I want to share with you an easy but ever-dreadful topic. All of us have to face this at some point. The topic for discussion is how are we going to stop living in a dirty house. I don’t mean messy like things need to be picked up, but how do you manage to get that squeaky clean house while you are juggling it all? Mom things, work, marriage, the kids going back to school, vacations, all the things – and cleaning on top of it?! We are going to discuss all of it today. You are going to be super excited. It is pretty short and straightforward. So what do you say? Let’s dive right in!

Listen below for the entire episode on The Systemize Your Life Podcast

Before we get started, let me first mention that this blog and The Systemize Your Life Podcast is loaded with tons of great content and resources about how to manage your time, systems for your home, systems for your business, systems for your marriage, and more. It is all in here. If you want an easy way to find something specific within the podcast, consider joining The Systemize Your Life Facebook Group. You can ask questions and connect with other women who are just like you. Come and be encouraged and learn and grow in the community. We also have all the episodes listed and organized within a vault in the Facebook Group so you can go and find exactly what you are looking for within the list of content.

Now back to the topic at hand.

The Never Ending Battle …

Women are always trying to figure out how to keep their houses clean. It doesn’t matter how old your children are. We are still always trying to figure out how to make our cleaning less complicated and make it more straightforward for us. So that is what this blog is all about!

It really does not have to be that complicated if we make it that way. Sometimes when we have so much going on every molehill actually does feel like a mountain, including keeping your home clean.

For me, I have just become consistent in sitting down once I realize something is not working, and figuring out why it isn’t working so that I can make the necessary changes, create a new system, and implement it in order to see success in the area that needs to be changed. It can be as simple as an idea or a little download of how I can make it better and I attempt to do that thing the following week. If I try something and it works, I will put it on paper and create the system.

You Need a Strategy

This is what I did in order to figure out a better strategy for cleaning my house.

So first and foremost, I realized that what I was using to clean my house was the worst part of it. I was spending so much money on all the cleaning products and my children couldn’t help me with them, due to all the chemicals, so I couldn’t outsource them to them. Even my husband complained about the smell. I always felt like I was running back and forward in my home trying to grab all the things in order to do everything. This was the most complicated part of cleaning once I arrived at the actual cleaning space.

This is where we will begin.

How do you actually get to the cleaning space, do it, and get through it?

When we overcomplicate things or when our brains think something is going to be hard, we automatically retreat to save energy and save time. Don’t do it now. Do it at another time. This is when things get put off.

So let’s uncomplicate the process of cleaning into 2 parts.

The first part of this is what you actually do when you are cleaning. I will actually share exactly how I clean my house and what I use to make it super straight forward and simple.

The second part of this is when you should actually clean your house; which I already addressed in The Systemize Your Life Podcast Episode Number 61. Episode 61 is a really good episode if you are trying to figure out how to clean your home and need even more support. Please go listen to that episode. It goes even more in-depth about laundry and dishes. I also share my cleaning system and when I do it.

The Nitty Gritty

Now, to the nitty gritty of what I actually do to make this less complicated.

I need you to ask yourself, “How long does it typically take you to clean all the bathrooms in your home and what do you usually take with you to clean?” Then ask yourself the same question for every other area of your home.

Are your responses complicated?

Are you holding a bunch of things in your hands?

Are you hauling the duster, the vacuum, the sponges, the sprays, and al the things?

Is the shelf where you keep all these things disorganized?

What does all of this look like and how are you actually preparing yourself to do this job?

You must be prepared. That is what we talk about here. We talk about systems. In order to have a system put in place, you have to have had some premeditated planning completed first. You have to think through the steps in a sub-sequential order. Put them in place as to how they will work for you. If you are serious about getting your house cleaned and keeping it clean, you have to create a simple system and process.

Do not say you don’t have time! You have time! We all have time!

So let me share with you how you should simplify your system.

The System I Use In Order to Keep my House Clean At All Times

First, let’s talk about your cleaning tote.

From this point moving forward you should have one tote for cleaning. THAT IS IT!! It should be sizable but not huge. Something that is sturdy, durable, plastic, and washable. Avoid cloth totes and caddies. Make sure it can get wet and wiped clean easily. Also, keep it stored high, like above your washer and dryer, or in a place, your children do not frequent in order to prevent your children from accessing it. This is all you should have from now on.

Second, this is where your mind will be blown.

You really only need 2, maybe 3 cleaning products in your tote. Yes, that is it. Truly only 2 cleaning products for everything in your home. The first one is an all-purpose scrub. The other is an all-purpose spray. That’s it. That’s all I use to clean my entire house.

