Home Blessing Hour

Home blessing hour you may be saying, what is this??
It is a "flylady" thing Finally Loving Yourself. Check out her web site.
http://www.flylady.net/
She helps you to organise yourselves, home and lives through routines and great self boosting ways.
I have been using her systems adapted to suit me (it is an American site) for three years now. She helped me to learn to de clutter and alter/make my routines.

One of her routines is the Home Blessing Hour. (HBH)
Once a week on a Monday I go around the house and do a basic clean. It is supposed to take one hour but I spend a bit longer sometimes - well most but I know its done in at least an hour and a half.
Its a good feeling to know these basic things are done each week. Flylady also works on a different "zone" in the house each new week so you are always on top of the cleaning.

Home Blessing Hour
Change sheets on beds
Sort recycling (recycling day every second Tuesday)
Empty rubbish bins (rubbish day Tuesdays)
Clean mirrors and door windows
Dust with a feather duster
Polish wooden furniture
Vacuum
Mop
Clean fireplace (In the winter)

I have always done a main wash on a Monday so this suited well.
I do all the towels and bath mats if they haven't been done this day too.
Surprisingly enough it tends to be fine on a Monday even in the winter most of the times so I very really have baskets of washing piling up, nor do I use the dryer much at all. Having had five children and only used cloth nappies it was just part of my day to do two or three loads each day.
We had lines in the garage for nappies and sheets, and an old wooden fold out clothes horse that I still use. I also try to fold the washing as I take it off the line - saves double handling.

Getting the rubbish and recycling sorted and out, helps to stop build ups of clutter.

A quick whiz around the house with a feather duster gets rid of most of the surface dust as well as in-between things or items up high e.g. pictures, light shades, with out having to move things. I use an ostrich feather duster (like my mother used) available from Mitre 10 or Mega stores. A good clean of the surfaces is done at different times when I do a zone.

Doing mirrors and door windows just makes the place feel brighter and so does polishing my "real" wooden tables.

The vacuming and mopping is just a quick surface clean (I vacum again later in the week) and thorough floor cleans are done at zone weeks too.

If you do join Flylady be aware that you get emails each day (up to about 6) but you don't have to read them and just be in control with your mouse and click them away, but they are good to remind you until you are confident in the routines you want to stick to. She also has a forum you can join.

It's good to "bless" the house on Monday after everyone has been home in the weekend and when it's finished I sit and relax with a cuppa not having to look at mess!!