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See the original image at zenhabits.net —

The Minimalist’s Guide to Simple Housework

zenhabits.net — I constantly experiment with ways to simplify my house-cleaning routine, and what follows are some options I ’ve experimented with or am trying out now. Not all methods will appeal to everyone, but I’m hoping that at least a few of the ideas will have some use to you, and perhaps inspire a simpler routine in your life.

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  • kmalik, on 01/29/2008, -2/+7I just cleaned the entire house yesterday! :(
    will use this in the future.
    • sockpuppets, on 01/30/2008, -7/+37Mirror just in case it goes down:

      "The Minimalist’s Guide to Simple Housework."

      1. Get a wife.
      • nicolaihel, on 01/30/2008, -5/+1hahahahaha! omg so funny
      • csw1342, on 01/30/2008, -0/+12. Children. Personally I would rather clean myself.

        • sockpuppets, on 01/30/2008, -0/+4Why don’t you have a seat right over there
    • FTLJohnson, on 01/30/2008, -2/+1http://duggmirror.com/educational/The_Minimalist_s ...
    • Ireland, on 01/30/2008, -0/+5Don't have time to read this article, am cleaning.
    • BriteEyesWeirdo, on 01/30/2008, -0/+0Efficient House Cleaning Tip #22: Step 1: Purchase a medium to large sized area rug and 1 broom with a comfortable handle. Step 2: Sweep everything under the rug - saves time and lets you continue on with your life, floating about in denial :)
  • stevejobs, on 01/29/2008, -4/+31Dugg for Roomba. Mine is scheduled to clean while I'm gone. Robots are sweet.
    • wildfire, on 01/29/2008, -1/+28Until you come back home and realize it only went five feet before committing suicide with the curtains or funiture.
      • MforMike, on 01/29/2008, -6/+29Or it reprogrammed itself and kills you, happened to heath ledger
        • sockpuppets, on 01/30/2008, -1/+5Roomba will quit you. With prejudice.
        • zip000, on 01/30/2008, -1/+3It's probably a little too soon for that joke...but I laughed anyway.
    • falkonv7l, on 01/29/2008, -5/+2No flash photography please
    • TypeEE, on 01/30/2008, -0/+1I had a roomba and I think it's stupid, it trap it self under the door of the dishwasher and it tried to lift itself up to get itself more stuck. To use it, I have to take away all the chairs in the kitchen, I could have vacuum the kitchen during the time I am shifting chairs around. Also, it goes over the same place like 10 times to make a 3 minute vacuum job became 30min.
  • naturebeds, on 01/29/2008, -1/+6I find that lots of problems can be solved in my head while I clean. There's something quite symbolic about it - clean house clean mind.
    • sockpuppets, on 01/30/2008, -0/+10I just watch porn and tape a swiffer to my naughty bits.
  • sarazen, on 01/29/2008, -5/+23This all works great. . . . . until you have kids.
    • Bostocks, on 01/29/2008, -0/+12The author says they have six kids.
    • wigglytooth, on 01/30/2008, -2/+0it works even better when you have kids... they help you and you teach them how to be tidy.
    • leamanc, on 01/30/2008, -0/+1You have to teach your kids at an early age to clean up after themselves. Of course, you have to have this habit yourself. And get them involved at an early age with helping with household cleaning. Our two-year-old uses a swiffer vacuum on the hardwood floor in her room. And she loves it.
  • UnforgivenDad, on 01/29/2008, -1/+2Wow, that's what I do now. I guess I'm doing something right.
  • 4newbies, on 01/29/2008, -0/+7My wife does most of the real cleaning, but I take care of the baby while she does it. Its here form of meditation.
    • Matt2k, on 01/30/2008, -0/+3My wife does most of the real cluttering, but I take care of the kids and work from home while she does it. Its some sort of karmic punishment.
    • vortex22222, on 01/30/2008, -1/+0Where form of meditation?
    • LanceUppercut, on 01/30/2008, -0/+2Divorce her and I will personally kick your ass, then marry her.
  • kesch, on 01/29/2008, -3/+6Yesterday a new friend saw my bedroom for the first time. The shock and disgust! I couldn't stop her, she rolled up her sleeves and worked and commanded me in a cleanup and reorganization of my room that lasted for about 40 minutes. But the result! Nothing less than inspirational. Decluttered (mostly), room to move, room to think, room to relax and just be. And Leo's article is inspirational in just the same way.
    • csw1342, on 01/30/2008, -2/+4"She" thats a hell of a typo.
    • psykiv, on 01/30/2008, -0/+2I'm like that with a friend of mine. I'm by no means a neat freak (there are some folded clean clothes thrown on my bed, which is not made, and there is a stack of papers on my dresser) But I draw the lines at having to take turns being inside the room because of all the ***** everywhere. When you have to wonder what the floor looks like, thats a problem, and that's a friend of mine's room.
    • queenstarsha, on 01/30/2008, -0/+1ftr, that's not what's supposed to happen the first time a lady goes in your bedroom, diggers.
  • dildoolielly, on 01/29/2008, -6/+19Need a "guide" to "simple housework"?

