The Nightly Sweep: Tips for Tidying Up

 When I wake up to a clean and orderly house it makes the whole day so much better.  Everything gets off to the right start and it just makes you feel good.  Here are the things I quickly do every night, after I put the kids to bed, but before I sit down to watch a little TV. 
Take Out the Trash – I take the kitchen trash out so that in the morning I don’t have to push the trash down to get the next thing in.
Put Dishes In Dishwasher – Walk through the house grab all the dishes and place them in the dishwasher and put the soap in.  Then I usually set the timer for the dishwasher to run in 3 hours. 
Pick Up Clutter – As you are walking through the house pick up any other items that are in rooms they shouldn’t be and put them away.
Wipe – Spray all the counters and table with a multisurface cleaner and wipe them down. 
Scrub Stove Surface – Get all grime off of the surface of the stove, so that it looks nice.
Sweep Floor – At least get the big pieces of food and dirt off of the floor.
Put Away – Now go room to room and put away anything that is in the correct room, but is left out.
Prepare – Make sure all items are set out and prepared for the next day.  Place kids’ backpacks near the door, pack school lunches, prep tomorrow’s dinner, etc. 
Now when you wake up you can start your day on the RIGHT foot!