Episode 57 - How to Implement an EASY CLEANING ROUTINE in Every Home, with Special Guest Monica Baker of Claiming Simplicity - Intentional Edit

Keeping the house clean and picked up can be overwhelming and difficult to manage. On this episode of The Intentional Edit Podcast we have a special guest, Monica Baker of Claiming Simplicity, teaching everything we need to know about implementing an easy to follow cleaning routine in our homes.

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Full Episode Transcription (not edited):

Speaker 1:

Keeping the house orderly and picked up can be overwhelming and difficult to manage. On this episode of the intentional edit podcast, we have a special guest Monica baker of cleaning, simplicity, teaching everything we need to know about implementing and easy to follow cleaning routine in our homes. Hey moms, welcome to the intentional edit podcast. Do you wanna stop feeling overwhelmed and finally get your home organized. Do you find yourself up late at night, worrying about how you are going to get everything done and not drop the ball? You are wondering where to start and what to do. There is never enough time in the day. The piles of laundry are building up and it’s already time for after school activities, homework, snacks, and carpool. Again, I’m Lauren. I too want an organized, clean home where my family can make long lasting memories and be present in the moment feeling like there’s never enough time to complete all the daily tasks is exhausting simplicity all around a healthy mule on the table at dinnertime and a family that contributes to the chores really is attainable. Stop telling yourself that you have to do it all or it will never get done, or that picky eaters will never allow for a complain free dinner. In this podcast, you will learn exactly how to declutter implement systems and maximize routines that remove the overwhelming unorganized parts of life, bringing simplicity to your life and home. Come on. It’s time to create a life you love

Speaker 1 (01:24):

Today. We have a special guest joining us who specializes in simplicity at home. You know, I love anything that has to do with systems and routines that make life easier. So Monica baker is going to share her ultimate cleaning routine. Monica is a wife homeschool, mom of five kids, grandma, a nurse, and a podcaster. She excels at helping moms simplify their life and create more meaning by sharing tips and ideas on how to do this in your own life and on her podcast, which is called claiming simplicity. I’m excited to talk with her today as she teaches us more about getting a handle on routines and cleaning in our homes with strategies or an easy routine for every busy mom.

Speaker 2 (02:07):

Okay. Thank you so much for being a guest on the intentional edit podcast today, you have a lot of great things going on in your life and have become an advocate for finding simplicity at home. Tell us a little bit about where your passion for this came from.

Speaker 3 (02:21):

Well, over 20 years ago, when three of my kids were young, I was working. Full-time bringing three kids to daycare every day and just exhausted and knew that there was something more to life. <laugh> my husband and I were at a conference and we were told to put our priorities in order beginning with the most important, which mine were God family and work. And then after that, we had to take how many hours we were spending each week on each one of those. So at that time I put God first, but the only time I really spent with him was on Sundays at church. My family was just getting weekends because during the week we were rushing to get out of the door in the morning. And in the evening it was dinner, baths and bed, all to do it again the next day. And all of my time was spent at work. So after that conference over a few months, my husband and I were able to sell some things, pay off a bunch of debt we had, and then I decided to work from home, but that meant we live differently and had to simplify in order to get our priorities in order to what really mattered most to us. And this is when it started,

Speaker 2 (03:38):

Oh, I love that you share, like you’re going back all these years. And the reality is so many people are in that place where you were right now. And it’s like, you have all of these things. I call them the non-negotiables like you have all of these things that are filling up your time, but they’re not necessarily aligned with your priorities. Just you’ve in the habit of, this is what we do. This is the, the same thing over and over every single day. But you’re not really getting to do the things that you want to be doing or spending time with the people that are most important to you.

Speaker 3 (04:15):

Exactly.

Speaker 2 (04:17):

Okay. So, so you made this change oh, oh ago and have been on the journey to simplicity ever since then.

Speaker 3 (04:26):

Yes. Yes. And I love, I love everything simple <laugh>

Speaker 2 (04:31):

Yes,

Speaker 3 (04:32):

Of course.

Speaker 2 (04:33):

As every busy mom knows it’s difficult to find time to do it all. And you just kind of explain where you were in that place. And now you are in a different place and you and I both help our clients and our listeners find some sort of balance with developing civic systems, habits, and routines that can manage daily tasks and chores to simplify. And you’ve really come up with the ultimate plan for cleaning in the home. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Speaker 3 (05:06):

Sure. Well, the most important thing I ever did was to declutter and get rid of things right. When I was, you know, working full time, if I would get a day off, I seemed to be cleaning out the same things I did the last time I was off. So I knew that in order to keep it organized, then I was going to have to live with less stuff. So that my days off I could enjoy time with family instead of cleaning. And once I uttered, I bet I cut my cleaning time in half. And one of those things, one of the things that I do is I get up early every morning, even working from home now, um, the first thing I do is I make coffee and while that’s running, I go and throw a load of laundry in. And that has really helped me never get laundry piled up with five kids. So when I was working, I would just put them in the dryer on my way out the door. And then when I got home, I’d fluff it up and then take ’em out of the dryer, but I fold them as I take them out of the dryer. So it’s just one less thing to do.

