Cleaning Strategy Week 1: Define Your Goals

Summer is around the corner. But traces of winter may remain indoors: sticky fingerprints on switchplates, grimy burners on the stove, and grit from sand, salt, and mud lodged in the corners of your entry.

Unless you're Superwoman, "spring cleaning" all in one day isn't realistic. Especially if you’re going to keep harsh chemicals to a minimum. First, you'll need to get into a routine. We'll show you how to think of the high-trafficked areas of your home (kitchen, bathroom, and family room) as another family member that needs a little bit of positive attention each day—even if it's just five minutes. Every week, those little bits of attention accumulate, and you get more done with less effort. We'll show you that you do have time to clean the dishes, wipe out the kitchen sink, make the bed, and keep up with the vacuuming!

Your Clean Green Home Notebook

Start by getting a notebook—something small that you can carry around and jot notes down in. Call it your Clean Green Home Notebook. Use it this week to determine the areas of your home that need the most attention.

• Where do you struggle most to maintain a clean spot?
• What's the most challenging cleaning task? (Your dishes? Vacuuming?)
• How could the environmental mantra of "reduce-reuse-recycle" help you?

Food for Thought

For some fun quizzes to spark your thinking about clean, check out: Are You the Queen of Your Kitchen? or Does Your child Live in an Asthma-Friendly Environment?

"If you put in a little bit of time on a daily basis it will not only save you time in a long run, it will give a calmer atmosphere." —Linda Cobb, the Clean of Queen®