I think you're nailing it at being an attentive and loving mom, and that's what's most important. My sons are now 29 and 30, and I regret all the time I spent trying to have a super clean house. Housework is always going to be there, but little ones won't. You are a fantastic mom!
@@ThatAwkwardMom i really love that you set aside some time every day for the child and when that time is up the child knows that play time is over because mom has other stuff to do...
I agree. My mother has been in constant motion - cleaning, cooking, etc. for 60 years. I have no memories of her ever sitting down to watch tv, read with us, play video games or anything. She'd sit down to eat dinner for a few minutes and pop back up to start the dishes. Spring and Fall cleaning meant moving all furniture and washing every wall. My father worked 2 jobs so when he got home he'd watch tv with us on occasion. Now at 79 years old my mother still can't sit through a 22 minute sitcom. I would prefer memories of her spending time with us instead of clean windows. My sons are grown now and I have a cluttered house but I have spent tons of time with them playing, reading, talking, taking walks, cuddling each other and the pets. A clean home is nice but a happy family is most important! Awkward Mom - you are doing great!
@Anagrams458 I'm very similar! A clean and tidy home brings me calm and peace. If mama ain't calm mama might be a little on edge. 😂😂 as my kids have gotten older I find that I clean in spurts and take little breaks to make sure they see they're getting my attention.
This is the realest video I have ever seen. And it also shows me that I am not the only one struggling to keep a house as clean as I did before children. New mom here and I approve this video!
I have the same laundry routine since the last 16 years, and Laundry has never been a problem. I have a dishwasher but still I do wash all dishes manually, it is a great stress buster, honestly.
for your 5 minute pickup - Clutterbug (Cas Arson) tip, habit stack your 5 minute pick ups - just before time to make lunch with kids at home? 5 minute pick up prior to making lunch... 5 minute pick up before making dinner... I think Cas does a nighttime routine before bed. You're rockin' this Mom stuff. Glad UA-cam suggested. - Gotta go do my dishes.
For full time workers if once a week laundry isn’t helpful. I’ve found that putting a load of laundry after work. Switch to dryer before bed. Folding in the morning. Repeat if you have more loads.
Keeping home clean this way is same as my mom she always tell me if you snack get up and wash whatever you used this way disges won't collect. Everyone in our house uses one or 2 pots or galss they wash it right after use . This way kitchen is clean we do same about laundry as well once a week
Have you watched The Secret Slob? She does something she calls a 5x5 where she picks 5 rooms and cleans them for 5 minutes each. It's really helped me before. But she also has lots of other videos based off of the Fly Lady system.
I actually like to rinse a dish and set it in the dishwasher. That accumulates throughout the day. Ones dinner is finished and done eating we all rinse out on dishes and put them in the washer. Before bed I would put them away. Any left over dishes from end of dinner to almost bedtime gets placed in the dishwasher for next day. Not in the sink not a worry. As long as they are rinsed. With everyone rinsing their own dish (only to keep clumps of food from getting hard or just dropping accumulating in the filter) and placing it in the washer, no one person really truly does the dishes.
I think the intent of the 5 min cleanup is that if u start w 5 min, once u start, u would just keep going and do as much as u can until its done, or hav time for. But even doing 5 min helps.
For my laundry day I like to head to the laundromat. We have a nice clean one in our area, and it's all done in 1 1/2 hours. Just take it home to fold and you have the rest of the day!
This sounds like a pretty decent routine to get into… I just don’t think that it should be your first routine. Something that you have to fill out mostly by yourself is not a good idea for somebody who is new at this sort of thing. You wouldn’t really know what categories to put in there, unless you have experience with other routines. Not to mention as somebody who is new to trying to get more regular at cleaning, you wouldn’t have quite the discipline to keep working on something like that. Something that guides you like the fly routine is better. This would probably be the third or fourth routine I get into.
Those rust stains. I take a wet folded paper towel and lay it on stain, then pour some bleach onto wet towel. Let it sit for some time. Maybe a couple hours. I have to do this on my kitchen sink sometimes.
I love DKW!!! She literally changed my life when I became disabled. My entire life went up in smoke, I couldn't even get out of bed. Then I found Dana and I would make myself get out of bed and "just do the dishes", but not everyday. Some days I physically couldn't do them, so maybe every 2-3 days I forced myself to do the dishes. As I got better I would add a very small task. I am so close to having it under control and that's a major accomplishment for me. Thank you Dana K White 😘😘😘💓
I feel ya. Just found DKW a month ago, still doing laundry day 1. :/ But, my life went up in smoke 3 years ago and I'm still working on getting it under control. ME/CFS, MCAS, POTs, checking for Crohns in 2 weeks, small fiber neuropathy, fibromyalgia... list goes on and on. Covid, for me, is the gift that just keeps giving. It's so hard, but DKW has helped me accept 5 minutes of progress on my bad days, is still 5 minutes better than if I had done 0. Best wishes on finding your groove with whatever you have going on!
@@fp1912 you will love her! She's also written several books. Decluttering at the Speed of Life is one, but my favourite is How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind. She's really funny, too!
I live by this. It keeps guests with kids super comfortable and happy as well. Everyone has a great time together. Some days the house is emasculate but every day it's a home. ❤
Ty for sharing this! I spend so much time spinning my wheels around cleaning things that I miss out on actually living life. I’m working on it, and this way of describing balance is just awesome ❤❤❤
I was raised in the South and my mama always said to "Keep yourself and your home like you're expecting company." This is because people tend to drop in a lot in the South, and God forbid you are caught looking like slob!
True that.... Rachael H! LOL However, that is the most important time to do so because kids must go to school and sit next to "peers". Having a clean house that doesn't smell like rancid, greasy, old food and cigarettes... which sticks to the clothing and hair, and then sending that child off to school to become the target of much teasing... is so much more important! I have been involved in our local crisis pregnancy center for over 22 years, and you can SMELL exactly how "clean" my clients houses/cars are, in the first 15 seconds after they walk in, and how that smell fills the counseling rooms while there and after they leave... unless we go spray it! If all parents could SEE that, knowing how cruel kids can be, they would all go that extra mile.
I glad you found Dana's dishes and laundry advice helpful. She changed my life by pointing out that organizing and decluttering are two separate things, and decluttering comes first. This was a mind-blower for me. Now my house is transforming before my eyes each week.
I think Dana concentrates on dishes and laundry because, if they're not done, life comes to a standstill, with nothing to wear and nothing to cook with/eat from. Her container concept literally changed my life. Her books are amazing, and her routine also fits well with Flylady.
@@kristinauhrl6983 Her book or a video from dana k white would give a better explanation. But in a nutshell, everything in your house (rooms, closets, shelves, boxes, cabinets, etc) including your house itself is a container. You assign a place to like items and then only keep as many of that item as will fit in its container. So for me, i have room for 3 bookshelves. I put my favorites and work related ones in place first and when the shelves were filled the rest got donated. The container was full. Maybe a little bit of mind games, but it made it so much easier for me to give away books and other items i'd had a hard time parting with in the past.
@@AB-zr8pu I would be getting another bookshelf LoL But I'm also a pile person and don't filter new books into my collection (therefore onto shelves) until I'm confident I will either reread them/want to loan them to friends/reference them in my work/they have sentimental value such as being signed or first editions.
I think you are the most relatable mother I've ever seen online. First video of yours I've seen but you've gained a subscriber. Looking forward to more content from you.
Give her container concept a try. I love it, I've tried it with my daughter and she's getting to understand that there's a limit to be able to keep and maintain clean/ organized. I love it! But I do use the quarantine(time away) box before getting rid of. That's from minimal mom
The container concept has gotten us to the point that we can usually tidy the main floor in 3 minutes, with two littles (4&2) “helping” … it takes longer if we include the kitchen, but not a lot longer. It’s glorious!
Oh my goodness, I’m in the Take Your House Back course group with Dana, Cas from Clutterbug & Dawn from Minimal Mom and they were just chatting about you and this video! Cas said she wants to do a collab with you & Dawn was saying how much she loves you!! 🎉❤ I love seeing your audience grow so much! I found you because of trying to figure out fly lady and stayed for your wonderful personality & perspective. ❤
Dana is the first to admit she's not a cleaning or organizing expert. The key to her "system" (besides doing the dishes) is to declutter down to the point where you *can* get your house put back together in 5 minutes. I love laundry day, too! It's paradoxical, but the more loads I have to do, the more likely I am to get all the laundry washed, dried, and put away.
Yes, yes! Was coming here to say that. Dana never says she’s a cleaning expert. I suspect she put in the routines because of people begging her for it….like people begged you to review her system! I also have to say, that baby….What a charmer! She’s watching you and when you make eye contact, she just lights up.
Or if you have hobbies and things that require a lot of items, ORGANIZEEEE!! You gotta be able to throw things into their home, not AT their home. The boxes will be organized eventually or you’ll manage, but having containers and boxes for things is a major life saver
I highly recommend listening to Dana’s podcast! It helped ground me through cleaning during depression. Also, nice way to give motivation to clean since she is so not judgmental and super realistic.
depression is crippling that's when I started watching g these shows its like I needed someone to tell me how to put 1 foot in front of the other. I have recovered & I learned alot of great tips from the ladies she has recommended 😊
The 5 minute tidy is genius! I LOVE that it is only 5 minutes: I can convince myself to start, knowing that it is only 5 minutes. I try to do a 5 minute tidy in the morning, afternoon, and evening. I have 6 kids, so I find it necessary to do more than just once a day 😅
I want to do this with my kids. Let them have a 5 minute tidy or maybe 10 minutes. Right now our routine is all out of whack with homeschool and other things. They’ve been sick a lot here lately. But I’m working on it.
