During the month of April, I’m encouraging my readers to participate in a 30-Day House Cleaning Challenge (read more here, if you missed my announcement about this challenge last week). Every week day morning at 9 a.m., I’ll post the daily project and every evening around 6 p.m. EST, I’ll post an update and link-up.
How did your Project #8 go?
We clean our floors on a very regular basis, so today’s project wasn’t too much of a challenge — and truthfully, I skipped some of the floors because they didn’t need to be cleaned (it also helped that we were out of town all weekend and came home to a clean house!)
Each of the children are responsible for vacuuming one room of the house each day. Silas vacuums his room. Kaitlynn vacuums the girls’ room. And Kathrynne vacuums the living room.
Silas thinks that vacuuming is really cool.
He’ll often beg to vacuum more rooms… which I’m happy to let him do!
This is the typical homeschool aftermath in the kitchen every day. And actually, this was after Kathrynne had already cleaned up most of her stuff and Kaitlynn’s stuff.
At least there’s a lot of creativity and work going on… er, that’s what I try to constantly tell myself as the messes multiply during the day! 🙂
Kathrynne and I worked on the kitchen together. She’s always willing to help out whenever I’m working on a project and is my child who is a very focused, hard worker.
At 8 years old, Kathrynne is such a great girl. She loves all things related to LEGOs, spies, and adventure — and Jesse and I are thrilled to see her personality and interests blossom.
Even though many of her interests are much different than mine, she and I are really close — sharing lots of laughs and deep discussions throughout the day. I love her so much!
Kathrynne swept the dirt into piles and I went around with the dustpan and swept up the piles.
{Why yes, those are my pajama pants! I gave myself a PJ Day today after our busy weekend in Cincinnati. It’s nice to have a “down day” every now and then. :)}
The end result.
Join in the Chatter
::Want to blog about this challenge? If you’re blogging through this challenge with me, be sure to leave your link to your direct post on linky below. Plus, if you’d like to post your daily posts to the 30-Day House Cleaning Challenge Pinterest Group, just shoot me an email (moneysavingmom @ gmail dot com) and I’ll invite you.
::Want to follow along on Twitter or Instagram? I’ll also be sharing some of my cleaning pictures on my Facebook Page, my Twitter account, and my Instagram account. I’d love to have you do the same or join in the discussion on Twitter and Instagram. Just follow hashtag #Cleanin30 to see what others are tweeting and Instagramming about this challenge!
Janet says
A suggestion, have your kids take their socks off before cleaning. It will be less work at laundry time and their bare feet will was easier in the bathtub or shower. It may also offer better traction on non-carpeted floors.
Denise says
Aw, I never look that adorable when I’m vacuuming. Very cute. 🙂
I’m hoping my son will be into vacuuming someday!
Denise
Angela says
Ha, well my vacuum decided to malfunction on the first room and break its belt…then it gave off the most horrid, acrid burnt smell. Yuck…I think I dislike vacuuming so much because I loathe my vacuum cleaner so much. This is the 3rd belt it has broke in 2 weeks…arrrrggg. Not to mention that it does a horrible job of actually vacuuming, lol. Is it weird to ask for a new vacuum for Mother’s Day?!? 🙂 Luckily I live right next door to my Mom, so I was able to borrow hers. Yea!! It was nice to have clean floors!! Thank you do much for doing these challenges. They really help me to keep on track!
Ramie says
When my son was about five I convinced this car crazed child that vacuuming was practicing to drive a car..(after all, the vacuum has a motor and you can’t run into things!) He still runs the vacuum with a smile and he is 19!
Nicole says
Love this! My youngest brother, who is 16 months old, LOVES to vacuum…and he definitely makes motor noises while doing it. We’ll have to keep encouraging that creativity, lol!!
rachel says
I have an almost 21 month old son. I think it’s about time he started pulling his weight around here…all 24 pounds of it! I’m kidding of course, but I do think I’m going to start including him in the household chores, I bet he would love it!
Carrie says
I love to vacuum. There is something very satisfying about having a nice clean floor.
Just for fun, a friend told me that you should vacuum as many times a week as you have people. There are six in my family and we definitely vacuum at least six times a week.
