Quick Clean Up Tips
Kitchen, 4 ˝ minutes
daily
Always start
with the sink. "Keep
it empty and
shining," says Marla
Cilley, author of
Sink Reflections
(Bantam, $15) and
creator of
www.FlyLady.net,
a housekeeping Web
site. A sparkling
sink becomes your
kitchen's benchmark
for hygiene and
tidiness, inspiring
you to load the
dishwasher
immediately and keep
counters,
refrigerator doors,
and the stovetop
spick-and-span, too.
• Wipe down the sink
after doing the
dishes or loading
the dishwasher (30
seconds).
• Wipe down the
stove top (one
minute).
• Wipe down the
counters (one
minute).
• Sweep, Swiffer, or
vacuum the floor
(two minutes).
Bathroom, 2
minutes daily
Make cleaning
the basin as routine
as washing your
hands. But don't
stop there. Get the
most out of your
premoistened wipe by
using it to clean
around the edges of
the tub and then the
toilet before
tossing it.
• Wipe out the
sink (30 seconds).
Wipe the toilet seat
and rim (15
seconds).
• Swoosh the toilet
bowl with a brush
(15 seconds).
• Wipe the mirror
and faucet (15
seconds).
• Squeegee the
shower door (30
seconds).
• Spray the entire
shower and the
curtain liner with
shower mist after
every use (15
seconds).
Bedroom, 6 ˝
minutes daily
Make your bed
right before or
after your morning
shower. A neat bed
will inspire you to
deal with other
messes immediately.
Although smoothing
sheets and plumping
pillows might not
seen like a high
priority as you're
rushing to work, the
payoff comes at the
end of the day, when
you slip back under
the unruffled
covers.
• Make the bed
(two minutes).
• Fold or hang
clothing and put
away jewelry (four
minutes).
• Straighten out the
night-table surface
(30 seconds).
Family room,
living room, foyer,
6 minutes daily
Start with the
sofa -- as long as
it's in disarray,
your living room
will never look
tidy. Once you've
fluffed the pillows
and folded the
throws, you're
halfway home. If you
pop in a CD while
you dust, you should
be able cover the
whole room by the
end of the third
track.
• Pick up crumbs
and dust bunnies
with a handheld
vacuum (one minute).
• Fluff the cushions
and fold throws
after use (two
minutes).
• Wipe tabletops and
spot-clean cabinets
when you see
fingerprints (one
minute).
• Straighten
coffee-table books
and magazines, throw
out newspapers, put
away CDs and videos
(two minutes.)
Get more
room-by-room
cleaning tips and
weekly and seasonal
to-do lists from
RealSimple.com
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