@@ritadyer9295 may I suggest u try a 5 minute pick up at first. And, following Dana's advice, 5 minutes of time regardless of what they achieve. Resistance will be less when they believe you won't make it longer coz they didn't achieve much. At first you'll need to supervise their 5 mins and do your own 5 mins separately, but over time they will get better at it and be effective independently
When my kids were little, we did "commercial cleaning". We would watch a show they like, and run around giggling on commercial breaks, to tidy up a bit. It's AMAZING how much you can get done during the commercial breaks for one show, and the kids thought it was a game! I love little tricks like this!
Thought: when I had two kiddos a year apart, the crockpot was an enormous help. It frees up a huge block of time in the evening, saves a ton of dishes, and ends the dinner hustle. Even just getting the evening meal prepped in the morning takes a huge load off and keeps the home running smoothly.
Throw a crockpot liner in and cleanup is almost nonexistent. So much truth in this. For me, it was instant pot because I'd realize sometime after lunch that dinner was necessary...😅
Yeah, a weekly meal plan with two or three "flex" meals planned in (crockpot chili, soup I'd frozen two weeks before, shredded crockpot chicken to throw over rice) makes cooking so much less stressful. And you can honestly make really great, quick, healthy meals in a crockpot when you actually have energy in the morning, rather than trying to get it all done at 4 pm with screaming kids and a headache.
A *HUGE* time-saver tip for laundry: Keep everyone’s laundry separate. Rarely mix! Saves like 90% of laundry time by never needing to sort. Each person has a basket. Husband and I mix denim. But everything else is separate. Love it so much. Also, only keep one hamper for pulling clothes out of the dryer. No more baskets to take care of “later.” I also hang everything that can easily be hung. Less folding is a blessing.
As a SAHM with young kids, I would say that one 5-minute pickup per day is geared toward working parents with older kids (who can also do 5-minute pickups). So it only works in our house when we do 5-minute pickups at transition points (so a couple a day), like the end of an activity or before a meal.
@That Awkward Mom I think what you have shown me is that we can all create our own cleaning routine. There are certain areas that every agrees on-dishes, bed making, bathroom cleaning. Let's be honest. We rest better crawling into a made bed. It is easier to clean the kitchen/ dining room when dishes are done and a clean bathroom helps us stay clean. These three things make our homes close to company ready. I want to know what other routines you are wanting to review. I have looked at a 1950s housewife cleaning routine and I feel like it is all the routines combined into one.
I watched this a few weeks ago and was like “I think I can do this!” I have tried soooo many cleaning systems and just could not do it because it felt overwhelming. THIS VIDEO WAS AN ANSWER TO YEARS OF PRAYERS!! I not only have a routine (I did modify a little like you did), BUT I am sticking with it!! I am not sure why this one works when the others didn’t. But if you had not shared I would still be sitting in clutter and rush cleaning twice a year when we have guests. Now my house is always a pleasure for us NOW, not just twice.m a year - and I am giving myself grace during the decluttering part because there is a lot to go through. But 15 minutes a day (modified from the 5) has me making more and more progress than I ever have. Thank you!!!❤
Try Barkeepers Friend powder for the bathtub stain! Wet the area, sprinkle on the powder and let sit for a few minutes, and then scrub-the stain should lift that way! Loved the video-Dana K. White has been such a huge help to me in decluttering our home and helping take the stress out of that whole process! I was thinking on switching over to a laundry day as opposed to a load a day after hearing a friend mention how much success she has had with that, and seeing your video has given me an extra nudge to give it a go :).
My mom had one laundry day a week, and did all of our family's laundry that day. I tried for years to make that work for me, and for whatever reason it never did 🤷 so for me it was so freeing to have someone tell me to do a load every day. It works so much better for my easily distracted brain. I think the best cleaning advice anyone can give is just to find a routine that fits easily into your life and stick to it as best you can!
Monday was my mom's wash day. But it's easier to wash only one day when you have parents that today professionals would call minimalists. Having a smaller wardrobe helps with the wash loads. There were only three people in the household. Larger families, more loads of laundry. Alot of clothes, more loads of laundry (especially if you don't wash regularly).
@@tcllfk I'm a minimalist! We don't have much clothing, but there are 6 in our household. I think I do about 3 loads of clothes a week, one load of towels, and one of bedding. I feel like that's pretty minimal, but I still have to do 5 loads a week. That would take all day, and with little kids, I'm not guaranteed all day for anything 😂 one load a day is sanity saving. My favorite phrase is "one load a Day keeps the laundry monster away!"
I absolutely love your videos and your humor! I too have been following Dana and her friends Cass and the Minimal Mom. Lol 😆 Every night I would get home from work, all I can hear was...."Do Your dishes" 🤣 so Dana knows what she's talking about because that's the 1 thing I always do 1st, "Do your dishes!" 😆 Then declutter of course 😉
This is so funny to me because I had been trying to get all my laundry done in one day, and I never could manage to do it. It's because of your videos that I started doing one load a day, and it was such a relief to me! Funny how we're all different. I'm glad we both found something that works for each of us, and I'm very thankful for finding you and your channel. 💚
My goal is a load a day. Pretty much whatever is dirty that day. My son is always complaining he can’t find the right underwear. I will have everything clean and he will be whining. If I know I just washed then I can call his bluff. He’s 12 and going thru a growth spurt. The most in his life. He’s gone from a size 10 to 14 in a few weeks! He pretty emotional so I have to keep the “right” underwear clean. Next week he will want something different. Still aiming for a load a day with the kids and me. My husband wears uniforms and they get nasty so I do his once a week so I know all of his are clean for the week ahead!
Genuine question, how do you have enough laundry to do a full load a day? Is it just because you have small children or is there something else at play here? Since my partner and I don't have kids at most, we'd go through 2 sets of clothes a day, usually less. So I was always confused by the advice to wash laundry every day. Especially since growing up my mom did laundry at the laundromat once a week
@@JadeIsChronicallyTired great question! My kids are actually grown so it's just my husband and I. I don't do any laundry on Sunday. The rest of the week I do certain loads: my husband's work clothes, towels, gentle care clothes, etc. Occasionally, I may have just five items or so in a load, but I just set the load setting on the washer to Small or Medium. I am so much more on top of the laundry this way!
@@JadeIsChronicallyTired larger families may find it easier to deal with these tasks daily. Dark clothes, linens and towels, white clothes, lighter clothes, red clothes, outdoor work clothes, and the list goes on. One category per day instead of all at once, especially if the family is large and you are unable to devote a whole day to the task by washing at home with one machine and not a laundromat.
Funny story, I decided to try this and did all of my laundry today and it turns out I need more hangers. I guess it's been a long time since I had ALL of my laundry clean! 😂 But I do have a great sense of accomplishment and I'm looking forward to no more laundry for a week! Heck, I even have a clean bed!!! Thanks for the advice!
I think your next video should be a continuation of this routine. That way we can see if you're able to keep up w it and what else you've added to your list.
Dana changed my life...she has simple,common sense,ways to clean and declutter....there was no way I was going to declutter a closet by taking Everything out at once...I can't clean that way... Dana's way simple,open a closet,one item at a time,in garbage or donateable box,and take item where it belongs...simple..and do dishes, make bed,the rest seems to follow...love your videos 💕
I've moved to a "by person" laundry system so I don't have to sort clothes anymore. And we keep very small wardrobes so I do have to do it more often then once a week or we'd run out. Love your review! And my goodness that baby girl is SO precious 😍
So cool to see you trying Dana's system! She is my life guru totally made my life better. Her decluttering process is by far the best, logical one I've tried.
CLR stands for calcium, lime, and rust. Those are the stains it removes. Years ago we bought a house that had (I thought) a terrible problem with grout all over the bottom of the shower in one bathroom. It turned out to just be hard water deposits. Lots of applications of CLR, and a little bit of scrubbing, cleaned every bit. Love your content.
Yep, CLR cut through 15+ years of rust stains in my Grandmas bathrooms that no amount of scrubbing or bleach could even touch. All I did was spray it on, wait 15 minutes, and rinse it off. And the tub looked brand new again! It’s magical for rust!
I've combined Danas Methods (including Decluttering, so 5 minute pickups actually DO work for me now) with the Flylady Zone Cleaning. For me that means: dishes every night, 5 minute pickups (multiple per day!), 15 min of decluttering/zone cleaning daily and one laundry day per week. That way I get everything tidied AND clean. That is the ONLY thing that has gotten my house to a point where I can actually have guests over more or less ANYTIME... I have ADHD, have been a solb since childhood... I really hope the idea to combine those two systems helps someone else out there too! Sending love and decluttering energy to all of you
Everybody does love a Chunky Monkey! I loved watching the baby watch you! When I was a young mother I marveled at my cousin who never had laundry piled up. I asked her how she did it, she said "two or three loads every two or three days" I started doing the same and it worked for me too!
I have always felt that if my kitchen was a mess, then my house is too … so I have always tried to keep a clean kitchen. Hasn’t always happened but nevermind. I also generally like doing laundry and I absolutely hate throwing clean clothes into a pile and leaving them there … if I get my clothes in, then I must fold them straight away. I have done this since my early 20’s and I’m not far off 6p now. You would think that my house would be great with these two practices but I.HATE doing floors! lol. Oh how I hate floors!
