I know housework must be done so that the family can function. To those who have not been able to keep up, I would suggest keeping several places tidy. If you can at least have the front porch, entryway if you have one, and the front room or living room clean, you can work without pressure on other areas of the house. If you are pressed for time, having those entry areas clean is a big help.
While it is perfectly alright to hire housekeeping help, I find that most ladies here would rather clean their own houses. It gets complicated when there are papers to sort and clean laundry to distribute, books to put away or a bedroom to clean up that has for too long been used to stash things. No one can read our minds to figure out where things go. Helpers have to be told everything and so ladies like to do it themselves. If you are raising children, they can be a great help, and they will learn what your preferences are, sometimes to the detail of where you put your mail or your sewing things. I have also known of sisters who help each other with housework when needed.
Today there is a lot of information on the web about good housekeeping, and anyone who wants to learn can search and find it.
Here is a page on
how to sweep a floor. I prefer a good natural straw broom.
Here is one on
how to wash dishes.
Here is one on
how to do laundry.
If your energy and time is low, at least get the room that people see when they first enter the house, presentable. How to clean the
living room.
If company is unexpectedly coming,
here is a page that will help you get the house in order quickly.
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10 comments:
I have found that keeping things orderly especially at the entrance of your home is not only beneficial in case of company but it also sets the tone for the homemaker who may be returning home from marketing or a day out. More than one of my friends have told me how discouraged they were when they returned home and were greeted by a disorderly mess. Many times this was because the homemaker was discouraged because work was being done on the home or they were unable to afford to purchase the furnishings she desired.
One of my friends loved doilies, and fine bone china. I suggested she buy a cup and saucer in a pattern that she loved and pretty doily to put on a small corner shelf that she already had. By cutting out her daily coffee and Danish at a local shop for a few days she was able to purchase what she needed and I suggested that she put it where she would see it when she first entered her home.
She did that and told me it cheered and encouraged her and before you know it she was rearranging her furniture, covering her older sofa with a pretty throw and arranging things until the entire room was pretty and welcoming.
Sometimes it is only a matter of moving things around from room to room and repurposing them to suit your needs. The corner shelf my friend used was originally in her kitchen with a rooster sitting on it. She had a small doily in her closet that been part of a set she had used in her bedroom but one piece had been soiled. The cup and saucer she purchased at a second hand store for $13. It was a small price for the inspiration and motivation that it gave her. She could hardly wait to show me the room transformation!
I agree. That first room you see is the most important. It makes it look like you are getting it all done, even if you are still sorting things in the laundry room. It's the orderly room that makes you see light at the end of the tunnel.
Dear Lydia, I think house cleaning is something that helps keep me in order ;o) I feel like I can think better when the home is tidy. But I have always felt that keeping the living room in good order is so much easier to not feel overwhelmed. I have always made sure my kitchen is clean and tidy before going to bed, I do not like to wake up to yesterdays mess! I have been busy as a Bee myself. I have missed you my dear friend...
Yours Always, Roxy
I have a rule that my family is all well aware of..we don't leave the house if the house is not in order. Now, this doesn't mean that at every instance every square inch of the house is in perfect arrangement..what it DOES mean, is that there are no dirty dishes, no major messes, and that things are picked up and tidy before we step out to church, errands, for something fun, etc.
Nothing puts me in a more discouraged mood than coming home to a messy or stuffy home. So, I just don't do it. It certainly helps that we have eight children, and all of them who are able (usually by a year and a half they begin "helping") do chores each day, and each day I keep up on the housework as the day goes on.
Great advice! It truly is wonderful to treat our home as our sanctuary from the world!
I am aware of the mocking that goes on about homemaking sites that give links for simple things like washing dishes. I included those because of young ladies who really have never had the training at home. I am not implying that women are too stupid to do these things. It is for those who are interested. If you are not interested, please pass by here quickly and move on to what would benefit you the most.
Well I have been a homemaker for many years and I still get confused with the washing labels and make mistakes with the sorting. It's worth a read to jog the memory every once and awhile. It also helps me to review the steps so that if I am showing someone else how to do it I can explain it better. Thank you for posting these links.
Of course I understand what you are saying. The ideal is to have good housekeeping habits all of the time. My message is for ladies at home who may have got behind in clean up due to unforeseen circumstances, such as illness. I myself am recovering from an illness that is going around, so my housekeeping has had to be neglected and there are dishes in the sink. When feel better I will just tackle the front room. It may take me a few days to catch up. When I looked after my mother , she was too old and weak to keep a perfect house, so I learned not to be too judgmental of those who have sudden illness come upon them. There was a heat wave also and the air conditioner did not work, so it was more difficult to get the energy to do things. My goal is always to have a perfect house but it does not always work out that way.
Debbie, that was a lovely and inspiring report. Roxy, thanks for the comment. Andrea, those are good habits that I hope your family members will take into their lives. Susan, yes its nice to be reminded of basic housekeeping principles.
Whenever I am ill, my family wants me to stay away from the kitchen and nit do any housework
You know what drives me nuts? This whole open kitchen craze. It is in the very center of my house and everyone can see it. I surely wish that I could shut a door when people come over (and there are always people here, I have three teenagers!) so they do not have to see my dishes, or the fact that I need to wipe the counters down and sweep the floor again. I don't think I will ever understand the need for an "entertainer's kitchen". How many people do you really invite over to help cook? You invite people over to eat, but that's what dining rooms are for! Plus, my kitchen is tiny. I call it the Manhattan Kitchen, because it rivals the size that are found in NYC apartments. But mine is in a 3 bedroom ranch. Why...oh please tell me why...kitchens are such an afterthought in family homes? I can hardly keep it organized, and I am a pretty organized person!
Sarah, the open kitchen makes it hard on the lady of the house. They need folding wicker screens to create. Section around the kitchen, otherwise the woman will be working all day tidying up that area. Others have said open kitchens make them feel they are in the same room all the time. I have a hidden kitchen but still visitors try to go I it. Well that is the purpose of a kitchen that is out of site - to keep it out of sight while you visit in another room.
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