Speaker 2 (06:15):

So you numb, ever end up with that giant pile or baskets of clean clothes waiting to be folded or folded. And then so many people fold them, put them in the baskets, they’re sitting in the laundry room or in a bedroom, and then you have to find something and you dig through this basket and then all of a sudden, nothing is folded anymore.

Speaker 3 (06:35):

Right? Exactly. And that would frustrate me.

Speaker 2 (06:39):

You came up with the simple system that you’ve been using for many years. I do the same thing. If you throw in a load of laundry every day, you, or depending on the size of your family and even the seasons, because if like winter clothes are so bulky that you, you eliminate the buildup of the laundry that needs to be done. So that’s one system that you have come up with in this whole journey to cleaning. So I’ll try as to interrupt you, but, and you can keep clean. Oh,

Speaker 3 (07:10):

Oh no, no, you’re fine. <laugh> um, then after I have my coffee and read the Bible, I do my devotions. I go to my bedroom and make the bed on my way to the shower. So that’s just something that I do every day. So, I mean, it only takes a couple minutes and I think that really makes a difference when you’re doing stuff like that. Um, and then once I get ready for the day, I immediately take my dirty clothes to the laundry room and we don’t even have, have laundry baskets because that’s just what we do. It never, it never lays on the floor in there. We just automatically, my husband too, just takes it to the laundry room. And it’s always in there then every morning when we’re doing laundry. So,

Speaker 2 (07:54):

So you, you like trained your kids and that was what they did too. So the, the law I’m sure is full. Once everyone has brought their clothes and then you press start and you go on with your day.

Speaker 3 (08:05):

Exactly. Okay. Now my 12 and 14 year olds, I let them bring their laundry down when they want it done, just because that works easier and it’s on their terms. <laugh> but were young when I’d get ’em ready for bed, I just automatically would put it in the laundry room. So if their stuff doesn’t get done, I don’t worry about it because they can do it themselves.

Speaker 2 (08:31):

<laugh> got it.

Speaker 3 (08:32):

You know? Yeah. Um, we dust, vacuum and clean the bathrooms all like on Fridays, just, it only takes a couple hours and it just keeps everything really streamlined. And I think the most important thing to develop is a routine that you stick with. And so if you need to put an alert on your phone or start out just to start out to remind you every day, that’s what will become a habit. That’s what I, that’s what I have to do, because like, otherwise I have this squirrel brain that goes this direction, then that direction. So <laugh>, that’s what I do.

Speaker 2 (09:10):

Absolutely. And like with both of us, with our, the clients that we work with, the routines are the key to living a simplified life.

Speaker 3 (09:21):

Yes.

Speaker 2 (09:22):

When I’m working with coaching clients, sometimes they don’t have a three hour chunk to devote, to cleaning their house all in one day. And then we break it up into smaller tasks. And it’s something that even at 10 minutes a night, if every family member contributes 10 minutes a night, then it’s amazing how things stay clean. You’re not getting it all cleaned at one time, but every surface will be touched throughout the week. So things are, are really always clean or not far from being clean in your situation. You’ve come up with what works for your family. And you know, that Friday morning is the time to do it. And you have the things that you listed, like dusting, vacuuming bathrooms, I think you said

Speaker 3 (10:09):

Mm-hmm <affirmative>.

Speaker 2 (10:10):

And so that’s what works. So what’s great when you have a cleaning routine or any type of system is, is you have to do what works for your family in the season of life that you are currently in.

Speaker 3 (10:24):

Yes, exactly. Cause I didn’t have two hours when I was working full-time to do that.

Speaker 2 (10:30):

Of course. Right.

Speaker 3 (10:32):

Yeah.

Speaker 2 (10:33):

If you feel like all of the like cleaning methods that you currently have, or really you don’t even have anything in place and it just all needs a complete overhaul. What are two or three things that you would recommend doing that could make a big impact in the overall cleanliness of your home, but don’t take hours and hours?

Speaker 3 (10:54):

Well, I think our kitchen seems to be our busiest place in the house. So I think if you begin the habit to get the dishes done every night and clear the counters, it’s so wonderful to wake up in the morning to a clean kitchen every day. I mean, because otherwise they just pile up and pile up.

Speaker 2 (11:13):

Absolutely.

Speaker 3 (11:15):

I hate that. <laugh> I hate to wake up in the morning and make the coffee and the it be a pile of dishes there.