Rust stains: Bar Keepers Friend. Make a paste and let it soak a little while. I love Dana K White. She is great for those who are overwhelmed. Try her no mess decluttering method when you are ready. 😊
I love how Dana talks about 5 minutes multiplied by the number of people in your family equals a lot more time. We have 8 kids. If everyone cleans up for 5 minutes, that’s 50 minutes (if all 10 of us help) of cleaning!! I also have laundry days. Mondays and Thursdays are laundry days. Start to finish. And if it drags to another day, I feel overwhelmed and all out of sorts haha!
When I was teen and my dad was military, we moved to Frankfurt, Germany and the housing/apts did not have washers and dryer hook ups in the apts. (didn’t have American tv hook ups either at first. Can you tel I’m old). Anyway, there were several washers and dryers in the basement. There were six apts in each stairwell. Three stairwells to a building. We had wash days assigned. If you needed to wash something and it wasn’t your day, you had to get permission from whoever’s day it was to use the washer assigned to you. So having a wash day and routine makes a lot of sense.
I like that. 2 laundry days sounds more doable for our family of four. I wash all through the week. But have friday to get all the work clothes and school uniforms done. But then that bleeds into clothes on the line till saturday. Not ideal for me
I have loved Dana for years!!! When I saw her name pop up on one of your videos I think my brain popped! She is remarkable! Have you started storing your food storage containers with the lids on? That has seriously changed my life. CHANGED MY LIFE! But, yes. I love her decluttering method. And I believe why her system works so well is that if you have those things down that can bring your house to a screeching halt: laundry, dishes, then when you do have time and energy, you aren't playing catch up with those giant tasks that take longer when you don't do regularly- she calls it dishes math. Dirty dishes take exponentially longer the more there are and how crusted they have become. Anyway, when you're not playing catch up with those you have the time to get to other areas that need attention and you have the energy to build other systems. I love her podcast. And I also read her blog from the beginning before her books came out. Her system just makes sense. And I love that you always know where to start. Dishes. Do the dishes. 😁 Anyway!! Great video! You're a beautiful mother and I'm so happy for you and I love your channel! I'll pray that some major appliance company will see your need for a dishwasher and give you one for a sponsorship (that happened for Dana!). Happy mothering/surviving all these crazy kids. (I have 4, and now strep has hit the house 😭. But I did the dishes! 😁)
Love Dana K White. She makes more sense than any other coaches for keeping your home looking decent. Stresses better, not perfection. My kind of woman!
After watching 3 of your other cleaning videos I made my own cleaning routine that fit my family’s needs and coincidentally it’s almost exactly identical to this routine! Lol I do all (or at least 70% of it) in 1 day, dishes are the first thing I do every morning, & I do a 15 minute clean up of a room. Bathroom is done every time the kids get a bath.
I totally agree about the laundry! Also, I HIGHLY recommend only washing your own clothes in the first load when there’s an overwhelming pile of clothes. Trust me, there’s just something so satisfying about an entire load of YOUR OWN clean clothes- plus your not likely to forget about it 😉. Selfish as it may be ha.
I’m glad you found a laundry system that works so well for you! It’s hard. I’ve always had a hard time doing a load a day from start to finish too. I’ve tried once a week but it was too overwhelming for me. I’ve found a happy medium of basically every other day. I wash and dry one day, then fold and put away the best, then another load the next. It spreads it out nicely and if I happen to wash and fold the same day great but if I can’t get to it then I’m not too worried.
I agree. There's only two people people in our house and we produce one load of darks, one colorful load a week and white load only every other week. It would make no sense to wash a load every day. If I keep up with the fold and put away to all my clothes are clean at the same time. It made me realize my closest is too full.
What I loved most about Dana's ideas is how she explained her reasons for doing things the way she did. I found the book and blog far more helpful than the cleaning routines.
I was a chaotic slob and finally started a cleaning routine when my kids were 11,8, 6, and 4. It was pretty a long road to train them and myself to keep it up. 8 years later the fruit is incredible. We’re def still kinda messy, but we know how to properly and speedily clean. No falling over, whining, getting overwhelmed, or hiding. I’m thankful. This aspect of adulthood isn’t going to be a burden for them like it used to be for me.
My mom worked full time. When we were old enough, she taught us how to do our own laundry, vacuum and clean our rooms. Saturdays were cleaning and laundry days for us and, once we were finished, the rest of the weekend was ours. Great training for adulthood and didn’t hurt us one bit ❤
I still prefer Flylady because I have an issue with being overwhelmed by a day of laundry and love a daily swish and swipe (plus the idea of putting things like "get dressed" on a todo list) but I love the prioritizing dishes by Dana K. White! Isn't it funny how different we all are??
The five minute pick up works best when you have decluttered to the point that the 5 minute pick up is possible. :) That's one of the ways we gauge if we need to "reduce the inventory." But if you're happy and don't feel a need to declutter, add a little extra time, sure!
For several years now, I've always dedicated Mondays to laundry. It's always worked really well for me, so I've always hated the "one load a day" advice.
I don’t have a washer and dryer so one load a day doesn’t work for me either, but I love hitting the laundromat. I do my laundry on my admin days so I can grab a coffee and take advantage of the free Wi-Fi while all my laundry gets done at once. I also babysit for my sister a lot so any time I’m able to take advantage of her washer and dryer, I definitely use hers to save money and so I have less to fold when it’s only one load at a time. Maybe one day I’ll have a washer and dryer so one load a day will be more practical.
I don't have a dryer. But I don't do one load aday either. I do one when I have enough cloth to do it. And I have my own proccess that works for me. I used to hate folding clothes, but Kon Mary helped me a lot with her books.
Everyone is different. The one load a day saved me, because if one gets missed it is no big deal. When your laundry day gets missed (this happened to me a lot), then it is a catastrophe. Also I live in Europe and line dry.
You are doing an amazing job tackling the responsibility of motherhood, a home based business, and everything else in between! Your family is a treasure, having a spotless house is an unrealistic wish for most moms, and not a priority. Developing daily routines to keep the home safe, clean to the level that you are able instead of show home worthy, is a victory in itself. Be blessed 😇
The 5 minute a day is not really cleaning routine for me it is the daily habit that helps me “take it there now”. I love Dana for declutter and Fly Lady as a suggest cleaning routine.
Hi! Dana also helped me a lot! She also teaches that our house has a space limit and that if it takes us too long to get it picked up that we're in over our heads with the amount of stuff we have! Look into "the container concept " and "clutter threshold " from Dana they helped me a bunch 🥰🥰🥰 lots of love from Brazil 🇧🇷 ❤️
Hearing you repeat "do the dishes" helped me get started on mine. I only have three left in there now! I think I'm going to give this routine a shot when my husband is in his busy season and can't help clean as much
I love Dana’s system because she came to it after years of struggle and didn’t just get it because she grew up with those skills. Makes it very relatable to other slobs like me.
Dana K White truly changed my life with regard to taking care of my home. But I do think you need to read the book to understand yourself and why her suggestions work for most people. After decades of struggle, and listening to her book several times on audio, which is very enjoyable, my life is now so much easier, my home is so much more enjoyable to live in, and I haven’t had to scramble to get ready for unexpected guests in more than five years. What a relief. Ariel did a great job of explaining things, and Dana’s book will really help you put everything into daily practice.
The first book delves into detail about keeping your home without losing your mind! 🙂 The second book is about decluttering; it's still helpful, but only touches a little on the cleaning routine. The third book is a nice, quicker read with lots of pictures and briefly goes over things. So, I suggest the first book.
@@brittanyream9872 I would absolutely start with "How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind." It's a fun read about how she struggled, much like we all do, and she discusses so many of the mental and time stumbling blocks we all have. And it's fun to hear it in her voice, if you get the audio version.
Ariel, you’re so awesome, I’m gonna watch this twice. Happy Saturday ☕️☀️✨ edit: so I did it; I watched it twice!🤗 I love your videos so much so I didn’t have to twist my own arm (tbh I initially commented 16 minutes into the first viewing and knew I’d need to watch a second time 😉). And it occurred to me: I would LOVE to see your own version of The Awkward Mom cleaning routine where you combine all of your favorite methods of all the routines you’ve tried. I bet it would be amazing and you have such a wonderful sense of humor, I know it’d be a hit. Please please oh pretty please? You can even add meal planning too if you want? Love this channel! Way to go, Awesome Momma!🎉 Edit #2: YOUR NAME IS ARIEL omg how many videos have I commented April?!🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️ how…… awkward??😅🙃 (I’m sorry!🙏)
First of all, you are awesome! Thank you!!!! I do eventually hope to do that, but I need to review a few more routines first! 😊 And it's okay, it's the most common name mistake that people make lol ❤️🥰🥰
For the really overwhelmed mum (like me), try this method: DON'T allocate certain cleaning tasks to certain days, just make a list of them and every time you manage to carve out some time for cleaning, clean e.g. 1 sink, the next day (or 3 or 5 days later) clean 1 toilet or vacuum 1 room, etc. That's right, shopping, cooking, dishes and laundry (with 7 kids definitely a load a day!) come first; cleaning is luxury. That's why I'm now grateful and proud of myself when I manage to squeeze 5 minutes of tidying (set a timer) and 10 minutes of cleaning into my day. 🎉 It's almost my treat to myself (some people will understand).
