I had a friend of mine ask me how Jeremy and I keep our house so tidy. Three letters: OCD. Okay - maybe only a little bit of OCD. My family likes to joke that I'm a total slob but the last time they lived with me I was a teenager! I had more important things to worry about - like growing boobies. As an adult, I take more pride in my space and a clutter-free place truly makes me feel more at peace. However, it doesn't come naturally for me - and for Jeremy it's second-nature.
I'm going to break it down room by room and then by what is done Daily, Weekly and Bi-Weekly or Monthly.

KITCHEN:Daily - wipe down counters, table and put dishes into dishwasher after eating
Weekly - swiffer the floors
Bi-Weekly or Monthly - Wet mop floors, wipe down cabinets
Yearly - wipe down fridge surfaces (need to do this soon)

LIVING AND DINING AREAS:Daily: Pick up
Weekly: Sweep floors
Bi-weekly or Monthly: Vacuum corners and rugs, dust, lint roll cat hair off furniture (more often during shedding months)
Yearly: Dust blinds (I probably don't do this nearly enough)
These places don't gather much clutter. The big trick here is just to pick up after ourselves. Also, we have a Roomba (robot vacuum) that cleans up cat hair for us daily.

BATHROOM:Daily: I think maybe Jeremy rinses out the sink just with water...
Weekly: Wipe down sink and toilet, brush out toilet
Bi-Weekly or Monthly: Mop, wash floor mat, scrub tub and shower walls
BEDROOM:Daily: Put away clothes (this is an every-other day thing for me... I'm bad about letting clothes pile up but I'm working on it), make bed
Weekly: Wash sheets, vacuum up dust bunnies
Monthly: Organize jewelry, closet
LAUNDRY:Jeremy is a SAINT when it comes to doing laundry. He usually does a couple loads a week. He'll fold my clothes or lay them out flat and from there I just have to put them away or hang them. In fact, I'll just give Jeremy huge props here for doing SO much around the house all the time.
CATS:Catbox: Jeremy cleans out the catbox twice a day every day.
Cat Hair: This IS an issue and I'm still trying to find a solution but the biggest help is Roomba and Lint Rollers.
Jeremy's #1 tip for keeping things clean (and he is the tidier one of the two of us) is just to do it as you go. It's sometimes a pain but is worth it in the long run.
My tip for cleaning is to pretend your Jennifer Aniston in Friends With Money while doing chores. I'm only half-way kidding - if I pretend like it's my job it's much easier - which is probably why I'm a bigger fan of the weekly deeper cleans rather than the pick-up-as-I-go approach.
I've also heard that you should clean as fast as possible. Or even clean in 5 minute spurts - it's kind of amazing what you can get done in a short amount of time.
Do you have any tips? Is there anything I'm leaving off my list that's grossing you out right now?Also, check out
Chez Larsson's tips for cleaning
here.