myself it’s because I have a toddler, and that as soon as he’s older, I’ll be more organized about the housekeeping thing. I might be deluding myself, though.
I do, however, desire to keep the house at a level of cleanliness such that I wouldn’t be embarrassed if someone stopped by. Not perfect, but not hideous. So in the last few months, I’ve adopted a new approach to cleaning that falls somewhere between a “plan” and a “panicked reaction to a big mess.” I call it: “Three Things” Cleaning.
Here’s how it works:
A few times every week (anywhere from 2-4, depending on how crazy the schedule is), I stop, look around, and ask myself which three household tasks would create the biggest improvement in the state of the house or add the most to my peace of mind. They have to be tasks that can be completed fairly quickly (in other words, I couldn’t pick, “Clean the downstairs, clean the upstairs, and clean the garage” as my three tasks). Usually, I can get all three done in 30-45 minutes.
The tasks vary greatly. One day, they might involve cleaning up toys, vacuuming the downstairs carpet, and scrubbing the fingerprints off the TV and other surfaces. Another day, I might feel the overwhelming need to tackle spots on the wall with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser or declutter the junk basket on the counter. And some days, the three bathrooms count as the three tasks, because I’ve let them go too long.
The benefits of Three Things Cleaning:
- It’s reasonable. I tend to get overwhelmed when I think I have to clean the WHOLE house, but doing three tasks is manageable, even with a toddler underfoot.
- It really makes a difference. I’ve been surprised at just how big a change I can make by doing a few little things. And how much it eases my mind to know I tackled and dealt with things that really needed to be done.
- It makes the “big cleaning days” fewer and farther between. If we’ve invited people over, I still feel compelled to get the house in order, but regularly doing the 3 Things Cleaning means there’s less work to do when those days come.
I realize this post won’t help those of you who have mastered the whole housekeeping thing, but maybe it will encourage or help another reluctant housekeeper. It certainly works for me.
Visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer for more Works-For-Me Wednesday tips.
{ 36 comments… read them below or add one }
I have also failed the FlyLady thing more times than I’d like to admit. I like your plan, 3 things seems much more reasonable. I also am a reactive cleaner. I’ve been reading your blog for a couple of weeks and am just now delurking.
As one who has NOT mastered the whole cleaning thing, I love your cleaning tips!
This would work for me.
That makes sense and it’s always comforting to know I’m not the only one who hasn’t gotten this down yet. I’ve been trying to do one thing a day (M-T,Th-F) that takes me 15 min. or less. That makes a big difference too – I had company Saturday night and hardly sweated the cleaning part. (Or perhaps I’m just getting old and lazy and counting on people’s eyesight going bad!) Good post!
I LOVE it! My cleaning is definitely reactive. I don’t have a weekly plan either, but I think I could manage 3 things. Thanks for posting that; I’m going to try it out.
Definitely a great tip! With my house though, the number one thing that will make a difference is vacuuming up the dog hair, I swear as soon as I finish and turn my back more of it comes out of the walls. Thank goodness I don’t have carpet anymore
That’s a great idea, that I will likely steal – your overall cleaning style sounds just like me – and I have a toddler also so I’m hoping maybe we can both use that excuse?
Good idea! I’m a failed FlyBaby, too. One of the things I sometimes implement from FlyLady is to do 15-minute bursts of straightening or cleaning. It really is amazing how much better the house looks after 15 minutes of putting away toys or laundry or clutter.
i love cleaning a little each night after work so my Saturday off really can be a day off. “three things” a night (if they are small) could definitely work for me!
This is such a good idea and actually does sound a lot like something FlyLady would approve.
Yep I’m definitely not a great house cleaner either. My hubbie’s standards are much higher than mine
Great suggestion!!
I like this idea! I love things in multiples of 3 …
Thanks for sharing!
Great idea! I too am a FlyLady dropout! My two kids are even old enough to do “3 things” of their own. Thanks for sharing!
“Gee, when was the last time I vacuumed down here? I better do something about that.”
This is the story of my life.
Thanks for the great tip!
Wow, you could have been describing me in those first few paragraphs, except I have two toddlers and another due next month! I tried FlyLady and felt pestered to death
I LOVE this Three Things idea, I’m so glad I stopped by!
What a great tip! I’m a horrible housekeeper. One reason is because when I get home from work the thought of cleaning the whole house is overwhelming so I put it off. But I think I can handle three things each day.
Think I’ll give it a try when I get home today. Thanks!
Personally, I never “set myself up for failure” by even LOOKING at FlyLady. I know my personality all too well, and I’m not the kind of person that would THRIVE! with FlyLady, or even LOVE! or LIKE! FlyLady.
I do something very similar, in that I have dedicated certain things for certain days, and I know that I have to spend no more than 40 minutes on getting those things done.
Great post!
Awesome and reasonable idea. UGHHHHH for Flylady!
http://tonsofsons.wordpress.com/
Thanks for the great tip. I’ll just have to try that.
This is a great tip. It sounds a lot less overwhelming than the whole spring clean thing. Sometimes I get a headache just at the thought of what needs to be done. I wonder would ironing 3 shirts count.
Love it…thanks for this post…I am right there with you on your cleaning ‘approach’….one of my ‘things’ is usually dealing with whatever laundry is on the dining room table:)
Oooh, from one flunked flybaby (and mom to a toddler) to another, I love this tip! Thanks!
I can relate to this! I think I will be implementing this into my routine too! Thanks for sharing.
I also get easily overwhelmed with things like cleaning the house – but then I don’t do anything, which isn’t helpful either! Lately I’ve been telling myself to just do something – that something is better than nothing. I like the three things idea – do three things, accomplish something, and give yourself a break.
Fabulous tip! I too, am a failed Flybaby. And just like some of the other ladies that posted comments, my husband has much higher standards than I do…lol! I am going to try this out and see how it works. Off to tackle the mountain of dishes!
I love this idea! It’s definitely less overwhelming than trying to do it all at once. If the cleaning is too big, I simply end up not doing it at all, so this will really help me. Thanks!
Mastered the housecleaning? Definitely not me. I like this idea. It may be doable for me. I’ll try it starting tomorrow!
Hmmm….you’ve got me thinking. Not to complicate things (because your idea is brilliantly simple), but I wonder if I could come up with, say, 12 things, and delegate three things per kid? Then each person has only three things to do, and with that many changes, we might actually make a dent in this cleaning chaos!
That’s funny, I was just thinking today-my housecleaning skills stink! I’ve read Flylady too. No success. But this is something I can do! Except I will probably have to start with 1 thing and work my way up. Thanks for the tip!
great tip, katrina!!! so much easier in little chunks….thanks for sharing!!!
Great tip, I’m going to try that next time my house needs an overhaul
Have a great week
Rachel xxx
Great tips! I like to do a little at once too.
Great idea!!! Check out: http://homesanctuary.typepad.com/rachelanne/ also.
I, for one, think this is a great plan! I try to keep our front rooms (living and dining) looking decent in case of drop-by company. And, I try to give the kitchen regular attention, but then I kinda do the same type of thing with the rest of the house. Trying to do the house cleaning all in one day just does not work for me.
I invite someone over, then run around the house telling everyone to help me clean up cuz we are having company! LOL
I have to join the rest in praise of this idea! I think I could do this! I really do!
Thanks for sharing this. I still don’t have a hold on the housekeeping deal. I also have a young child at home who enjoys making messes. I need to try this out.