Barb S. says
Wow, I seem to have blinked and your kids got to big!!
Sandra says
Love the pictures of your “support staff”. I can remember always wanting to help my mom too, when I was there age.
Marsha says
Boys love to vacuum. My guy thinks he is in a race.
Marie says
Today was one of those busy days, but in a good way. I have a friend with 7 little ones and she homeschools so we rarely have a chance to hang out. But her husband was off work so I got to go over and visit her with my little one. It was a wonderful hour and a half!!! She’s such a blessing! And then I had to go to an appointment, Aldi’s and then it was time to pick up kids from school. However, I am loving this challenge and what I can do.
I also have been trying to stay consistent with waking early between 5-6am. It’s something I’ve wanted to do but have struggled with. My husband has been a huge encouragement in this area. Even last night I was suffering from a massive headache and the kitchen really needed attending! Just looking at it made me stress about my morning and how much cleaning I was going to have to do because of the dishes. So my sweet husband prayed with me, sent me to bed and cleaned and put away all the dishes!!
Today is another day to get things done.
Dri says
This challenge is just what I needed to get my house back! I’m grateful for the daily encouragement!
Crystal says
Oh yay! I’m so grateful you’re finding it to be helpful!
K Quinn says
Love the kids doing chores. My daughter got in on the act today too. She cleaned her bedroom, the living room and her bathroom. Then she got her little vac out and helped with the living room and front hall.
Theresa says
My husband tells me I’m raising our boys to be good husbands….because they are only 21 months old and they LOVE to clean. I have a stick vacuum that I took the middle connector out of to make it the right height for them. They also have a mini broom. They join in vacuuming, sweeping, and folding clothes. If only I can keep the excited through their teenage years….
If that is what your table looks like after homeschooling, I’d trade you any day! Ours tends to be a clutter magnet.
Crystal says
It’s amazing how much young children *want* to help. I just love their eager initiative!
Martha @ Simply Cheaply says
Vacuuming today didn’t take nearly as long as I thought it would and it made such a big difference in how everything looks! Taking pictures is definitely helping be accountable.
Shelly says
I was able to get the vacuuming done today. My kids helped by cleaning the toys up so I could get to the carpet to vacuum. Looking at your kitchen table reminds me of my house. Today was frog dissection for my daughter’s biology class. So we had that project on the kitchen table. At the same time my son was creating with the Lincoln Logs in the living room so we had some cleaning to do today after both of those projects. 🙂 All of this was after the cleaning was done so we did a pick up of the house twice today.
Becky G says
I have been doing the challenge, but sometimes I switch the chores around depending on what needs my attention the most. Since we are having company this week,I figured I’d do my kitchen today & the floors the day they come. So, today, I gave my kitchen a good scrub down & I also cleaned my master bathroom. I felt so good to get it all done before we started school. I feel likei conquered! Thanks again for keeping us focused & motivated! 🙂
Crystal says
Yes, switch them around however works best for you… making this challenge work for you and your family is what is most important!
Congratulations on conquering!
Stephanie @ Mrs. Debtfighter says
My youngest son LOVES to vacuum too!! 🙂
Kelly says
I’m glad today’s task was a fairly easy one! Vacuuming was a good task for a Monday -especially the first Monday after Spring Break!
Holly says
I had just vacuumed over the weekend, so I decided instead to try and get the candle wax out of my carpet. I was able to do to it! A wax free carpet!!!!
Crystal says
Woohoo! I bet that feels so good!
Brandi @ Savvy Student Shopper says
You kids are getting so big! And your kitchen looks great 🙂
Kelly says
I focused on the downstairs floors. I swept the hall and powder room. Our kitchen grout was starting to look pretty grubby so I started working on it, and when my girls saw me scrubbing, they thought it looked fun and wanted to join in. : ) I also scrubbed and sprayed Scotch-guard on the kitchen chairs (the chair pads were looking terrible!) and polished the table with Old English.
This challenge is helping me stay focused – I usually get bored with spring cleaning and don’t finish, but the daily accountability is making it fun!
Crystal says
I’m so happy that the accountability is helping you. Yay!
