This very helpful general list of “life learned” tips and suggestions was written by one of our message board moderators, LindaK. (With some help and tips from other members.)This list is chock filled with helpful goodies that will save you “spoons“!.

General Tips: •Do what you can and don’t worry about the rest
•If I am having severe pain one day, I don’t clean. Simple.
•Prioritize! I reckon if the kitchen and the bathroom are OK, the rest of the house will cope with being a little unclean (within reason!).
•I’m a huge fan of Julie Morgenstern’s (the book Organizing from the Inside Out is almost like a bible for me.)

•Doing things for five minutes and then resting for five is a good tip, I just have to re-program my brain to understand it
•I work for about 10-15 minutes and take a rest and so on, until I am done. I put the trash on the porch so I can take it to the garbage all at once.
•Get one of those kneeling cushions they sell for gardening. It is the only way I can sit in the bathtub, hard surfaces kill my back and hip. I use it to kneel on or sit on to do small cleaning. It saves energy and causes less strain on my back.
•I think I’m going to make a ‘splat mat’ for under the kitchen table. Something machine washable. (Easy idea for this- cheap flannel backed, vinyl picnic table cloths. You can usually pick them up at the dollar store. Wash it until it gives up, and then replace it. Cheap!
•Every time you leave a room, take something with you and put it where it belongs.
•When I do cleaning, I space it out and take my time. Luckily my house is very small, so cleaning isn’t super-awful.
•I tend to do just one area each time I clean, rather than try to do the entire house in one day.
•When I can, I’ll sit or kneel on the floor, even to just re-coil the vacuum cord!!
•Micro fiber cloths-wipe things once only-great things!
•My tip – canned air – it gets the surface dust.
•Tote bags – I have tons of tote bags and put stuff that I want to ‘work’ on in them. Then I can just move the tote bag from place to place or take it with me.
•I use those smaller plastic bins that they sell at the Dollar Tree. I put mail in one and dog leash, poopie bags,etc. in the other.
•I try to keep cleaners in each room now, so I don’t have to walk all over the house to get them, when I want to clean a room. (I totally agree that those wipes are great! They are especially great if you live with men or boys who miss in the night and tinkle on the seats! I keep the wipes on top of the toilet tank.)
Along with the cleaners in each room, I stash empty grocery bags in drawers in every room. Then I use them to gather library books, trash, laundry and objects that belong in other rooms, etc.
•Another thing I have done is try to eliminate all clutter, like cutesy things sitting around. It makes things look cleaner, and I don’t have to dust them. So, for example, the end tables in my living room only have lamps on them. The coffee table has nothing on it. I realize this tip isn’t for everyone, and some wouldn’t feel at home or wouldn’t feel like things are cozy without their knickknacks, but for those who CAN live without them, it is very liberating! No more dusting trivets!
Get others to help:
•My darling husband does all the cooking and dishwashing. He tries to keep the kitchen clean, but I go over it once in a while so that it is really clean (he magically forgets to wipe the tiles on the wall by the stove and other stuff like that.) He also helps me hang all the laundry and if we do laundry in the basement he carries it down there. He refuses to sort the laundry though *lol* (that’s one thing he finds utterly disgusting)
•I hired a guy to come in once every-other-week, empty the trash & recycling and other little tasks.
•I use my kids. We give the 10 year old small chores to do each week and expect her to keep her own room clean. Our teenager helps with big stuff; vacuums, takes out trash and does dishes. He also cooks occasionally.
•My son vacuums for me, not very well, but he gets the easy stuff. He also likes to put the silverware away, and will carry groceries sometimes. He’ll put the empty bags away, and stack the library books. Hey, he’s 5.
•Have a friend come in and help you out – barter or pay them. We have a friend that comes over occasionally and helps us clean. We pay her – but you could easily make her a meal or two to take home with her.
•If I know a friend is coming over, I’ll tie the garbage up and leave it by the door. They will usually take that as a hint and drop it in the dumpster on their way out.
Kids Can help:
•1 toy out at a time. Put A away before you can take out B.
•Always do a Pre-bedtime clean up.
•Challenge the kids to see who can get the most done in 3 minutes.
•Room must be clean before anyone goes away for the weekend.
•Room must be tidy before going out to play. If not, he has to explain to his friends why he can’t go play.
•Above all, make it fun. We play and act silly when we put wet clothes in the dryer. I splash water at him when we rinse dishes. I’ve been known to sweep him up and dump him into a cardboard box and threaten to drag him to the curb with the trash can.
Bathroom:
•I clean the bathroom before and after my shower. It works great that way. I keep all the cleaners in the cabinet.
•Spray the shower after you shower each time – I use a bleach/water mix – I’ve noticed the shower stays cleaner longer.
•I use the telescoping shower scrubber from Scotch Brite. The scrubby pad is the same scrubby pad I already used, but it attaches to the handle and makes the job of bathtub cleaning easier. I can reach high and low places without a lot of bending.
•I also have trouble cleaning showers, as a couple of people have mentioned. I found this spray that really spaces out the times that I should clean it. It’s called Shower Kleaner and it’s by a company called Earth Naturals or something like that (you could probably find it at a natural grocery store). It’s mostly tea tree oil and it really stops mildew and things from building up. You just spritz the entire shower after every use and then you don’t have worry about it until it looks really grungy. Plus it makes the whole bathroom smell good too! There’s nothing that wakes me up in the morning more than the smell of tea tree oil.
•One thing I do about the shower and tub is…no one laugh! I scrub it with an old body buff and baby shampoo. It kills me to lean over the side with the shower doors so I start with the old puff and that way I can do the doors standing up, sit down and do the sides of the tub and floor and then rinse with hand held shower attachment. Plus since its baby shampoo no nasty chemicals and smells…I don’t know why baby shampoo works so well but it even takes off soap scum on the doors then when I get out I spray bleach water on corners of doors to prevent mildew….and with the poof and shampoo the kids can scrub too (they just think they are playing with soap and bubbles!LOL)
•Ok… so today it was my job to clean the bathroom, including the bath tub. I put a ton of soft scrub around in the tub and let it sit for a while. Then when I went to go scrub it, I kept thinking how hard it is on me to have to do all the reaching and bending. Then I came up with the weird idea of using the toilet brush (I know it sounds gross, but it was treated with bleach). The long handle was perfect at making the job a quick and relatively easy one. I think next time I go to the store, I will pick up one to use just on the tubs.
•I found “kaboom” toilet cleaner. It’s a foaming powder, sprinkle and soak and flush, a bit harsh on my lungs, but much easier on my back.
•I know it is a small thing, but I always try to keep those things in the toilet that make the water blue. I think it helps keep it a bit cleaner, (but even if it doesn’t, it helps to disguise a dirty toilet!)