Speaker 2 (11:22):

Well, yes, because like what can you do the night before to make your life easier? If you walk out and there’s a pile of kitchen of dishes in the sink and your kitchen is a mess, it’s like, you’re starting your day with this feeling of, oh great. Now there’s something else I have to do. It’s just like this negativity looming over you. And you could have spent a few minutes taking care of that the night before, and then you wouldn’t have that feeling.

Speaker 3 (11:48):

Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And I also think just doing that one load of laundry every day, it helps so much. Cause when it piles up, you know, like you said, you have to spend a full day doing it, but in small chunks, it actually isn’t a dreaded task anymore. So I think if you implement those two things, just those two things that helps so much.

Speaker 2 (12:11):

Okay. So can kitchen and laundry. Another thing that PE some people just really, really dread doing the laundry. And one thing that I like to share is when you fold the laundry and it’s time to put it away, you can make it a reward for yourself and put on a TV show for 10 minutes. And even if it, it takes you four loads of laundry to get through that TV show, put that on. Maybe you, uh, like to indulge in Instagram stories. Well, if it only takes you 10 minutes to lo to put a load of laundry away and have it folded and hung up, press play on your phone, watch your Instagram stories then because that’s a lot better than wasting through 30 minutes at a different time throughout the day, you still get to do those things that are probably wasting your time right now, but you just made it so that, that dreaded task of folding and putting away the laundry isn’t so dreaded anymore. And you can start to look forward to it by adding a, a little simple thing or listen to a pot during that time, you know, something like that, that you’re actually looking forward to.

Speaker 3 (13:18):

Right. And even my teenagers, when I have a basket of towels, they are like, I’ll, I’ll do the laundry because that’s their time. They get, you know, time to watch a show and they enjoy that too, because we don’t do a lot of TV and screen time. So that’s kind of a treat for them too.

Speaker 2 (13:37):

Yeah, exactly. You can turn something that you’re dreading into something that it really isn’t so bad. Another thing when people complain about the laundry, a lot of people with younger kids are always saying that the kids don’t hang the towels up after their shower. So they don’t need to wash the towel every single day, but they never know if it’s dirty or clean because it’s always on the floor. One thing I recommend is putting hooks up to get rid of the towel bar and put hooks up because anyone can hang something on a hook. Kids are so much more likely to put something on a hook than they are to triple fold a towel nicely and put it over a towel bar.

Speaker 3 (14:14):

Yes. Oh yes. I do that too. We have hooks in our bathrooms and we have hooks in our entryway for the coats because the closet never worked for us.

Speaker 2 (14:24):

<laugh> well, and I’m sure you live in a cold climate, so you guys really have to bundle up. So you have coats and gloves and scarves and all of it. I’m

Speaker 3 (14:33):

Sure all of it. You

Speaker 2 (14:34):

Have to have lots of hooks.

Speaker 3 (14:36):

Yes we do. <laugh> and I don’t put all my winter stuff away. It just snowed here last week. And every time that I put it away, it will snow. So I wait until it’s completely safe. I mean, this is almost may and I’m still waiting to wash up and put all my winter stuff away.

Speaker 2 (14:56):

<laugh> so you’ve learned.

Speaker 3 (14:58):

I have learned. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (14:59):

Yeah. That’s awesome. What about getting the kids involved with chores? You’ve given us a little insight to this, but anything like with cleaning or any age recommendation for certain tasks, for easy things that they can do to feel a sense of accomplishment and contribute to the family?

Speaker 3 (15:18):

Well, I think it’s very important to involve the kids in the daily chores. I mean, we, I mean, our goal is to raise kids, to be adults that are equipped when they leave the house. Right?

Speaker 2 (15:29):

Absolutely.

Speaker 3 (15:31):

Um, my kids always start out when they’re like two or three, just with simple tasks, you know, cleaning their dishes from the table and cleaning up their own toys, putting their laundry in the laundry room. But as they get older, I have a list that my 12 and 14 year old that we still have at home do. And I don’t micro manage that. They just know that this is what they have to get done every day. And then I have an extra list for them that is tasks that involve money. So they can make some extra money to spend a really great incentive for them because at their ages, they like to, you know, go to school and file the different concessions and all this extra stuff that I don’t usually buy. So right.

Speaker 2 (16:20):

Of course the money is the motivator. Oh God, we pick up some extra things when they’re extra chores, when they’re trying to purchase something.

Speaker 3 (16:29):

Yes. And the regular chores we don’t pay ’em for, but those extra drill ones, that’s what they get to do.

Speaker 2 (16:35):

Okay. So you have a list of expectations, which are the chores that they have to do, which aren’t really age appropriate. And then you, you mentioned starting young, like your two and three year olds were contributing. And when people aren’t in the habit of getting their kids to do chores, they don’t realize often what kids are really capable of. And a lot of times people have like this negative connotation around the word chores and a chore doesn’t have to be a big deal. A chore can be something as simple as when you finished eating, you take your bowl or plate to the sink,

Speaker 3 (17:15):

Right?