Liz S says
It’s funny, but I am actually MORE motivated to get stuff like cleaning done when I am in my pjs…it also helps me spend less money: When I am all dressed up and have on makeup and do my hair, I am more likely to NOT clean the house and risk getting my hair and clothes dirty or messed up. Instead, I am more likely to leave the house and do needless shopping which usually leads to spending money. So I am totally with you on having pajama days! 😛
Crystal says
Interesting perspective… and I kind of like it. 🙂
Lana says
I did not do any floors today because they are my Wed (downstairs) and Thurs (upstairs) jobs. Today I cleaned the master bath. I really miss having the kids help me with chores but a lot less cleaning needs to be done since there are no kids at home. hmmmm….
Jessica says
I live in a small two-bedroom apartment and was planning on vacuuming today anyway, so this challenge was good timing. 🙂 I sweep the kitchen everyday, sometimes twice, because I have an 8 month old who crawls and a kitty cat with a litter box. 😀 However I wasn’t planning on sweeping the bathroom, so I’m glad to get something extra done.
Amy R says
This is totally OT, but I’ve been inspired by you in a strange way… I’ve decided to start taking before and after pics of the projects I complete! Housework can be discouraging because it’s never done. It’s frustrating to see a the laundry piling up when I’ve spent most of the day cleaning bathrooms or windows. I think a photo log of my accomplishments will help me to give myself a little grace.
Em says
I think this is great.
I read once that it helps keep areas uncluttered because once you have a record of how it can look, you are more prone to keep it that way.
I should do the same thing!
Crystal says
Love this! It’s amazing how motivating before & after pictures are!
Katie says
Your house is beautiful, Crystal! And your kids are adorable too!
Crystal says
You’re very kind. Thank you!
Organize365 says
I LOVE to vacuum. Growing up we had to vacuum the carpet EVERY night for my dad. He liked to see the vacuum lines. I joked to my mom that we should just drag a 2×4 over the floor and we would get the same effect.
:)Lisa
Crystal says
I love vacuum lines, too!
Mel says
Done and done! Feels good to walk around barefoot on this beautiful spring day. 🙂
Side note: your dustpan is adorable! Where’d you get it?
Crystal says
It was from Zulily.com with some free credit I had there, if I’m remembering correctly. It makes me smile every time I see it! 🙂
Mel says
On the hunt now! I’m in the mood to beautify everything, including my cleaning supplies.
Sarah says
I left the roomba to vacuum the hardwood floors downstairs (which I do daily to keep up with the dogs hair) and my mom tackled the carpets upstairs with the Dyson. I love having my mom so close that she can drop by and help me whenever she wants! I intended to do the task myself today, but the little one ended up having to stay home from school due to being sick over the weekend. He ended up “helping” her vacuum while I got some freezer cooking done and straightened up downstairs. My mom has even asked for the challenge list to start on herself. I am loving this challenge!
Crystal says
Love this comment! Thanks for sharing!
Carrie says
I’ve wondered if the roombas are any good. Do you think it is worth the cost?
Sarah says
Personally they have been worth every penny to us in our house. We got ours on woot.com for a much lower price than retail, so keep an eye out for a deal like that. Don’t expect a miracle catch all vacuum, because after all it is a robot and just randomly wanders through your house. It can miss spots, get stuck and it does try to eat cords/loose papers, etc… It also only makes it back to the charging base about 50% of the time, so I do find it in the middle of the house with a dead battery a lot. But for daily upkeep that I don’t have to do myself…it’s completely worth it. It does a great job getting up crumbs, loose dirt from shoes/dog paws, lint, etc…and does a decent job with pet hair. We have two large dogs (medium length hair)that shed like there’s no tomorrow, so it does have a harder time keeping up with that even though I use it daily. It has a tendency to just group a big ball of hair into a clump and leave it behind, which makes it easy for me to go back and just pick up. It does better on hard floors by itself; we used to run it on the carpet upstairs (it was a pretty large area though) and it required the roller brush and bin to be emptied before it finished running. Also, I am using a model that is at least 6 years old, so they may have improved on some of the issues I have listed. Hope that helps. 🙂