Keepin it Clean, Kind of...

  Hello all!  So, often times when friends and family come to my home they seem surprised by how clean the house is.  I have two girls, 7 and 4, so I guess they assume there will be toys everywhere and food all over the floor, but for the most part I am able to keep the house clean.  When my guests ask me what my cleaning secrets are this is what I tell them...

• I vacuum once a day everyday, I can not stand dirt and food all over the floor, so every morning after breakfast I vacuum the house. 
• As mentioned above I clean every morning, whatever needs to be done I get it done in the morning so I can enjoy the rest of my day!
• I have a set day for laundry, I wash all of my laundry on the same day every week, by doing this my kids and my boyfriend know to have all of their clothes in the dirty clothes basket by Monday morning or they will most likely have to wait another week.
• I have my kids clean up after themselves, the rule in our house is, once your done playing with something, clean up that mess before pulling something else out. (I pick toys up throughout the day that get left on the floor).
• If I have plans to have guests over later in the day I still do my regular morning cleaning and then touch up a bit about an hour to 30 minutes before they arrive, I even vacuum if necessary. 
• I always spray an air freshner throughout the house, maybe it's just me but I feel like if the house smells good then it kind of tricks people into thinking it's clean.
• I have a set day for cleaning the bathroom once a week, I only thoroughly clean the bathroom once a month but once a week I spray the bathroom with my own cleaning concoction and then wipe off the sink and toilet and scrub the inside of the toilet as well.
• If I have a pile of junk I can't get to or just don't want to get to at the moment then I just close the bedroom door, and don't let any guests go in that room, or I throw the pile into a bag or closet, depending on the size of the pile, then I get to it later. 
• I make the bed daily, because I think that helps tye a room together and makes it look nicer.
• I also like to keep covers (fitted sheets, cheaper than couch covers) on the cushions of my couch to help keep them clean, if guests come over I just take the covers off.
• The one chore I can't stand doing is washing dishes, but I wash the dishes everyday anyways, I don't put it off, because our dishes pile up quick and I'd rather do a few instead of a huge pile.
• The biggest tip I can give you is to just be consistent and tidy up throughout the day, if you don't want to clean everything at one time, then clean some in the morning and do the rest of the cleaning later in the day or the next day if you prefer.
• Make cleaning fun by listening to music while you clean, listen to the tv, have your kids help, or make a game out of it, if it doesn't feel like a chore then you and your children will enjoy doing it more and it won't feel like such a hassle.

 These are just a few of the simple things I do either weekly or daily to keep my house clean.  My habits may seem excessive to some, but a clean house makes me happy and with these simple steps it really doesn't take too long to get it all done.  Leave a comment, let me know what simple steps you take to keep your house clean.  Happy cleaning everyone!