I'm about 10 days away from being done with a full-time job—perhaps forever. I still haven't processed how big a change it is. I still feel like I will be working until I drop in the classroom.
But, intellectually, I do know that I'm about to be a full-time writer, and substantially more of a homemaker than I have been. I've always cleaned, of course, but I've been getting a big assist from biweekly cleaning by a service. I'll still have them once a month, for big, deep cleaning, but the major weekly chores will much more be mine. Especially because I can't justify asking Todd to do as much as he has been, since I will be home so much.
But I also need plenty of time to write and edit, so I need a routine. I've been looking up advice on how to clean effectively and efficiently and thought I'd share some of it today.
The most important thing is that I need to have a schedule and stick to it. Cleaning jobs have generally been done as needed up to now in our home, but with more of them solely in my hands, I'll need to know what I'll be doing every day.
Each day, I'll need to toss in a load of laundry, so it doesn't pile up. I'll also need to wipe down and sweep the kitchen and bathroom surfaces, and do dishes. Otherwise, on Mondays, I'll vacuum all over the house (with only two people here, once a week is often enough).
Tuesdays will feature my least favorite job: dusting. Our house has a lot of books and knickknacks, so this will be a substantial effort each week, perhaps even the biggest one. It's so boring and annoying, that's all I want to do each Tuesday.
Wednesdays will feature full bathroom cleaning. That means scrubbing tubs, mopping floors, scrubbing toilets and counters, cleaning mirrors—the whole room. Since we have two and a half baths, it will take time.
On Thursdays, I'll clean out the bedrooms, including dust mopping floors and decluttering. This will also be bed linen wash day. And I'll have to remake beds.
Friday will be grocery day, so I'll probably have to do a bit of pantry and refrigerator cleaning each week.
I've promised Todd that weekends will no longer feature housework, so except for the little daily chores, I'll be free!
But he is still willing to take out the garbage. And clean the litter pans. Thank you, Todd.
If you'd like to share your own home memories or tips (or recipes), send ideas to tkwolford@aol.com. Or you can write me via traditional mail at The Farmer's Exchange, P.O. Box 45, New Paris, IN 46553.