Today’s homes are awash is filth and grime.  Simply put, our homes are suffering from ADD – attention deficit disorder.  Too few homes receive the time and attention they need and it shows.  Ironically, we have more cleaning products and tools than ever but the one product that’s hard to package is our will to do it.  And we won’t see a package of “will” on supermarket shelves anytime soon.  So, we need to find it in ourselves to put the time into cleaning our homes – regardless of whether we do it or we hire someone.  That’s right, hire help.

If you are a working woman, you may feel guilty hiring housekeeping help. But, you shouldn’t.  If you’re working out of the home, there’s no reason you can’t hire someone to work in your home if you don’t have the time.  The way women think, though, is that they “should” find the time even when they’re working and shuffling kids to karate and soccer.  That’s wrong to think that way and our homes show it.  If you can find the extra money for karate for the kids, surely you can invest in some extra domestic help. 

Having a home that is cleaned and cleaned regularly is its own reward.   So, we either have to find the time or the money to help us get our homes to a state of being livable.  Why is cleaning so important?  Easy.  Cleaning makes a house a home.  Cleaning is the difference between a place to sleep and a place where you really live.  That’s only one reason to clean.  Here are eight other reasons for cleaning your house.

1. Because it’s the RIGHT THING TO DO for your home.
2. Because you will FEEL PROUD of your home.
3. Because YOU FEEL BETTER in a clean home.
4. Because you’re NOT PUTTING OFF SOMETHING IMPORTANT.
5. Because it helps KEEP YOU AND/OR YOUR FAMILY HEALTHY.
6. Because you can have FRIENDS AND GUESTS OVER ANYTIME.
7. Because your family WILL BE HAPPIER IN A CLEAN HOME

Come on.  You know you want to live in a clean house.  Now, how can you get it clean and keep it clean?  Here are seven easy ways.

1. Be consistent. Set aside one night a week for the whole family to pitch in.
2. Clean as you go. In the bathroom?  Flush and then turn around and scrub that commode.  Thirty seconds is all it takes to clean a toilet, wipe a counter, or straighten a room.
3. Make a call to a housecleaning service.  Another thirty seconds and you could have a regularly-scheduled housekeeping service to come to your home.
4. Involve everyone.  Start expecting everyone in the house to help and demand that they do.
5. Straighten every single day.  A few minutes here and a few minutes there adds up to some real clean – and straightening is the one chore that takes the most time in housekeeping.
6. Be a pitcher.  Toss out junk mail, magazines, and other flotsam and jetsam every single day.
7. Get a telephone headset.  Whenever the phone rings and it’s your friend Chatty Kathy, that’s your opportunity to do some cleaning.  Put on your headset and clean as you talk.  It’s one way to multi-task – and we love to multitask these days, don’t we?

There you have it.  Seven reasons to clean and seven ways to do it.  Now, what’s stopping you? 

Hello and welcome to Real Clean HOME at Cleaningtips.com!

I am so glad you are here and joining me on this important subject matter -- housekeeping.  Yep, cleaning house is important these days.  Why?  Because many of us have either been raised by moms who worked and didn't teach us everything we needed to know about housekeeping, or we have simply lost our way in the home arts department -- and our homes show it.  Yet, when you think about it, really think about it, a good clean home and a hot meal can transform even the worst day at the office or school.

It's a matter of health and well-being

Everyone is busy these days.  But, some of us are busy just for busy sake.  We need to prioritize what is really important in our lives, and I for one, believe home is important.  It's where we refresh and renew ourselves, it's where we share our sadness and our triumphs, it's where we spend time with people we love and who love us, it's the place that prepares us for each new day.  In short, it's our launch pad.  With a home that is regularly cleaned we can feel more comfortable, enjoy our time at home more, and have better, healthier lives and happier families. 

Making housekeeping easier, more effective

One of the ways we can make our homes cleaner and reduce the amount of time we spend cleaning is by changing how we think about it.  Cleaning does not have to equal a mind-numbing, cranny picking, tile-scrubbing marathon that it used to be.  The goal of Real Clean HOME is to show you ways to keep the house neater and more organized, ways to keep the house cleaner longer, and help you to spend less time cleaning, yet having a cleaner house.  Sound impossible?  It's not.  By changing the way you go about cleaning, you can get more done in a shorter amount of time and clean less -- yet enjoy a cleaner home.  And, I promise to give you all details and specifics on exactly how to do it.  I promise. 

Thanks for being here and I hope you enjoy the Real Clean HOME blog! 

Kathryn Weber is a home and lifestyle expert whose work has been featured in newspapers, magazines, and websites.  She is the cleaning editor for BellaOnline and writes the Living Space newspaper column that features ideas on creating more beautiful and enjoyable homes.  Her recommendations have been featured in the Dallas Morning News (How to Hire a Housekeeper) and in websites and publications around the world.  Kathryn has also published the Red Lotus Letter feng shui ezine for over five years and publishes the Everydayclean.com Cleaning Calendar.    For more information log on to kathryn-weber.com and subscribe to her RealHome ezine.