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| What my kitchen looked like after making Strawberry Bread this morning |
Once you get your cleaning routine down, you’re going to need some cleaning products to help you along the way. There are usually sales and coupons for different cleaning products each week but you want to know what’s even better than a great sale? Getting a bunch of free full sized cleaning products shipped to you!! I’m a member of a word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing network called BzzAgent where I get to try new products and spread word of mouth. As a BzzAgent, I join a BzzCampaign to try new products and services from some of the biggest companies around. Then I share my honest opinions through reviews, Facebook posts, video testimonials, blog posts…however I want.
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| The contents of my goody box from SC Johnson... did I mention this was all free and was delivered to my house?!?! |
Since I got a whole stash of free products, I thought I’d share some of the savings with one of you. Also included in my box of goodies was a booklet with over $58 in savings on SC Johnson products. These are high value coupons on things like Pledge, Glade, and Scrubbing Bubbles.
One lucky Freeze Your Way Fit reader will win the whole booklet. Entry is simple! You just need to answer the question below by leaving a comment on this site! You can gain up to 3 bonus entries for doing each additional item listed (just make sure that you leave one entry for each one — up to a total of 4 comments.) As a reminder, comments left on Facebook, Twitter or other posts will not be included. I will choose a winner on Sunday 4/9 around 11pm.
REQUIRED ENTRY:
1. What is your #1 tip for keeping your house or kitchen clean? - 1 entry
BONUS ENTRIES:
2. Follow Freeze Your Way Fit on Facebook or Twitter and comment on this post that you did (or already do) - 1 entry
3. Subscribe to Freeze Your Way Fit HERE or follow by e-mail HERE and comment on this post that you did (or already do) - 1 entry
4. Leave a comment on any other post and mention it here - 1 entry
:)
I have to stay organized so I make a chart! I divide up the things that need to be done around the house for the week and do a few each day. For example, on Mondays and Thursdays I dust and vacuum, Wednesdays are bathrooms, Tuesdays I mop the floors, I do laundry every other day and dishes every day. Once I complete a task I cross it off the chart; if I don't complete it, I circle it and move it to the next day! Sounds complicated but its not and it's SO nice having a clean house and being organized! LOL! Since I get everything done during the week, it leaves my weekends free for fun stuff! :) BTW, love your site...telling all my friends about it! Thanks! :)
ReplyDeleteI try to do as my mom always did. Wash while cooking. I fill the right side of my sink with hot soapy water and will soak what I just used while I do another step in cooking. After that I wash it and put in the left side of my sink to rinse, and put more in the right soapy side. I rinse them all at the same time and put in my counter drying basket thingy.. haha
ReplyDeleteps i now follow you on my gmail, facebook, the twitter (haha betty white). I am trying to do as you do, you are amazing B!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm also a super messy cook! :-) To help cut down on the clutter on the kitchen counters I bought a medium size trash can for recyclables and stashed it near the regular trash can. That way I can keep jars and cans off the counter. When it fills up we take it and dump it in the larger can outside. I also try to keep the dishwasher empty so that we can just put dirty dishes in there instead of the sink. As for the house, that sometimes feels hopeless! All my kids have shoe racks in their rooms but shoes never seem to make it there so I set up a basket for them and once a week they take their shoes and put them away in their rooms. At least shoes aren't all over the floor! LOL
ReplyDeleteThe best thing I ever did to help with keeping my house clean was to buy a "dump box" for several rooms of my house. My husband's piles of stuff kept adding up and never got put in the right place, but once I bought these small storage items (less than $10 each but look like they are made of leather so they look nice in each room) and strategically placed them around the house, like for shoes by the front door, desk stuff, odds and ends he brings home from work each day, I can't believe how organized our house looks! Stuff still might not be in the right place, but at least there aren't piles everywhere!
ReplyDeleteI hate paper clutter! A long time ago, I made the habit of immediately sorting the mail when it comes in the house. Once I pick it up, I don’t want to touch it again unless it’s important. So, I immediately walk to the recycling bin and toss stuff in, and then I hit the shredder and then finally, my desk’s “in-box”. If I get a circular or a coupon insert, I look through it right away so I know if it’s worth saving, or it I should just recycle it. It takes me about 30 seconds to sort my mail on the spot, but I know it saves me an hour or more of organizing stacks and stacks of stuff once a month.
ReplyDeleteI hate have to think about what cleaning chores need to be done and then having them hanging over my head all day, so I made a chart of all the cleaning stuff that is needed. Then I decided how often it needed to be done (monthly, weekly, daily). I worked out a schedule to include all the tasks trying not to put too much on each day. Now I have a list of cleaning tasks that I don't have to think about and isn't too long. The list makes it easier for me to get motivated to start. It took some time in the beginning to organize the chart, but well worth it later. I like Amy's idea of the junk box in each room.
