Hi friends! I’ve been asked a lot how I maintain our house with the cream colored rugs/curtains when we have two dogs and a rabbit! I’m sure that question is going to come along even more often after this baby boy get his legs under him since we have no intention of changing out those pieces, and things are bound to get even more messy. We shall see how that goes- HA! Today I’m going to share a few ways that I clean things sparkly, clean and healthy for our family. There are three basic strategies we have that help us maintain our home and sanity (both Lou and I come a bit undone when the house is a mess, although admittedly I can tolerate a bit more chaos than he can). Ok fine, I can tolerate a lot more mess but when things are grimy, that’s when I hit my limit and start cleaning like a woman possessed! Here’s how we manage it:
Cut the Clutter- This is my number one recommendation for keeping a tidy house because if there are piles of stuff everywhere it doesn’t matter how much time you spend scrubbing, it will feel messy. Doing a serious edit of your belongings, often, is a wise investment in tidying time, in my opinion! This includes kitchen cabinets, closets, junk drawers and all other misc storage spaces as well as the usual suspects- counter tops, table tops and coffee tables! It’s so easy to just stash stuff with the out of sight out of mind idea but when your storage spaces start to become dysfunctional because of the amount of things crammed into them, even a deep cleaning won’t get you the relief you deserve! So, get to sorting through those drawers and closets you’ve been avoiding, sell or donate what you no longer need/love and feel the freedom you can experience in having less! I promise you won’t miss the stuff but you’ll love the extra space it leaves behind!
Vacuum, Vacuum, Vacuum some more! With a dog who sheds YEAR ROUND LIKE IT’S HER 24 HOUR JOB, I can’t even begin to tell you how important a vacuum is to our routine! We bring out the big guy for a full house vacuum at least twice a week, and use the little guy for in between cleanings, curtains and all our other above-floor vacuum needs. We recently upgraded to the Oreck Elevate Conquer Power Team (the upright and handheld) and they’ve been a lifesaver- especially during my pregnancy induced allergy fits! Both are excellent at rounding up all the dog fur with ease. The HEPA filtration traps 99.97% of the tiniest particles that we’re itching to get rid of, including mold spores, pollen, dander and dust. And all of that nastiness is locked up when their SaniSeal System automatically closes upon disposal- which gives me peace of mind. And thankfully, it’s lightweight, which has been another lifesaver during this pregnancy when hauling around this belly feels like enough work already! I swear it’s our diligence in regular vacuuming that keeps these rugs around- we wear shoes in the house and with two dogs who can’t be bothered to clean up a single bit after themselves (outrageous, right?!) you would think they’d be a mess. But year after year they hold up! I thank our diligent vacuum routine for that one…
Bi-weekly deep cleanings- Inevitably there are spaces that are just plain old neglected in our house on the regular, like the bathroom, because they’re our least favorite to clean and land at the bottom of our priority list. This is why bi-weekly deep cleanings are critical for us. We can maintain pretty well with light cleaning for a couple of weeks but then if we don’t commit to a few hours of scrubbing things will get downright unpleasant, quickly. My strategy for these deep cleaning sessions is to play music, loudly, and tackle it as a family. There’s something so satisfying about finishing up a deep cleaning and getting to enjoy a sparkly house! Saturday morning is my favorite time for this project- it opens up the rest of the weekend for enjoying the space exactly as we love it most!
Ok, so those are my strategies for keeping things in order around our house. Any tips or tricks you have that I should know about?! I’d love to hear them!! xx- Sarah
This post was produced in partnership with Oreck. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that keep a roof over our heads!
I love that your animals all match each other and the rug! So cute 🙂
Thank you Sara!!! I didn’t intend to have matching animals when our second dog found us, but after they looked so cute together I decided to stick with the color scheme! 🙂
Besides your house that is impressive, getting all the animals posing for the photo at the same time is beyond impressive!! 😉
HAHAHA! Thank you Elzette! I honestly have no idea why they’re so good at posing- this photo took less than 2 minutes to get. It’s like they know that if they cooperate they can all get back to their relentless lounging. HA!
I’m amazed, I’d love for you to one day share Pepito’s living space, we have 2 buns and we are constantly vacuuming and cleaning up the hair and hay from every nook and cranny in the house. That along with keeping their litter boxes clean is a full time cleaning job and you make it look effortless! You will make an amazing mom.
Bunnies are so messy, I feel your hay pain! Pepito lives in our office at night but has house privileges/yard privileges when we can supervise. I swear by this litter box from KW cages: https://www.kwcages.com/accessories/litter-boxes/rabbit-litter-box-lg-16-75-x-12-x-7-5.html for helping to keep his mess to a minimum. But still, I do a light vaccuum in the office every morning! Please trust, it’s not effortless but it does keep us sane! 🙂
This is great! I have a cleaning task list – things that I do daily (i.e. on certain days of the week), weekly, monthly and quarterly. It helps me keep things tidy with our mess 18-month-old daughter and it never gets too out of hand if I do a little cleaning each day.
Oooh, I like it! Do you have them noted on your calendar with reminders? I like this idea! Although I do worry that I’d just dismiss the reminders and not do the chores (monkey covering eyes emoji). 🙂
Vacuum vacuum and vacuum some more – this is what I do and I must say I even line it 🙂
It’s a bit satisfying isn’t it?! And maybe a little meditative!! 🙂
LOVELY DRESS! I have to say, you totally strike me as someone who would absolutely have a cleaning person. I do and it is a sanity saver. Just twice a month, but I would give up any number of extras in my life before I would give up having someone to clean straight through and present my home back to me. After the baby comes, you might want to seriously consider. It is a mood game changer! (We both are still tidying and cleaning all the time, but it is just not the same!)
We have had cleaning services from time to time and I do really love it!!! But it’s not always financially feasible for us- or I guess we don’t make it a priority. But I agree, it’s such a great luxury and there’s nothing like coming home to a clean house without having to do the work!!! 🙂
By the way, I never had one until a had a child…starting around age two or three. I just felt tired from constantly picking up kid clutter and cleaning kid messes etc. etc etc. to actually clean in a real way. It is $100 here in Brooklyn… I regret not springing for it when she was a baby. You guys might just be tidier though!
Love your pet pic, it’s hilarious. 🙂 They are all adorable but my heart belongs to the rabbit. Since vacuuming is key, what about adding a roomba to the mix? It could lighten your load (and entertain the animals).
I know, I’m OBSESSED with the rabbit!!! It’s ridiculous how much time I spend cuddling him every day!!! 🙂
I tried a roomba years ago- didn’t care for the amount of noise it made and felt bad leaving it on when we left the house to terrorize the dogs. 🙂 I love the idea of them but I just don’t think they’re for our family.
I love this photo – your pets are like “thanks mom!”. I have a 115 lb yellow lab, 2 cats and a new baby boy in the mix so I definitely get it. I think having a good cleaning routine in place prior to your little one arriving is a great idea as life certainty gets a little more hectic (but it’s doable)!
Thanks for sharing! You look beautiful, as always! I love that dress! Would you mind sharing where it’s from? I’m also expecting my first and am always on the hunt for a comfortable yet stylish dress!
I do and it is a sanity saver. Just twice a month, NFL Snapback Hats but I would give up any number of extras in my life before I would give up having someone to clean straight through and present my home back to me.