My husband and I are not only married to one another, we are also married to our jobs. When it comes time to clean, sometimes we just aren't there. We do have a great Cleaning Service named simplymaid.com.au that cleans our rugs, floors, bathrooms, baseboards, etc., but there has to be something we can do to troubleshoot the little messes, that we can clean ourselves, in the little amount of time we have.
This is where I invented "The 1 Minute Plan" for our lifestyle. Simple chores that can be done in a minute flat. How many minutes do we waste each day on doing nothing? Waiting for the coffee to brew is 3 minutes. Waiting for the bagel to toast in 2 minutes. There are times we literally don't do anything but wait, so I decided let's fill in these gaps.
I didn't want to go crazy and make this an annoyance, so I just compiled a list of things that can easily and effectively be done in a minute or less, keeping with my "green" ways, and have satisfying results.
Step #1:
Start off with a list. Look around your home and write down things you think fit the criteria of a one minute clean. I suggest take the top 10 most necessary chores on your list. If it works out you can always add more.
Step #2:
Have the cleaning items handy for the tasks and keep them in one place. I call it "the minute basket". It holds my cleaning tools for the job and resides out of the way in the cabinet under the kitchen sink.
Step #3:
Do an experiment. Time yourself on the listed tasks. Can they be done in under a minute? If successful, then they make the cut.
Step #4:
Turn your list into a checklist. Top 10 things. Ten minutes total. Can be done weekly or bi-weekly. If my husband and I just split that list over a week, we have 7 days to clean 5 things each. With 10,080 minutes in a week, you have 1000 times the number of minutes needed to complete the mission. And the more household members checking tasks off the list, the less one person has to do.
I'm placing my list below with the instructions to keep your house clean and beautiful. Households vary, so your list(s) may differ, but I think this is a great way to start. Moreover, my friend, Elizabeth from TheHomemakersJournal.com helped us to prepare the list.
Items In The Minute Basket:
Baking Soda
Distilled White Vinegar
Spray Bottle With Soap And Water
Scour Pads
Clean Cloths
Salt
Lemons Juice And Lemons
Our List:
Vacuum One Room
We place the vacuum in a different room we want to be vacuumed each night before bed. In the morning while the coffee brews, plug it in, vacuum quickly and enjoy your coffee.
Items Needed:
Vacuum Cleaner
Lemon Juice
Add lemon juice to vacuum bag. It will give the carpet a fresh citrus scent.
Clean The Microwave
Place 4 lemon wedges into a glass bowl of water in the microwave. Microwave on high until the water boils and steams. Clean the steamed walls of the microwave using a cloth.
Items Needed:
Glass bowl
Lemons
Cloth
Water
Two For One
Whoever is on microwave duty, squeeze the lemons from that bowl into the kitchen sink. Sprinkle baking soda over the juice. Add a tablespoon of the vinegar. Wipe with a cloth and rinse. The sink is clean.
Items Needed:
The bowl of lemons
Water from the microwave
Baking soda
Distilled white vinegar
A cloth
Three For One
Put those leftover squeezed lemons into the garbage disposal with 2 tablespoons of salt and a handful of ice. Turn the disposal on and BOOM it's now fresh, clean, and the blades have been slightly sharpened.
Items Needed:
Leftover lemons
Ice
Salt
The Bathroom Mirror
Any mirror in any bathroom. Just pick one. Mix warm water and a squeezed wedge of lemon juice into a bowl. Dampen a cloth and wipe the mirror down. Then use a dry cloth to wipe it dry.
Items Needed:
Lemon wedge
Warm water
Bowl
Two cloths
Spot Clean the Walls In One Room
Small spots end up on walls no matter what you do. Dampen a cloth with warm water. Add a few drops of lemon juice, and a pinch of baking soda. Spot check. Wipe anything minor.
Items Needed:
A cloth
Lemon juice
Baking soda
Water
Clean the Kitchen Countertops
Dampen a cloth with some lemon juice. Wipe down the countertops quickly. Spray the soap and water mixture onto the counter next, and wipe with a dry cloth.
Items Needed:
Two clothes
Lemon juice
Soap/water mixture
Clean the Coffee Pot
Put two cups of the white distilled vinegar in the coffee pot reservoir and turn on. Let the vinegar pour through it unfiltered. Once the vinegar has run through once, run a full pot of water through to get the remains of the vinegar out. And BOOM your coffee pot insides are clean.
Items Needed:
White distilled vinegar
Water
Air Freshen the House
Cut 3 lemons in half. Place them in a pot of water on the stove. Simmer over medium-low heat. The house should begin to have that invigorating citrus scent, which means it's working. Bonus: After you turn off the stove, you can dampen a cloth in the water/lemon pot and use to spot clean counters.
Items Needed:
Pot
Water
Lemons
