Tips for Easy Holiday Home Care {Even Floor Cleaning!}

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and O-Cedar. All opinions are mine alone. #CleanForTheHolidays #CollectiveBias

Are you guys ready? I'm posting about mopping my floors today...no, really.

Actually, I'm posting about all kinds of cleaning during this crazy season.

Get ready for floor cleaning at its finest...

{from someone who talks about her lack of mopping a lot}!

In the last few months, my routines have changed a bit. And after an intense deep-cleaning of the house this fall, I've realized I'm just done with the mess. D-O-N-E. Done.

If I can share my heart for a bit...the mess was making me an unhappy person. I'd walk down the hall to my office and see dust bunnies hopping along behind me. And then I'd have the worst possible self-talk about what a crummy house keeper I am. And then...I made a change.

You guys. I'm happy to report that my house looks like this {pretty much} on a daily basis right now. I realized I wanted to really enjoy the holidays. Not constantly feel like I'm living in clutter...and dust. After the {five day} marathon super deep cleaning that took place this fall...I realized I can never go there again {for my own mental health}. It was insanity at its finest. Being more diligent and on top of it is helping me tremendously...along with the help from my kiddos.

Years ago, I was a fairly on-top-of-it housekeeper...before kids and dogs and work and all of that fun stuff. And now that this blog is a full-time gig {double time during the holidays...wowza}, housekeeping hasn't been near the priority it used to be. 

And you guys...who in the heehaw let me put these super dark floors in my home? Remember that a few years ago? I just had to have a trendy color {insert eye roll}. I love the flooring...but the dark color is killing me. It shows errrrrr'ything. Oh sweet mercy, there isn't a day that goes by where I'm not face-palming over the dust and footprints that appear out of nowhere on these floors. 

Enter my new mop {I know, right...me of all people...talking about mopping?!?}. I friggin' love this thing. It's the O-Cedar ProMist. Because let's face it...I'm so over a bucket and a mop. That's way too much effort for someone trying to keep things tidy all the time. Who wants to pull out a bucket and deal with all of that on a semi-weekly or even daily basis? 

This O-Cedar ProMist is simple, but really effective. 

And my oldest son loves using it. Mopping is now one of his chores {check out our holiday chore charts and download one for your kiddos below}. It's awesome having everyone helping out. Keeping the place clean reduces this mom's holiday stress. And I feel like I can actually enjoy the holiday decor since I don't have to look past or over a mess to see it. And...I'm even posting a holiday home tour this year {Wednesday!}. I've never felt like my house was actually clean enough this time of year to do an actual home tour!

And...I can use my own cleaner and essential oils in the O-Cedar Pro Mist. The scrub pad is great, too...it comes off easily and goes right in the wash {and they have disposable ones, too!}. Since we're cleaning so often now, I only have to refill the bottle like once a week. And I bought a couple of pads and wash them once a week. I love how economical this mop is.  

You can grab an O-Cedar ProMist Mop at your Walmart in the cleaning aisle.

Here are my tips for keeping my home tidy during the holiday season:

{these things are really working for me}:

• Small, consistent efforts are what really work for us. Consistency is key.
• At night, before bed, I walk through the house and make sure it is picked up. I may be dog-tired and it may be after midnight, but this is where the whole consistency things comes into play. I just absolutely make myself do it.
• My kids help out before their own bed time and make sure their shoes, clothes, and toys are all put away. It's a lot easier to put away one day's stuff over one week's worth.
• Perfection is overrated. Clean is one thing...absolute and complete immaculateness isn't exactly realistic. And I don't want to be a slave to cleaning, either.
• Don't put out more holiday decor than you want to clean. And try to allow yourself time to put it out all at once. In years past, my decor boxes have sat out for weeks at a time as I've picked my way through them. This year, I did it in one afternoon. I definitely didn't set out everything I have this year...but I would've made myself crazy. And now, I feel like I can really enjoy the decor...without the constant feeling that it's unfinished.
• Not only is it the holidays, it's also the illness season. Be sure to hit key spots like door knobs, remotes controls,  and light switches with a disinfecting cleaner to try to keep the germs at bay. 
• Get a super fun mop like the O-Cedar ProMist. It makes even non-moppers like me into believers!
• And have the other members of your household help out, too. Download these simple holiday-style chore charts below to get your kids in on the action. It's amazing how fast a to do list becomes a ta-da list with the help of others. 

These are the same as the ones I designed last January. So many of you mentioned that those really work for your home, so I thought I shouldn't mess with something that works. I just put a festive spin on them to go with your holiday decor. In our home, every star or check mark is equal to a small monetary value. The more they work, the more they get paid. I do print off a new one each week, but you can easily laminate these and use them with dry erase markers. Just pop on some magnets and keep it front and center on the fridge.

 

Here's to a happy {and clean} holiday season!

Neglect your chores like me and don't miss a thing:

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