Our pick a room-one room easy cleanup method for summer

kitchen toolbox organizer / part of a new summer cleaning idea that's EASY! via FunkyJunkInteriors.net

toolbox phone organizer

With the kids out of school now, the days are long, the evenings are warm, and our schedule is in summer mode.

We REALLY drop the ball this time of year. Our dinner may be at 4pm or at 9.. it just depends how we feel, what we’re doing and where we are. (Without a bagged lunch in sight…)

Since we’ve really relaxed our schedule, the house was beginning to reflect that. For the most part, we keep up. But… let’s face it, the most used rooms will get hit, and the less seldom used rooms will get a closed door…

Sawhorse ladder blog office / part of a new, more effortless way to keep your home clean for summer! via FunkyJunkInteriors.net
saw horse ladder desk blog office

Today I was a little ashamed to have stayed online so long. Time flies when you’re having fun, right?! So when I surfaced off Pinterest and Facebook my work day online,  my glance around didn’t exactly earn a magazine shoot.

Frustrated with myself, I clicked my monitor into sleep mode (because more than that would just have been unsettling) and shouted, “ONE ROOM CLEANUP! Top to bottom! Pick your room!” to my son.

By the time he surfaced off his chair (because he was apparently very excited about this), I had finished one room and was onto my 2nd. And pushing for a 3rd.

board and batten attic wall / part of a new summer cleaning idea that's EASY! via FunkyJunkInteriors.net
bathroom board and batten attic wall feature

So here’s what I did. I walked into a room, and refused to walk out of it until THAT room was done. And I mean, surfaces dusted, floor washed, garbage emptied, everything, even a quick wipe on a wall if needed. Whatever it took. 

It wasn’t an overwhelming task at all, because it was ‘only one room’.

But I was so thrilled with the quick progress, I was enticed to do more. And more….

sisal bathroom mat / part of a new summer cleaning idea that's EASY! via FunkyJunkInteriors.net

So I’m making clouds of dust while cleaning and both cats are in awe… they can’t figure out whether I’m trying to tease them into playing or if they should just stand back in case they get run over with the vacuum cleaner.

I think I was the one more entertained, watching their heads bob back and forth, following my every move. Their reaction may or may not mean I don’t do this enough… not confessing a thing yet…

Signed up toolbox side table / part of a new summer cleaning idea that's EASY! via FunkyJunkInteriors.net

vintage signed up toolbox sidetable

Signed up toolbox side table / part of a new summer cleaning idea that's EASY! via FunkyJunkInteriors.net
My son picked a room he frequents most. It wasn’t that bad, but that didn’t matter. He still had to hang the clean shirts thrown over a chair and carry all the shoes downstairs. And pick up his 101 remotes.  Whatever it took. And since HE picked the room, he didn’t even find a reason to complain.

Did I really write that last sentence?!

Anyway… I’m now sitting down and writing about this amazing (I’m sure NEVER been done before… heh) quick and easy house cleaning method because our house is sooooo clean! (in the rooms we did)

I seriously even set up my bedtray on my bed for a chick flick tonight after the gym because I will hurt have earned the treat!

bed tray and gate headboard / part of a new summer cleaning idea that's EASY! via FunkyJunkInteriors.net

bedroom with reclaimed wood bed tray

Sorry, no dirty floor pictures today. Just a ‘vision’ of the aftermath from my little brain storm and energy spurt. I’ll be right there, Lake!

Guilt… it’s a beautiful thing.

How do you keep up with things during summer? Or do you kinda let it go?

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Categories: Inspiration, Junk Drawer, Organizing
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27 thoughts on “Our pick a room-one room easy cleanup method for summer

  1. It’s hard for me to let things go. I want everything in it’s place which they usually are unless my man is off from work then look out…lol I’m a very organized person so the only thing that needs done more around here is dusting and who wants to do that…!!!

  2. Like you, things around here tend to get a little lax. Sometimes too lax. I love the idea of one room clean up. I usually just do a one house clean up. Top to bottom. Works well foot the first floor I decide to start on. Then I come up with some excuse not to do the other floor. Lol thanks for the inspiration. Time to go clean.

  3. LOL -I tend to let things go all year, not just in summer. 🙂 I employ the 15 minute pick up method. Every morning after coffee I set the kitchen timer for 15 minutes and make a mad dash around the house picking things up and putting them away until the timer goes off. It’s amazing how much I can get done in 15 minutes.

  4. I kinda let things go cuz I’m outside working in my flower beds. My husband is on the road from Monday through Friday evening so usually on Friday mornings I get up early start my laundry clean house, and get to the grocery store, come home finish laundry and welcome the hubs home. I do just enough house cleaning so the house looks neat and clean, come fall I will do deep cleaning and re-organizing and getting the house ready for the holidays. That has been my routine for yrs. works for me. On the week-ends we ride and eat on the road so I do very little cooking.

  5. summer is my time to catch up. i have two “to-do lists,” one for home and one for my classroom. it is only day 3 of summer vacation and i am checking things off like mad on both lists–strike while the iron is hot. my husband is at work and my one and only son is off on his own, so i have nothing but time and the energy to take care of business (and stop to read and post messages on Facebook and sites like this, of course).
    it is a great feeling to be both productive and lazy!

