Our messy kitchen before.
It is Baby Step #8 of our Be Intentional Challenges!
As a reminder, the 30 Be Intentional challenges this month are designed to get you on the right foot, the right track and give you energy, efficiency and organization which will propel you into a life that is able to develop an overall financially smart, happy and frugal home. We encourage couples and families to do these challenges together so the whole house can function well!
As the 30 steps go along, we will be focusing on 5 areas for the Be Intentional Month:
- Self
- Home
- Budget
- Schedule
- Frugality
This next one is my favorite as far as the home goes! It is AMAZING what you will accomplish!
I recommend everyone do this, whether you are following our Be Intentional Baby Steps or not! It is so crucial to your home management.
Baby Step #9
Implement a 20-Minute Quick Clean Sometime During Your Day
(Include Kids and Spouses)
Seriously, I completely LOVE this one!! We have been doing 20-minute quick cleans for several years now and there is typically 6 of us working – myself, our 11, 10, 8, 6 and 3 year old.
The idea is working as hard as you can for 20 minutes! Anyone can do anything for 20 minutes!
But with 6 of us…okay really 5 of us as the 3-year old isn’t super efficient yet… it is like an hour and half of fast vigorous cleaning. But since it is only 20 minutes, it does not rob you of your day and it does not seem as dreadful. Now granted, I am not fortunate enough to have this be enough cleaning in my day (no way with 2 toddlers and 3 other younger kids – we could get by with a nanny cleaning all day :)), but it is a huge help and lightens my load tremendously. Everyday, we do at least one 20-min quick clean. But, we often do a second or third.
We always do one on the main level as this is where we are most of the time, what visitors will see if they come by and what daddy sees first when he walks in the door (and helps to set his mood after a stressful work day).
Then if we do a second one, it is either again downstairs (right before daddy comes home) or upstairs. Alex participates when he is home as well!
So here’s an example of how effective the quick cleans are! These two following pictures are our kitchen and living room, both before and in the same 20-min quick clean.
Our Messy Kitchen Before
Our messy livingroom before.
- So when we get ready, we call everyone to the area and give the quick rules for this 20 minute quick cleans and the focus areas (so we don’t waste precious minutes giving instructions ;))
- Then we turn on some fun, upbeat music on our Pandora channel on our Roku
- Then we set the timer on the microwave in the kitchen for 20-minutes with a “mark, get set, GO…”
- And then we are off and everyone does their assigned tasks for the 20 minutes
- Then…VOILA – a magically cleaner home!
Kitchen After
Join us at our small Facebook Be Intentional group HERE for encouragement, discussions and more. Just send a request to join and we will add you to the group.
Beth griffith
Great idea! I have a girlfriend with five small kids. I’m going to share this one with her as well.
Chris
“what daddy sees first when he walks in the door (and helps to set his mood after a stressful work day)”
I’m sorry I didn’t realize this article was from the 50s.
susie
I don’t always have the house clean when my husband gets home, but I try too …because if I worked all day and then had to come home to a messy house I would be frustrated! I try put myself in his shoes, so I always make sure he has something to eat.
Cassie
We do the same thing Susie. He helps with the quick cleans when he is home, but because he did work all day, myself and kids try to at least make the first room(s) in the house clean and inviting for when he gets home. It also sets a good mood for everyone. No one wants to come home exhausted and step into a messy house! It makes that exhaustion worse. 🙂 Thanks for sharing that!
Sandy
“What daddy sees first” does mater especially if you are a stay at home mom like myself. They’ve been out there working long and hard to provide their family with the lifestyle of a mother staying home. The least we can do us cook and clean for them. Most days the house is still a mess and supper may not be cooked but at least I try! I say bring back the 50’s! Our children and marriages would be better for it! I will be explaining this 20 minute quick clean tonight!!!
Tansy
Substitute it for the parent that works outside the home in your family. In this family its the dad hence the use of the word daddy. Its not old fashioned at all. The daddy is completely interchangeable with mummy.
Jen
Great ideas. It’s basically a 20 minute house rescue and including the family! As women, we ate the heart of the family and having a clean house makes everyone happy. This has nothing to do with “being in the 50’s for our husband”, it’s too make our life run more effectively. It always makes me feel better to walk into a clean room vs a cluttered or dirty home. Plus, the house is welcoming to whoever walks in the door.
Tansy
i don’t know about “as a woman” but certainly as a stay at home parent. 🙂
Dena
In my home we play a game called “Who’s the Boss?”
whats needed: index cards labeled with rooms to be cleaned. ex. living room, toy room, kitchen, etc.
and also index cards labeled with kids names.
to start:
1. I (mom/dad) pick the first room to be cleaned then i throw out suggestions of what jobs needs to be done.
2. We draw a name for the 1st kid to be the boss. they tell the other kids and mommy/daddy, what job to do. it’s fun because their in charge of being a boss. telling everyone what to do. instead of mommy/daddy being the boss all the time.
3. then the 1st boss gets to draw another name. this goes on till all the jobs for that room are done.
4. When the designated room is clean the current boss gets to draw the next room to be done and picks the next boss as well.
We do this till all the rooms are picked up and clean. Sometimes we set a timer to move the game along. We try to get all the designated rooms done in 30mins.
Cassie
What a fun idea and a fun way to teach being a good leader and organizer. That’s great!
shannon
Awesome idea…kids loving in charge…so great way to get the housework done <3 love it.
Kimberly
Your blog was posted by my cousin on FB and I was scrolling down this morning there you were with #9 baby step. It’s as if you were sitting in my living room with me. I have to give you a hand! I have spent the better part of the day, getting my act together again. I was going back over your first 8 baby steps and I couldn’t agree with you more. It’s really just basic living reminders laced with common sense. Although, you have put it in a “nut shell” and broken it down so it is easily accomplished. Here is a little confession: I have been pretty sick for a while and on antibiotics (which make me sicker) and have really not kept up with our place at all… yes the dust bunnies behind the toilet were talking to me (lol). I owe you a huge debt of gratitude. You got me going again. I read your blog; it pulled a string in my internal motor and after a few sluggish chugs, I was off and running. Because I am still sick (on the last leg of it hopefully), I do 15 min. projects then rest, drink some water, rest a little more, until I feel like getting up again. I noticed something about myself while going through your previous baby steps, I had actually stopped making my bed, wiping down the bathroom every day (just doing it once a week) and have just let the living room/dining room go. My sickness came on gradually (since February this year) and I should have recognized the symptoms. I am basically a happy, easy going person, but if my house is a mess… nothing seems to be working right in my world. Living in a 1 bedroom 600 sq. ft. apt. is lovely, compared to the 3200 sq. ft. house we used to live in. With little space to spare now, I am looking forward to your upcoming baby steps hoping it will keep me moving in the right direction. As an Avon Lady with 2 campaigns of deliveries a month let alone the HUB meetings for my Rep.’s here and such, I have to keep things organized or things get totally out of control. Finding that I have fallen off with some of my very good habits, your blog is just what I need to reconnect with them. So a BIG THANK YOU AND A ROUND OF APPLAUSE! I look forward to the next installment.
Becky
This is something that I have been wanting to do for a while. We are starting back schooling next week (homeschool) and I am deliberately adding 20 minutes of clean up time to the schedule (right after breakfast) and again after lunch. Our schedule is already going to be tight this year, so this will help. The only difference is, I am planning on delegating each person a specific thing to do. It will be my 16 year old twin boys, my 7 year old daughter, and myself. My husband will be at work. 🙂