CLEAN – The Floors
I like to clean my floors on a Friday so it’s clean for the weekend when the family are home and visitors popping over. I then give it a quick vacuum on Monday morning as it’s always filthy and some evenings I use a Stickvac to pick up dinner that has fallen on the floor.
Having a stickvac on hand makes cleaning really quick and easily, I have just recently purchased a Hoover Air Stick Pro, which I have found really handy for quick cleans, has a turbo head to give the carpets a good clean (and pick up cat hair) and has extra attachments for those high hard to reach places. Ultimately I just love it for the quick clean up under the kitchen bench.
Cleaning task
Today’s cleaning task is to do the following to your floors:
[wlchecklist name=’CleanDay5′]
If you are trying to watch your pennies, you may notice how quickly cleaning products can eat into your budget. With reusable supplies and few common household ingredients, you can effectively clean your home AND save money! Homemade floor cleaner would have to be one of the simplest DIY cleaning recipes. It’s important to keep your floors clean with people walking from inside to out, babies or pets crawling around or having the doors and windows open to let in the fresh air. These can all spread dust particles and dirt throughout the house.
I have 2 effective DIY recipes for cleaning floors, depending on your flooring, find my recipes here.
I get asked regularly what is my favourite mop. It’s Vileda, I have been using it for over 10 years and rave to anybody that listens about it. Ultimately I just love the effortless glide over the floors compared to the old ones I used to use. I reviewed their new Vileda UltraMax Easy Twist Mop on the blog recently, read review here.
Read more: How regularly you need to clean the floors.
Shoes or no shoes indoors?
This has been a controversial topic on my blog before, it’s each to their own in your own home with pro’s and con’s for both sides. However, I prefer that visitors leave their shoes at the door when coming into our house. I don’t like dirt from the bottom of shoes being walked into the house and on the carpets (ours are cream and show dirt really easily), it’s my personal preference as I don’t have the time to be continually cleaning my floors. I also make sure the kids wear shoes (thongs) outside protecting their feet from bindi’s in the grass but also so they don’t bring dirt from their feet onto the carpets.
I place a little sign at the front door, letting visitors know to kindly remove their shoes.
Sign is available in my shop. Use coupon code 20daysshoes to get 50% off at checkout
Click here to download
DECLUTTER – Out of date food
Look through your pantry (especially your dried herbs and spices) and dispose of all food out of date.
Add food close to use by date to next weeks meal plan.
Read more: How to organise your spices.
[wlchecklist name=’DeclutterDay5′]
ORGANISE – Pantry
Today’s organise task is to organise the pantry. However, I don’t want you to remove everything from your pantry as this can be a big job (please only do so if you have the time). Instead, today let’s spend time tidying and reorganising to make it more manageable.
Below are images from my new pantry, it’s a walk in, which appears to be the new thing in new homes these days.
The top shelves stores large plasticware (such as dip serving dishes, large tupperware), I hide away rarely used items such as disposable plates and cutlery in the white baskets (from Kmart), and extra products I purchase when they are on special. On the floor are some plastic drawers from Ikea, I keep muffin paper cases, plastic bags, whole packets of nuts (I buy extra when I see them on special, once open they go in the containers mentioned below), zip lock bags etc.
My favourite part of the pantry would be my new Ikea 365+ Plastic Food Containers. I use them for all my nuts, baking chocolate and dried fruit. They have a flip lid to for easy access. I am yet to label them all, just trying to find the right solution as I wasn’t happy with what I started doing.
I still continue to use my Tuppererware containers, which I have had for a good 8+ years, I can’t fault their quality and I really like the shapes of these ones below, perfect to hold biscuits, crackers, rice cakes etc for kids lunchboxes.
On the left of the top shelf shown below i have two plastic baskets, one with muesli bars and the other with potato chips. I make my kids healthy lunchboxes, but do allow them treats like this every now and then. Plastic stackable turntable is great for all my different cooking essences etc.
Plastic stackable turntable is also great for spices. I actually prefer this than the tiered shelf (available from Kmart or Howards Storage World) next to it, as I am so short I can’t see the names on the spices behind.
I keep my oils in these large plastic tubs from Kmart, makes it easier to divide my sauces and spices keeping it tidy, but also easier to wipe and clean up any spills.
I keep our recycling on the floor in the pantry in a plastic storage tub, which is easy to wash out if it gets sticky.