    Don't have SIX fvcking kids!

    • bingobongony, on 01/29/2008, -1/+10What are you, an ancient roman? You are nuts N-V-T-S nuts!
    • nicolaihel, on 01/30/2008, -5/+5Yeah, I don't think you should have ANY kids, dildolilly
      • schnikies79, on 01/30/2008, -0/+3Whats wrong with that?

        My fiancee and myself are not going to have kids.
    • ispellkonfusion, on 01/30/2008, -2/+4Or have them do all the cleaning for you.
  • The_Wallbanger, on 01/29/2008, -0/+48My best advice: clean your pots, pans, pizza cutters, etc while they're still hot from use. This will eliminate the need for scraping after it cools.
    • akatherder, on 01/29/2008, -0/+6A lot of cooks don't like being interrupted. When my wife is cooking i steal the pots, rinse some hot water in them, and wipe them out for 5 seconds. It saves tons of time soaking and scrubbing.
    • kutateli, on 01/30/2008, -9/+2Or you could get a wife or gf to do it all for you..
    • Matt2k, on 01/30/2008, -5/+2I just throw them in the dishwasher and redo it until they're clean. Sometimes it takes two or three rounds. I keep some draino handy. It's all good, baby
    • tgc1, on 01/30/2008, -0/+1Glad at least one other person in the world knows this. If people just did the damn dishes after they ate, they wouldn't have to avoid it, and thus there would be no mountain of dishes to clean. I mean what makes more sense... cleaning a few dishes after you eat, or washing a mountain of dishes at the end of the day?
      • KSUdesigner, on 01/30/2008, -0/+4End of the day? *****, mine sit for a week. However I do give them a good rinse when I'm done using them, so it's not like there's rotten food sitting in the sink all week.
    • gandhii, on 01/30/2008, -0/+3Great idea if you're a work-a-holic. I just fill them with water and let them soak for however many days it takes for me to move them to the dish washer and turn it on.
      • JeffD, on 01/30/2008, -0/+2Same here, except I'm the dishwasher, so they sit until I run out of dishes and break down and wash them all.
    • kahrytan, on 01/30/2008, -0/+3 If you clean while you cook, you have far less dishes to clean in the end.
    • pabloD, on 01/30/2008, -0/+1Absolutely. I clean as I cook, and make sure to finish the job off before I eat, while food is usually too hot to eat anyway. Since I've been cleaning ***** while I go, it usually just amounts to about a minute of light scrubbing, max.
  • yatzr, on 01/29/2008, -0/+30I don't know about the robot mower. I'd rather robots not have weapons once they become self aware.
  • Shiner76, on 01/29/2008, -3/+7I just let it all build up until someone gets sick of it and cleans for me
  • gplpark92, on 01/29/2008, -7/+23PAPER PLATES!
    • ScottoGato, on 01/30/2008, -0/+4This works pretty well, but creates more waste. Excellent for me, though!
    • Flappy3, on 01/30/2008, -0/+20I found that paper plates clogged up the dish-washer.
  • howdareyou, on 01/29/2008, -7/+3Submitted 2 mins ago! Yah msaleem I can see this new algorithm is really hurting you.
    • nicolaihel, on 01/30/2008, -2/+1It was submitted yesterday.
    • MrBabyMan, on 01/30/2008, -3/+1"Submitted: 23 hr 25 min ago, made popular 41 min ago"
  • hobbers, on 01/29/2008, -10/+19Get a girlfriend.

    I like how they alluded to this by showing the chick doing the dishes.
  • bingobongony, on 01/29/2008, -7/+6It had been awhile since I had seen zanhabits spam on Digg. I guess all good things come to an end.
    • pabloD, on 01/30/2008, -1/+3I beg to differ. Zenhabits is awesome. More people should read it, and take Leo's excellent and hard-won advice to heart. The world would be a helluva better place. So the more exposure ZH gets, the better, in my book.
      • bingobongony, on 01/30/2008, -1/+2You forgot to add a disclaimer to the end of your comment: "This comment paid for by zenhabits."