    • When the mood moves me…..living on the West Coast, 24/7. ……..in my Rose gardens…………………empty nesters!

  6. I love the one room at a time thing.

    To try and keep on top of stuff I keep a little daily list of things to do every morning (feed animals, wash their bowls, put a load of laundry on, load or unload dish washer, make beds etc) – things I usually do without thinking too much about but if I get slack I refer to the list and it gets me back on track.

    When the list is finished, I’m then free to do other things (if not working), and at the moment I am painting our trash cupboard door bright turquoise and thinking about what to do with that nice blank canvas… No creative stuff til the list is done though (I slacked this morning; it’s 3.45pm here in the UK and only the animals are sorted).

    I like lists, I have a weekly planner for my work, and a big notebook for house and garden and creative things.

    One thing I do which is something I’ve done since I was a little girl and told to “TIDY YOUR ROOM!” is make it a bit more fun by pretending to be on a tv show about cleaning and doing a little commentary and sharing tips to your pretend audience. Luckily this happens when the kids are at school and my fella is out at work so no one knows about this. Well, they do now as it’s on the internet for anyone to see ha ha.

    Thanks for a great website and blog Donna! 🙂

    • You are far more organized than I ever could be Nessie. I love your plan! Something in my brain triggers ‘too much work!’ when I have to follow a list. I think I do better not knowing what’s ahead of me… LOL Good ‘ol spontaneous plan it is. We shall see how long this lasts… haha

  7. We have been bad with inside upkeep since summer, but company is coming, so I am doing a room a day myself — but no more! 🙂 It will be nice to have everything whipped back into shape, if only for a while!

  8. My motivation to clean and organize is my sweet granddaughter Aubrey. I am on a mission to have all my chores complete before her month long stay with me begins. Knowing I can’t miss a minute of Nona time with her. When she arrives we hit the ground running with our craft projects, trips to the library, and this year gliding around the indoor ice rink. Time with her is too precious to waste!

  9. Yay for you!! I went on a cleaning spree early in the summer and I have been keeping it up pretty well. Sad to say that means I haven’t done too many junk projects…don’t want to mess it up?? It’s a vicious cycle! I’m thinking my “clean streak” is over…in NEED of some creative time 🙂

  10. Hi Donna! I just read your blog…loved it! I can say that the older I become and now we are empty nesters I am more laid back regarding house cleaning. Lately I’ve gotten really lazy about making our bed! I don’t know why because I love how pretty it is when all the pillows are on it and it only takes maybe 3minutes to do…3 of my 5 grandchildren will spend the week with us soon so that will be my biggest motivation! I guess I work so much better under pressure! Have a great day!

  11. I’m with you – one room at a time seems to get the job done. I even set a timer sometimes so that I don’t go overboard and can get to all the ‘one rooms’ that need attention.

    Happy Summer to you 🙂

  12. Oh heaven’s above! I want you to come to my house for just one day……. I would be so thrilled…. to have you and your amazing organizing/cleaning skills.

    I got NUTTIN done today. I did bleach and scrub (several times) my front stoop…. but then when I spray painted this Krylon Brushed Metalilic that I thought was a soft, light gray…… it turned out it was oil rubbed bronze!!! 8 < 0 Shock.. lol…… I can fix it, or so I think. (grin while gritting my teeth).

  13. LOVE IT!!!! I am inspired to SHOUT!!! LOL!
    I am about to clean the GUEST ROOM right now as I have a guest coming in tomorrow! Beddings are washed so I just need to DUST and light a candle… and make the bed!
    Husband did his only duty: vacuumed the room last night.
    Your house looks beautiful! I love the side table…
    Cheers,
    Claudine

  14. I think I have told you how much I love your beautiful kitty kat on your bed…… to me, a house is not a home without at least a kitty kat or two or three (I have four and please don’t tell) and a pup or two or three and yes I have three pups also….. so I have fur bunnies within 8 hours. I would not change that for anything though, cause they are all so very precious to me and so loving.

  15. I keep things in the summer the same as I do all year lol, I’m disabled with severe back problems so the best I can do is dust mop a couple times a week & dust furniture once a week and then vacuum & mop once a week. And of course cook & do dishes. Needless to say on the day I do something I am in major pain that night & taking my pain meds. But at least I’m trying right?

    • Good for you Jeri! It does make housework that much more difficult with health problems, but all we can do is what we can do. Family & friends will accept us (and our abode) as is, and if other visitors find it unacceptable, you should not be involved with those people anyway 🙂

      • I don’t even have people to my home anymore, as I have 3 Boxers and a Jack Russel that all shed like crazy..thus the dust mop a couple times a week. But I refuse to give up my furbabies that are always there to listen to me and of course chase around the dust mop, vacuum or mop, and lets not forget to run through the piles of hair I have swept up

      • Hubby has said I could get a maid a couple times a week but I look at that as blowing money that could be used on crafting & quilting. But my awesome husband bought me a new Janome 6600p, it will be here by July 7th YIPPEE!! Unfortunately we leave for vacation on July 13th – 20th, I’m not going to want to leave with a brand new computerize toy here to play with lol.

  16. I like your way of thinking. One room is better than none rooms clean. Even better when one room leads to two, three and four rooms cleaned. My cleaning motto these days has been, “well, it’s not necessarily clean, but, it’s better than it was before…”, so far it’s working.

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