It’s an overcast and somewhat rainy day here in the Midwest and it’s clear that we are in a seasonal transition. Summer has left its mark and boy was it a good one, full of newborn snuggles and family adventures. As sweet as that time was, we are eager for cooler temperatures, for morning walks amongst the crunchy autumn leaves, stews for supper, and more sturdy routine when it comes to how we structure our days. I am also ready to spend more time sharing here too in this journal of mine.
Stella will be starting preschool next week (!) and so I have been spending our most recent days figuring out what our new rhythm will look like here at home. One way I am able to clear my mind and really reflect is to have a clean and tidy space. Since we have been in our home for one year now, I have been able to really find a proper place for everything, cleaning tools being no exception. Because scrubbing and tidying and organizing is part and parcel of a stay at home mama’s job, I have made it a point to be intentional in finding joy in those tasks. Such things like beautiful but practical tools with easy accessibility help make my time cleaning more enjoyable. With alfie wrapped up and snug on my chest, and the older two running about the yard or watching an episode of Peter Rabbit, I’ll start my cleaning routine by making something in the crock pot for supper. Tonight we are having thai curry chicken over coconut rice, an easy favorite.
I like crock pot meals on days when I am giving everything a good scrub because the clean up after we eat is nothing more than a few plates and some silverware. The mess of meal-making is taken care of throughout the day as our supper cooks in one little pot. No mess and time to do other things! That makes me happy. After having prepared our supper, I’ll throw on some music, usually David Gray or Louie Armstrong or Patsy Cline, and diffuse oils around our home to help cleanse the air. Today I did a mixture of thieves, nutmeg, and orange oil. Not only does it smell like Autumn in our home, but it gets rid of pesky germs, too. A real win-win.
After having set the stage for my cleaning spree, I’ll start with the dishes, do all surface areas, and sweep and mop the floorboards. I’ll put a couple of drops of lemon oil on a warm wet rag and scrub everything down, no counter top being left unscrubbed. Sometimes I’ll substitute thieves oil for this, it just depends on my mood. Lemon helps cut the grease so I tend to use that more often in the kitchen. When moping the floors, I’ll add a few drops of tea tree oil to the mop rag and several drops of orange to make them shine and smell lovely. At the end of my cleaning routine, I’ll soak my brushes in a mixture of vinegar, water, and essential oils (today I used rosemary) to keep them fresh and clean.
During this time I’ll do a load or two of laundry, adding purification oil to the wash and spraying lavender mist on clothes when they’ve dried. Now that we have three little ones, laundry is a daily task, so keeping up with that is a must for my mental clarity. Aiming for one load a day has been the trick to keeping things manageable around here. And then there’s the bathrooms, my least favorite. I’ll do these one a week, often times neglecting the shower and leaving that for a twice a month job. I should probably scrub the tiles in there more often, but I don’t. On the days that I do get to those tiles, I’ll also wash our sheets and top layers of bedding. Since most of it is white I am able to put it all together using a non-bleach alternative to get them looking really white. The Laundress makes a good one. If it is sunny on days that I get to this chore, I’ll line dry our linens. If not, a good tumble in the dryer is good, too.
Where my cleaning supplies & tools are from:
– essential oils // Young Living
– wood shaker peg rack // The Container Store
– large broom // Home Goods
– french market bag to house rags // gifted back in college
– blue rag // Schoolhouse Electric
– black dust pan // an amish store in Iowa, a gift from my mom
– ivory dust pan // World Market
– duster // Ikea
– laundry brush // The Laundress
– dish scrub brushes // Season and Square, a store here in Kansas City
So there you have it. It’s moments spent doing such cleaning tasks around our home that help recharge me as a mom. Since we live pretty simply and have eliminated clutter when we moved here, it takes about an hour, sometimes two, to really clean it. Keeping up with this routine several times a week also helps keep that time to a minimum, rather than forgoing cleaning for many days and having to tackle one big mess, taking hours away from our day. I have found that this all works well for us. It gives me time to clear my head and also make our home a place we truly enjoy.
Amy - I love reading about how you clean your home. I was wondering if you could give a little more detail about cleaning your wooden brushes. I just got a dish brush like yours and am not sure how to keep it germ-free. How often do you soak it in vinegar and for how long, etc. Thanks so much. Your blog is lovely.
admin - Amy, I am working on a post detailing our cleaning pantry items and that will go into more about the brushes we have and use! To clean them however, I use a mixture of 1/2 water & 1/2 vinegar in the kitchen sink and let them soak for a few hours. I do this maybe once every two weeks or so. I replace our brushes as needed, probably every 6 months or so for the ones I use daily. Hope this helps, dear! x Amanda
Jackie - Love love this post. Just discovered your blog recently actually.
I’m wondering if you could share what products/materials you use to clean your bath tub. I use a brush and it requires a lot of effort. Thinking I’m doing something wrong….Or at least that’s what I’m convincing myself to get out of doing it 😉
Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks in advance
admin - Jackie, thank you so much! I plan on doing a post soon about my cleaning pantry with links and such. In the mean time, I use Thieves Household cleaner + baking soda + vinegar and a good scrub brush! x Amanda
Amy - Thank you! That is exactly what I wanted to know. Looking forward to your next post.
mackayla - Your cleaning tips and tricks are so helpful! One thing I’m wondering about is how you clean your hardwood floors? I have them throughout my home, but have yet to give them a good scrubbing until I find a simple, proper way to do so. Thanks so much!
Cassie - I was just reading about how you clean your brushes and I was thinking about how I clean my wooden cutting boards and thought I might apply that to wooden brushes as well…? I scrub my cutting boards with hot hot hot water and castile soap. Scrub scrub scrub. Hot hot hot. Then I leave them out in the sun to bleach and sanitize for several hours on each side. Just a thought for the wooden part of the brushes?!
admin - Cassie – A great idea! I have been using vinegar as a soak as well and then hot hot hot water…the idea for them to bleach in the sun is a good one. Thank you! xx Amanda
Amy - Hi Amanda,
I am a long time follower and am continuously inspired by you and the simple, meaningful life that you lead at home with your family (I mean that as the biggest compliment)! I too find white the most soothing and comforting colour. When I first renovated and moved into my now home, I had many others second guessing my choice to paint all of the walls white. They thought it would look to stark and clinical. But I knew I had made the right choice and after some time (and some simple accessorizing), they too came to their senses! As for the cleaning brushes, unfortunately, I live in a very small town and finding them is very hard. I also live in Canada, so shipping from an American website can be quite pricey. Do you know of any Canadian retailers that sell similar products?
Thank you so very much, Amanda, and I look forward to reading your blog for many many years to come!
Amy xx
Rebekah - Can you expand on mopping? Do you do this daily and what type of mop do you use? Do you use soap or just water and oils?
I didnt grow up with parents who mopped and I’m trying to learn all of this stuff because I hate how my floors feel. THanks
Maid to Clean MT - Your place looks amazing! You do a great job!!