'cleaning' the house in 5 steps

I am not as house proud as some. People coming over is generally when I whiz round and get some cleaning done. Lately though I have been on a spring cleaning buzz, trying to throw away some stuff so that there is less stuff to tidy! What I prefer to do is organise it somewhere and keep it.. But these two things are not always compatible. We have lived here two years and I am still improving the 'everything has a place' rule. In particular we have a new kitchen (yay!) with less storage so I am inspired to purge. Tis hard work but I don't want to grow up to be a hoarder. Wish me luck.

So, imagine a last minute visitor at your house and  things could look better... Here are my 5 steps to a 'clean' house. You can now benefit from my time saving tips gleaned from years of laziness (other priorities)! These will not be for everyone. If you are a neat freak, don't read any more... I think this list can be done in about 15-20 minutes?! Hopefully beds are made and table and bench is wiped. I am have been working on that this year. Gosh for shame, how old am I? Here you go, 5 steps to house reasdy!

1. Vacuum the floor in the main room and hallway if possible. This may involve putting toys away. Toy baskets are essential here or put them under a child's bed for another clean up later! I have a stick vacuum that I love, so this step is now super fast.

2. Clean the toilet. Ground breaking stuff right. Toddlers in the house means this just needs doing often. Don't skimp here!

3. If your hard floors need attention wipe around the corners of the room with a damp used tea towel or hand towel you then throw in the wash

4. Get your dishes in dishwasher! In extreme cases they can go in the oven or a cupboard! Revolutionary I know.

5. Put clothes in laundry baskets. Having a basket in each room is a bit of an intermediate step for me, I just don't seem to have a putting clothes away mojo. Ada is always pulling out more...

So there you have it! All done. Just enough tidy...