cleaning...

wordy post but worth the time:)

so as i was cleaning today, i thought about all the people who ask me why my house is always clean and put together...i thought of lindsay cluff asking, while sitting on my carpet floor doing crafts with me, "why does your carpet always look brand new....?" my answer, "because i have a rainbow!"

now i'm not making this post about the amazing rainbow cleaning system that is an air purification system, cleans your carpets, rugs, hard floors, walls, mattresses, curtains etc, that's certified by AHAM, certified by the carpet and rug institute, certified by aafa.org, thats the most amazing cleaning system on the planet......which every time my 2 friends that come over that are allergic to dogs, never have a problem because my furnishings are clean and the air is pure...........it helps with people that have allergies or asthma........

but besides all that, i put such minimal effort for great results because i keep my house clean always and the rainbow helps me do it!

but anyways, i really do have some helpful hints for those that are not clean or neat or just want some help. i'm not perfect and nor is my house, but i do have some things that i've developed over the past few years.

1st - i have a sign on my door that says kindly remove your shoes. so everytime i come into my house, shoes OFFFFFFFF - now i know some people are feet freaks (i don't mean that in a mean way ps) but honestly, they don't like feet - or think they smell - whatever, just think about this....keeping on your shoes that you've trampled through public restroom floors, gas stations, movie theaters, mud, grass, walmart...the list goes on, then coming into your home....NO THANK YOU. just think of all the yucky things you walk on and then to step on your carpet and the carpet soaks it all in....ya dwell on that for a min and rethink taking of your shoes everytime you walk into your home! especially if you have babies...the poor babies crawling around on where you pumped gas? or stepped on barely mopped throw up from walmart  floors? i mean come on...

2nd - cleaning as you make the mess. i think when you're cooking or when you have a party or people over whatever - you're tired....don't worry i get tired too - but honestly, if you clean as you go- or if you're not willing to do that - then clean RIGHT, let me repeat - RIGHT after you're done, it's SOOOO much easier then you can ever believe. because a day later, those dishes or that mess is going to be 3 times harder to clean and your motivation is low.

3rd - the 15 minute rule. this rule is my favorite thing. say you have a closet that is super messy or cluttered, then instead of spending all day organizing and cleaning it out, just take 15 minutes at a time. whether its 15 minutes a day, 15 minutes in the morning, then again at night. whatever you can manage. just 15 minutes. heck even get a timer and time it and then once it gets to 15 STOP. now you can look at this rule 2 ways - one way "well i'd rather just get it done"  there's nothing wrong with that. if you have the time and the motivation do it - and the other way would be "i just can't clean the whole garage, it has years of stuff in there!" then great take 15 minutes and WALK AWAY

4th - bustle. i got this phrase from the nortons. bustling means quick pick up, or quick organizing. every day dave and i bustle. you'll hear the phrase often between dave and i, "let's bustle before we go to bed" "let's bustle before we go to dinner" etc. its honestly the best thing. to everyday do a quick sweep of your house or at least living room/family room.

5th - the dishes....so i've been cooking a whole lot more then our first year of marriage, and with cooking comes dishes. never fun - but easy IF you just do them. how simple! when dishes are done with in my house they are rinsed then put IN the dishwasher. they're not placed next to the sink. they're not just rinsed and left in the sink. as to fester..... (did you know that your kitchen sink has more germs then your toilet?) anywho, when you're done with a dish, rinse it, put it in the dishwasher and wa-la. dishes. easy.

i consider our house our haven, and if i came home to a cluttered messy dirty house every day, how stressful would that be? don't you want a place to come home to and relax! it's so easy to clean my house because its always clean! (did that even make sense?)

anyways,

when you have a dirty house, or at least a cluttered house - your brain is then cluttered. your motivation is low and your will is small.

hope this helped a little....

thank you alex dunn for today saying how my house is always clean, it really makes me happy and that my efforts are appreciated:)