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Moms Today: Spick-and-span in minutes (The Interview)

May 30th, 2007 by Sexy Mom · Viewed 51843 times · 31 Comments

I am quoting below an article in the Housekeeping Section of the May-June 2007 issue of the magazine, Moms Today.

This article was based on an interview with Sexy Mom a few weeks ago.

This also is in line with an article I posted in February, called, A Happy Home is Better than a Clean House.

Don’t have much time for household chores? Try these snappy spruce-up strategies. by Regina G. Posadas

Dirt and clutter notwithstanding, it isn’t that tricky to tidy up your house. Dine Racoma, a mother of seven who recently retired from an international organization and reinvented herself into a freelance writer, says you can combine housework with personal care or recreational activities.

Living Room
1. Remove all non-living room items.
2. Return displaced objects such as pillows to their proper places. Do this before watching TV, while taking a break from viewing, or after a favorite show.
3. Dust tables, adornments, decors and all surfaces.
4. Vacuum or sweep floor.

Bedroom
1. Rid bed and floor of clutter.
2. Refold clothes to be used again. Put dirty garments in the hamper.
3. Make the bed.
4. Sweep or vacuum floor.
5. Quickly wipe tabletops, headboards, mirrors and other surfaces.

Bathroom
1. Before your bath, remove all dirty towels, clothing and trash.
2. Clean toilet bowl, inside and out.
3. While in the shower, briskly scrub bathroom tiles.
4. After rinsing, clear the drain of anything that may clog it.
5. Wipe the mirror before leaving the bathroom.

Kitchen
1. Dispose of garbage daily.
2. Remove flood scraps, soiled dishes, rags and towels from sinks, floors, centertop and stovetops.
3. Assign the kitchen to the maid (if you have one) or ask your kids to take turns clearing the dining room and washing, drying, and putting away the tableware.
4. Keep the kitchen clean to pevent cockroaches and rats from creating sanitation problems.

Easy guide to housecleaning

Observe these basic homemaker rules for efficiency and health, says Dine Racoma.

Make neatness a habit. Beds can be tidied u quickly before you go to work Discarded outfits should always be picked up, re-hung or brought to the lundry bn after dressing.
Educate family members on maintaining basic cleanliness. Throwing food wrapper into the trash can is basic. So is bringing plates and glases to the kitchen sink after eating.
Slow down. When both parents work, one cannot keep the house spankng clean all the time, Do not dive into cleaning immediately after a hectic day at the office. Spend some time with your family first.
Get help if you can’t manage. Involve your husband and kids. Or hire a maid if you can afford–or find–one.
Go for minimalism. Accumulate as little as possible.
Don’t be obsessed about having a dirt-free home. Says Racoma, “Never mind if the house is cluttered now and then. I would rather have a happy home than a clean house.”

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Tags: Parenting and Family

31 responses so far ↓

  • MrsPartyGirl // May 30, 2007 at 7:35 am

    i actually have the same motto :D i don’t concern myself too much with the occasional clutter, i’d rather spend my time playing/interacting with my daughter or/and hubby (or catching some zzzs hehe). :)

    SexyMom: thanks, Meeya, now, I have another mom on my side.

  • lady cess // May 30, 2007 at 7:53 am

    this reminds me of a website i saw, where you can clean a room in 15 minutes or less.

    SexyMom: Lady Ces, that was exactly the objective–what can one do in 15 minutes.

  • Rach // May 30, 2007 at 9:10 am

    Hi Dine. Thanks for sharing these helpful tips.
    Bulk of Yohan’s toys are inside a cabinet in our “TV room” (a small room adjacent to the living room). It’s where we watch TV and Yohan’s play area with colorful soft play mats. I try to teach him the importance of cleanliness by asking him to help me put his toys away after playing. I tell him to put one toy away before getting a new one. I sing a song to initiate the clean up which I learned from his school that starts with the words, “It’s time to put the toys away … the toys away … and so on.”

    SexyMom: good one, Rach, clean away singing with Yohan. the smart boy that he, he not only learns fast, but enjoys cleaning up, too.

  • Lynn // May 30, 2007 at 10:45 am

    “Don’t be obsessed about having a dirt-free home.”

    Haha, I guess I have to make this my mantra. It won’t probably hurt a few dust here and a little there as long as everyone’s having a grand time (and will clean up asap after play time). :)

    SexyMom: yes, after play time.

  • Kyels // May 30, 2007 at 12:18 pm

    Being neat is the best thing of all. It’s not that I mind messy places, but somehow I prefer that things are prim and proper.

    [:

    SexyMom: it’s the ideal situation, Kyels. :)

  • tina // May 30, 2007 at 2:11 pm

    what a nice article… lots of tips i got for housekeeping.. :P tama naman we must keep everything in balanced and not soo obsessed with having a dirt free home..

