Speed Cleaning for the Busy Homemaker

I am a very busy mom of a toddler with a social schedule that rivals any adult. That being said, I manage to keep my house clean with a few simple daily rituals. My house is not perfect, it will never be perfect, but I will never be accused of having a messy house. So what are these daily tips that will keep your house clean and you family proud to bring their friends over. Here they are:

Daily Vacuuming: Every morning I break out the vacuum cleaner and run over the carpet in the family room. You don't need to break out the fancy attachments, you don't need to get into each and every corner, and you just simply need to run the vacuum cleaner over the carpet to get the big stuff.

Play The Clean Up Game: Every night before bed my daughter and I play the clean up game. I sing a silly little song about cleaning her toys and the family room is done in a matter of minutes. The floor is ready for me to vacuum the next day and she is learning responsibility by putting away her toys before bed every night.

Attack The Dishwasher: Okay maybe that is the wrong title, but I make sure that I run the dishwasher once full and immediately after the drying cycle I put the dishes away. This leaves no build-up of dishes on your kitchen counters.

The Daily Wipe Down: I always keep an extra cleaning rag under the bathroom sink and wipe down the sink after I brush my teeth. It has become part of my daily routine and it ensures that the sink stays free of grime and water rings.

Laundry Time: I use the same principle in doing my laundry as I do the dishes. I wash them then immediately put them away. No lingering baskets of clean clothes that need to be ironed for me. I simply hang the clothes on hanger's right out of the dryer. This saves time on ironing.

Commercial Dust Busting: I love to sit back, relax, and watch a little television. I also hate commercials. I have decided that it is the best time in the world to attack those pesky dust bunnies. I take two minutes every night during the news and run my dust buster up and down my stairwell and over those pesky cat hair accumulations. Then I put the dust buster back on the charger. Dona and done!

Weekly Deep Clean: Now is the time to break out the vacuum attachments, Windex, and the mop. Once a week, usually on Saturday, I spend an hour getting those corners clean, washing the kitchen floor, and getting the obvious spots on the windows. It's not the highlight of my week, but it's only an hour and now I can brag that I have the cleanest house on the block!