If you are anything like me and wait until the very last second to clean your home before guests arrive, then you’re in good company here. I’m not very fond of cleaning, but with all things I procrastinate up until the deadline. I’ve been taught all my life that it’s bad to procrastinate. But, here’s the thing, I actually will do much better if I wait, and will actually get more done, because of all the things I did while I was procrastinating.
I’m definitely not condoning procrastination. I really do wish I was punctual and more of a Type A personality. It would certainly make my life easier. But, I’m not. So, instead of trying to change who I am, I’ve learned to use my qualities in a way that’s beneficial. And maybe realizing too that I need a little help in this department, that’s why I got a bObi robotic vacuum.
So, let’s talk about cleaning. I want to walk you through what I do when cleaning my home before visitors arrive as well as some general tips and encouragement.
The first thing you need to know is that people are coming to see you, not your house. Make sure to remember that and not go totally crazy when you have a bunch to do and may not get to it all. It’s ok, but I do have some tips so that hopefully you can get to it all!
procrastinator’s guide to cleaning
1. Turn on some music and let’s go. If you’re currently procrastinating instead of cleaning, shame on you. But, do keep reading, because I have some helpful tips! But then it’s straight to step 2 for you!
2. Pick up everything off the floor. Put everything that’s on the floor away if it’s within reach or not too much effort otherwise, place things on a higher surface for now. With not much work, your room will instantly look cleaner and give you the motivation to somehow tackle the mound of clutter now sitting on top of your dining room and coffee tables.
3. Set bObi to GO. Have you met bObi yet? How rude of us not to introduce the newest member of our family! In all seriousness, bObi really is a welcomed part of the family now. Ruby always makes sure to say, “Hi, Bob!” and “Bye” and she loves when he goes night-night. I personally reached out to bObsweep to see if they’d be up for letting us review this guy and I’m so glad I did.
I don’t really remember what life was like before having a robotic vacuum, let’s just call them the dark days. Our floors are now always clean. We run bObi at least once a day to sweep AND mop. Yes, bObi mops as well. And it’s a game changer.
I love that bObi blends into our home with a modern and sleek design. He’s definitely the most stylish vacuum out there on the market and complete with all of the features. I mentioned the mop feature which is my favorite, because of our hardwoods, but I also love that bObi can fit under furniture to clean places that I can never reach. My other favorite feature is the UV sterilization which makes me feel a little better that Ruby eats everything off the floor.
bObi has made cleaning up so much easier. Not having to vacuum or mop gives me more time to get everything else done in a timely manner.
6. While bObi is running, wipe down & clean off surfaces. Alright, we have someone in this with us, bObi’s got the floor, let’s dust! I like to make sure bObi is running to motivate me to get the surfaces cleaned so that any dirt on them that falls to the ground can get swept up. Now’s the time to put away the clutter on your tables and such, but don’t worry about it too much, our main goal here is to dust and wipe down surfaces. Feel free to just pick items up, dust and set them back down, we will get to putting things away next.
7. Make sure all clutter is put away where it belongs, err shoved in drawers. Now is not the time to organize or to do any deep cleaning, we can get to that in the new year. I can’t believe that I’m admitting this, but I either shove things in drawers or throw it all in one of our baskets. If you’re not Type B enough to do this, place items in a basket and put them in your bedroom where you can properly deal with them later.
6. Put away dishes in the kitchen. All of this applies to the kitchen as well. I also like to make sure my dishwasher is empty and put away all of the dishes. Before diving into really clean my kitchen, I often wait until I’m done cleaning the rest of the house, so that I can clean it while cooking for guests. If I’m not cooking, I may just do a quick clean of the countertops or things that need to be done.
Ruby loves playing with the remote. We call bObi a free spirit because he has his own way of cleaning that looks differently than what we would do. His method works, though! But, for those times when you want to clean up a specific spot, it’s nice that you can use the remote and tell him where to go. It’s like have your own adult version of an RC car, but it sweeps and mops!
Some general tips to easier cleanup for procrastinators:
Clean up rooms where people will be first, you can always close the doors to bedrooms.
Don’t worry about deep cleaning, focus on clutter.
It doesn’t have to be perfect.
Don’t even think about folding and putting away that laundry… leave it in the dryer.
Make your bed and put clothes in the hamper and don’t worry about anything else. Very few people have perfectly tidy bedrooms.
Don’t apologize about the state of your home and don’t point out messes.
If all else fails, don’t use overhead lights, light some candles and call it homey
I hope that this was helpful for all of you procrastinators out there! This time of year can be really busy, but don’t forget that it’s about spending time with others. Don’t not invite others into your home because it’s a mess! I find that the easiest way for me to keep my home clean is to regularly have people over. It’s maybe the only way I clean, haha!
And I hope this review of bObi was helpful. I know I’ve talked with many people, mamas especially who have been thinking about getting a robotic vacuum. It’s definitely worth it because I think I was going to go crazy the next time I had to sweep and mop the kitchen three or four times in one day. It’s a smart decision to find helpful ways to make your days run smoother. I was trying to think of what I don’t like about this vacuum, but there really isn’t one negative thing I can say, it’s awesome.
Let me know if you have any procrastinator’s tips on cleaning. Or, maybe you’re not and a pro, I want to know if you do things differently!
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Thanks again, bObsweep for sending bObi our way!
