How to Get Housework Done in Record Time

This is my baby! He cannot just look at how we clean the house he has to help! I thank God for my kids, they are a joy to have, I'm so blessed!

"Teach is to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should"
Psalm 90:12

Well, how did you do yesterday on your 90-day goals? I will give you one more day to get that done, so today we will be talking about our homes. How to get all the housework don in no time! I know that some of you are asking how is that possible, it is! You just have to remember Psalm 90:12 and spend your time wisely!

Here we go, back to the book!

"For the busy woman today, housework is a nuisance and not necessarily her real concern. Today's woman does not have time to devote her full time to cleaning, as did her grandmother or great-grandmother. However, dirt doesn't just blow away and seven dwarfs don't appear at night while we sleep to clean up our messes. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have time to do things with family and church instead of spending all day Saturday cleaning, cleaning, cleaning? Here are some speedy tips to get the job done and feel great about doing it.

Start with collecting the tight supplies.

• Pail or bucket and mop.


• Broom and dustpan.


• Squeegee. Professionals use these exclusively. Never use newspaper or paper towels, since they contain fibers that leave the windows messy. A good squeegee works fast and easy: Use a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol: spray on window and squeegee off.


• Billy's old football knee pads. These are great protectors which can be purchased at sporting goods stores (or similar work pads at hardware stores) for cleaning floors and tubs. soft pads keep knee work less painful.


• Clean dustcloths. Diapers are great, and so are 100% cotton dishcloths (wll-washed and dried)


• Carry-all tray. A must for storing cleaning items such as wax, window spray, etc.


• Feather duster. A super item for moving small amounts of dust from a higher level to a lower level, where most of it can be vacuumed up. I have lots of cobwebs and knickknack items, and this is my quick lifesaver of dusting each item every time. Invest in a good ostrich duster. You can purchase one at a hardware or janitor supply store.


• Pumice stone. It gets that ugly ring out of the toilet bowl caused by rust and mineral deposits. It's amazing how fast a pumice stone will remove the scale; just rub it on the ring gently and it's gone. It also cleans ovens and removes the carbon buildup on grills and iron cookware, as well as removing paint from concrete and masonry walls and scale from swimming pools. Pumice stomes can be purchased in hardware stores, janitor supply stores, and beauty supply stores.


• Toothbrush. Great for cleaning the hard corners of floors and showers and around faucets at the sink.


• Vacuum cleaner. An absolute must!


• Ammonia. An excellent cleaner (not the sudsy type) for floors


• Powdered cleanser. For sinks and bathtubs


• Oven cleaner


• Rubber gloves. To protect your hands from the chemicals in household cleaners and detergents


• Scraper. Use the razor-blade type to remove paint from tile or glass and decals or sickers from the sower door. Also, remove dried-on food after it gets hard, such as pancake batter or eggs. But be careful not to scratch the surface.

Fill your carry-all tray with mnany of the above items. It's ready to work when you are!

When you work, be sure to use the speedy easy method:

1. Put on some music with a very fast beat. This will help your cleaning go faster plus take your mind off the drudgery.


2. Go in one direction. Work around your room from top to bottom and from right to left or left to right - whatever feels good to you. Also start at one end of your home and work toward the other end. Do not get sidetracked with this mess and that mess.


3. Before cleaning windowpanes, wipe or vacuum sills and wood cross frames. Use your spray bottle with alcohol and squeegee and cotton cloth. Use a horizontal stroke on the outside and a vertical stroke on the inside. That way you'll know if you missed a spot because you can tell whick side the streak is on.


4. Use your hair dryer to blow off the dust from silk flowers. Your feather duster will work well to dust off soft fabric items, plants, icture frames, and lapshades. Remember, we're working from top to bottom in each room, so you'll be vacuuming up this dust soon.


5. After wiping clean your wastebaskets, give the inside bottom a quick coat of floor wax. This will prevent trash from sticking to the bottom of the wastebasket in the future.


6. Change your air conditioner and heater filters every six months for best performance. This will keep the dust and dirt from circulating through your rooms.


7. Wipe off the blades of your window and/or room fans quarterly to keep dirt and dust from flying around.


8. Try to aboid interruprions; take the phone message and call back when it is convenient.

Having the proper tools helps. Don't feel that everything has to be done in one work session. Set your timer and then work in 15-minute time slots. Work fast, but after each time and/or progect, treat yourself to a cup of hot chocolate or iced tea, or put a mask on your face and enjoy a hot bath.

Then go to the garden and pick a fresh bouquet of flowers for your beautiful clean house."

This is chapter eight in Emilie's book.

It helped me not only in my home, but when I had a janitorial business I knew how to clean things and with what. A great idea to have a carru-all tray. I have one for the upstairs of my hose and one for the downstairs. My husband has one for the garage and car. It's a very hand thing to have, when your kids are old enough to clean all they have to know is all the supplies are in that tray.

I can't stess enough the importance of the clean house. It'll teach your kids a lot as well. I used to tell them that our house has to be clean, because we can have people over at any given time. And when we are having people over it's live having God over. The house has to be nice and clean. When you tell your kids that from day one, it becomes their favoraite thing to do. Now my kids love cleaning the house, they can't wait to get the trays and get to work with thier choice of music.

Blessings to all of you!