Fantastic Household Tips & Hints - please add yours :)

[rosehannah]

I could do with a domestic goddess around here, the house is a mess because I've been trying to find my way around BellyBelly.

[Bathsheba]

Ah yes, good point Rose... getting the balance right is very tricky for us BB junkies! Very easy to justify hours spent on here as "research"

[Inanna]

Lucy's post reminded me:
A full fruit bowl,
A kettle that whistles,
incense burning,
laughing children running through the grass,
cat curled up on the sofa,
chookies bokking through the garden,

[rosehannah]

Thanks for the "research' excuse, I'll see if it works to night when DH comes home.
Another way I make myself feel better is if the dishwasher, washing machine and oven are all working to the max. while I do my research. LOL THANK GOD FOR TECHNOLOGY!!!
The best way I have found to keep the house from getting trashed in the first place is to shut the doors to rooms that my one year old gets creative in.

[Lucy]

Yep, shut doors work here too......once my 3 are awake and dressed for the day, their windows get opened to give the tooms a good airing but the doors stay firmly closed till nap time or bed time.

And both the bathroom doors get closed so Charlie (aged 20m can't trash them.

And IF you do ever achieve some semblance of a tidy clean house......get the kids in the car quick so that all their energies can be directed in the park, rather than to messing your house up again, LOL!

[AngelPunks]

I've got my place (well living areas) to the state that I can have it looking good within about 15 mins, family usually ring before they leave so it gives me enough time to give the place a quick clean (we have polished wood floors - those mops that trap dust are great!), throw one or two of the oil burners on (if they're not already on), put the coffee on to brew & I've always got some of those Betty Crocker just add milk cookie mixes in the cupboard (they take about 10 mins) - so depending on which family member they sometimes even get cookies. I have learnt that if my brother is coming over that I have to clean on top of the fridge or else he will! He's even been known to make our bed for us! We do close the bedroom doors but since we've got a cottage the french doors to the sun-room are open if it is a warm day.

For friends - they get pretty much the same as above but sometimes without the sweeping.

I clean the toilet every night, the shower gets a wipe down when I get out in the mornings.

I have cleaning stuff in the kitchen AND the bathroom.

My mother used to sweep before bed, I'm almost back into the habit.

I'm usually pretty good with the dishes, I do them most nights before bed - this is supposed to be DH's job but if I want it done I do it myself!

[Rouge]

Send the kids and the hubby and the cat on holidays. Clean your house... take photos and remember this is probably the last time you'll see it this way for a while LOL!

For me my house is slightly domestically challenged atm. It has been so since I became pregnant with Seth. I know I'll get my house back to the way I want it... I have a few decluttering challenges ahead as well as some spring cleaning sessions. But it has been there once so it can be there again...

For me like others some of the things that make me feel like a domestic goddess are:

~ Baking
~ Clean Bathrooms & Toilets with fresh flowers or rose scented pot pourri
~ The smell of Wood Polish/Buff it/Mr Sheen, Bleach, Windex.
~ A shiny sink.
~ Incense & Aromatherapy.
~ Fresh, crisp, clean linen.
~ To do lists.

[briggsy's girl]

marry a "domestic god"!

[paradise lost]

ROFL BG - THAT'S a great plan...

I have different things to represent different aspects of the Domestic Goddess...

Domestic Partner Goddess:

Cook - men notice food before mess.
Clean - the kitchen and the bathroom, men only tend to notice what they're looking at so if he's aiming at a dirty pan or washing his hands in a dirty sink he'll notice, but he's not going to see the dust on the windowsill behind the curtains... Also, men notice heaps but not stacks - you don't have to de-clutter today, just stack it up better so it's not an avanlanche in the making and you're good to go.
Top-tips (for my DP anyway) - have good coffee and pre-made pastries (pain au chocolat are our faves) so that making breakfast is a quick sensory joy not a fight with porridge pans, have clean sweet-smelling sheets and towels on the go.

Domestic Mother Goddess:

Clean - only what is a biohazard. Kids are so messy, you're swimming upstream trying to combat it all. Just leave the crumbs, the toys, the books, until later. Clean up the spilt milk (no crying though ) and the pasta and the soggy bits of toast and banana.
Cook - fun things that are easy to eat. As much as she likes the flavours, she hasn't the patience for a big roast dinner. Pasta, paella, sandwiches, anything she can come back and forth to and can go on playing during makes for a good dinner to her. When we're at table together chat and songs and ryhmes are more important to her than the food.
Go OUT! - the park is fun and there is no washing to be done there....

Domestic self-worshipping Goddess:
Run the dryer at night when it's cheaper (white meter electricity here). Tumble-dryer sheets are cheaper than fabric softener as they can be used twice and THEN put in drawers instead of scented liners to eep everything smelling good and fresh.

