Youve got so much tidying to do, so little time. So whats a person to do? You can either lower your standards and just ignore the mess, or you can think smart and keep your house tidy with little effort.

Unfortunately there is no way to avoid housework. But you can keep your house clean and sparkling in less than 30 minutes a day, if you just get organized.

The very first thing you need to do is gather all your cleaning supplies and place them in one spot, organized neatly. I do mean all your cleaning supplies, the glass cleaner, the furniture polish, the wax, the cleaner, the dusting cloth all of it! Next organize it in groups that make sense as to how you would use it. So if youre going to do the windows you just have to grab all your window supplies, or if your cleaning the bathroom, youd grab all the bathroom supplies. Use the old KISS formula Keep It Simple Stupid. Dont make extra work for yourself.

Next place a clothes basket in every room where dirty clothes might land. Then train your household members to drop their dirty clothes in the hamper, and not on the floor. If its in their room, it should be as easy to use as the floor. If youve got kids, get creative, with a hamper thats their favorite cartoon character or action figure. Make it fun!

Assign duties to other members of your house. Kids, even younger ones, can be good helpers. Give them tasks that they are capable of completing. As an incentive you can reward them. You can take them to a matinee or give them a treat if they complete their chores. If they get an allowance make them work for it. No kids, then youre on your own, unless you have a modern day husband who participates in the household chores.

Be logical in your cleaning. There are two strategies that work well. With the first, you do a thorough cleaning once or twice a week. You choose a task, then start at one end of the house and move completely through the house until that task is done. Then start your next task. Youll save valuable time by not jumping from one task to the other.

The second strategy is favored by working woman and men, because it takes less than 30 minutes every day, and you dont have to look forward to cleaning house on your days off. With this strategy you do one room at a time, and set time limits as to how much time youll spend in each room.. So lets say the kitchen gets 8 minutes, Bathroom gets 5, bedrooms get 5 each, and on and on, depending on how many rooms you have. You can adjust the 30 minutes up or down, but it should never be more than 45 minutes.

In the kitchen, wipe down the stove, fridge and dispose of any food that needs to be tossed. Wipe down the counter tops and the sink. Empty the dishwasher. Sweep the floor and give it a quick mopping.

In the bathroom pick up dirty laundry and toss in the hamper, wipe down the tub, shower, and sink. Clean the toilet last. Mop the floor if it needs it.

Bedrooms just need the beds made, dirty laundry picked up, and clothes put away. A quick dusting and vacuuming every third day is sufficient.

Tidy the living room, pickup books and stuff that are lying around. Wipe off tables. Dusting and vacuuming every second or third day is sufficient.

By doing laundry amongst other activities, youll save yourself more time. Throw a load in while youre watching TV or making super. Fit it into other activities, so youre not faced with ten loads at the end of the week.

Getting organized and cleaning your house will become a breeze. Youll have less stress worrying about it and more free time to enjoy the things you like to do!