Emergency Quick Clean Up | When Your House is Chaos

Today I’m sharing this post from a few years ago.

Well, today is Sunday. Which for me, generally means, getting the house back in shape if I am behind – which, today I am very behind. We spent nearly everyday last week working in the garden/ yard. I’ll share pictures of that later! I don’t think I have ever worked so hard in my life! Well, physically, anyway. Thankfully I have no pulled muscles and seem to be no worse for the wear.

I like being at home. Today it is raining – a true blessing because that means that whatever work is still awaiting me outside will have to wait until another day. That means I can devote the entire day to puttering around the house, cleaning, and making my home a haven for my family. Sometimes I use Sundays for rearranging things and “re-decorating” the house. I look forward to Sundays.

Today, we will be getting the house back in order after not just one week, but two weeks of being outside or just out of the house. It is unusual for me to be gone, but the week before last, I had appointments everyday of the week! I am in need of some home rejuvenation. So, how do I go from chaos to calm in less than a day?

How to Go from Chaos to Calm in Less Than a Day

This is only for the determined spirit, believe me! If you are easily distracted or overwhelmed, be sure to ask God for self-discipline and strength. A messy house is depressing. You will feel much, much better when it is all done! Believe me, I know!

1. Gather up the children.

2. Turn off the internet, television, video games, and any other distraction that may keep you and your children preoccupied.

3. Decide which room to begin with. I like to begin with the kitchen/ dining area of my home.

4. Assign each child a task within the room or just bark er, nicely give orders to the children such as:

• “Put this away.”
• “Scrub this wall, here is the cleaner and the Magic Eraser.”
• “Dust this book shelf.”
• “Quickly!”
• “Let’s move!”

Anyway, you get the idea. Don’t let anyone finish a job without it being immediately replaced with a new one and don’t let one child work intentionally slow. Be sure to follow up with lots of praise!

5. Complete one room before moving to the next.

I generally save bedrooms for last and then we will either all clean each others rooms together or I will have the children work on their own space. Even the messiest rooms will be whipped into shape within 15 – 30 minutes if everyone works together and works efficiently.

I plan to have a “Ice Cream Sundae Bar” tonight to celebrate the hard work and the clean house! Maybe we’ll even enjoy a movie night and some scrapbooking….