Laundry:
•I often sit down to fold clothes, though it hurts my arms sometimes to do it this way.
•I have 30 pairs of the same sock (no matching!).
•I buy clothes that don’t wrinkle (cuts out folding & hanging… just dump it in the drawer).
•For laundry, I’ve got a hamper on wheels it holds 2 loads, and I only carry as many quarters and laundry detergent as I’ll need. These go into old pill bottles.
•Dylan (my 8 y.o.) does laundry. He carries laundry downstairs, sorts and washes and dries and folds and carries upstairs. He doesn’t have to do every bit of everyone’s laundry, but he could if it came down to it. (He’ll thank me later! So will his wife!)
•I usually do the folding and hanging up as soon as the stuff comes out of the dryer…but….I still have to iron something…I think it’s sort of therapy. It is so relaxing for me when I do it. I can’t do a lot and maybe that’s why I do pillow cases because they are easier. I watch television when I am doing it and it seems to really help me. I even lower my ironing board so I can sit while I iron.
•I do the laundry all at once. My hubby and I settle down to watch a DVD, meanwhile, I wash and dry and fold. Usually, I can get our laundry done in one movie. Hubby carries it up the stairs and I try to put it away the next day.
•I spread the laundry process out quite a bit. I keep the hamper in the hallway right next to the machine, to save some spoons. I add the water and soap and come back later to add the clothes, lift the lid when the load is done as I pass through to go somewhere else, so the clothes don’t get stinky, and then often my wonderful hubby will throw the clothes in the dryer for me. Otherwise, that part of the process gets drawn out, too. Takes forever, but it’s easier on my body to do small steps.
•To help with the laundry problem, (and to keep the bathroom neater), I put a 3rd shower curtain rod behind the other 2. (You know how there is the rod for the decorative curtain. Then, there is the rod for the curtain liner? Well, I put a 3rd one behind them, to hang the bath towels after use. I also assigned each person a color. Like, one gets white, one, pink and one blue. Then, after baths or showers, we hang them there to dry, and each knows which one is his/hers, so it cuts down on laundry. (I usually wash them once or twice a week, after all, they are clean since they are only used to dry clean bodies!)
Floors:
•Get a ROOMBA! It’s a robotic vacuum cleaner. The most basic version is only $119. You push the button and it just whirrs off and vacuums your room. You really want to trap it in a room so it does one room at a time, but really, push a button and close a door? So much easier than doing the vacuuming! The reviews on them have been very good, though the most basic model sometimes gets hung up on transitions from carpet to tile/linoleum/whatever and sometimes run out of batteries before it gets back to its recharging dock.

