Works For Me Wednesday: Emergency Holiday Cleaning

Welcome aboard, train wreck.

Did you look at the calendar? Do you see what tomorrow is? It’s Thursday. Thanksgiving. And your house is going to be invaded by friends, family, and people who like to point out that your corgi sheds enough to make tumbleweeds from her fur. You’ve been so focused on what you’re going to cook, you forgot to clean. Probably doesn’t help that you’ve also been working, and driving your kids everywhere, and doing everything else. You need a plan. I’m here to help.

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We went from Halloween to Thanksgiving faster than the Eagles outted themselves from any playoffs hopes. Now, we’re one sleep away from cleaning, cooking, eating, and worrying in my nephew’s wife is going through my medicine cabinet again. This has happened to everyone at some point. You have visitors coming, your house is a shambles, and you don’t have enough time to tidy it up. I’m not even worrying about cleaning up that medicine cabinet. The biggest things to focus on are the places people will be. No one should be in your bedroom. Close the door. Boom! Clean. No one should be in the laundry room. Close the door. Boom! Clean. See how this works. Unfortunately, you can’t do that with every room. So, lets get to it.

“In a few days, we’ll have a lot of visitors; what should I do?”

This has happened to everyone at some point. You have visitors coming, your house is in shambles, and you don’t have enough time to tidy it up. Here’s how to execute a train wreck mom crash marathon cleaning session.

Put on your socks, shoes or some form of foot covering. Then, throw your hair in a ponytail or mom bun and get to work. Don’t think about it; just do it. Play some music while you work. I happen to have a pretty awesome playlist for us Gen X moms.

Slow and steady is the way to go. Light a candle with a pleasant smell or set some spices to simmer on low on your stove.

Set a timer for fifteen minutes and spend it in the kitchen. We’ll begin with our kitchens, since what happens in the kitchen affects the rest of the home. If your sink isn’t clean and shining, shine it first, then fill the sink with hot soapy water and begin cleaning the countertops on the left and right. Dishwasher should be emptied. Stop what you’re doing and go into the living room when the timer goes off.

Set the timer for fifteen minutes and clear off the coffee tables, picking up toys, and any books, magazines, and papers. Concentrate on just one item at a time. Get a laundry basket and fill it with items that don’t belong in the living room. You should also bring a trash bag. Throw out the garbage. Don’t get caught up in our feelings of guilt over recycling these items. For the time being, just put it away or throw it away. There’ll be plenty of time to recycle after you’ve organized your house. For the time being, we’re concentrating on making the house presentable. You won’t be able to achieve this if you’re preoccupied with sorting and discarding, so let go of wanting it to be Pinterest perfect. Return to the kitchen when the timer beeps.

Set the timer for fifteen minutes again in the kitchen and finish cleaning the countertops. Avoid getting distracted and cleaning out a cabinet. We’re merely cleaning the seeable parts that will be visible to guests and nosy in laws. We’re not attempting to make your house ideal; rather, we’re attempting to make it presentable.

Take a break and take a stroll around to see what you’ve done in under forty-five minutes. Set the timer for fifteen minutes and relax with a cup of tea, coffee, or whatever you choose. Maybe hold off on the win until you’re done. You’ll be back in work mode for fifteen minutes when the timer runs off.

The next fifteen-minute session will take place in the restroom. After cleaning the bathroom sink and swishing the toilet, gather towels and filthy clothing and place them in the hamper. Don’t get distracted and start a load of washing once again. Before you need clean clothing, you need a clean bathroom! You will do later laundry.

You’ll be back in the kitchen for fifteen minutes once the timer goes off. Sweep the floor and wipe down the counters and appliances after the counters have been cleared. In fifteen minutes, we can do anything! Continue working until the timer beeps. After that, you return to the living room.

Continue to tidy up and put away in the living room. Vacuum and dust after everything is in its proper place. If you’re lucky like me, then you have a Roomba (or two). Those little suckers (ha, see what I did there?) will go from the living room to the kitchen and back. One less thing for you to have to do. Oh, by the way, I have a blog about Roombas. You can check it out here. https://theglorioustrainwreckmom.com/2018/06/16/how-i-completely-changed-my-life-with-a-roomba/

And speaking of Roombas, I love mine. And I think you will too.

A fifteen-minute break should be taken every forty-five minutes. Every fifteen minutes, walk around the house. Is this clear to you?

Adapt this timetable to your physical demands and the needs of your children and family. Keep in mind, if you have a dog, you’ll need to add in a fifteen-minute walk every few hours, too. Or else, you’ll have more to clean up. Even more if the Roombas are running. But you get the idea: concentrate on one task for fifteen minutes before switching to another. You’ll be amazed at how much you can do in only one day!

Your best ally is the timer. This is something you can do. Now it’s time to put the phone down and go to work. Again, if you like what I post, please like, comment, share, and subscribe. Please consider donating to help keep this going. $1 and I’ll ask you what your favorite book is so we can talk about it. $5 and I’ll write a review of a book you suggest. $10 and I’ll write a blog suggested by you. That’s all I’ve got for today, train wrecks. All aboard.

To help you stay on top of your cleaning, I’m giving you this printable cleaning schedule. I’ve noticed that when it’s broken down into chunks, it gets easier to deal with. Hope this helps.