        Either that, or you lead a sorry ass life. Not one single thing that zenhabits has ever said has been factual, informatiive, helpful or interesting. Usually they are not only NOT those things, but they are the exact opposite. (It's also been PROVEN that they game the algorithm with paid diggs.)
  • howdareyou, on 01/29/2008, -6/+5Submitted 2 mins ago and it's already on the front page. Msaleem I see what you mean this new algorithm is really hurting you.
  • EmitStop, on 01/30/2008, -14/+4This is my 100th comment! :D
    • whiskeyclone, on 01/30/2008, -2/+10Wow; I have no-idea who you are but thanks for sharing. I would hazard a guess that the other 99 of your comments were just as insightful, witty, well crafted, and worthwhile as that one was too. Digg is lucky to have members like you, who continue to push the boundries and broaded perspectives through their comments and discussions on pressing issues such as post counts. Kudos sir.
      • schnikies79, on 01/30/2008, -1/+5Best reply I've seen in a while!

        You win.
        • csw1342, on 01/30/2008, -0/+3That made stealing my neighbors wifi all the more worth while.
      • EmitStop, on 01/30/2008, -1/+1Owned.
    • titlesaysitall, on 01/30/2008, -0/+2BEST COMMENT EVER!!! WOULD DIGG AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • Commonwealth, on 01/30/2008, -1/+2I'm pretty damn poor, and I think a maid service once a month is well worth it.
  • codered1322, on 01/30/2008, -4/+3Zenhabits is the new Consumerist.
  • senatorpjt, on 01/30/2008, -9/+2Yeah, get a girlfriend/wife. Women seem to have a lower tolerance for messes, I'll get bitched at for messes when I think everything is clean. I just started coming home later so she cleans it before I show up.
  • vornan19, on 01/30/2008, -0/+10I guess I have to say it again;
    What use is a minimalists guide to me? I am a slob. Give me a slob's guide to easy house work, dammit.
    • NiNiCraftOne, on 01/30/2008, -0/+5Slob's Guide:
      Don't own any more dishes than fit in the dishwasher. Then get a second dishwasher and move the dishes to that one after you use them... and vise versa. Once your cupboards don't have any dishes in them you can store the clutter from the counter in them.
      Get a dog... if your floors are messy with crumbs and dust the dog will become a compulsive floor licker and eat a lot of the crap that falls on the floor. Train it to ***** outside, of course, and it's like a roomba that empties itself.
      Use public bathrooms to save messing up yours whenever possible.
      Put large garbage cans in each room so that you can have one within throwing distance to chuck out the garbage stuff that would otherwise pile up in cluttered messes. I'm a slob and when I do get around to cleaning the easiest thing is to throw stuff out. Better to throw stuff out as you live your life as long as there's a bin on hand to chuck it in. Empty those before company comes or when overflowing.
      And my last bit of advice to a slob is to live in a home that has one more room than you need -- All the crap you can't bear to put in the trash can go in the extra room in big unsightly piles and the rest of the home can be much neater.
    • Jektal, on 01/30/2008, -0/+1Slob's guide to easy house work:

      Don't.
  • Obelia, on 01/30/2008, -1/+7So the advice is basically to chuck all your stuff out, and your kids' stuff while you're at it. And your kids.
  • PirateMLifnen, on 01/30/2008, -0/+6I usually just cover the problem with a few sheets of newspaper...
  • inchrnt, on 01/30/2008, -6/+3haha, so much for the new algorithm.

    welcome back digg spam.
  • Darrelc, on 01/30/2008, -5/+2Quite and interesting article. I used to be a messy little ***** until about 4 month ago when I threw loads of stuff away and had a massive clean, now my room is always tidy cos I do a little bit each day. It's worth it.

    Edit: Pictures if anyones bothered: http://www.sataboy.co.uk/Files/Darrel/Room%20Pics. ...
    • wafu, on 01/30/2008, -1/+3buried for linking to a .zip download
      • Darrelc, on 01/30/2008, -0/+1Come on, wasn't exactly like i was linking to matrix4.exe.scr, besides, archives can do ***** all unless you run whats in them after (Disregarding self extracting archives etc.
    • MacTyler, on 01/30/2008, -3/+0uh dude wtf... a zip download, theres no way I am opening that just to see your room... oh wait I am on Mac OS X, *click*
  • protodon, on 01/30/2008, -3/+0Kids. The cause, and solution to, all that mess.
  • bullcutter, on 01/30/2008, -4/+5do most Diggers even own homes?

    msaleem could submit an advertisement for the grand opening of a box factory in Indiana and it would still be "made popular."
  • wastegas, on 01/30/2008, -5/+2She's cute :)
  • burdalane, on 01/30/2008, -0/+5"Women seem to have a lower tolerance for messes"

    Maybe most women do, but not all. I'm a female, and my apartment is utterly filthy and cluttered.
    • hobbers, on 01/30/2008, -2/+2Wanna shag?
    • queenstarsha, on 01/30/2008, -0/+1yay, another messy lady! i only occasionally descend from mess to outright filth, but i definitely agree with the saying that a clean house is a sign of a wasted life.
  • NJRFilms, on 01/30/2008, -3/+4If you didn't figure these 'tips' out on your own before you graduated high school you fail at life. Lame.
    • RustyJ, on 01/30/2008, -1/+0Agreed.
      "here's how not to be a slob. 1) Clean everything. 2) Don't leave ***** out everywhere"