A clean floor looks great to me and i like the smell of the floor-cleaner i use (sort of apple-y). I don't clean more than once or twice a week (though i spot clean every day). Get on hands and knees to do a great job and know that you won't miss bits (i HATE mops!). I like sitting on my sofa looking at the clean bright floor as it dries, with all her bigger toys and the rugs and everything up - makes me appreciate that i have plenty of space here for her to play.

That all turned into a ramble. But that's me

Bx

[widdly]

oh wow, i am in such a rut with my house atm this thread is just what i needed to motivate myself to Spring clean! Im heading out on Wednesday to buy an oil burner and some oils. Anyone recommend any smells??

basic chores for me each day to make me feel semi-orgnised and tidy are
-wash dry and put away dishes
-wash and hang out dirty laundry (at least some of it anyway)
-vaccuum lounge dining and kitchen floors

If im really energetic
-clean toilet and bathroom
-mop kitchen and dining floors

Theres nothing like freshly baked bikkies to make a house smell homey.

My top domestic goddess tip is: DONT HAVE KIDS!! lol

[Lucy]

Elissa

I did have a huge range of essential oils and we used to burn a whole range of smells and blends.

But since we started a family (when I was pg the first time) I avoided most smells and blends, so have come full circle back to lemon (or grapefruit occasionally) or lavender.

From my experience, find a good stockist of essential oils that has a good turnover of stock, and go back time and time again for a sniff. You may be amazed at how one or two just immediately appeal.

I am not sure if you can get this brand everywhere as it is a SA based company, but my recommendation is Jurlique.

ETA D'oh, just realised you're an Adelaide girl too, so Jurlique will be no probs for you! Lots of chemists stock it!

[BellyBelly]

We have peppermint, geranium (relaxing), lavender (relaxing) and a citrus blend which are all uplifting and energy oils. Jurlique is everywhere Lucy, we buy Jurlique too

[Bathsheba]

For essential oils there is a good Australian brand called InEssence. As well as pure single oils they do lovely blends. My favourite one for housework is the Motivation blend, they also have Relaxation, Intuition to name a few. Never never never buy "fragrant oils" which are synthetic concoctions that will probably just give you a headache. essential oils can be expensive (the citrus ones aren't too bad) but well worth it. I'm sure there is a thread about them... a few BB members collect them. I've been collecting them for years. A good book on Aromatherapy is essential (excuse the pun).... there's a few good ones around. If you go to the InEssence website they also list their oils and the properties of each one. My favourite citrus oil is mandarine: it's my "happy" oil

[Lucy]

Talking of lemons, I just remembered something else that makes me feel like a domestic goddess.........preserving! It makes me feel worthy and like I would be deserving of my Granny's praise!

I made lemon marmalade last week.....with lemons off our tree........made me feel like a 1940's domestic goddess, LOL!

How lame am I ..excited by Fowlers Vaccola!

[Jayney]

The "flylady" system has helped be transform into a domestic goddess. In her book "Sink reflections" she has a letter from one of her "Flybabies" about how she wears a toy tiara while cleaning so that when she looks up from cleaning the toilet she sees the mirror and instead of seeing a drudge she sees a woman of great worth. (see also proverbs 31) I read this and have eagerly adopted it also. You should see the looks on people's faces when you answer the door wearing a tiara. It is great fun and it reminds you that your job might not be glamorous but it is richly rewarding and soo important.

I love my job and on Facebook listed my job as "Domestic Goddess"

[Lucy]

Jayney, I totally agree re Flylady..........I started taking their babysteps about 4 years ago and have not looked back!

[Roryrory]

I gotta second FlyLady too. I started up with it when Flynn was about 4 months old and though I have fallen off the wagon now I am pregnant and working (it is just too tiring ATM to keep up with all the cleaning) it worked a treat when I wasn't laden down with child. Though my mum, who was a neat FREAK when I was a kid but is now reformed (she used to say you could tell a good housewife if the tops of her door frames were dusted!!) looked at me like I was mad when I started extolling the virtues of cleaning lists and schedules. She actually said "I think you are taking this housewife thing too seriously" LOL!

Another good book (available on Amazon) is "Confessions of an Organised Homemaker" by Deniece Schofield. (I was actually re-reading it this morning on the train). She is less prescriptive and FlyLady and is better on helping you develop routines that suit you. For example, rather than say you must wash your floors every week, she talks about setting your own standard and not needing to justify your decision. She actually points out that a family with small kids will have a messier house than one with kids at school, and that there is nothing wrong with that - it is all about finding a level you are happy with.

[Tobily]

* I make a rule at the end of the day there is adult music playing on the stero for dinner and we light candles on the table most nights - it makes me feel grown up and sets a relaxing scene (as relaxing as a meal with four children can be )

I'm stealing this one as of TODAY. Thanks flowerchild