Speaker 2 (17:15):

They really simplify, I think these easy tasks, but if mom is left being the cleaning person and has to gather all the bowls and dishes and do the dishes herself, it takes a lot of time. But if everyone contributes, you now took a 20 minute project for one person down to just a few minutes. And then all of a sudden you have 15 or 20 minutes where the family can play a game together or do an activity together because everyone is helping to get things, cleaned up, get the chores done, get the daily tasks done.

Speaker 3 (17:50):

And I think when they start out, they just know that when they start young, that, that, that’s just what they do when they get older. They don’t even think anything out, you know about it.

Speaker 2 (18:01):

Absolutely. And it’s funny when you watch really young kids, they are so excited to do these things that then when the teenagers are in those ages, then they’re, you know, complaining and dreading these things. Like it was so much work

Speaker 3 (18:17):

<laugh> right. Yes. I always let my kids do like the dishes and stuff, cuz they always seemed to wanna do it when they were young. Even though it would take me twice as long because I would have to redo them all. I still let them do those things.

Speaker 2 (18:32):

And I love that you are sharing that because of course it’s easier as the parent, the adults that, you know, you know how to do it and you want it done a certain way. But the benefit in the long run of letting your kids do that, the trial and error is benefit for them obviously. But then it also benefits the whole house when they get to the point where they have, I don’t wanna say perfected it, but they’ve really gotten to be able to do it efficiently.

Speaker 3 (19:02):

Yes, exactly.

Speaker 2 (19:04):

Well, thank you so much for giving us all of these good tips today. I love the ideas that you shared. Can, can you tell everyone where they can find you and how they can get in touch with you?

Speaker 3 (19:16):

<laugh> yes. You can find me at claiming simplicity on podcast platforms claiming simplicity on Instagram, although I’m not very active on there or you could join our Facebook community, which is simple living for busy moms.

Speaker 2 (19:31):

Okay. And I definitely encourage everyone to check out your podcast because it is full of lots of good resources. I do. I do have one extra question to ask you today that I like to ask all of my guests. And it’s just a fun question. So what is your most dreaded task around the house and what is one that you don’t mind or even enjoy doing?

Speaker 3 (19:57):

One of my dreaded tasks is cleaning the jets on the shower and bathtub. I hate that because <laugh> it. I have to take Q-tips and clean it. And it’s just so petty and it takes too much time and I don’t like that.

Speaker 2 (20:15):

So it’s like a tedious project that you have to do random that all right.

Speaker 3 (20:19):

Yes. I hate that. But I do enjoy doing dishes, which may be weird, but we have a dishwasher. We rarely use it, but that’s my time where I actually listen to podcasts. So it goes really fast and I, I just enjoy it.

Speaker 2 (20:36):

Yeah. So that, that goes back to your kids, wanting to fold a load of towels for you. Cuz they can get some TV time in. There you go. You get your podcast in during dish washing.

Speaker 3 (20:46):

Yes, exactly.

Speaker 2 (20:47):

Perfect. I love it. Well, thank you so much for joining us today. I love all the tips that you shared. I’m thankful that you were able to be here today. Yes. Thank you. This was fun.

Speaker 1 (21:00):

Really given us some great tips around establishing cleaning routines and making sure that what you, you are doing to make cleaning and simplicity happen in your life really fits in into the season of life that you’re in. Then you can make little changes along the way. I especially like that. You shared your laundry hack about doing a daily load of laundry every single day. And just putting those dirty clothes right into the room so that they are ready to be washed. I will be sure to be passing that along to people that are struggling with how to manage the dirty laundry in their homes. Thank you for spending your time with us today and thank you to the listeners for joining us for another episode of the intentional edit podcast, I will meet you back here next week for another.

Speaker 1 (21:50):

Thank you for listening to the intentional edit podcast. If you found today’s episode valuable, tell your friends about it by taking a screenshot, sharing it on social and tagging me at intentional edit. I’ll be back soon with another episode in the meantime, find me@intentionaledit.com and be sure to follow intentional edit on social platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook to ensure you catch future episodes, click the subscribe or follow button. Now I am grateful for a five star rating and review from you. Be sure to let me know what you liked about this episode and what you want me to cover in the future.

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Lauren is the founder of Intentional Edit, a home organization and lifestyle company focused on consciously editing to create efficient and organized spaces. Lauren believes that a functional home that looks and feels good has a positive influence on all aspects of life. Creating systems that allow for the home to function more efficiently, therefore, eliminating most of the clutter and chaos is her priority. While trends come and go organization is always in style!

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