•I got so tired of using those nasty mops, I finally went out and bought a swiffer mop. I mean how easy is it attach a wet cloth(it has a scrubby thing on it) and away you go. I was surprised at how much they actually pick up!! So, I went out and bought the dry cloths for sweeping!!! I would highly recommend them!!!

•I have one of those carpet sweepers like they use in restaurants for quick floor cleaning. Doesn’t deep clean, but it works quickly and it’s light. It’s enough maintenance that I don’t have to pull out the heavy clunky vacuum as often.

Kitchen:
•I buy disposable dishes and utensils. I don’t have a dishwasher, so this saves me a ton of spoons.
•Everyone helps with dishes.
•Friends know that dishes are my downfall, so they will wash a few when they come by. We use paper plates. I’m looking into a countertop dishwasher. Holds 4-6 place settings, which is plenty for my son and me.
•Most of my meals are ready-to-eat or microwavable. A few are just heat in the oven.
•Use a slow cooker/Crockpot. The prep is usually fairly quick, and then the food cooks at a low (but germ-killing) temperature all day and is ready for dinner.

•Another thing I do to try to save time, is when I am cooking, I try to double or triple all recipes and freeze the extras. That way, on a day I feel too bad to cook, we have an instant homemade meal!
•I just thought of a good tip this morning for cleaning your microwave. Scrub a baking potato, poke it, and put it in either on “potato” if your microwave has one of those buttons or for a few minutes, flip and a few more minutes. When it’s cooked, remove it and wipe out your microwave with a paper towel. The steam from the potato will have softened all of the hardened bits from exploding food and it will easily wipe away without the use of toxic cleaners.
•Kitchen chairs with wheels! My MIL gave us a set of four chairs for our kitchen table. I roll around in the kitchen. Unload the dishwasher, dinner prep. Lots can be done from a sitting position. I really would love to have a taller, wheeled seat for cooking. I just can’t stand for too long anymore. I have to take several hours to cook anything, because I can only work at it for a few minutes at a time.
•Cel-O “no scratch scrub and wipe pads” – dish sponges with a Teflon friendly scrubber on one side. They’re SOFT!!! I can actually squeeze the water out of ’em! It’s a small miracle for me and my arthritic hands.
•Mr. Clean magic erasers are my best friend. It takes crayon and marker off walls, but can also remove the paint so you have to be careful. On a very good day I was having, I used it to wipe something off the floor and ended up cleaning my whole kitchen floor with it! (Took away all of my spoons for the following week) But I couldn’t believe how much more white my floors once were! Cleans the food off fridges without any effort at all! I think they are the best things ever invented when it comes to cleaning and not having to scrub.

Article written by: Linda K from our message boards.© 2008 butyoudontlooksick.com
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