Three Tips to Help You Stay On Top of Cleaning This Summer Season
Hey Lovely!
First off, what in your life feels lovely right now? Take a moment to look around and pinpoint what’s bringing you joy and peace. I'd love to hear about it! Share your lovely moments on Instagram and tag me @allthinglovely.co if you’re feeling daring. Orrrr simply comment on this blog post!
Let's Dive In
The purpose of today’s blog is to help you feel more at peace in your home by giving you a game plan for staying on top of cleaning during the busy summer season. Here are four tips to get you started:
- Zone Cleaning
- Community Strip Bowl (It's not what you think)
- Daily Tidy Time
Zone Cleaning isn't a new concept. It was first introduced in the 20th century when professional house cleaning services became popular. The idea is to divide your home into zones and deep clean only those zones, making the process more time-efficient.
We've all tried cleaning an entire home in a day, but it’s exhausting. Instead, extend grace to your home and ask yourself, “What areas of my home stress me out the most when they’re not clean?” Focus on those rooms.
Go room by room, and on a scale of 1 to 10, rate how lovely you feel in each room. The rooms that score the lowest are the ones that cause you the most stress. Consider your current season of life. Would deep cleaning these rooms regularly make you feel more lovely and at peace, or would simply tidying them daily be enough?
For example, I’ve noticed that if my living room (the first room I enter when I get home from work) is cluttered and filled with dog hair, I feel overwhelmed and stressed. Deep cleaning this room monthly helps maintain peace in my mind, life, and home. Where as simply tidying just doesn't cut it.
So, create zones based on the rooms you need to feel clean to maintain peace in your home over the summer. Write down these zones and place them where your whole household can see them.
I Personally use Chelsi Jo's Monthly Zone Cleaning Method and if you'd like to know more about that, you can check out her website here:
Her Podcast "Systemize Your Life" has some real golden nuggets on this topic as well!
Here's a breakdown of my personal zones:
- Week 1: Bedrooms, main hallway & Offices
- Week 2: Kitchen & Living Room (including the dining and media room)
- Week 3: Bathrooms & Catch up
- Week 4: Bedding and Car
- Sometimes Week 5: Garage, closets, and laundry room
On weeks when I’m not working in a certain zone, I still tidy but don’t necessarily clean deeply.
Life happens, so give yourself grace and choose what makes you feel the most lovely. For instance, if you need to wash your dog because he decided to roll in a mud puddle, focus on that rather than stressing about cleaning the office... speaking from personal experience over here. Discuss with your household what matters to them and determine your zones accordingly.
Growing up, my mom used to create bowls filled with paper strips like confetti. Each strip had a different task or a fun activity written on it, like “Dance party!!” or “Eat a snack!!” It was exciting and fun to pull out a slip of paper and see what we had to do next.
You can create a similar bowl with tasks for the whole week. Each day, every household member picks out a slip, completes the task, and then works on another one with you. This is a great way to involve everyone and get things done together.
One of the simplest yet most effective ways to maintain a clean home is by setting aside a specific time each day to tidy up. This could be as short as 15-20 minutes. Use this time to clear clutter, put away items, and do quick clean-ups in areas that tend to get messy. Maybe find a basket that you can assign each member of your household, and throughout the week, instead of throwing clutter here and there, toss it in their basket. Then one day a week, go through and empty your basket!
Having a daily tidy time helps prevent clutter from accumulating and makes deep cleaning days less overwhelming. It also creates a routine that everyone in the household can follow, contributing to a more organized and peaceful environment.
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Please feel free to send this blog to someone who may need it! Become accountability partners with them as you both walk a lovely walk together down a path that leads you two to more peace and less guilt in your mind, life and home.
I hope this blog has encouraged and inspired you to embrace rhythms in your home. Remember, your home is lovely, and you are lovely. Notice the lovely moments, write them down, and revisit them whenever you need a boost.
If you enjoyed this blog and want to learn more about creating peace and joy in your home, check out the Lovely Home Planner by All Things Lovely Co. It’s designed to help you cultivate healthy rhythms and routines tailored to your life.
Lovely Home Planner: A six-month undated planner and guided journal designed to help women find peace and organization in their homes. Check it out at allthingslovely.co or on Instagram @allthingslovely.co.
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Your home is lovely, and so are you. Notice the lovely moments and cherish them. Have a wonderful day!
- Evelyn