Dana is the best! ✨💪❤️ She says do 5 mins because it’s manageable but you may have to more than one 5 mins in a day. Like one in the morning another in the afternoon and again in the evening. I love fly lady too but Dana’s is the most simple way of staying afloat. I use her methods all the time when I’m struggling with chronic health conditions and that’s all I can manage in a day. She really gets people who are not naturally organised and tidy. ❤
Ok I am way into this routine. Thank you so much for covering it. I’ve tried using a reusable mop pad and it gets so gross so fast that I never do it…I’m going to get a disposable one again and just do the kitchen and adjacent area 🙌🏻 so smart that’s really the area that needs it most. And bathrooms once a week. I’d just bump up the 5 min tidy to a 15 min tidy or until the flat surfaces are clear 😮💨 I work 12 hour shifts 2-3x a week and esp if I work a few in a row the house is a disaster when I’m off again. If I could just add in a shower and getting ready in the morning before the kids get up then I also won’t look like a disaster lol
The thing about the five-minute pick up is it's meant to be interjected throughout any given day: Getting overwhelmed? Five-minute pickup. Lull in the afternoon before dinner prep? Five-minute pickup. Just got up this morning? Five-minute pickup. Bored? Five-minute pickup. Baby crying? Well, you should probably postpone the five-minute pickup then... (She's good for so many excuses!!!) But you get the idea.
Ariel, try CLR (stands for Calcium, Lime and Rust) it is a very very strong cleaner. So use gloves and good ventilation. But the stuff is magical! It’ll even take rust out of fabric. And it’s great if you have hard water that clouds your glass shower doors too. And shower heads. Skyla is adorbs. And you definitely need a dish washer!!
Dana is my hero and when I saw that you made a video about her (and you are my most favorite youtuber :) ) I needed to watch.Wash the dishes -I think the most horrible thing is washing the dishes ,I hate it and I don't have a dishwasher - but with Dana I can walk in my kitchen not so horrified.With washing I didn't had such a big problem,but with a 8-18 workday I make it every saturday and without a dryer I am waiting 1-3 days to dry and fold everything once.The 5 minute pick-up is good also but the BEST EVER ADVICE from her was the visibility rule,when I think to organize my drawer with socks for example than I am thinking,is my entryway, / kitchen / living clen?no,then first do that and only after this tackle the drawer with socks if you want (and I usually don't want to do it anymore) . The nother 2nd best advice is the declutter without pulling everything out .Maybe this is the first one.I teach this to my daughter of 8yo.A kid doesn't understand to clean a room,but she knows that 1st is the garbage,second to put everything away in it's place and take it there NOW.If it hasn't a place or it goes in the garbage or we make a place for it (the place is if a drawer is for MAXIMUM 75% full).I could write a book about how I love this method :)
I read her book a year ago and I LOVE the laundry day idea! I hate laundry and always procrastinated folding, so before, we always had laundry on the couch. Laundry day changed my life because I do laundry all day on Mondays, then guess what: no more laundry until next Monday! 🥳 (Unless my child wets the bed mid-week or runs out of pants, which is pretty common because I have two that recently night trained and one that still has daytime 😅accidents) I buy enough socks and kids clothes to have enough to last me a week, too!
Yeah I am not filling my whole week with laundry! Plus, I don't have enough to do a full load a day. Best thing I learned was to fold it straight out of the dryer, no big pile for "later".
I do one load a day but my washer & dryer are in a closet within easy reach of the bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchen. And, I fold straight from the dryer. If I had a different set up - I’d probably do it all in one day. But, I hate folding clothes. ✳️ Oh! And I got rust out of my bathtub and shower with Bar Keepers Friend. I prefer the powder, I think it stronger. It may take more than one application. I recently tried a product called Iron Out. It comes in a powder or spray. I used the powder inside my toilet tank. The spray worked well on rust stains in my bathroom sink. I follow FlyLady since 2013. I’ve added to my routines to help me create certain habit. Disclaimer: no babies or other kids here. Just arthritic retired people who don’t have the energy and stamina we once had. 😬
I grew up in a "laundry one day a week" household, and had similar routines for years myself, due to having to use laundromats. Once I got my own machines, I was able to spread it out over the week. I freakin' LOVE it. You know what the washer and dryer double as? CLEANING TIMERS. There are always variations, but as a baseline, a wash cycle is roughly the length of time I need to do the dishes and clean up some kitchen surfaces. The dry cycle is enough time to do some serious damage to another item on the To Do List (dusting, windows, floors, general tidy up tasks, or a top to bottom of a single room). When the dryer is done, the clothes get folded and put away, and I can choose how much more time I want to put into housekeeping work that day, because the minimums have been met in the time that load took to do.
I don't know how you (or any Mom) does it....i would be mesmerized by that beautiful little girl and want to watch her every move and expression. Just watching her smile at you...I would not get a darn thing accomplished. You are awesome!
Barkeepers Friend is my go to for getting rust stains out of sinks. Probably works for tubs too. Also, I have been listening to Dana’s podcast for years and have read one of her books. I’m glad she finally made it over to UA-cam. After reading about and trying different systems, she was the one that finally helped me get significant traction with my house cleaning and tidying.
Love your videos! I'm glad you found a system that hits 2 of your biggest challenges. I think there is not one perfect system for everyone but maybe a piece of each system to personalize a system that will work for each person. Keep trying and reviewing these systems, I learn a little every video and your humor makes it so much fun....:)
I follow Flylady most days. Shiny sink every day and make the bed. I wash 2x/week (Wed and Sat) and 5 min pick up/tidy/organise 2-3 times/day. I quick vacuum living areas 2-3times week and do the zones. I declutter as per Dana's advice, the take it there immediately, and the container concept work for me.
I can't wait for you to get lots of money from UA-cam and you can buy the fanciest dishwasher in town! Btw-- Our kitchen looks very similar to yours, and we waited and waited and waited to get a dishwasher, and FINALLY got one. It really does make a difference, and having gone without, we're really appreciative. Your time will come!
I think you're nailing it at being an attentive and loving mom, and that's what's most important. My sons are now 29 and 30, and I regret all the time I spent trying to have a super clean house. Housework is always going to be there, but little ones won't. You are a fantastic mom!
Thanks Kim ❤️ I appreciate this comment. It's a good reminder for all of us to gives ourselves a little slack when we have little ones.
@@ThatAwkwardMom i really love that you set aside some time every day for the child and when that time is up the child knows that play time is over because mom has other stuff to do...
I agree. My mother has been in constant motion - cleaning, cooking, etc. for 60 years. I have no memories of her ever sitting down to watch tv, read with us, play video games or anything. She'd sit down to eat dinner for a few minutes and pop back up to start the dishes. Spring and Fall cleaning meant moving all furniture and washing every wall. My father worked 2 jobs so when he got home he'd watch tv with us on occasion. Now at 79 years old my mother still can't sit through a 22 minute sitcom. I would prefer memories of her spending time with us instead of clean windows. My sons are grown now and I have a cluttered house but I have spent tons of time with them playing, reading, talking, taking walks, cuddling each other and the pets. A clean home is nice but a happy family is most important! Awkward Mom - you are doing great!
I always felt that when my home was clean I was more able to relax and spend time with my children.
@Anagrams458 I'm very similar! A clean and tidy home brings me calm and peace. If mama ain't calm mama might be a little on edge. 😂😂 as my kids have gotten older I find that I clean in spurts and take little breaks to make sure they see they're getting my attention.
This is the realest video I have ever seen. And it also shows me that I am not the only one struggling to keep a house as clean as I did before children. New mom here and I approve this video!
Thank you for validating weekly laundry!!! I hate daily laundry 😫.
Again one of my favorite channels.
I have the same laundry routine since the last 16 years, and Laundry has never been a problem. I have a dishwasher but still I do wash all dishes manually, it is a great stress buster, honestly.
This is the first video of yours that I've watched! I love your personality!
Omg, I came across your videos for the first time, how fun! What a fun video to watch!
Welcome!!
Just found your channel and I’m being so completely entertained. 🤗
This was a super helpful video for me. Thank you.
👍 proud of you… ❤ love your humor😂
Trying this and succeeding while your sweet peas are young helps them tremendously into the future
for your 5 minute pickup - Clutterbug (Cas Arson) tip, habit stack your 5 minute pick ups - just before time to make lunch with kids at home? 5 minute pick up prior to making lunch... 5 minute pick up before making dinner... I think Cas does a nighttime routine before bed. You're rockin' this Mom stuff. Glad UA-cam suggested. - Gotta go do my dishes.
I agree with the laundry, we hang dry a lot of laundry and cannot finish it that day a lot of times.
For full time workers if once a week laundry isn’t helpful. I’ve found that putting a load of laundry after work. Switch to dryer before bed. Folding in the morning. Repeat if you have more loads.
Keeping home clean this way is same as my mom she always tell me if you snack get up and wash whatever you used this way disges won't collect. Everyone in our house uses one or 2 pots or galss they wash it right after use . This way kitchen is clean we do same about laundry as well once a week
Have you watched The Secret Slob? She does something she calls a 5x5 where she picks 5 rooms and cleans them for 5 minutes each. It's really helped me before. But she also has lots of other videos based off of the Fly Lady system.
I actually like to rinse a dish and set it in the dishwasher. That accumulates throughout the day. Ones dinner is finished and done eating we all rinse out on dishes and put them in the washer. Before bed I would put them away. Any left over dishes from end of dinner to almost bedtime gets placed in the dishwasher for next day. Not in the sink not a worry. As long as they are rinsed.
