How to make Cleaning Convenient
Convenience is underrated. Similar to Benjamin Franklin’s quote “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”, I believe “an ounce of convenience is worth a pound of effort.” When you make something convenient it is physically, mentally and emotionally easier to start and finish the task. You need less “input energy” (the energy required to start and complete a task). When things are easier, I am more likely to do them on a regular basis.
Here we are talking all about the second “E” of the RESET model: Setting up your Environment to make something Easy and Enjoyable. To learn more about my RESET model, click here.
Convenient Cleaning Tools
Stick Vacuum - I only have experience with a dyson, but man do I love that thing. It makes vacuuming so easy and fun, my young children actually fight over who gets to use it when I bring it out!
Robot Vacuum - I have an inexpensive roborock robot vacuum. IT CLEANS MY FLOORS WHILE I AM SLEEPING! Read all about my thoughts on robot vacuums here.
Pedal Spin Mop - I’ve been using this for about a year and half and it is a game changer. I can get just the right amount of water out of the mop head and I can cart it around easily. I will say, I didn’t like the handle that the mop came with so I’ve been using an old telescoping paint roller extension pole and it’s worked out fine.
Extra Spin Mop Heads - I have 5 or 6 and that seems like the right number for me. When I want to mop, I want my mop heads at the ready.
Lots of Rags at your disposal - I bought a 24 pack of these from home depot several years ago and I’m still using them. I use several everyday (usually one for counters and another one or 2 for other random spills/clean ups throughout the day. I always have a clean stack in my kitchen drawer.
Clorox Wipes - My husband cleans our bathrooms. Rather than using dedicated towels for bathroom cleaning (we don’t want to cross contaminate) we use these wipes. I think my husband uses 1-2 each time he cleans the bathroom (it takes us a while to go through a can). Does a good job cleaning and you can just toss them when you’re done.
Window Wipes - I don’t seem to be bothered much by smudges on windows, but when I do get the urge to clean a window, these are so easy and I think they work well.
Cleaning Tools in a Convenient Place - I like to keep my cleaning supplies as close to where they will be needed as possible. This looks like:
Dedicated space in a very central closet on my main floor for my most frequently used cleaning tools: Vacuum, mop bucket, mop, broom, dustpan
A stack of cleaning towels in my kitchen drawer at all times (my kitchen is very central and that’s where I’m cleaning up most of the messes).
A Bathroom Cleaning Caddy - under our bathroom sink we keep a container of all of the things we need to clean the bathroom. This is: a can of Clorox wipes, a pack of windex wipes, bleach (for toilet), comet (for bathtub) and a scrub brush for the tub, We always keep shower spray in the shower (for shower tiles) and we always have a toilet brush near the toilet.
Cleaning Process
Clean in smaller increments - I am not a marathon cleaner or weekend warrior (although there is nothing wrong with that method of cleaning if it works for you). I prefer to do things that take less than 20 minutes at a time. I want housework to fit around my life - not my life to fit around my housework. I also like this because I don’t feel like I have to block off time to clean, I can usually fit it in the nooks and crannies of my day. (This is Right-sizing your cleaning circle, the “R” of my RESET model. Learn more about my RESET model here.)
Group like activities together where it makes sense. The floors in the bathroom don’t get mopped when the bathrooms are getting cleaned, they get mopped when I already have the mop out (and they are usually the last room to get mopped to avoid cross contamination, as I wash my mop heads in the laundry after each use).
Think about frequency - I am generally only loading the dishwasher once (after dinner). I just let things pile up in the sink (and I have trained my children to clear their place at the table and put their dishes in the sink from age 3). I’m okay with a sink full of dishes.
Think about routine cleaning and non-routine cleaning as two distinct bodies of work. Routine cleaning to me is: dishes/counters/table, cleaning floors, tidying, bathrooms, trash and laundry. These are the never ending tasks of a household because we eat, we walk on our floors, we use items in our home, we use the bathroom, we generate trash and we wear clothes. Non-routine cleaning are things like: cleaning the oven, cleaning the windows, cleaning the fridge, decluttering, organizing, establishing new systems, etc. I have focused my energy on streamlining my routine cleaning. We are clear about what we are doing daily, what we are doing weekly and who is responsible for the task. For non-routine cleaning, I rely 100% on a spark of “cleaning energy”. I don’t do any of my non-routine cleaning activities without the spark and I feel no guilt or pressure to do them when I simply don’t feel like it. I focus any of what I refer to as “input energy” (the energy required to start and complete a task) on my routine cleaning because I feel like it is the biggest bang for my buck.
Want to spend less time cleaning but not sure where to start? Check out my workbook that will walk you through my proven process to help you formulate an action plan that will work for you. Want more support? Come to a workshop or book a call with me. I’d love to help you spend less time on cleaning so you have more time for everything else!
