Party Time

Sarah over at the Thrifty Decor Chick is having a cleaning party.

and as most of you know if there is something i know about it is cleaning and with a family of 7 i am always cleaning.

most of the small jobs i have ever had is cleaning peoples houses, i used to work for a cleaning service and the ladies there taught me quite a few things that i still use now

i have already mentioned how i tackle the laundry here, so know that along with these things i am doing laundry daily too.

here are a five of my tips and some of my favorite products that work for my larg-ish family =)

1. my biggest tip is to assign "jobs" to each member of the family. we haven't officially started chores but i have a idea i want to do soon i just need to plan it out. anyway although we don't have a system everyone knows there jobs. Liz (11) empties dishwasher , David (7) switches laundry, Johnathan (6) helps clean living room, Jake (2) picks up toys and helps Liz unload the dishwasher. they all have several things they do in addition to these but these are the "big" things. my husband takes care of the outside and i do everything else
2. do something every day. i have a list of dailies that i do and it is pretty long including things like make beds, wipe bathrooms down, have kids do chores, kitchen etc... i am always amazed when people don't have a list of things they do everyday and then wonder why the house is always messy. you can not expect your home to be clean if you are spending 15 minutes a day cleaning
3. turn on some music. when i want to get a lot done i turn off the TV and turn up the music, Jake loves music and is a great helper while the kids are at school. the faster the music the faster i work =)
4. pick a day to do a deep cleaning. Thursdays usually work for me. i start at the farthest side of the house (Liz's room) and work my way down the hall. once i get to the middle (our house is set up like a split wing) i go to the furthest other side (my room) and make my way back. i do the main living areas last so i ensure they get done because people see them so i wont stop until they are done.
5. i am not against hiring some help if you need it and can afford it. i have hired my kids to do various jobs that they wouldn't normally be asked to do and pay them anywhere from a dollar to five dollars. i have also used a house cleaner at several different times including when i had Lilly and back when i had Jake and lots in between. i don't think that makes you less of a sahm i still do more cleaning when i use a house cleaner then most do. i am a little obsessive about my home sometimes good sometimes bad HA!!!

OK products

these are a few of my favorites. i LOVE the smell of pinesol but i can only use it in my bathrooms since my floors are wood. Windex is probably my favorite though i use it on my counter tops after i clean them down so they are not streaky, i love it as much as the dad on my big fat Greek wedding HA!. carpet freshener will make your house smell so good all day. and the others are all self explanatory.

this is what i use on the wood floors. very hot water with a couple of cap full of Murphy's for shine, about a cup of vinegar for cleaning and removing build up and a little pine sol for the smell (i hate the smell of vinegar) and it cleans good..... but i am still not sold on it i have tried almost everything and cant find anything that i love. any recommendations?

i buy this stainless steel cleaner at home depot the bottle looks a little different but i couldn't find a picture online. it works SOOOO good and believe me i have tried everything!

lastly my Dyson i love IT! works so good it really does suck!