With everyone rinsing their own dish (only to keep clumps of food from getting hard or just dropping accumulating in the filter) and placing it in the washer, no one person really truly does the dishes.
I love your personality - I have a 5 month old baby too. ❤
Absolutely adorable 🥰 my baby is 15!!! now. Feels like it happened over night. Keep cuddling 🤗 for as long as she'll let you 😃
Loved this video! Instant subscribe!
I think the intent of the 5 min cleanup is that if u start w 5 min, once u start, u would just keep going and do as much as u can until its done, or hav time for. But even doing 5 min helps.
Ok, I need to know where you bought the drainer thing that’s behind your regular dish drainer! Very cool!
It's right on Amazon, it's for baby bottles!!!! I love it because it's space-saving
Love your show! Your hilarious 😂❤
I like to listen to music or the radio while doing my dishes. It makes it less boring.
I have the same issue with laundry don't mind washing it hate to fold it. Dishes aren't my issue I make the kids do them but there teens to
For my laundry day I like to head to the laundromat. We have a nice clean one in our area, and it's all done in 1 1/2 hours. Just take it home to fold and you have the rest of the day!
This sounds like a pretty decent routine to get into… I just don’t think that it should be your first routine. Something that you have to fill out mostly by yourself is not a good idea for somebody who is new at this sort of thing. You wouldn’t really know what categories to put in there, unless you have experience with other routines. Not to mention as somebody who is new to trying to get more regular at cleaning, you wouldn’t have quite the discipline to keep working on something like that. Something that guides you like the fly routine is better. This would probably be the third or fourth routine I get into.
Those rust stains. I take a wet folded paper towel and lay it on stain, then pour some bleach onto wet towel. Let it sit for some time. Maybe a couple hours. I have to do this on my kitchen sink sometimes.
When I have to remember to get a load out of the washer, I tell Alexa to remind me. It works great.
I have to do a wash a day as I don't have a dryer
I love DKW!!! She literally changed my life when I became disabled. My entire life went up in smoke, I couldn't even get out of bed. Then I found Dana and I would make myself get out of bed and "just do the dishes", but not everyday. Some days I physically couldn't do them, so maybe every 2-3 days I forced myself to do the dishes. As I got better I would add a very small task. I am so close to having it under control and that's a major accomplishment for me. Thank you Dana K White 😘😘😘💓
I feel ya. Just found DKW a month ago, still doing laundry day 1. :/
But, my life went up in smoke 3 years ago and I'm still working on getting it under control. ME/CFS, MCAS, POTs, checking for Crohns in 2 weeks, small fiber neuropathy, fibromyalgia... list goes on and on. Covid, for me, is the gift that just keeps giving. It's so hard, but DKW has helped me accept 5 minutes of progress on my bad days, is still 5 minutes better than if I had done 0. Best wishes on finding your groove with whatever you have going on!
Thank you for sharing! My knees are both bad and I’ve been so frustrated with trying to clean .
Im struggling with severe depression. I can’t seem to ever keep up with the mess. Never heard of her but I’m gonna check her out!
@@fp1912 you will love her! She's also written several books. Decluttering at the Speed of Life is one, but my favourite is How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind. She's really funny, too!
Thank you for sharing!! Hearing your testimony is very encouraging to those of us who have health difficulties.
I once heard someone say “aim for your home to be clean enough to be healthy but dirty enough to be happy”. You’re doing great mama!!!
I live by this. It keeps guests with kids super comfortable and happy as well. Everyone has a great time together. Some days the house is emasculate but every day it's a home. ❤
Yes my mom had that sign on the wall. She got it when she was dealing w a case worker for my adoption
Ty for sharing this! I spend so much time spinning my wheels around cleaning things that I miss out on actually living life. I’m working on it, and this way of describing balance is just awesome ❤❤❤
This is great!
I was raised in the South and my mama always said to "Keep yourself and your home like you're expecting company." This is because people tend to drop in a lot in the South, and God forbid you are caught looking like slob!
Cleaning the house while the children are growing is like shoveling the walk while it's still snowing ~ Phyllis Diller.
I've heard "trying to brush your teeth while eating cookies"
True that.... Rachael H! LOL
However, that is the most important time to do so because kids must go to school and sit next to "peers". Having a clean house that doesn't smell like rancid, greasy, old food and cigarettes... which sticks to the clothing and hair, and then sending that child off to school to become the target of much teasing... is so much more important!
I have been involved in our local crisis pregnancy center for over 22 years, and you can SMELL exactly how "clean" my clients houses/cars are, in the first 15 seconds after they walk in, and how that smell fills the counseling rooms while there and after they leave... unless we go spray it!
If all parents could SEE that, knowing how cruel kids can be, they would all go that extra mile.
@@jomama81ranch8 It really was just a tongue-in-cheek comment meant to make people smile shared from a famous comedian from back in my day.
Yep. We have to try though 😅
@@jomama81ranch8 easy girl, it was a joke.
I glad you found Dana's dishes and laundry advice helpful. She changed my life by pointing out that organizing and decluttering are two separate things, and decluttering comes first. This was a mind-blower for me. Now my house is transforming before my eyes each week.
I think Dana concentrates on dishes and laundry because, if they're not done, life comes to a standstill, with nothing to wear and nothing to cook with/eat from. Her container concept literally changed my life. Her books are amazing, and her routine also fits well with Flylady.
The container concept completely changed the way i look at "stuff". Life changing.
What's the container concept?
@@kristinauhrl6983 Her book or a video from dana k white would give a better explanation. But in a nutshell, everything in your house (rooms, closets, shelves, boxes, cabinets, etc) including your house itself is a container. You assign a place to like items and then only keep as many of that item as will fit in its container. So for me, i have room for 3 bookshelves. I put my favorites and work related ones in place first and when the shelves were filled the rest got donated. The container was full. Maybe a little bit of mind games, but it made it so much easier for me to give away books and other items i'd had a hard time parting with in the past.
@@AB-zr8pu sounds like a great idea!
@@AB-zr8pu I would be getting another bookshelf LoL But I'm also a pile person and don't filter new books into my collection (therefore onto shelves) until I'm confident I will either reread them/want to loan them to friends/reference them in my work/they have sentimental value such as being signed or first editions.
I literally cannot with how precious Skyla is 😭
She is so cute and funny! Blame the baby! Lol!
that baby is so cutie cute cute
She is gorgeous
I think you are the most relatable mother I've ever seen online. First video of yours I've seen but you've gained a subscriber. Looking forward to more content from you.
Don't underestimate the power of decluttering!! If you have less stuff there is less to pick up. 🙂
Give her container concept a try. I love it, I've tried it with my daughter and she's getting to understand that there's a limit to be able to keep and maintain clean/ organized. I love it! But I do use the quarantine(time away) box before getting rid of. That's from minimal mom
Definitely agree
And it’s very freeing also
The container concept has gotten us to the point that we can usually tidy the main floor in 3 minutes, with two littles (4&2) “helping” … it takes longer if we include the kitchen, but not a lot longer. It’s glorious!
@@ElizabethChronis #goals that's awesome!!! I'm getting there. Container concept is so helpful.
Oh my goodness, I’m in the Take Your House Back course group with Dana, Cas from Clutterbug & Dawn from Minimal Mom and they were just chatting about you and this video! Cas said she wants to do a collab with you & Dawn was saying how much she loves you!! 🎉❤ I love seeing your audience grow so much! I found you because of trying to figure out fly lady and stayed for your wonderful personality & perspective. ❤
Dana is the first to admit she's not a cleaning or organizing expert. The key to her "system" (besides doing the dishes) is to declutter down to the point where you *can* get your house put back together in 5 minutes. I love laundry day, too! It's paradoxical, but the more loads I have to do, the more likely I am to get all the laundry washed, dried, and put away.
Yes the decluttering is key 🙂
Yes, yes! Was coming here to say that. Dana never says she’s a cleaning expert. I suspect she put in the routines because of people begging her for it….like people begged you to review her system! I also have to say, that baby….What a charmer! She’s watching you and when you make eye contact, she just lights up.
Yup!! And while 5mins may not be enough to pick up all the toys. It'll be tidier than it was if you spent 0mins. As Dana says, "Better is good".
Or if you have hobbies and things that require a lot of items, ORGANIZEEEE!! You gotta be able to throw things into their home, not AT their home. The boxes will be organized eventually or you’ll manage, but having containers and boxes for things is a major life saver
I'm so happy that my kids are old enough now to do their own laundry. It's so much better now
I highly recommend listening to Dana’s podcast! It helped ground me through cleaning during depression. Also, nice way to give motivation to clean since she is so not judgmental and super realistic.
Thank you for this recommendation. I have depression and it’s not easy keeping a clean house. I will check out that podcast 👍🏼
depression is crippling that's when I started watching g these shows its like I needed someone to tell me how to put 1 foot in front of the other. I have recovered & I learned alot of great tips from the ladies she has recommended 😊
The 5 minute tidy is genius! I LOVE that it is only 5 minutes: I can convince myself to start, knowing that it is only 5 minutes. I try to do a 5 minute tidy in the morning, afternoon, and evening. I have 6 kids, so I find it necessary to do more than just once a day 😅
Yes, I think 5 minute pick up a couple times a day makes a huge difference.
I want to do this with my kids. Let them have a 5 minute tidy or maybe 10 minutes. Right now our routine is all out of whack with homeschool and other things. They’ve been sick a lot here lately. But I’m working on it.