ReplyDeleteFor my family of 5 plus two large dogs, I find that I have to vacuum and wash constantly. My goal is a load of wash and a room vacuumed daily. This way I rarely have a day in which I wake up and dread the morning. Oh, and if I can go to bed each night with a clean sink and counters, than I'm immediately in a better mood the next morning.
ReplyDeleteCleaning - ha! What is that? I leave it out for the elves and fairies to deal with, LOL. Seriously though, I do a load of laudry every day and try to keep the sinks clear before going to bed. The rest I save for when company arrives. :) I do have a one minute rule and a ten minute tidy rule now though... if the task only takes one minute to complete, then I try to do it. The rest I save for a ten minute tidy up before bedtime. It helps keep me on track.
ReplyDeleteAbout 2 years ago I started doing what Kelly mentioned. I have specific chores for different days of the week, month and quarter. For example, I clean the floors every Wednesday, I dust the fans on the 5th of every month and I shampoo the carpet every February, May, August, and November. I have a really cool ap called Simplist that helps me track everything too. Love your blog and I will be tracking it and commenting on all the recipes I try!
ReplyDeleteI married Jesse. He's much better at cleaning than I could ever be!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Amanda, those Naval Academy guys sure know how to keep a clean house :) In all seriousness, one tip that I read and try to embrace is to pick up 10 items every night before bed. I find it really does help cut down on clutter, and sometimes I get really motivated and clean up more much than I originally intended. Oh and I'm following you on twitter and facebook, I'm finding your blog very inspiring!
ReplyDeleteI set my timer for 10 minutes. I do this in every room and when the timer is done I normally do another 10 min but it is AMAZING how much you can accomplish in 10 minutes!! Check out the FlyLady.com, too! I put together a weekly journal with a menu, schedule for the week, etc. It's been great for me:) Her website is a bit overwhelming but it's worth checking out!
ReplyDeleteI signed up, thank you!
ReplyDeleteLike Natalie, I just discovered FlyLady and it's pretty awesome. Now that we have such a big house I really have to stay on top of things. I also have set days of the week for chores. I vacuum on Tuesdays and Fridays (plus any spills in between), and mop on Fridays during naptime. I try to do a load of laundry daily in the morning, so I can fold during nap time. I clean my kitchen after every meal or it would be nuts. Run the dishwasher every night before bed, and clean out the fridge every Sunday because that's when I grocery shop. I definitely have a problem with paper clutter (Casey has claimed the dining room as his study space and it's a mess!) but I'm working on tamping down those "hot spots" throughout the house, like the kitchen island and the dining room ledge. One day I would LOVE to buy a neat desk and eliminate paper entirely!
ReplyDeleteLove your blog and sharing with friends all over the country! :)
Hmm, I guess my number one tip would be that I keep the mess to a minimum by cleaning as I go. If I'm cooking, I'll wash dishes while something is in the oven or on the stove (unless it has to be watched constantly, then I wait until it's done). If I'm doing something around the house, I try to keep the messes localized, or buy small bins or storage containers to keep things organized. Baskets work wonderfully for this...if you throw all of the random stuff on your coffee table into a pretty basket, it instantly looks better, haha.
ReplyDeletexoxo Sarah
I make the beds in the morning. I feel that if the beds are made first thing, then we get our days started on the right foot, it also makes the rooms look fresh and clean. I hate paper clutter and even with an office I can never keep up, so I really like the suggestions some of the other readers have posted, like Barb's idea of touching it only once. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI too am a Fly Lady girl. My #1 tip is to shine your sink. The last thing I do before I go to bed at night is shine my kitchen sink. It only takes a few minutes, but it forces me to load and run my dishwasher and put away dishes from the counter. Then I get the pleasure of waking up to a clean kitchen:)
ReplyDeleteI do "5 minute cleans" with my kids. We put away as much stuff as we can in 5 minutes, it is amazing how much can get picked up in such a short amount of time!
ReplyDeleteI follow you on Facebook!
ReplyDeleteI subscribed to the email too! I just found your blog today and as someone who is all about eating real food and couponing I feel like I just hit the jackpot. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI commented on your delicious strawberry bread recipe.
ReplyDeleteI have 5 kids and surprisingly, my house is usually clean. We try to put things away as we go through our day, also before nap time and before dinner time. After meals, we get a wet wash cloth and promptly wipe the table and the crumbs underneath. My husband cleans up the kitchen for me after every dinner. It is team work from everyone in our house.
ReplyDeleteI just subscribed to freeze your way fit a few days ago. (I found the link through The Frugal Girls website.) I am looking forward to receiving some good tips and recipes!
ReplyDeleteI have a laundry routine for during the week and vacuum every friday. The other tip I have is: when we go on vacation or out of town for the weekend, I put a capful of pinesol in my toilets. When we get home, the house smells clean after being closed up. christylaverty (at) hotmail (dot) com
ReplyDeleteI have a cabinet in the laundry room with four shelves. Each shelf has a laundry basket and each basket is labled with a type of clothing. When someone brings dirty laundry they can sort it in to the baskets. When its time to do laundry i just dump a basket in. It is much easier when you are short on time and there are no big piles on the floor.
