Clean House

Keeping my house clean has been an issue for me the last year.  It probably shouldn't be as much of a frustration as it is.  My first job in college was cleaning the dorm bathrooms (there are many stories there that could make you lose your lunch but I will refrain).  My side job post-college was cleaning 2 houses.  I think I'm a pretty good, thorough cleaner and heaven knows I have lots of experience.  Ironic thing is that as a newly married woman, cleaning was my least favorite thing to do, so I just didn't do it.  My poor Man.  Hey, I can overlook black mildew in my shower.  Those cob webs up there in that corner....that's just my Halloween decorations.  Pink in my toilet?  Didn't even notice it.

Shameful, I know.

I think I've learned to love a clean house and so I strive for it yet try not to obsess over it.  Living in the country with 8 people in one house equals nothing but dirty house.  And so that is my challenge.  I've read the books from the library about speed cleaning, refreshed myself on Don Aslett's professional cleaning book and tried many systems and charts.  They all have gone by the wayside.  Now that I'm only homeschooling before lunch time each day (kindergarten "let's out" early), I should have more time to focus on keeping the house clean.

My Man suggested I just do a little everyday - say an hour - as my goal.  Sounds good, but will I really make that a priority or will it just become stressful?  I have a large house - over 5,000 square feet, so cleaning it is very time consuming.

Last week I jotted some notes to try it out.  I broke my downstairs into zones.  Each day I did a zone, top to bottom and then left out my cleaning supplies hidden in a corner.  I got the downstairs done well in 5 days.  That leaves the school room (over garage) and the upstairs.  I told the Fish Sticks that they would be responsible to clean the upstairs with my help and supervision every other Saturday.  They all have a rotation chart posted on the back of their door.  As for the school room, I can do that on the off Saturday.

Then my sister sent me this link.  Later that week I read this link.  I liked both ideas, although I am assuming that both these women have smaller houses than I do.  So there's my homemaking challenge.  What's yours?  Do you have a great cleaning schedule to pass on?