@@ritadyer9295 may I suggest u try a 5 minute pick up at first. And, following Dana's advice, 5 minutes of time regardless of what they achieve. Resistance will be less when they believe you won't make it longer coz they didn't achieve much. At first you'll need to supervise their 5 mins and do your own 5 mins separately, but over time they will get better at it and be effective independently
@@greatauntlizbethg9137 thanks!
When my kids were little, we did "commercial cleaning". We would watch a show they like, and run around giggling on commercial breaks, to tidy up a bit. It's AMAZING how much you can get done during the commercial breaks for one show, and the kids thought it was a game! I love little tricks like this!
Dana also mentions that the 5 minutes done by each family member (as appropriate) multiplies the cleaning power. It will get better!❤
Thought: when I had two kiddos a year apart, the crockpot was an enormous help. It frees up a huge block of time in the evening, saves a ton of dishes, and ends the dinner hustle. Even just getting the evening meal prepped in the morning takes a huge load off and keeps the home running smoothly.
Throw a crockpot liner in and cleanup is almost nonexistent. So much truth in this. For me, it was instant pot because I'd realize sometime after lunch that dinner was necessary...😅
Amen to that!
When I worked FT and my kids had sports the crockpot was awesome too!
Yes, one pot meals are fantastic and you can make so much you can eat it the next day as well.
@@korab.23 omgosh yes. I know the Bible says "the truth shall set you free," but second to the truth, it's my instant pot.
Yeah, a weekly meal plan with two or three "flex" meals planned in (crockpot chili, soup I'd frozen two weeks before, shredded crockpot chicken to throw over rice) makes cooking so much less stressful. And you can honestly make really great, quick, healthy meals in a crockpot when you actually have energy in the morning, rather than trying to get it all done at 4 pm with screaming kids and a headache.
A *HUGE* time-saver tip for laundry: Keep everyone’s laundry separate. Rarely mix! Saves like 90% of laundry time by never needing to sort. Each person has a basket. Husband and I mix denim. But everything else is separate. Love it so much. Also, only keep one hamper for pulling clothes out of the dryer. No more baskets to take care of “later.” I also hang everything that can easily be hung. Less folding is a blessing.
That's smart so have hangers ready 👍
I do this too!
I do this too.
Especially since a lot of my stuff is delicate and my husband's isn't.
As a SAHM with young kids, I would say that one 5-minute pickup per day is geared toward working parents with older kids (who can also do 5-minute pickups). So it only works in our house when we do 5-minute pickups at transition points (so a couple a day), like the end of an activity or before a meal.
Dana telling me to do my dishes every day changed my life 8 years ago and I'm forever grateful.
I think you can make you own cleaning routine picking up what's works best with you from all those methods.
One day I will! But I'm not quite done yet, I have a few more cleaning routines I want to review first 🤓
@@ThatAwkwardMom we are all waiting for yours. I have kids and it will definitely help me.
@@ThatAwkwardMom … I’m looking forward to you developing your own personal cleaning routine!
@That Awkward Mom I think what you have shown me is that we can all create our own cleaning routine. There are certain areas that every agrees on-dishes, bed making, bathroom cleaning. Let's be honest. We rest better crawling into a made bed. It is easier to clean the kitchen/ dining room when dishes are done and a clean bathroom helps us stay clean. These three things make our homes close to company ready. I want to know what other routines you are wanting to review. I have looked at a 1950s housewife cleaning routine and I feel like it is all the routines combined into one.
I watched this a few weeks ago and was like “I think I can do this!” I have tried soooo many cleaning systems and just could not do it because it felt overwhelming. THIS VIDEO WAS AN ANSWER TO YEARS OF PRAYERS!! I not only have a routine (I did modify a little like you did), BUT I am sticking with it!! I am not sure why this one works when the others didn’t. But if you had not shared I would still be sitting in clutter and rush cleaning twice a year when we have guests. Now my house is always a pleasure for us NOW, not just twice.m a year - and I am giving myself grace during the decluttering part because there is a lot to go through. But 15 minutes a day (modified from the 5) has me making more and more progress than I ever have. Thank you!!!❤
Try Barkeepers Friend powder for the bathtub stain! Wet the area, sprinkle on the powder and let sit for a few minutes, and then scrub-the stain should lift that way! Loved the video-Dana K. White has been such a huge help to me in decluttering our home and helping take the stress out of that whole process! I was thinking on switching over to a laundry day as opposed to a load a day after hearing a friend mention how much success she has had with that, and seeing your video has given me an extra nudge to give it a go :).
I use that in my toilet too
Oh yes! Definitely! Bar Keepers WILL remove those rust stains. I forgot to mention that in my comment.
I was about to post the same. Bar Keepers Friend paste is a must.
Thank you! I'll try it on my rust stain.
power paste is another great option, I've gotten things up with it I thought were stained for good.
My mom had one laundry day a week, and did all of our family's laundry that day. I tried for years to make that work for me, and for whatever reason it never did 🤷 so for me it was so freeing to have someone tell me to do a load every day. It works so much better for my easily distracted brain.
I think the best cleaning advice anyone can give is just to find a routine that fits easily into your life and stick to it as best you can!
Was it Monday? That’s the traditional “wash day”
Monday was my mom's wash day. But it's easier to wash only one day when you have parents that today professionals would call minimalists. Having a smaller wardrobe helps with the wash loads. There were only three people in the household. Larger families, more loads of laundry. Alot of clothes, more loads of laundry (especially if you don't wash regularly).
@@amazinggrace5692 I'm pretty sure it was 😂
@@tcllfk I'm a minimalist! We don't have much clothing, but there are 6 in our household. I think I do about 3 loads of clothes a week, one load of towels, and one of bedding. I feel like that's pretty minimal, but I still have to do 5 loads a week. That would take all day, and with little kids, I'm not guaranteed all day for anything 😂 one load a day is sanity saving. My favorite phrase is "one load a Day keeps the laundry monster away!"
@@laurenyost1526 🤣
I absolutely love your videos and your humor! I too have been following Dana and her friends Cass and the Minimal Mom. Lol 😆 Every night I would get home from work, all I can hear was...."Do Your dishes" 🤣 so Dana knows what she's talking about because that's the 1 thing I always do 1st, "Do your dishes!" 😆 Then declutter of course 😉
I love minimal mom.
This is so funny to me because I had been trying to get all my laundry done in one day, and I never could manage to do it. It's because of your videos that I started doing one load a day, and it was such a relief to me! Funny how we're all different. I'm glad we both found something that works for each of us, and I'm very thankful for finding you and your channel. 💚
I too love DKW, but the laundry in a day didn’t work for my brain.
My goal is a load a day. Pretty much whatever is dirty that day. My son is always complaining he can’t find the right underwear. I will have everything clean and he will be whining. If I know I just washed then I can call his bluff. He’s 12 and going thru a growth spurt. The most in his life. He’s gone from a size 10 to 14 in a few weeks! He pretty emotional so I have to keep the “right” underwear clean. Next week he will want something different. Still aiming for a load a day with the kids and me. My husband wears uniforms and they get nasty so I do his once a week so I know all of his are clean for the week ahead!
Genuine question, how do you have enough laundry to do a full load a day? Is it just because you have small children or is there something else at play here? Since my partner and I don't have kids at most, we'd go through 2 sets of clothes a day, usually less. So I was always confused by the advice to wash laundry every day. Especially since growing up my mom did laundry at the laundromat once a week
@@JadeIsChronicallyTired great question! My kids are actually grown so it's just my husband and I. I don't do any laundry on Sunday. The rest of the week I do certain loads: my husband's work clothes, towels, gentle care clothes, etc. Occasionally, I may have just five items or so in a load, but I just set the load setting on the washer to Small or Medium. I am so much more on top of the laundry this way!
@@JadeIsChronicallyTired larger families may find it easier to deal with these tasks daily. Dark clothes, linens and towels, white clothes, lighter clothes, red clothes, outdoor work clothes, and the list goes on. One category per day instead of all at once, especially if the family is large and you are unable to devote a whole day to the task by washing at home with one machine and not a laundromat.
Funny story, I decided to try this and did all of my laundry today and it turns out I need more hangers. I guess it's been a long time since I had ALL of my laundry clean! 😂 But I do have a great sense of accomplishment and I'm looking forward to no more laundry for a week! Heck, I even have a clean bed!!! Thanks for the advice!
I think your next video should be a continuation of this routine. That way we can see if you're able to keep up w it and what else you've added to your list.
Dana changed my life...she has simple,common sense,ways to clean and declutter....there was no way I was going to declutter a closet by taking Everything out at once...I can't clean that way... Dana's way simple,open a closet,one item at a time,in garbage or donateable box,and take item where it belongs...simple..and do dishes, make bed,the rest seems to follow...love your videos 💕
I've moved to a "by person" laundry system so I don't have to sort clothes anymore. And we keep very small wardrobes so I do have to do it more often then once a week or we'd run out. Love your review! And my goodness that baby girl is SO precious 😍
This is how I do it too. Each person has a day assigned.
So cool to see you trying Dana's system! She is my life guru totally made my life better. Her decluttering process is by far the best, logical one I've tried.
Same
CLR stands for calcium, lime, and rust. Those are the stains it removes.
Years ago we bought a house that had (I thought) a terrible problem with grout all over the bottom of the shower in one bathroom. It turned out to just be hard water deposits. Lots of applications of CLR, and a little bit of scrubbing, cleaned every bit.