My all-purpose cleaning scrub and all-purpose cleaning spray are both derived from one plant based cleaner. This is really the only cleaning product I need. I get it from Young Living. You can also get it from Doterra.

Young Living has a Thieves Cleaner that is a concentrate but chemical free so your children can use it and help you clean as well. Doterra has an OnGuard Concentrate that is basically the same as the Young Living Cleaner. Both are derived from plants.

I take the Thieves Cleaner concentrate to make an all-purpose scrub and an all-purpose spray. I used to use Seventh Generation but I do not believe it cleaned as well nor did it go as far or smell as good and it was more expensive. I do not sell these products myself, but there are women in The Systemize You Life Facebook Group Community who sell the products and they would love to help you and serve you in that way.

Now back to the products.

For the all-purpose scrub, I make a paste in a small glass jar. I use baking soda, a cap full of the all-purpose clean and vinegar. I mix It up until it turns into a paste. This is what I use to deep clean and scrub my whole house.

For the all-purpose spray, I use water, a little bit of vinegar, and a little bit of the concentrate. That is all I use to make the all-purpose spray that I use all over my house. It kills bacteria. It kills germs. It is a degreaser.

Both of these products are amazing and they get the job done well. I do not have to use wipes unless I am on the road or unless someone is sick. I just use reusable and washable rags as I clean.

These two products are the only two products that you need inside of your tote. I literally use these two products all over my house. I use these to clean my kitchen and my bathrooms. For my toilets, I just throw some of the all-purpose scrub in the toilet and use the toilet brush to scrub it clean. I use these products on my vanity as well. When I clean my floors, I feel up my sink with some hot water, pour in a cup of concentrate, and I mop my floor. I literally use it for everything. My microwave, my kitchen stove, my kitchen oven. EVERYTHING!

For my windows, I just purchase reusable window cleaning cloths with water or all-purpose cleaning spray. This leaves your glass and windows clean and streak-free.

Cleaning Tote

Now, let’s talk about what is actually in my cleaning tote. I keep the following things, other than my 2 cleaning products, inside the cleaning tote:

• The window cleaning cloths
• The toilet scrub brush
• 2 sponges (both are compostable and not derived from toxic chemicals – one is a soft sponge that holds a lot of water and the other is a scrub sponge that has a rough side good for scrubbing)
• A pumice stone
• A clean cleaning rag

THAT IS IT!!!! Sometimes, I do use olive oil on my stainless steel appliances but that is kept in the kitchen so I don’t have to put it in my tote.

Obviously, I have a vacuum and other tools that don’t need to be in the tote. However, that is all I use to clean my home. This is super easy and simple and will make a huge difference in the way you clean your home.

It literally takes me 5-7 minutes to clean my entire master bathroom. That is 2 sinks, a toilet, a stand-up shower, and bathtub. I mean, how easy is that? This is what it should be about right? You should be able to find joy in cleaning and pouring into your home.

Now of course you do not have to use these specific products. There are also so many other plant-based natural products you can use. Either way, just simply your system.

“It really does not have to be that complicated if we make it that way. Sometimes when we have so much going on every molehill actually does feel like a mountain, including keeping your home clean.”

Keep it Simple

Another hack is to keep an all-purpose spray underneath all of your bathroom sinks and underneath your kitchen sink. Here’s what this does, in between cleaning rotations. I am able to keep all the surfaces clean by just using the all-purpose cleaning spray as often as I need to before the next deep clean. This is a game changer and keeps everything clean and well-maintained.

Wherever you are on the cleaning spectrum, keeping your house simple, organized and clean can start with everything I mentioned in this blog. Choose your main products and tools, put them in your cleaning tote, and keep your house clean.

Obviously, if your house is a cluttered mess, you won’t be able to clean your house. So please declutter your house first so that you can clean it in a simple way. Get rid of all the things you do not use so that you can make room for the things that you do use. This will free up space and make it easier for you and less complicated for your cleaning life.

Just do it and I can’t wait to hear all about it over in the Facebook Group so please let me know how this works out for you once you have done it.

I can’t wait to hear all about how this makes space for you and how you serve in your home.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have any resources to help with creating a schedule?

Sure do! Check out my free time blocking workbook to create time blocks that will set you up for success in your day to day life! This is what I use to create a schedule. Part of my weekly schedule invovles scheulding in fundamental needs – one of these is cleaning! If you want to learn more about your fundamnetal needs, start with this workbook!