    SexyMom: that’s the keyword, BALANCE, thanks, Tina.

  • Linnor // May 30, 2007 at 3:47 pm

    My kids are all boys thus they tend to be more cluttered. (Just my theory there). It drives me nuts seeing their room always in disarray! Your mantra is something I will have to keep in mind while I count to 10 before telling them to tidy up. :)

    SexyMom: good tip, counting 1 to 10 before finally reacting…i, too, do the same not only in housekeeping but in many other aspects as well.

  • Mitch // May 30, 2007 at 3:56 pm

    “Never mind if the house is cluttered now and then. I would rather have a happy home than a clean house.” >>> Hmmmm… Oo nga po ano? Buti na lang nabasa ko ito, lately kasi naaaburido ako kapag makalat ang mga laruan…

    SexyMom: don’t fret, Mitch! :)

  • rhodora // May 30, 2007 at 6:49 pm

    I used to be obsessed with cleanliness and it wore me out! Now, I have learned to delegate chores. Dati kasi, kahit pinalinisan ko na, uulitin kong punasan ulit. I was never contented. Now that I am older though, I have learned to be more tolerant of dust and clutter.

    SexyMom: i guess, we mellow over time, dear.

  • Luxie // May 30, 2007 at 8:30 pm

    Ay..ya..yaay!…hee! hee!..

    I guess I have been obsessing with too much cleaning even blogosphere wants me to calm down..I’m actually holding on to a mop right now! :>

    SexyMom: hi, Luxie, that seems to be fun, cleaning up the home and blogosphere at the same time.

  • ghee // May 31, 2007 at 7:56 am

    sexy mom is not just sexy,a real mom,too :)
    hope i can clean all the mess in my house aside from the hectic sked.hayy..

    SexyMom: all of us would want to clean all the mess in our houses…and we are all busy, busy, busy.

  • sassy mom // May 31, 2007 at 8:56 am

    Agree with you sexy mom!

    For the past three weeks, I didnt have maids and so I did everything, oh my!

    After a week, I got sick! My kids and hubby told me to slow down they rather have me than a very clean house! Awww!

    SexyMom: how sweet of your hubby and kids to say that.

  • jireh // May 31, 2007 at 10:24 am

    hi tita dine (can i call u tita miss dine?)… can i ask for some advice on how to organize my closet? hmmm… weakness ko talaga ang pag organize ng mga damit ko :(

    SexyMom: Belle’s comment on how her daughter organizes her closet has come i timely, Jireh. i guess it has answered your question, thanks, Belle!

    one more option is to conduct a spring cleaning, at least every 6 months, and take away the clothes that you do not wear anymore.

  • Toe // May 31, 2007 at 12:00 pm

    Sexy Mom, I have another tip for tidying up the house: get a maid. :)

    SexyMom: best optio, Toe, for those who cannot only afford it, but can find one (LOL).

  • Belle // May 31, 2007 at 12:06 pm

    yes, i would definitely prefer a happy home over an immaculate home. my kids taught me so.

    my daughter, S, is excellent at organizing closet. she separates blouse, pants, and dresses and arranges them by colors and all facing the same directions including hangers. she gets rid of her old clothes yearly.

    SexyMom: thanks, Belle, your tip has come in handy–it answers Jireh’s question.

  • tofubaby // May 31, 2007 at 12:29 pm

    I love the advice, sexy mom. What I do actually is just do a very thorough cleaning at least once every two weeks. As in very, very thorough that I scrub, wipe everything I see. Then I spend the rest just maintaining the cleanliness as much as I can with very much like the tips you have.

    Thanks for sharing it, Sexy Mom. :)

    SexyMom: nice tip, thanks!

  • julie // May 31, 2007 at 2:22 pm

    Same mantra in our household. Clean up what is more urgent and do the other tasks the next day. That is why I ask my 3 kids to learn to clean up the mess they made themselves. I also insist in cleaning up some mess they see even if they did not make it. I also throw clutter that are not needed but it seems these are just popping up from somewhere! Oh, how I would have love to get rid of those clutters but these are called my children’s things: toys, coloring and writing materials which doesn’t get packed away. As for me, I use the cheap round rags being peddled on the streets and throw them after serving their purpose. No need to wash. Also, tissue and wipes are our constant handy companions.

    Indeed a happy home is better than a clean house.n :)

    SexyMom: yes, it’s like clutters grow like mushroom, so difficult to keep up with them.

  • feng // May 31, 2007 at 4:44 pm

    i think its but OK if the home is a bit cluttered, for as long as everyone’s health is not compromised.
    it’s important that the Kitchen and the bathroom are sanitized lang talaga.