Love your content.
Yep, CLR cut through 15+ years of rust stains in my Grandmas bathrooms that no amount of scrubbing or bleach could even touch. All I did was spray it on, wait 15 minutes, and rinse it off. And the tub looked brand new again! It’s magical for rust!
I've combined Danas Methods (including Decluttering, so 5 minute pickups actually DO work for me now) with the Flylady Zone Cleaning. For me that means: dishes every night, 5 minute pickups (multiple per day!), 15 min of decluttering/zone cleaning daily and one laundry day per week. That way I get everything tidied AND clean. That is the ONLY thing that has gotten my house to a point where I can actually have guests over more or less ANYTIME... I have ADHD, have been a solb since childhood... I really hope the idea to combine those two systems helps someone else out there too! Sending love and decluttering energy to all of you
That may be me! Slobby adhd over here 🙌 so I’ll try your advise!
Everybody does love a Chunky Monkey! I loved watching the baby watch you! When I was a young mother I marveled at my cousin who never had laundry piled up. I asked her how she did it, she said "two or three loads every two or three days" I started doing the same and it worked for me too!
Grocery pickup has been amazing for pregnancy, postpartum, motherhood, and being pregnant with a toddler 🤣 I may never stop lol
I have always felt that if my kitchen was a mess, then my house is too … so I have always tried to keep a clean kitchen. Hasn’t always happened but nevermind. I also generally like doing laundry and I absolutely hate throwing clean clothes into a pile and leaving them there … if I get my clothes in, then I must fold them straight away. I have done this since my early 20’s and I’m not far off 6p now. You would think that my house would be great with these two practices but I.HATE doing floors! lol. Oh how I hate floors!
I cannot cook in a messy kitchen. If it is a mess I have clean it up first before I can think.
@@ritadyer9295 Absolutely! Me either!
Rust stains: Bar Keepers Friend. Make a paste and let it soak a little while. I love Dana K White. She is great for those who are overwhelmed. Try her no mess decluttering method when you are ready. 😊
I love how Dana talks about 5 minutes multiplied by the number of people in your family equals a lot more time. We have 8 kids. If everyone cleans up for 5 minutes, that’s 50 minutes (if all 10 of us help) of cleaning!!
I also have laundry days. Mondays and Thursdays are laundry days. Start to finish. And if it drags to another day, I feel overwhelmed and all out of sorts haha!
When I was teen and my dad was military, we moved to Frankfurt, Germany and the housing/apts did not have washers and dryer hook ups in the apts. (didn’t have American tv hook ups either at first. Can you tel I’m old). Anyway, there were several washers and dryers in the basement. There were six apts in each stairwell. Three stairwells to a building. We had wash days assigned. If you needed to wash something and it wasn’t your day, you had to get permission from whoever’s day it was to use the washer assigned to you. So having a wash day and routine makes a lot of sense.
I like that. 2 laundry days sounds more doable for our family of four. I wash all through the week. But have friday to get all the work clothes and school uniforms done. But then that bleeds into clothes on the line till saturday. Not ideal for me
I have loved Dana for years!!! When I saw her name pop up on one of your videos I think my brain popped! She is remarkable! Have you started storing your food storage containers with the lids on? That has seriously changed my life. CHANGED MY LIFE! But, yes. I love her decluttering method. And I believe why her system works so well is that if you have those things down that can bring your house to a screeching halt: laundry, dishes, then when you do have time and energy, you aren't playing catch up with those giant tasks that take longer when you don't do regularly- she calls it dishes math. Dirty dishes take exponentially longer the more there are and how crusted they have become. Anyway, when you're not playing catch up with those you have the time to get to other areas that need attention and you have the energy to build other systems. I love her podcast. And I also read her blog from the beginning before her books came out. Her system just makes sense. And I love that you always know where to start. Dishes. Do the dishes. 😁 Anyway!! Great video! You're a beautiful mother and I'm so happy for you and I love your channel! I'll pray that some major appliance company will see your need for a dishwasher and give you one for a sponsorship (that happened for Dana!). Happy mothering/surviving all these crazy kids. (I have 4, and now strep has hit the house 😭. But I did the dishes! 😁)
Oh my, I hope you all feel better soon
@@cin4195 thank you so much. Antibiotics are a blessing!
@@rachellewellyn9062 antibiotics kill the gut microbiome and makes you unhealthier in the long run. Only use them in life and death situations.
Good for you!😅
Love Dana K White. She makes more sense than any other coaches for keeping your home looking decent. Stresses better, not perfection. My kind of woman!
Your baby is beautiful. 🥰thank you for including her and for the cleaning motivation!
After watching 3 of your other cleaning videos I made my own cleaning routine that fit my family’s needs and coincidentally it’s almost exactly identical to this routine! Lol
I do all (or at least 70% of it) in 1 day, dishes are the first thing I do every morning, & I do a 15 minute clean up of a room. Bathroom is done every time the kids get a bath.
I totally agree about the laundry! Also, I HIGHLY recommend only washing your own clothes in the first load when there’s an overwhelming pile of clothes. Trust me, there’s just something so satisfying about an entire load of YOUR OWN clean clothes- plus your not likely to forget about it 😉. Selfish as it may be ha.
Not selfish, you've earned the right to that first load being yours.
I’m glad you found a laundry system that works so well for you! It’s hard. I’ve always had a hard time doing a load a day from start to finish too. I’ve tried once a week but it was too overwhelming for me. I’ve found a happy medium of basically every other day. I wash and dry one day, then fold and put away the best, then another load the next. It spreads it out nicely and if I happen to wash and fold the same day great but if I can’t get to it then I’m not too worried.
I ❤ Dana. Have all of her books. She's the only one that made it click in my brain.
Also, we don't even produce a whole load of laundry a day.
I agree. There's only two people people in our house and we produce one load of darks, one colorful load a week and white load only every other week. It would make no sense to wash a load every day. If I keep up with the fold and put away to all my clothes are clean at the same time. It made me realize my closest is too full.
What I loved most about Dana's ideas is how she explained her reasons for doing things the way she did. I found the book and blog far more helpful than the cleaning routines.
I also believe dishes and laundry are the most overwhelming chores. Especially dishes. Skyla is just too adorable by the way. 🤗
I was a chaotic slob and finally started a cleaning routine when my kids were 11,8, 6, and 4. It was pretty a long road to train them and myself to keep it up. 8 years later the fruit is incredible. We’re def still kinda messy, but we know how to properly and speedily clean. No falling over, whining, getting overwhelmed, or hiding. I’m thankful. This aspect of adulthood isn’t going to be a burden for them like it used to be for me.
My mom worked full time. When we were old enough, she taught us how to do our own laundry, vacuum and clean our rooms. Saturdays were cleaning and laundry days for us and, once we were finished, the rest of the weekend was ours. Great training for adulthood and didn’t hurt us one bit ❤
Good for you! Your children might not have liked it when you were training them, but they'll be forever grateful once they leave home.
I still prefer Flylady because I have an issue with being overwhelmed by a day of laundry and love a daily swish and swipe (plus the idea of putting things like "get dressed" on a todo list) but I love the prioritizing dishes by Dana K. White! Isn't it funny how different we all are??
The five minute pick up works best when you have decluttered to the point that the 5 minute pick up is possible. :) That's one of the ways we gauge if we need to "reduce the inventory." But if you're happy and don't feel a need to declutter, add a little extra time, sure!
For several years now, I've always dedicated Mondays to laundry. It's always worked really well for me, so I've always hated the "one load a day" advice.
I don’t have a washer and dryer so one load a day doesn’t work for me either, but I love hitting the laundromat. I do my laundry on my admin days so I can grab a coffee and take advantage of the free Wi-Fi while all my laundry gets done at once. I also babysit for my sister a lot so any time I’m able to take advantage of her washer and dryer, I definitely use hers to save money and so I have less to fold when it’s only one load at a time. Maybe one day I’ll have a washer and dryer so one load a day will be more practical.
One load a day never worked for me either! That load ended up staying in the dryer & wrinkled!
I don't have a dryer. But I don't do one load aday either. I do one when I have enough cloth to do it. And I have my own proccess that works for me. I used to hate folding clothes, but Kon Mary helped me a lot with her books.
Agreed! A load a day gets forgotten. A laundry day with timers to keep it moving is the best for us too
Everyone is different. The one load a day saved me, because if one gets missed it is no big deal. When your laundry day gets missed (this happened to me a lot), then it is a catastrophe. Also I live in Europe and line dry.
I do the same thing to make my foaming hand soap! I noticed you do it in the bathroom cleaning part. 🙂
Yes 😀 Saves a lot of money!
Was it just body wash and water? I was so surprised that I paused the video to see if someone mentioned it in the comments. That’s genius!
@@ginafuller1654 1-1.5 tablespoons of body wash, fill it with warm water & shake to disperse.
You are doing an amazing job tackling the responsibility of motherhood, a home based business, and everything else in between! Your family is a treasure, having a spotless house is an unrealistic wish for most moms, and not a priority. Developing daily routines to keep the home safe, clean to the level that you are able instead of show home worthy, is a victory in itself. Be blessed 😇
The 5 minute a day is not really cleaning routine for me it is the daily habit that helps me “take it there now”.
I love Dana for declutter and Fly Lady as a suggest cleaning routine.