You will find some great ideas in this post where I helped a reader create an organised pantry on a budget
[wlchecklist name=’OrganiseDay5′]
Plus, more great ideas on pantry organising:
- A guide to Tupperware Modular Mate sizes for an organised pantry
- More inspiring pantry ideas
- Clear the clutter from your fridge, details of how I have made this board
- Before and After of how reader Victoria organised her spices
- 5 tips for a healthier pantry
- You will find a complete post here, including video of the storage I used for my old pantry
- What to do with open packets in the pantry
NEW HABIT – Tidy the kitchen bench
Immediately put rubbish in the bin
Once something is rubbish or ready to be recycled put it straight into the bin, then and there, not later because later sometimes never comes and this is how a pile accumulates and gets out of control. Be it paper on your office desk (create a recycling bin close by), tags from new clothing left on your dresser, lolly wrappers left on the bench, food on dirty dishes should be scrapped straight into the bin.
[wlchecklist name=’NewHabitDay5′]
5 MINUTES ONLY – Tidy the kitchen bench
Tidy the kitchen bench. Let’s maintain the great work you did at the beginning of the week.
[wlchecklist name=’5minutesonlyDay5′]
DOWNLOAD
Print the daily sheet to keep for reference while you are completing the above tasks.
- DAY 5 DAILY TASK SHEET – file behind ‘Daily Task’ divider – click to download.
156 comments
Done, yay 🙂
Hi Kat
I am really enjoying the 20 Days to organise and clean the house, my house is really starting to look and feel great.
I haven’t received today’s tasks for the challenge, can you please send it to me.
Hopefully you received it last night Julie, sorry about the delay. So pleased you are enjoying the challenge.
Finally my ‘out of date food purge’ is complete. I’m horrified by how much I have thrown out but am loving how much more organised my little kitchen feels already.
Fantastic Julie! It is amazing how quickly things seem to build up in our pantries and then go out of date before we know it!
So far this week this challenge has been enlightening. I used to approach ‘cleaning the house’ as having to clean the entire house from top to bottom in one go which is completely overwhelming… and obviously resulted in a messy house! I am loving the new routine and our house already feels calmer and more peaceful. Hubby is totally on board and has been ensuring the kitchen is sparkling every evening AND he has been tidying up after himself when he makes his lunch and breakfast in the mornings. Wonders never cease.
Cleaning all the floors in one go makes so much sense and took no time, rather than cleaning them at the end of each room clean…
Absolutely wonderful news to hear, Eleanor! So very happy to hear hubby is no board and helping you out. And yes i totally hear what you are saying, a beautiful clean home does bring calm and peace.:)
After I moved the bed to vacuum under it I got distracted by shampooing marks off the bedroom carpet. One day/ Then yesterday I extended the carpet cleaning to our stairs/ Was exhausted and now behind on challenge but both jobs really needed to get done.
Perfectly ok Lesley.:) Sound like to me you have done a wondeful job and please remember that if you are a little behind it is ok. You are a life time member so you can go back and redo at your pace or when you have a little free time.
Is there a download checklist for Day 5? It only shows the links for the daily sheets.
Hi Sharon, no, it’s an easy one today just pick up the clutter, vacuum and mop. 🙂
OMG – I just went through my herb and spice cupboard. Threw away loads of out of date stuff including a jar of allspice that was 12 years old. I am suitably embarrassed!
LOL Oh Julie you did give me a little laugh.:) Don’t be embarrassed these things happen, the good thing is now it is beautifully tidy.:)
Been flat out with the school Fair coming up next week, spent 4hrs at school today working on that, so other than sweeping all the hard floors and vac’ing 1/2 the house, that’s all I’ve managed for Friday’s list. Got 3 extra kids overnite tonite too, so didn’t really want to mop till they’ve gone back to their respective homes! Hoping to do some catching up on the weekend (inbetween an 8-hr work shift, and a 27km overnight walk in training for Oxfam Trailwalk in April!). Maybe I can sleep in on Monday!
Oh dear Janine you sound like one super busy lady!.:) Yes i would have done the same as you and left my floors until after the kiddies had gone home. I hope you got your well deserved sleep today.:)
Yay for sleep-in day, and yay for kids home as they again helped me to do the floors vac’d and mopped, still behind on a few tasks from last week, but needing to do the bathrooms today (day 6) as they are well due for it!
perfect tasks to get the kids to help you.
Well what a week cleaning and organising. My house is starting to look more inviting. Just need to make sure the areas that have been done stay clean and tidy. Cleaning the floors is quite a big job but I did manage to organise half of my pantry. I am really loving having tasks to do everyday. My question though is how do we make sure these things are regularly cleaned. Do we set up daily, weekly and monthly chores? It is great to clean and organise everything I just want to make sure it stays that way.
Hi Andrea, Once the challenge is completed and you have tackled all the areas in your home you will find it so much easier ti stay on top of things. Yes then you can work out a cleaning system that works and fits in your your family and work schedules. i.e Mondays- bathrooms, Tuesdays – Kitchen. That sort of thing.
I’m glad we have the weekend to catch up on tasks as I haven’t completed all the tasks on most days…….
it’s a good time to catch up, but don’t forget to relax a little too!!
Me neither! Tomorrow is another day!