      Thanks for the advice, wow!
  • mal1964, on 01/30/2008, -1/+4I recommend wiping down frequently touched surfaces. counter tops. all handles ( stove, doors) also the kids toys, use a quarter cup of bleach per gallon of water. that kills the viruses that get you sick.
  • ytsrc, on 01/30/2008, -2/+0i recommend wiping down . . . blah, blah. get over it. it's just germs and they are natural, anyway. we have talked to jay whitlow about this as he has studied so many ancient cultures and their habits and he has come to the conclusion that sammie has the best solution to the dirty house thing: move.
    eric y
  • ispellkonfusion, on 01/30/2008, -0/+4Cleaning is a by-product of my procrastination. My house is filthy over summer break when I'm not in class.
  • redwoodtree, on 01/30/2008, -4/+2I have six kids, but I meditate while I clean, and I'm a MINIMALIST.

    :pffffft..... You better raise those ***** kids right so they work their asses off to pay my social security when i retire.
  • tpizz, on 01/30/2008, -1/+1i recommend cleaning ladies to solve the cleaning/laundry problem. :)
  • dajota, on 01/30/2008, -0/+3Professional cleaners can clean your house for three hours where it would take you six. I say time is money! why waste your day off! pay someone "3-4 hours pay" to do it every week and you'll have more time for better things. (Of course this is no good if you only make 8 bucks an hour!)
  • adaandnina, on 01/30/2008, -0/+2I love the ideas. The only thing I would add is to listen to a book on your iPod as you work. It's a wonderful reward for cleaning the house
  • EMsean, on 01/30/2008, -0/+2You don't have to clean up your messes if you don't own enough stuff to make them.
  • jimbo92107, on 01/30/2008, -0/+6My robots hate housework. I use them strictly for sex.
  • kahrytan, on 01/30/2008, -1/+2Earth to Diggers: Most girls like clean apartments/houses.
    • queenstarsha, on 01/30/2008, -0/+1that seems to be true. i'm a weird exception. i'm a slob and my fiance's a slob and we get along great. i couldn't stay with a neat freak.
  • Scrollfx, on 01/30/2008, -0/+3To summarize:
    Don't have anything in the house. More things, more cleaning.

    I think house cleaning is hard because we don't want to do any of the stuff the article is telling us to do.
  • lhcoyle4, on 01/30/2008, -3/+0*ahem* may I be the first to say, MILF?
  • zaribars, on 01/30/2008, -2/+0Dugg because I sent a link to my wife who, coincidentally, sucks at keeping the house clean.
    • queenstarsha, on 01/30/2008, -0/+2presumably you fail to clean your messy house as well.

      have a nice divorce.
  • adooga, on 01/30/2008, -0/+6Let me break it down:

    1. Don't have much stuff.
    2. Clean up after yourself and don't be a complete ***** slob.
    3. Where possible, get a robot to clean up for you.

    Is that a fair summary?
    • springboks, on 01/30/2008, -0/+4Dugg - your 3 bullet points sum up a long blog quite well.
  • kittyfarts, on 01/30/2008, -0/+1The only thing I really clean every day is the kitchen and I make the kids pick up their toys. Then, once a week,(okay maybe not that much, but I TRY) I shove the kids and their dad out of the house and I tackle everything. This lets me listen to music w/o annoying others, and burn incense w/o choking anyone. Kind of a frazzled mothers detox. I've tried keeping up with everything throughout the week and have found it harder than doing it all at once (as long as the midgets aren't around anyways) Plus, I get to use my time as a stay-at-home mom to actually hang out with my kids during the week instead of ***** a brick over every little crumb on the floor, and then they get a daddy day every week. Works for me.
  • BriteEyesWeirdo, on 01/30/2008, -1/+2sweep everything under the rug - saves time and lets you continue on with your life, floating about in denial :)
  • spgass, on 01/30/2008, -0/+1An interesting article... I especially like the tips in the article about having fewer things on the kitchen counters and fewer clothes.
  • Goobernutz, on 01/30/2008, -3/+2I hate that website. But I always click on the articles because the always put a semi-hot chick in the little square.
  • queenstarsha, on 01/30/2008, -0/+1i dunno. that was kind of just "how and when to do housework." his other posts about decluttering are extremely worthwhile. in particular, be merciless when you're getting rid of stuff.

    but i know i need to do laundry once a week or so without being told in list form.
  • SRJanit0r, on 03/02/2008, -0/+1Brilliant...common sense...but I needed the reminder! Thank you!
  •  

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