Hellobee Boards

@Winnie we use that shortcut!!! Best. shortcut. ever.

haha well this thread is turning into an advertisement for cleaning companies

I keep Clorox and Windex wipes under the sink, and I wipe down the counter/sink/mirror while I'm brushing my teeth.

I also load podcasts onto my ipod and listen to them while I clean - or I listen to stand up comedy stations on Pandora. Makes the time go by faster. Granted, I don't have kids yet, so there's no one distracting me.

I read this tip somewhere and have been doing it ever since. Before you leave a room, take a quick scan around to see if there is anything that needs tidying or returned to another room. That way you're always kinda picking up after yourself or others in a more effortless way.

Charlie picked up in daycare, and also previously from his nanny.

Lately he's mostly just drawn and watched YouTube videos though. Those are great b/c they don't require a lot of cleanup!

I've been wanting to use vinegar to clean.. but I don't want a lingering vinegar smell. Does your house smell like vinegar? Or does the smell vanish?

I keep a scrubbing brush in the shower and scrub while my conditioner sits in my hair for a few mins.

@Looch - I wish that worked for me. I have one of those but Hubs refuses to sort his stuff so it just becomes a jumbled up pile of whatever. I end up dumping everything out and sorting from scratch to do the laundry.

@bakingabub: If my husband didn't sort his stuff, I'd just not do his laundry until he sorted it. Sometimes he puts the wrong color socks in the darks, but for the most part he follows it.

Another tip is to keep the cleaning supplies in the rooms. So in the living room, dust rags, furniture polish, etc. A separate kit in each of the bathrooms, etc. This way if you have a bit of time, you can just clean up while you are in the room or before guests come over.

I keep a pack of disinfecting wipes in view in every bathroom and the kitchen by the sink. That way if I feel like something needs cleaning/wiping down, I can just grab and do it in a second rather than going into the cabinet under the sink, etc. I also clean the tub during showers but we have very hard water so we end up having to do massive tub cleanings as well as throwing away and installing new shower curtains every 6 months or so. I absolutely hate vacuuming so that falls to Rob Sr... we got a Dyson which works great, but we don't vacuum nearly as much as we should.

I can't wait to get a cleaning service. I've already decided that once we move and I'm working full time again and we're done having kids, we're definitely hiring one that also does laundry. I'm so excited.

I have another tip, this one for organizing the freezer:

I use gallon ziplock bags to categorize my stuff. In one bag, I have smaller portions of chicken, another has pork and bacon, another beef. I also make smoothies some mornings, so I portion out the bananas that are going bad with other fruits into small baggies and freeze those. They are all tucked in another ziplock bag. I also keep one other, for veggies to use for stock. For some reason, the celery and carrots wilt in the fridge, so when they get past prime to eat fresh, they go in another bag.