Thank you eBay for sponsoring this post
This post has been a long time coming! I regularly get asked what my cleaning schedule looks like and how I keep my home tidy. Or I get the question “does your home always look clean?” It honestly is clean and put together most of the time. The only time it is a mess is when I am baking, cooking or in the middle of a project. The kids are really good about cleaning up after their projects or playing too. We don’t start something new until we clean up. I used to say it is because we live in a small house, if it is a mess there is no where to go! But really that isn’t true. In our last home that was three times the size it was always clean too.
My biggest tip is to clean-up daily and do a little daily. Start a load of laundry every morning. After dinner clean up and wipe down the kitchen. Before bed spend 10 minutes putting away anything that was left out. Clean out your bags. Don’t just let purses and bags pile up. We try to wash our sheets once a week. My kids get washed about every two to three weeks. The reason is out kids take a bath before bed each night so I feel like they stay pretty clean. While I shower in the morning.
Yes, I work from home so you might think that I have more time to clean my house. The opposite. I try not to do any cleaning or house work while I am working. And since I am working from home I tend to create more messes at home.
I also spend about two days doing the majority of the house work. In my cleaning schedule printable you will see that there are tasks that I think should be done daily to keep the house in order. But then there are just two days to do the major cleaning! I personally don’t want to spend everyday cleaning nor one full day cleaning and doing the laundry.
What I use to clean our home-
We did just get a new vacuum! I asked for advice and what you all love and recommend. It came down to Shark or Dyson. 10k of you voted and Dyson won the majority of votes at 67% for Dyson and 33% for Shark. So thank you for all your helpful suggestions! We ended up getting THIS Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute. I did a lot of research about this vacuum. I bought it on eBay because it was the best deal I could find.
The Dyson V10 is a step up in power from the brand’s popular V8 and V7 models. But many of you said you have those models and love them! This vacuum includes multiple attachments for various floor types and an improved collection bin that makes it easier and cleaner to dump. You’ll get 60 minutes of runtime with a non-motorized head, and you’ve got three modes of power to choose from to maximize your battery and cleaning performance.
I love the Dyson Stick because it is cordless and it is small so we can hang it right at the top of our stairs! No more having to lug the vacuum up from the basement! Whoop whoop!!! đ đ đ (See below for sources to everything hanging on this wall, like THIS bamboo hook). Also it plugs into an extension cord that plugs in the basement.
We try to use all natural cleaners in our home. The majority of what we use is white distilled vinegar and water. That is it. We use it to mop ALL our floors, clean the windows and mirrors etc. The ratio I use is about 4:1. Four parts water to one part vinegar. You can increase the vinegar for messier jobs. Vinegar is a disinfectant, so it really gets it clean! I keep a spray bottle and rags in our upstairs bathroom and downstairs as well as in the kitchen. If it is handy you will be more likely to clean. I use THESE amber glass jars from eBay for our vinegar and water mixture. When I mop the kitchen and bathrooms I just fill the sink with vinegar and water and use rags to clean (they are small spaces).
For the porcelain kitchen sink we use Bon Ami to get the scratches off. I have tried a lot of things and am happy to have finally settled on this! It is all natural too. I use it to clean our glass-top stove and you can polish pans with it too. I put my Bon Ami in a glass decanter that I had and labeled it.
We also have THIS upholstery cleaner from eBay as well. We use it to clean all our upholstery and our runner up our stairs. Love it for our outdoor furniture too! I try to clean our upholstery once a month or as needed.
Cleaning Schedule and Free Cleaning Checklist Printable-
Print my exact Cleaning Checklist HERE
or below is a blank one that you can customize to your needs HERE
Shop my Favorite Cleaning Items below (click on an image to shop)-
This is my favorite printable by far. Cleaning is actually fun to me-straightening up and making the house smell good makes me happy. Thank you for all these organizing posts you’ve been doing.
Cute printable! Hopefully it can get me to clean more frequently, my house is tidy but i definitely dont clean like i should. Anyway, love that you use Bon ami, we like it, too. And it is a local Connecticut product! Actually, if you ever feel like making a trip to Manchester, the original Bon Ami factory has been converted into an amazing toystore! It’s called the Time Machine, and they have the top floor which has one of the largest model train layouts in New England…we love bringing our daughter there. They only have the trains running on Sundays I think. Just a little CT history for you. đ
Hi Brooke,
I loved all of the tips for a clean home and also the wallpaper on the wall inside your staircase where you keep your cleaning tools. That is exactly where I keep mine and the whole bringing the vacuum up the stairs is familiar! I also want to let readers know that I just bought the Bissel that you own at Bissel.com for a total of $114.56 with free shipping and a $20 savings code. Just add the code SAVE20 at the checkout and there you go!
thank you!
Sorry, i know this post is about cleaning, but couldnât get back to your post earlier about small spaces!!
I honestly feel sorry the person who commented that SHE felt sorry for the family in the small home!!!! How messed up are the priorities here! We raised 4 children in a 1500 sq foot house, kids shared bedrooms, and they will tell you today (all adults 26-37) that some of their best memories of childhood are times spent all piled up in one room on a Christmas Eve or getting in each otherâs way in the bathroom! YOU are doing great in your space, and your children are making beautiful memories.
I gave this framed print to my daughter-in-law last Christmas…they are raising 3 kids in 1100 sq ft too! She loves it and I think YOU will too Brooke!!!
Ok canât get it to copy. Found it on ETSY
Love Grows Best in little houses,
With fewer walls to separate,
Where you eat and sleep so close together,
You canât help but communicate.
And if we had more room between us, think of all weâd miss.
Love grows best in houses just like this!
Thank you for this! I had that sign!! It didn’t fit in our house anymore. But love every word
xxxxx
This is not on any of the subjects in this post. It is, however, about a piece of clothing you recommended in a previous post. Could you give an update on how your sherpa hooded fleece top from Old Navy is holding up to laundering?
I love the piece and the white color but am a bit hesitant to commit to it because of the white sherpa fabric.
Thanks.
LOVE your blog.
Thank you! You know what I haven’t washed it yet- only wore it twice and for not very long. I’ll wash it and report back- someone else asked me that!
Hi Brooke, Enjoying your website and Instagram stories. We are living in a California Cottage and love it but still trying to make the kitchen better. I notice you do not have a paper towel holder out. Do you use them in the kitchen and where do you keep them?
Hello! Thank you! No- we don’t use paper towels or paper napkins. We use rags, dish towels and cloth napkins. It works well for us!
Iâve thought about ditching the paper towels. I might give it a try once I stock up on replacement. One more question, do you use a dish drainer? What is your routine for hand washing? I canât seem to get my drainer off the counter. Maybe just stock up on drying towels? Or not be so picky about what doesnât go in the dishwasher? Suggestions?
hey girl- great tips!