For the most part, I have my Laundry Act together. It’s a rarity that someone doesn’t have clean underwear or my husband’s clothes aren’t ironed for the week.
But you know what I’ve found to be true, especially when it comes to mothers?
If you have your act together in one category, there’s another category that needs a lot of work.
Those people that seem like they are perfect in every aspect of life? They can’t possibly do it all, and do it all well.
My Biggest Challenge at Home: Floors
I have several challenges that keep my home from being spic and span – I have 4 children 7 & under, we homeschool, there’s people here to dirty up this house all. day. long., the almost 2-year-old is the worst wall writer ever, on and on.
But my biggest challenge related to my actual house is our floors.
I detest keeping our floors clean. Really, I do.
It’s never ending. As soon as I vacuum, someone tracks dirt through the kitchen or someone spills Cheerios everywhere.
Note that I don’t say this as a complaint, just as fact. I’m so very grateful there are little people in my house all day and I wouldn’t have it any other way. However, it does present a challenge that some other people might not face.
My worst issue was our kitchen floor.
I found it difficult to vacuum because it was overwhelming. I had to take all of our kitchen throw rugs outside, shake them off, vacuum them, and then wash them every few weeks. Next I vacuumed the floor, mopped the floor, and then put the rugs back.
The whole process from start to finish took about an hour. I don’t have an hour to spend on one kitchen floor/hallway. There had to be a better way.
And then it dawned on me.
Get Rid of the Kitchen Rugs
It was an epiphany, and I’m not even exaggerating.
Get rid of the kitchen rugs. So simple and the perfect solution.
Those rugs made the whole task seem completely overwhelming, not to mention the fact that I had to wash them, dry them, blah blah blah.
The Result
I got rid of the rugs in July and I haven’t looked back.
I vacuum the floor every morning right after breakfast and it takes about 10 minutes, start to finish. (No, I don’t mop every day, although our floors could use it.)
What’s even better is that I don’t have to wash those rugs every few weeks. I’m saving myself time, energy, and effort in my Laundry Routine. I’ll take it.
Will they ever go back on my floor? Probably not til my kids are much older and they are the ones that vacuum and mop the kitchen floor.
ETA in 2022: Even though we live in a different house than the one pictured in the photos, I still do not have kitchen rugs! This was a great decision, and I stuck by it! ❤
What’s the Point of This Post on Rugs?
I’m so glad you asked. It really does relate to laundry, I promise.
For lots of people, laundry is completely overwhelming. So much so, that they can’t make themselves start the task. They are paralyzed with where to begin.
If you’re one of those people, think about why laundry is so overwhelming to you. Is it because there’s so much of it? Because people constantly wear the clothes you just washed? Because you can’t get it all put away? Because you have a million other things you need to do instead?
Your Laundry Task
If you are overwhelmed by laundry, as I was about my kitchen floor, figure out what the problem is.
Then figure out a very small solution. It doesn’t have to be anything big like hiring a laundress once a week- although it could!
My solution for my floor was to get rid of my kitchen rugs. Your solution might be to teach your oldest child to fold clothes, or spend an evening at the laundromat getting caught up, or maybe even outsourcing it to a laundry service.
Whatever your own solution is this week, make sure you do it. Don’t just dream about how great it would be to have a houseful of clean clothes, actually follow through with it and do it.
You’ll be so proud of yourself and you’ll love your results.
What is the kitchen rug in your Laundry Routine that you need to get rid of?
- 100shares
- Facebook14
- Pinterest66
- Print4
- Twitter5
- Email6
7 Tips for Storing Children’s Clothes That Are Out of Season
I got rid of the kitchen rugs (IN MY HOUSE) a long time ago. I clean homes for a living…I can tell you this…people who you think “do it all”…they don’t. I have found that a LOT of folks eat out….A LOT, which keeps their kitchens cleaner. A lot of people have people Like me ( the cleaning lady) come in to clean. So it may seem like they have it all together, but they have help somewhere, trust me, I see behind the scenes what REALLY goes on.
Crystal – so good to know! Thanks for the inside peek at what really goes on. 😉
Kitchen rugs gone! Seems like my floor stays cleaner-go figure.
I absolutely loved reading your story, we have three boys under 8 and yes they can be messy. (But wouldn’t change it for the world) my comment is actually about laundry. As a family of 5 it does pile up, quickly!!!! We have a pretty crazy schedule over here where my husband works shod work and I work part time the 2 days a week he is off. So with that being said I have a rule that I don’t do laundry on days I work and everyone knows it, but on my first day off after working 2long days when the older boys are at school I make a pot of coffee and put on movies and do laundry in my pjs. It gets caught up and I actually enjoy myself. I have also found that if I take 10 to fold and pick up each load as it comes out the dryer I’m really saving time. Clothes don’t get wrinkled and its just a small bit at a time.
Hollie, such good tips! Love the pot of coffee and putting on the movies to fold clothes. Perfect folding scenario, imo. 😉
How do I get food coloring out of my shirt
I pitched our area rugs last year and it is so much easier!!!!!
I ended up ditching kitchen rugs when ours needed replacing. We were without for a while when I realized that it was better without them. It’s amazing what something little can do for efficiency. 🙂
Vicki – SO true how something little can increase efficiency in a huge way. Love the way you worded that.
Also you will live longer without small area rugs on the floor. There are many fractured hips every year attributed to rugs. It is a major cause of death in elderly women. So you will save time and live longer!
I would love to throw out my kitchen rug, but it has discolored my white floor yellow and I can not for the life of me get the yellow out of the floor. We plan to redo the floors in our whole house which will solve the problem, but that is still a few years away. Any ideas on how to get that yellow out or am I doomed to keep the rug until I can replace the floor?
My floors are discolored from who-know-what … and I live with it, although I do find myself telling people who come in the kitchen that I KNOW the floors are splotchy white and yellow and I tried this-and-that. Wish I didn’t feel the need to EXPLAIN.
followed your tip! thanks so much
I have a rug under my kitchen top, and I personally feel it keeps my kitchen cleaner, since crumbs etc falling of are “hidden” in the rug. Of course I still need to vacuum, but the rug makes my kitchen “look” cleaner in the short run. I can imagine this might change when you have children.
Do you have more concrete ideas about how to simplify laundry? So far I could only come up with letting the machine run when going for groceries, thereby allowing me to complete a couple of chores in one run….
Thank you for the tip on getting rid of the throw rugs. I’m going to try it. I’m sure it will make sweeping much easier and be safer too!