    SexyMom: true, the kitchen and bathroom are the priority.

  • tutubi // May 31, 2007 at 6:12 pm

    hmm

    there’s a saying that goes “a clean room is the home of a sick mind” common among intellectuals

    they just don’t have the time to clean their room and use it as an excuse hehe

    SexyMom: LOL, too :)

  • KK // Jun 1, 2007 at 1:47 am

    In real life in the maidless, helperless America- I go clean the living room, go clean the kitchen, go back to the living room in under an hour, I find my 5 year old’s clutter everywhere. I go tidy up her room and in under an hour she transforms it into her version of organizing.

    I try my best to keep the house clean specially the kitchen and bathrooms, that’s what my Home Economics teacher drilled into us. Because if I insist of having an immaculate home from top to bottom, I will end up blogging from a psychiatric ward.

    SexyMom: I wonder how it is blogging from a psychiatric ward.

  • jireh // Jun 1, 2007 at 8:13 am

    thanks Tita Belle and Tita Dine ;) I’ll arrange my closet this weekend :)

    SexyMom: Tita Belle would be glad to hear that, Jireh. She’s really so warm and nice.

  • carlotta // Jun 1, 2007 at 8:29 am

    i’m never obsessed about having a dirt free home hehehe. =) but then, it’s really nice to have a clean house to go home to. my mum and i finally arrived home yesterday and my mum was very surprised to see our house in a disarray, meaning hindi malinis yung bahay according to her standards kaya naglinis pa kami. iba talaga siguro pag mga lalake lang naiwan sa bahay =)

  • Toni // Jun 1, 2007 at 7:45 pm

    yahoo, i have a cluttered home so that means i’m happy :) well i really wish i can opt for Plan B., which means get a hired help.. but that i can’t afford here. when hubby and i go home to the philippines, we really feel like king and queens (because of the help)..first we are a bit ashamed of ourselves being served by the helpers then again we get used to it and when we go back to germany, reality strikes us!!

  • cielo // Jun 2, 2007 at 1:46 am

    hi tita dine;

    i just love ur housekeeping tips that i even printed it and post it sa ref namin. next thing to do is to put it in practice. practical tips tlg

    I’ll start making our kitchen / ref clutterfree this weekend :)

  • Chateau // Jun 2, 2007 at 1:48 am

    “Bathroom…3. While in the shower, briskly scrub bathroom tiles. 4. After rinsing, clear the drain of anything that may clog it. 5. Wipe the mirror before leaving the bathroom.”
    -No wonder my mom takes so long taking a bath! Seriously, she is the queen of multi-tasking even decades before the term was coined! Our home was not immaculately clean, but mom did a great job. Of course all 6 girls of us helped out.

  • Chateau // Jun 2, 2007 at 1:59 am

    Ay, bakit may strike through? Sorry sexymom, I guess the two dashes i typed from “no” to “mulit” created the strikethrough. Ah, so that is the html code pala LOL.

  • annamanila // Jun 2, 2007 at 3:20 pm

    I love love love the last line .. i’d rather have a happy home than a clean house.

    Vindicates this lousy homemaker, especially in these maidless days.

    Thank you for all the tips that didn’t really go from one ear to the other. Dami kong na pick up ha.

    Congrats for being featured sa glossy mag. Will try to get a copy.

  • ann // Jun 3, 2007 at 11:02 am

    Hello tita dine. I do the cleaning while my kids are in school because when they’re around as if I didn’t do anything.

  • vk // Jun 4, 2007 at 1:28 am

    Thanks for sharing these tips, sexy mom…..

    pagmagulo ang bahay or anywhere in our flat, esp. in the kitchen and the toilet…aburido ang ulo ko…

    kaya sabi ko sa mga bata n tatay nila, after using anything, pls. put where you got or it belongs….

    After using, pls. clean it……..

    Their room, the kids, they are the one who will arrange and clean, like vacuuming and the dust and esp., their writing table….

    What I do is only washing and ironing…..
    And they should do it, at their age, they are already old enough, and they can do it alone.

    I do some of my German woman friends do here, because I think also we’re not in the phils. That we can afford to have a helper or they should know this works, as if they would do their own on their flat someday……..

    Thank you very much for your tips……..simple and everybody can do it……

  • Tiffany // Jun 9, 2007 at 1:53 am

    I’ve never been good with housekeeping XD I tend to take over the laundry whenever we don’t have helpers.

    SexyMom: you are still very young–you will learn, over time, it took me many many years, and am still learning.

  • screamerct // Nov 7, 2009 at 4:59 pm

    What’s up? Bored in class here, decided to introduce myself.
    Umm so like does anyone know how to unblock bebo from school?

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