So glad this was helpful, thank you! We have wool rugs and a few sheepskins, and fresh snow is amazing for cleaning any kind of wool (wool sweaters and clothes too!). You cover the rug with snow and gently agitate it. The cold temperature hardens any grease and dirt, and the jagged texture of the snow helps agitate and clean the fibers, all without felting or damaging the wool. We have a second floor deck, and I usually just clean my rugs there when we have fresh fallen snow. The wool smells so fresh afterwards, it’s incredible!
This is awesome and also super manageable! I have five kids and we homeschool so we’re home and using our home hard every day. Cleaning is such an integral part of our lives for that reason! I simplified my home and got rid of SOO much stuff several months ago and it felt incredible. It is now so much easier to keep organized!
It's funny, because I don't see things like making the bed of washing up as 'housework'. They are habits I do without thinking. I make my bed as soon as I get out of it and I wash up after every main meal - it's that simple.
But I really think it comes down to the way we are raised. Those things are habits for me because that's what I saw growing up. It never occurred to me *not* to make the bed, even as a teenager. If you were raised in a home that considered small tasks a form of housework, then I guess you're more likely to see it as such in adulthood.
All that is to say - make life easier on yourself by making certain things a habit, a natural and automatic part of your everyday life. That way you'll have less "housework" to think about, but your house will stay tidier.
Such a great point about habits! I also find it helpful to connect new habits to existing ones to make them easier to stick.
I think most people probably do have those smaller, daily tasks as habits, but I find it helpful (and kind of fun) to write them out when putting together a cleaning rhythm. It just makes the invisible a bit more visible. For others, it might feel unnecessary, which totally makes sense.
This is great! I'm interested, do you share this routine fairly with your husband? I write about how this can be achieved in order to make households more equitable.
My mum always taught me to tidy up a little every day, so the cleaning wouldn’t pile up and become overwhelming all at once. And it has truly helped me keep our home in relative order to this day, even with children and a dog.
I love your mom’s advice! I’ve found the same to be true, cleaning and tidying a little each day keeps it all from piling up and becoming overwhelming.
Thank you, so glad this was helpful! Agreed, I used to spend entire weekends cleaning, and it just seemed like such a sad way to use days that should have been for resting.
Thank you for sharing this, it is really helpful in trying to create a schedule.
I have to ask though, why is the rug cleaning in winter?? And how do you clean a sheepskin in snow?!
So glad this was helpful, thank you! We have wool rugs and a few sheepskins, and fresh snow is amazing for cleaning any kind of wool (wool sweaters and clothes too!). You cover the rug with snow and gently agitate it. The cold temperature hardens any grease and dirt, and the jagged texture of the snow helps agitate and clean the fibers, all without felting or damaging the wool. We have a second floor deck, and I usually just clean my rugs there when we have fresh fallen snow. The wool smells so fresh afterwards, it’s incredible!
That is so amazing! 🤯
This is awesome and also super manageable! I have five kids and we homeschool so we’re home and using our home hard every day. Cleaning is such an integral part of our lives for that reason! I simplified my home and got rid of SOO much stuff several months ago and it felt incredible. It is now so much easier to keep organized!
Thank you! That’s amazing! I agree, simplifying makes cleaning so much easier and more enjoyable. It’s been a night and day difference for me as well.
I love this! The 15 minute timer is such a great idea too and will allow me to include the kiddos!
Thank you so much! Yes! My son is a little too young to fully grasp the timer, but I bet it could be a lot of fun for older kiddos.
It's funny, because I don't see things like making the bed of washing up as 'housework'. They are habits I do without thinking. I make my bed as soon as I get out of it and I wash up after every main meal - it's that simple.
But I really think it comes down to the way we are raised. Those things are habits for me because that's what I saw growing up. It never occurred to me *not* to make the bed, even as a teenager. If you were raised in a home that considered small tasks a form of housework, then I guess you're more likely to see it as such in adulthood.
All that is to say - make life easier on yourself by making certain things a habit, a natural and automatic part of your everyday life. That way you'll have less "housework" to think about, but your house will stay tidier.
Such a great point about habits! I also find it helpful to connect new habits to existing ones to make them easier to stick.
I think most people probably do have those smaller, daily tasks as habits, but I find it helpful (and kind of fun) to write them out when putting together a cleaning rhythm. It just makes the invisible a bit more visible. For others, it might feel unnecessary, which totally makes sense.
This is great! I'm interested, do you share this routine fairly with your husband? I write about how this can be achieved in order to make households more equitable.
Thank you! We each have our own tasks we’re responsible for, and it works well for us :)
My mum always taught me to tidy up a little every day, so the cleaning wouldn’t pile up and become overwhelming all at once. And it has truly helped me keep our home in relative order to this day, even with children and a dog.
I love your mom’s advice! I’ve found the same to be true, cleaning and tidying a little each day keeps it all from piling up and becoming overwhelming.
Thank you for this. I love outsourcing my thinking to people like you! 😂
Anytime! So glad it was useful ❤️
Thank you, so glad this was helpful! Agreed, I used to spend entire weekends cleaning, and it just seemed like such a sad way to use days that should have been for resting.