10 Steps To a Well Run Home

10 Tips by Hilary Leibel

Even the best of us at times seems overwhelmed by the daily to-dos around the house. It’s like we just can’t seem to keep up with the mess and chaos of San Diego home cleaning. One way to overcome some of these feelings is to create some daily habits for cleaning and keeping the chaos at bay.

By following some of these steps, you’ll be on your way to smooth operations in no time.

1. Getting up earlier

I know this sounds like a bummer but getting up even 30 minutes earlier allows you to start your day on your terms rather than feeling the chaos of a late start. Navy SEAL Jocko Willink writes: “The moment the alarm goes off is the first test; it sets the tone for the rest of the day. The test is not a complex one: when the alarm goes off, do you get up out of bed or do you lie there in comfort and fall back to sleep? If you have the discipline to get out of bed, you win — you pass the test. If you are mentally weak for that moment and you let that weakness keep you in bed, you fail. Though it seems small, that weakness translates to more significant decisions.”

2. Having a morning and an evening routine.

Come up with a list of the things you want to accomplish in the morning and evening every day. Start with baby steps. Post the list somewhere visible and try to cross your steps off the list every morning and evening.

3. Doing one load of laundry per day.

Start in the morning before work and school (remember, we’re getting up earlier). Put in a load to wash before you leave and switch to the dryer when you get home. Take the 5-10 minutes to fold and put away after dinner. By taking the time to wash, dry fold and put away just one load of laundry per day you’ll be eliminating the build up of “laundry day”. If you have kids this is a good task they can help with.

4. Keeping on top of the dishes.

Another common source of frustration is dishes. They seem to multiply in the sink overnight. Try loading and running the dishwasher at night before bed and unloading in the morning before you leave. That way dirty, smelly dishes don’t pile up in the sink and your kitchen starts each morning with a clean sink. If you have kids this is an excellent job to train them how to do.

5. Top secret San Diego home cleaning “quick clean” routine.

We’ll let you in an a cleaning secret that we teach all of our technicians. Part of the stress of “cleaning day” is not knowing where to start or looking at the build up and thinking it will take forever to finish. By having a quick daily routine to stick to you’ll ensure that deep cleaning tasks can be put off but your home still stays relatively clean. Here’s the secret, work top to bottom left to right back to front. Only go once (clockwise) around each room instead of back and forth from room to room. You’ll shave hours off of your week.

6. Scheduling your deep clean tasks.

This is another key to San Diego home cleaning. Try to complete a deep clean of one room per week and then one additional task that needs to be done on a bi-weekly/ monthly/bi-monthly basis. I try to complete these on my “prep day” (we’ll get to that next). Examples would be: Wash the sheets, Clean the garage, clean up the yard/patios, clean out and wash the cars etc.

7. Having a “Prep Day”

For me, this is Sunday. It’s my get ready for the week day. I make sure all the laundry is done, prep for this weeks meals, finish any daily tasks that weren’t completed. I also get my kids ready for the week by having them finish their homework, clean out their backpacks and lay out their clothes for each day. This is also the day that I complete 2 of my monthly deep cleaning tasks (see above) and make sure that all the laundry is done and put away. This tip for San Diego home cleaning really helps to “reset” your home for the upcoming week .

8. Creating a Command Center:

I have a wall in my home dedicated to a very large whiteboard calendar. On this calendar I have everyone’s schedules written for the month. I also have a smaller board with the weeks meal plan and baskets for incoming/outgoing mail. Pinned on a cork board, we have our family’s cleaning schedule, exercise plan and daily schedule. Below that is hooks for backpacks and bags. Also on this wall is chore charts for each of my children. San Diego home cleaning is so much more organized using this method. Using this wall in this fashion allows everyone to be aware of what we have going on each day so that nothing is forgotten and everyone is aware of things that need to be done.

9. Meal Planing:

Start with weekly meal planning. Come up with a list of the top 5-7 things your family eats for dinner each week. Write them down. I found that knowing what we would be eating cut out so much time and stress. It also helps me to not forget things at the grocery store when I go, eliminating the need to squeeze in trips during your busy week. Once you get really good at it, you can expand to planning meals for months at a time and getting creative with your recipes.

10. Baby Steps.

The most important tip for getting your home under control is not overwhelming yourself even further trying to organize and manage all at once. The list above is a lot to take in on first glance. Try one or two of the above steps at a time and tailor them to your individual needs. Every family and home is different. Also remember than on average it takes 21 days to form a habit, so don’t be discouraged if it isn’t easy at first. Take your time and have fun with it.

Green Frog Cleaning is here to help. If you find that you are running short of time and need some assistance please feel free to call us for all of your cleaning and organizing needs! 1-888-438-1781