Deadline Time

Here's a little irony for you: Just as the flowers are starting to bloom and birds are tweeting and the earth is waking up and animals are coming out of hibernation, I'm about to do the opposite. Thanks to an impending book deadline, I am now going INTO hibernation. I'll be fairly incommunicado for a while as I focus almost exclusively on finishing my next book. Sounds odd, maybe, but actually it's one of the most fun parts of what I do. Hibernating to write lets me turn off the noise and the distractions and focus solely on my craft.

However, I didn't want to leave you hanging here on the blog without any new entries, so I have made arrangements for a really fun treat instead. As you may know, though I wrote The House That Cleans Itself, I am primarily a fiction author. Yesterday, I put out a call for help to my fiction author friends, providing them with a list of housekeeping-related questions for them to ponder and then post about here. Why them? Because they're an enormously creative bunch and they really know how to think outside of the box. And isn't thinking outside of the box one of the key elements for creating a House That Cleans Itself? I've already gotten some replies, and over the coming weeks, this blog will feature my questions and their answers--some of which are hilarious, some of which are serious, and all of which are awesome.

So be sure to come back next time to see how they responded to my first question, "If you could invent a machine that accomplished one single housekeeping task in your home, what would that machine do?" If you'd like, please use this blog's Comments to post your response to this question as well!

In the meantime, in honor of spring, I thought I'd share two photos that I took this morning on my front porch. I was trying to water the flowers...



but just like a Cracker Jack box, there was a surprise inside!



Isn't God great?

HAPPY SPRINGTIME TO ALL

Solving the Shoe Problem, Part II

If you liked last week’s post about shoe covers, you’re going to love this product: The Shoe Inn Portable Shoe Cover Dispenser.

http://www.shoeinndispenser.com/shop/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=3

The Shoe Inn website has a film that shows how it works. Though the large model obviously wouldn’t be necessary in a home, the portable version seems like the perfect addition to a House That Cleans Itself. You can watch here:

http://www.shoeinndispenser.com/products_go_video.asp

What I like about this product is that it seems like so much fun that kids (and husbands) wouldn’t mind using it regularly. Remember, even the best household products are pointless if they just sit in the closet. I have a feeling that placing one of these babies right by the door would ensure frequent use and far cleaner floors all over the house.

Let me say that this is not a personal endorsement for this product. I've never used one and have no experience with this company. I just found the info online and thought it was cool enough--not to mention applicable--to pass it along here.

Come back next time as we tackle more of your household challenges.

Solving the Shoe Problem, Part I

Lately, some of my favorite blog post topics seem to be coming out of conversations I’m having at social events. Yesterday at a Bible Study brunch, I chatted with an old friend about a problem she’s having in her home. Together we thought up such a clever solution to her issue that today I’m excited to blog about it.

“Mary” is an immaculate housekeeper and the very last person you’d think would need advice from me about anything. But she’s got one cleaning problem that she can’t seem to solve: a husband who comes home in dirty work boots and refuses to take them off at the door. He tracks mud all over the house, sometimes so badly that her mop water is almost black. Clean freak that she is, this makes her crazy.

Short of following her husband around with a mop—or banging him over the head with it—she couldn’t think of any way to fix this issue. So we brainstormed a bit as I tried to get down to the root of the problem. Was he simply being stubborn and inconsiderate? Was she being anal and unreasonable? Neither seemed the case.

“Have you made it easy for him?” I asked. “Put a big basket right by the door for the boots, put a chair or bench to sit on as he takes them off?” Her answers were yes and yes. “So why won’t he take them off?” I persisted.

“He says it’s too much trouble because he’ll be going out again and just have to put them back on.”

Ah. So there was the rub: The boots were too time consuming to get on and off. I suggested he consider trading in his lace-ups for slip-ons, but because of the kind of work he does, simpler boots or shoes were not an option.

“Well, what about shoe covers?” I asked. “You know, like doctors wear into surgery?”

Mary’s face lit up at my idea, and we talked about where she might find such a thing for her home. I suggested she start with a medical supply company, and she happily went on her way, excited at this potential solution.

This morning, just out of curiosity, I googled “shoe covers” and was astounded at the results. She shouldn’t have to look too hard; they’re everywhere! They’re cheap! They’re such a simple solution to a constant household problem that maybe we all should have some! You can click here to see what I’m talking about. Anti Skid Disposable Shoe Covers


Even in my house, where we usually lose our shoes at the door, there are times when these would come in handy. I have already ordered a pack, which I will split in half and keep stored near the front and back doors. They’ll probably get the most use on those days when we are working on some outdoor project that involves a bit of back and forth to the inside as well. Taking a few seconds to slip on shoe covers each time we come in certainly sounds easier than taking shoes on and off or tracking mud all over the house and then cleaning it up after.

I’ll use this idea at my house and let you know how it goes. In the meantime, be sure to check back next week to see how I’m suggesting my friend (and maybe you, if you have a similar problem) can take this idea to a whole new level.

Cleaning a House That Cleans Itself, Part 3

Why do I talk about deep cleaning in a blog that's primarily written to help your home stay clean with less work, not more? Here's my third and final reason.

Reason #3: Remember that an important key to having a House That Cleans Itself is arranging/improving/organizing your home in such a way that it gives out that elusive feeling of "clean" to all who enter there, regardless of whether you've actually done any cleaning lately or not. In your house, that can mean paying attention to "Sight Zones", designing better systems for concealing your "Expected Messy Areas", or tackling those "Inevitable Invisibles" (things such as stains or nicks or frays that contribute to an overall feeling of "unclean" but that you don't ever notice because you've been living with them so long that they've become invisible to you.)

Short bursts of intense cleaning can be a big help with the latter category. If a formerly HTCI room has started feeling "off" to you, step back and really look at it (or maybe get some perspective by whipping out the camera for some photo investigation like you did in your original conversion). Chances are that when you do you'll spot something that needs attention--not to mention some elbow grease. Tackle it head on, however, and you won't just wipe out an Inevitable Invisible, you'll also feel that room transitioning back from a sense of unclean to clean. If you live in a House That Cleans Itself, that one effort will make all the difference in helping it stay that way.

And that's my third and final reason that from time to time I talk about how to deep clean on a blog that's all about cleaning less, not more: Because sometimes a single burst of deep cleaning on your part right now can make a world of difference in maintaining a House That Cleans Itself for a long, long time to come.

Cleaning a House That Cleans Itself, Part 2

Why do I talk about deep cleaning in a blog that's primarily written to help your home stay clean with less work, not more? Last week, I gave you one reason. Now, here's another.

Reason #2: Never forget that there are newer, better housecleaning products coming out all the time, and that those of us who are domestically impaired would do well to keep our eyes and ears open for anything that might make our job easier. When something new does come down the pike, we also need an open mind and a willingness to consider new ways of tackling old housecleaning problems.

Remember, there are companies out there spending millions of dollars on research and development, their primary goal being to help you keep your home cleaner in less time with less work. When I spot some new product that I think might do just that, I'm going to test it out. If it works, I'm going to be telling you about it right here.

Sometimes, of course, what looks new and different can end up being just one big (and possibly expensive) disappointment. But when a product ends up being equal to even exceeding its hype, I'm always eager to shout it from the mountaintops.

And that's why I can't shut up about exciting cleaning products (like the Magic Eraser) on a blog that's about not cleaning. Check back next time for my third and final reason.