Help! Around the House 14

So, I've been posting quotes from this book, entitled Help! Around the House: A Mother's Guide to Getting the Family to Pitch in and Clean Up by Don Aslett over the past few months. Don't know if they're helpful to anyone else, but they're fun and quoting him is one of my ways of saving snippets of the book I've liked w/o going out and buying the book. That said, buying it may be a fine addition to our home library someday. I know the local library is getting ready to tell me I have to return it or else. :-) (I did renew it last week but I think it's my last "renew" before they say I cannot do so any longer). Besides, someone else might want to borrow it!

So I want to share just a couple more quotes, and then move on to other things (and other books) in my life in this here family blog of mine/ours. If you want to hear more, just read the book. I think it's been worth it for us!

"Cleaning a bit every morning or every day is faster, better, safer, less boring and tiring, and leaves Saturday morning clear. Wiping the sink right after you use it, disposing of trash right away, taking dishes right back to the kitchen, and putting dirty clothes in the hamper right after you take them off is so logical. Later is a loser in cleaning. The instant availability of resources (tools and cleaners) in caddies gives no reason to wait. Why enslave yourself to "later"? And best of all, consistent little daily cleaning will help cultivate a positive attitude toward cleaning. Keep ahead and early so housework is a minor, not a major task."

"The name of the game is convenience. . . . . Most people can and will clean and care for things if all they have to do is grab the tools and go. If they have to dig through several closets and cabinets - and even then maybe never find what they need, or carry a bunch of awkward stuff all the way from here to there - they won't do it. . . . Have a cleaning station under every sink . . . instead of in one place in the house. Remember, we aren't looking at cleaning as a full day or big family effort on Saturday morning. We have ten or fifteen minutes to clean here and there these days, not to mention a short-fuse attention span - especially for cleaning."