After Its Done Swarming Locusts...

After its done swarming locusts and the plague that has attacked my home has run its course, I must step back and look at the ruins.  With my husband, two children, and myself feeling sick all last week, my Everyday Cleaning Concept was a total fail.  The laundry was never done, the bathroom never cleaned, the wood never dusted, and the floors never vacuumed.  As we all started to feel better, I was going insane.  I had to clean.

But where to begin?

When my home starts to feel like a cesspool of filth, I always tackle the same things first.  They are the chores that make my home feel the freshest the fastest:

1. A quick pick-up. Everything in our home has a place, usually out of sight in a drawer, closet, or cabinet.  It only takes about ten minutes to run through the house and quickly pick up items that are out of place and it makes the house instantly look put together.
2. Vacuum. I have a little one crawling all over the floor, and when I see her crawl up to me with fistfuls of fur, needless to say, I feel dirty.  Vacuuming takes me about twenty minutes and it immediately makes my world feel cleaner.
3. Clean the toilet. This one should seem obvious.  It builds up germs quickly and only takes two minutes to clean with some bleach.
4. Dust. Dust is a very visible sign of dirt in a home, especially if you have darker wood.  With a damp cloth, I run over all my surfaces, picking up nick-knacks and dusting the tops of picture frames.  Ten minutes later, that visible sign is gone.
5. Laundry.  This one takes a little longer, but I always at least start a load.  The sound of the washing machine working just makes me feel cleaner.
6. Wash windows. This may not fit for everyone, but my windows quickly become adorned with tiny finger prints and doggy nose prints.  I take about two minutes to wash the windows in the living room and dining room, since those are the worst.
7. Dishes. Ask my husband.  I hate loading the dishwasher, but it only takes about ten minutes, and once it is complete, the kitchen looks a hundred times cleaner.
8. Wash the linens. This task only takes as long as the washer and dryer cycles and will make your bedroom so much more inviting for a good nights rest, post-recovery.
9. Scented candles. Top off that feeling of a fresh home with some scented candles or oils.  I liked to sprinkle a couple drops of essential oils on my vacuum filter to fill the home while I am vacuuming.  Then, at the end of the day, light some vanilla or lavender candles to help you unwind in your clean home.
10. Baths. I like to end with this one to top off my day of cathartic cleaning.  After feeling sick, it always makes me feel better to get the kids bathed and take a bath myself.  This one may be nice to start with if you are having a hard time getting jump-started to do much else.

There you have it.  In two or three hours, my plagued, locust-filled home is now a fresh and inviting haven.

When your house gets out of hand, what is the first thing you like to tackle to make it feel fresh again