Seven Kids: Keep the house visitor ready in 15 minutes a day!

I have seven kids, a college boarder, and my work-from-home husband in my 1893 Victorian.  I like for neighbors, friends and travelers to pop in- and don't like to worry about how much notice I was given. But like the rest of you, I don't have money for a maid or hours to spend in housework. Here is how I keep my house pretty much clean and usually ready for drop-ins,  using not much more than 15 minutes a day.
How I have developed this is particular to my house and works for me. The general idea is to start from the front and work to the back; inside that I work from the top downward.  Once you break your home's areas into 5 chunks, give one to each day. After that, pick the tool that you can use most adeptly- I highly recommend learning to use a Steam Cleaner. Set a timer or set your iPod to play 5 upbeat songs (more or less 15 minutes). Fill your steamer and follow steps a little like this:

• Monday. Put dust attachment on steamer: start from the ceiling and do light fixtures, ceiling, shelves, picture frames, lamps, curtains and walls down to baseboards. Wipe all glass. Vaccuum any rugs, roll area rugs up from an edge and sweep/vaccuum under them. Vaccuum uphostered furniture. Put mop attachment on steamer and mop hard surfaces.
• Tuesday. Pull off the shower curtain and place it and all the white towels in the washing machine. Refill your hand soap dispenser (I like to use one with natural essential oils that are strongly scented so that they also leave a fresh scent in the room each time it's used). Use your favorite cleaner - be watching for a side by side comparison of Bon Ami, BarKeeper's Friend and baking soda- on tub, sink and toilet. Use your steamer to give everything the once-over; take care not to neglect the plumbing connections or the baseboards. Put the mop attachment on, and mop the floor. Take five minutes and pay attention to the grout, it's worth it. You'll have to come back in an hour or two and hang your shower curtain back up when you put the towels in the dryer.
• Wednesday. Spray Seventh Generation All Purpose Cleaner, or the All Purpose from Trader Joe's, on the stovetop, range hood, countertops, microwave and front of the fridge and cabinets, then wipe it all in the order you sprayed. Shine the kitchen sink with Bar Keepers Friend.  Grab the steamer and use it on the ceiling fan, the filters on the range hood, the open metal shelves, and the cabinet crevices and edges. Use it to sterilize all handles and knobs and the breakfast bar surface. Put the mop attachement on, and mop the floor.
• Thursday:  Bust clutter that has accumulated on porches, in the mud room, vestibule/entry, and on stairs. Look up and sweep porch ceilings, light fixtures, and walls. Sweep porches and walkways, clean welcome mats. 
• Friday: Clean your stairs. Look up and dust cobwebs and light fixtures. Spray your all purpose spray on your washable paint and wipe the handprints off the walls. Wash the handrail. Use your steamer to shoot the cracks/crevices of each riser free of dust and grime, and mop or vaccuum the stairs. I have FOUR sets of stairs in my house~ I can only do one set in 15 minutes. To tell the truth I only do the basement stairs 4 times a year. The stairs to my 3rd floor suite get done every 2 months. The Grand Staircase and back service stairs get done alternating weeks.

Can I really do all this in 15 minutes each day?  Not really, but if I give the house 15 minutes, at least some of it will have gotten done.  Pick up next time where you left off, each thing being done once or twice a month is better than not being done at all.  Sometimes I'll spend 20-30 minutes, especially if I missed a day in the previous week. The thing is though, if you do actually spend 15 minutes a day, nothing is ever SO messy that it takes SO long to keep caught up.  

My real secret is my steam cleaner-  since I got it, so much can be done with it so much faster. Like shooting dust off ceiling fans and off baseboards..... fantastic.  And notice, you pretty much have to start with a basic level of tidyness-- no dish piles in the sink, no pots sitting on the stove, no piles of anything anywhere.  That's another 15 minutes if you have to pick that up first.  It's a basic that I keep on top of though- don't put something down, put it away. 

And what do the kids do during the 15 minutes?  Their own rooms and toiletry baskets and the bathroom they share. They can't mess anything up if they are cleaning, too. I usually do my master suite on Saturdays, and ask them to clean their bedrooms then too.

When you're done, you deserve a treat!  Make time for a latté, and sit down to make a phone call to chat with your best friend or grandma or mom, or pick up a book for another 15 minutes. Don't forget to set a timer!