No Kidding

I had a fun interview yesterday with a writer who is putting together an article for a major women's magazine. (I'll let you know which one when it hits the stands.)

One of her questions was, "How often should a person vacuum their house? Every day, every other day, or is once a week enough?"

"Once a month," I replied, causing her to gasp.

"You're kidding."

"No really, it's totally possible," I assured her. "If."

"If what?"

"If you first do the following."

I then went on to list the changes you can make to your house that will allow you to avoid vacuuming more than once per month--without living in filth in between. When I was finished with the list, she agreed that it made perfect sense. I knew it would, because that's how things are in a house that cleans itself!

Check back here next week to find out how you, too, can get away with vacuuming just once a month.


Examine Your Sight Zones

Go to the room you want to tackle first. Stand in the doorway, facing in, as if you had just stepped into the house. Now look from side to side. Your Sight Zone includes all of the parts of the room(s) you can see. When you consider the Sight Zone for the space you are in, ask yourself if there is anything you need to do to make this first impression of the interior of your home more attractive and easier to keep clean. Does the area 'work' in terms of setup, flow and design? Are there any changes you can make, such as touching up chipped paint, replacing shabby or overworn items, or removing a stubborn stain?

Consider also, how many other rooms you can see from where you are standing. Is your Sight Zone too broad, covering so many areas that it's impossible to keep them all looking nice all the time?

Page 142 of The House That Cleans Itself has ideas to address this broad Sight Zone issue. Work on your list created in the first paragraph of this entry and stay tuned for some tips on narrowing your Sight Zones!