ReplyDeleteCarolwegs at gmail dot com
i subscribe via email
ReplyDeletecarolwegs at gmail dot com
If I go into a room (just to do something like get a drink) I do 1 small thing to tidy that room such as pick up a candy wrapper or put a book on the shelf. Each time I walk into another room I do the same these small things may not seem like much but they add up throughout the day help.
ReplyDeleteI subscribed to freeze your way fit
ReplyDeleteI posted on "Clean Eating Apple Cake (OAMC)" but I accidently did it as anonymous. (agave/sucanat post)
ReplyDeleteI liked you on facebook
ReplyDeleteI have to keep things picked up as I go. I cannot ever let the house get to "disaster mode", because then it seems too overwhelming to clean.
ReplyDeletejuliedianebaker at aol dot com
I TRY TO PICK UP THROUGH THE DAY AND MAKE SURE i TIDY UP BEFORE GOING TO BED
ReplyDeletePESTKAJ(AT)YAHOO(DOT)COM
Keeping up with it every day is what works best for me. I work two jobs an go to school part time so time to clean is limited.
ReplyDeleteYou can keep your house tidy by picking up as you go!
ReplyDeletehrddiana556@gmail.com
I follow freezer mom on twitter
ReplyDeletehrddiana556@gmail.com
Teenagers and nightly chores!!!
ReplyDeleteerinnsluka@gmail.com
I have a stay at home hubby and I work! He cleans! :)
ReplyDeleteprayingtowinbig at gmail dot com
I follow you via Twitter @cheryl48220
ReplyDeleteprayingtowinbig at gmail dot com
I subscribe to you via Google reader (cheryl1972)
ReplyDeleteprayingtowinbig at gmail dot com
I do dishes etc after using them...I wipe down the counters at least 2 a day
ReplyDeletethanks
aunteegem@yahoo.com
I make sure the kitchen is cleaned up every night, and also have my kids help me pick up all the toys before bed time. That way I can run a vacuum quickly in the morning if we're planning on having guests over that day.
ReplyDeleteI also pick up as i go. My biggest problem is the paper clutter. I have to keep on top of it or it just seems to grow.
ReplyDeletelighthouse136 at gmail dot com
I subscribe via RSS
ReplyDeletelighthouse136 at gmail dot com
I wash windows while cleaning the oven.
ReplyDeleteponiabaum at gmail dot com
I try to clean as I go...my mom taught me this growing up. After eating, your job is halfway done.
ReplyDeletekelley dot close at gmail dot com
I follow you on facebook! :-)
ReplyDeletekelley dot close at gmail dot com
I subscribe to your blog via google reader. (and love it)
ReplyDeletekelley dot close at gmail dot com
I commented on the granola bar post. (Love those, too.)
ReplyDeletekelley dot close at gmail dot com
Due to a long-term chronic illness, my clean house has really taken a hit. I try my best (especially when cooking) to clean up as I go along. When I bake, as soon as I've used the ingredient, it goes back in the cupboard or refrigerator. I keep a sink full of hot, soapy water so that I can clean up as I go. I also try to wipe down the counters and clean my sink often. We won't even talk about the rest of my house (sigh).
ReplyDeleteI left a comment on your granola recipe post.
ReplyDeleteFly lady and clorox
ReplyDeletenikia602(at)gmail(dot)com
Cleaning up the kitchen as you cook is the easiest way. If you spend a few mins each day in each room it helps. Then pick one room a day to thoroughly clean. Bathroom is cleaned after I shower because the steam helps clean it up and you normally just have to wipe things down.
ReplyDeletenono916@gmail.com
Liked Freeze Your Way Fit on Facebook
ReplyDeleteNan Bixby
nono916@gmail.com
Subscribe to Freeze Your Way Fit by Google Reader
ReplyDeletenono916@gmail.com
My #1 tip if you mess it clean it-now. If you dirty it clean it - now. If you see someone else remind them - now.
ReplyDeletegladys p
@sueparks2003
sps1113 at yahoo dot com
subscribe via rss but I want a email sub.
ReplyDeletegladys p
@sueparks2003
sps1113 at yahoo dot com
read getting started but couldn't leave comment.
ReplyDeleteThis is y I want an email sub
gladys p
@sueparks2003
sps1113 at yahoo dot com
follow on fb and twitter
ReplyDeletegladys p
@sueparks2003
sps1113 at yahoo dot com
Using Lysol wipes to clean up as I go along!
ReplyDeletejbdownie5@yahoo.com
follow you on twitter @jbdownie
ReplyDeletejbdownie5@yahooo.com
My tip is to clean up/staigthen up things a little at a time, that way there isn't as much to do later on.
ReplyDeleteI like Freeze Your Way Fit on Facebook! (Heather S.)
ReplyDeleteSubscriber via google reader!
ReplyDelete