My cleaning is much easier than for most. I do it as I go, wipe down sinks after I wash my hands, put things away when I finish with them. The latter is the hardest for me so I keep things hand. I have a lamp table with drawers that I keep nail files, small scissors and an assortment of things I use while sitting. I have slight allergies all the time so I have a very small trash can and puffs in a wicker box beside my recliner. It is out of site of most company. I dry the shower and wash the tub when I am finished bathing. I am guilty of not cleaning the floors often but it is just me here. I hire my floors done, a bit of luxury for me. I have gotten rid of a lot of cook ware since I don't cook anymore, so cleaning out my cabinets is real easy. I have gotten rid of so much stuff this year that cleaning is a lot easier. Less spiders also.

We don't "dirty" things, therefore cleaning is a snap.... We do many of the same things EmmaR does.

-I have eliminated all subscriptions so we don't have magazines and newspapers to contend with. I put books I'm reading in a certain place when I'm done reading, or if I'm working on a knitting project it gets put back in the knitting bag and placed in the closet. The desk in the kitchen is cleared of "stuff" after use (that's what the drawers are for). Hubby usually has a brief case of work to go through each evening, but when he's done it's back in his brief case and that's placed in the same place each day so he doesn't forget it when he leaves for work.

-I deal with the mail when I bring it into the house and put the bills to be paid in the desk (I usually go ahead and pay them and put the envelop with the out-going mail) and place the recycling in the recycling basket.

-There is a handy basket in the kitchen where we place things we recycle, and it gets taken out and divided in the garage as needed.

-We keep a nice decorative basket next to the stairs going to the basement. If we have something that needs to go to the basement, it gets placed in the basket. Whoever goes to the basement the next time takes the item/s in the basket and puts them where they belong.

-When we go to bed at night we take a quick run through the living area. Pillows are put back in their place. Throws are folded and put away. Dishes put in the kitchen.

-We make the bed as soon as the last person has gotten up.

-The last person out of the bathroom sanitizes the sink area and makes sure everything is in it's place, takes anything that needs to go to the laundry room there and hangs it on the rack if it's wet, or if it's dry puts it in the proper basket (we have a 4-basket system so the clothes are already separated). And you wipe up any wet spots each time after washing hands.

-Shoes/slippers are put back where they are stored, not smelling up the entrance of the home. Same goes for coats/jackets. They get hung up in the closet not tossed on the closest piece of furniture or hung on the back of a chair. It's just making a good habit instead of fostering a bad habit.

-Dishes that don't go into the dishwasher and after meal clean-up is done after each meal. Sometimes all I need is a large plastic bowl filled with water heated in my electric kettle to get it done - no sense wasting a whole sink of water. It takes us about 5-10 minutes to do dishes. The kitchen floor is swept after the last meal of the day (or as needed if I'm making a mess baking/cooking) and the trash from the rest of the house is added to the kitchen trash and it's taken out daily.

-I vacuum all floors Monday and Wednesday, and Friday is cleaning day for the whole house. If there is a project or task that is best done with two people, we'll do it on Saturday when hubby is home from work.

-If you "did it", then undo it kind of action ASAP. Example: I got the stepstool out to get something off of a high shelf, so when the task was done I put the stepstool back where it belongs.

-If you used the last of something, replace or refill it. The "maid" is YOU!

-Cleaning equipment is one-size-fits-all.

Foster a do-it-now attitude and avoid good intentions...;-)

-Grainlady

There are some good tips in the above responses. Did you know there is an Organizing the Home forum?

Here is a link that might be useful: Organizing the Home

Thank you very much. I actually thought I had posted to the organizing the home forum, and then saw I hadn't. I thought I couldn't post the same question there when I've posted it here, though. Your suggestions here have been very helpful.

It actually sounds like you know what needs to be done; it's just a matter of doing it. For the papers, I would get some attractive baskets or something not too big and then pick a time, like when you are watching TV at night, to go through it, file it or throw it. I actually switched from using a large filing cabinet to an expandable cardboard file for my annual records. Then, at tax time, I put all the papers together and file them in a plastic box, in order by year, with my tax records. Kills two birds...keeps me more organized; I know WHERE everything is and I keep the clutter from my desk. Everything else is just a matter of starting in one place and finishing one project before starting another and then making a conscious effort to keep it neat. If you see it getting messy again, clean it up before it gets out of hand. Hope this helps. Good luck!

DH is in charge of picking up the mail, (we don't have home deliver), sorting through it, shredding the junk mail, sorting the newspapers for recycling, etc. He pays the bills as they come in, gets them out in the mail. He records the check number and date on each statement, and then "files" everything in a shoe box.

I try to go through that box twice a month, but for sure once a month, sort through everything as per bills paid for the ranch and bills paid for the house and file them by month for the accountant. When the bank statements come in, I check off everything in the files to checks cleared then put the statement in that months file. I have a two hole punch and duotang attachment thingies. Punch the file folder and all the papers, attach them to the file so papers don't fall out and go missing.

I know we are handling paper three , sometimes four times, but I work off the ranch (yes, behind every successful rancher is a wife with a job in town.) so I have to do the books at home when I get time. Also can't stand a lot of clutter, so as long as all the paperwork gets put in the shoe box, I don't mind having to handle it a couple of more times before it is filed away.

As for the rest of the decluttering, I pick a project per week. Example, cleaning out the back hall closet. I take everything out, clean the floors and shelves, and then I do a critical inventory of what goes back in. If it is worn out, not worn at all, it does not go back in. I give it to goodwill if it is in good shape, or it is trashed. A major project per week can usually be accomplished in a day and I can still keep up with regular cleaning of the rest of the house.

Some projects are dictated by the time of year. Every Christmas, while I am decorating, I get rid of the decorations that are worn out or not used anymore. When I take everything down at the end of the holidays, I pack things up according to inside or outside, tree decorations, garlands etc, in roughneck tubs, label the outside and then stack them away for the year.

Look for things to help you keep organized. Wall hangers for brooms and mops that keep them neat in the broom closet, cleaner caddy or roll out basket for under the kitchen sink to keep items neat and handy, drawer organizers for spices, for example. You may need to get creative with storage. I bought a large pantry closet and put in the garage to keep all my canning supplies neat and stored when not in use. It freed up half my pantry so that is easier to keep tidy on daily basis.

It's just a matter of getting started with baby steps, finding the things that work for you and then keeping at it. Good Luck.

Darlene