Hi! Dana also helped me a lot! She also teaches that our house has a space limit and that if it takes us too long to get it picked up that we're in over our heads with the amount of stuff we have! Look into "the container concept " and "clutter threshold " from Dana they helped me a bunch 🥰🥰🥰 lots of love from Brazil 🇧🇷 ❤️
Hearing you repeat "do the dishes" helped me get started on mine. I only have three left in there now! I think I'm going to give this routine a shot when my husband is in his busy season and can't help clean as much
I love Dana’s system because she came to it after years of struggle and didn’t just get it because she grew up with those skills. Makes it very relatable to other slobs like me.
💯
Dana K White truly changed my life with regard to taking care of my home. But I do think you need to read the book to understand yourself and why her suggestions work for most people. After decades of struggle, and listening to her book several times on audio, which is very enjoyable, my life is now so much easier, my home is so much more enjoyable to live in, and I haven’t had to scramble to get ready for unexpected guests in more than five years. What a relief. Ariel did a great job of explaining things, and Dana’s book will really help you put everything into daily practice.
Which book? I am interested in listening to it.
Which book do you mean? I think she has 3, do you recommend them all? If so which do you recommend to start first? Thanks!
The first book delves into detail about keeping your home without losing your mind! 🙂 The second book is about decluttering; it's still helpful, but only touches a little on the cleaning routine. The third book is a nice, quicker read with lots of pictures and briefly goes over things. So, I suggest the first book.
Mine too
@@brittanyream9872 I would absolutely start with "How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind." It's a fun read about how she struggled, much like we all do, and she discusses so many of the mental and time stumbling blocks we all have. And it's fun to hear it in her voice, if you get the audio version.
Ariel, you’re so awesome, I’m gonna watch this twice. Happy Saturday ☕️☀️✨ edit: so I did it; I watched it twice!🤗 I love your videos so much so I didn’t have to twist my own arm (tbh I initially commented 16 minutes into the first viewing and knew I’d need to watch a second time 😉). And it occurred to me:
I would LOVE to see your own version of The Awkward Mom cleaning routine where you combine all of your favorite methods of all the routines you’ve tried. I bet it would be amazing and you have such a wonderful sense of humor, I know it’d be a hit. Please please oh pretty please? You can even add meal planning too if you want?
Love this channel! Way to go, Awesome Momma!🎉
Edit #2: YOUR NAME IS ARIEL omg how many videos have I commented April?!🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️ how…… awkward??😅🙃 (I’m sorry!🙏)
First of all, you are awesome! Thank you!!!! I do eventually hope to do that, but I need to review a few more routines first! 😊 And it's okay, it's the most common name mistake that people make lol ❤️🥰🥰
For the really overwhelmed mum (like me), try this method:
DON'T allocate certain cleaning tasks to certain days, just make a list of them and every time you manage to carve out some time for cleaning, clean e.g. 1 sink, the next day (or 3 or 5 days later) clean 1 toilet or vacuum 1 room, etc.
That's right, shopping, cooking, dishes and laundry (with 7 kids definitely a load a day!) come first; cleaning is luxury. That's why I'm now grateful and proud of myself when I manage to squeeze 5 minutes of tidying (set a timer) and 10 minutes of cleaning into my day. 🎉 It's almost my treat to myself (some people will understand).
Dana is the best! ✨💪❤️
She says do 5 mins because it’s manageable but you may have to more than one 5 mins in a day. Like one in the morning another in the afternoon and again in the evening.
I love fly lady too but Dana’s is the most simple way of staying afloat. I use her methods all the time when I’m struggling with chronic health conditions and that’s all I can manage in a day. She really gets people who are not naturally organised and tidy. ❤
Ok I am way into this routine. Thank you so much for covering it. I’ve tried using a reusable mop pad and it gets so gross so fast that I never do it…I’m going to get a disposable one again and just do the kitchen and adjacent area 🙌🏻 so smart that’s really the area that needs it most. And bathrooms once a week. I’d just bump up the 5 min tidy to a 15 min tidy or until the flat surfaces are clear 😮💨 I work 12 hour shifts 2-3x a week and esp if I work a few in a row the house is a disaster when I’m off again. If I could just add in a shower and getting ready in the morning before the kids get up then I also won’t look like a disaster lol
The thing about the five-minute pick up is it's meant to be interjected throughout any given day: Getting overwhelmed? Five-minute pickup. Lull in the afternoon before dinner prep? Five-minute pickup. Just got up this morning? Five-minute pickup. Bored? Five-minute pickup. Baby crying? Well, you should probably postpone the five-minute pickup then... (She's good for so many excuses!!!) But you get the idea.
Ariel, try CLR (stands for Calcium, Lime and Rust) it is a very very strong cleaner. So use gloves and good ventilation. But the stuff is magical! It’ll even take rust out of fabric. And it’s great if you have hard water that clouds your glass shower doors too. And shower heads. Skyla is adorbs. And you definitely need a dish washer!!
Dana is my hero and when I saw that you made a video about her (and you are my most favorite youtuber :) ) I needed to watch.Wash the dishes -I think the most horrible thing is washing the dishes ,I hate it and I don't have a dishwasher - but with Dana I can walk in my kitchen not so horrified.With washing I didn't had such a big problem,but with a 8-18 workday I make it every saturday and without a dryer I am waiting 1-3 days to dry and fold everything once.The 5 minute pick-up is good also but the BEST EVER ADVICE from her was the visibility rule,when I think to organize my drawer with socks for example than I am thinking,is my entryway, / kitchen / living clen?no,then first do that and only after this tackle the drawer with socks if you want (and I usually don't want to do it anymore) . The nother 2nd best advice is the declutter without pulling everything out .Maybe this is the first one.I teach this to my daughter of 8yo.A kid doesn't understand to clean a room,but she knows that 1st is the garbage,second to put everything away in it's place and take it there NOW.If it hasn't a place or it goes in the garbage or we make a place for it (the place is if a drawer is for MAXIMUM 75% full).I could write a book about how I love this method :)
I read her book a year ago and I LOVE the laundry day idea! I hate laundry and always procrastinated folding, so before, we always had laundry on the couch. Laundry day changed my life because I do laundry all day on Mondays, then guess what: no more laundry until next Monday! 🥳 (Unless my child wets the bed mid-week or runs out of pants, which is pretty common because I have two that recently night trained and one that still has daytime 😅accidents) I buy enough socks and kids clothes to have enough to last me a week, too!
Potty training is totally what killed my laundry day! I’m taking this as a reminder to reschedule Laundry Day 💜
Love Dana K. White, and seriously read her books, they are so dang funny!
Yeah I am not filling my whole week with laundry! Plus, I don't have enough to do a full load a day. Best thing I learned was to fold it straight out of the dryer, no big pile for "later".
I do one load a day but my washer & dryer are in a closet within easy reach of the bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchen. And, I fold straight from the dryer. If I had a different set up - I’d probably do it all in one day. But, I hate folding clothes. ✳️ Oh! And I got rust out of my bathtub and shower with Bar Keepers Friend. I prefer the powder, I think it stronger. It may take more than one application. I recently tried a product called Iron Out. It comes in a powder or spray. I used the powder inside my toilet tank. The spray worked well on rust stains in my bathroom sink. I follow FlyLady since 2013. I’ve added to my routines to help me create certain habit. Disclaimer: no babies or other kids here. Just arthritic retired people who don’t have the energy and stamina we once had. 😬
We're a couple in our 30s, with no kids, but my partner is a welder, and I swear sometimes it's like living with Pigpen
I grew up in a "laundry one day a week" household, and had similar routines for years myself, due to having to use laundromats. Once I got my own machines, I was able to spread it out over the week. I freakin' LOVE it. You know what the washer and dryer double as? CLEANING TIMERS. There are always variations, but as a baseline, a wash cycle is roughly the length of time I need to do the dishes and clean up some kitchen surfaces. The dry cycle is enough time to do some serious damage to another item on the To Do List (dusting, windows, floors, general tidy up tasks, or a top to bottom of a single room). When the dryer is done, the clothes get folded and put away, and I can choose how much more time I want to put into housekeeping work that day, because the minimums have been met in the time that load took to do.
Oh! Wash and dry as timers for other tasks, this is genius! Thanks for sharing your method, will give this a try! 🤗
I don't know how you (or any Mom) does it....i would be mesmerized by that beautiful little girl and want to watch her every move and expression. Just watching her smile at you...I would not get a darn thing accomplished. You are awesome!
Barkeepers Friend is my go to for getting rust stains out of sinks. Probably works for tubs too. Also, I have been listening to Dana’s podcast for years and have read one of her books. I’m glad she finally made it over to UA-cam. After reading about and trying different systems, she was the one that finally helped me get significant traction with my house cleaning and tidying.
Love your videos! I'm glad you found a system that hits 2 of your biggest challenges. I think there is not one perfect system for everyone but maybe a piece of each system to personalize a system that will work for each person. Keep trying and reviewing these systems, I learn a little every video and your humor makes it so much fun....:)
I follow Flylady most days. Shiny sink every day and make the bed. I wash 2x/week (Wed and Sat) and 5 min pick up/tidy/organise 2-3 times/day. I quick vacuum living areas 2-3times week and do the zones. I declutter as per Dana's advice, the take it there immediately, and the container concept work for me.
I can't wait for you to get lots of money from UA-cam and you can buy the fanciest dishwasher in town!
Btw-- Our kitchen looks very similar to yours, and we waited and waited and waited to get a dishwasher, and FINALLY got one. It really does make a difference, and having gone without, we're really appreciative. Your time will come!