I have been a single parent for longer than I would like to be, but I have never had that much help from Mr. Wonderful, even when we were still together. I am also somewhat of a neat freak, so it irks me to no end when my house is anything other than clean.

As the years have passed, I have learned a few tricks to making my life easier, and I intend to share those here. I may update this site from time to time also as new ideas come to light.

The first thing you need to do is make sure that you have the right tools for the job. Probably the most important cleaning supplies are abrasive cleaners (ie Comet, Baking Soda), a good vacuum cleaner, foam carpet cleaner spray (no rinse), a good mop, bucket, broom, dust pan, sponges with scrubbers on one side, window cleaning fluid, paper towels, spray bathroom cleaner and anything else that looks good on the shelf at the store...bleach is always good to have on hand, as you can add that to water and clean just about anything. I also have a love affair going with OxyClean.

Things that will also make your life easier are a washer, dryer and dishwasher, obviously. And you need to have plenty of detergents on hand as well.

I always go over the house room by room and do a deep cleaning about once every two months. The bathrooms get the deep cleaning more often, like once a week. The toilet seats are cleaned repeatedly. I have trained the kids to clean the seat with spray bathroom cleaner if they "sprinkle where they tinkle," for the most part.

I spend most of my cleaning time doing dishes and laundry. I think I fold clothes in my sleep. The kitchen table makes a great folding station. I make the older kids put their own clothes away. But I make sure that they can reach the drawers their clothes go into (we don't want dressers falling on anyone).

As far as the children's rooms being kept clean, well, I pick my battles. As long as they clear out any dirty dishes, food and dirty laundry, I don't fuss too much. I do like for them to pick up the major disasters, and sometimes I help with that. But for the most part, they do it themselves now. It used to be a major power struggle before I realized that the doors to their rooms actually close. And they ask for help if they are overwhelmed by the mess. With children doing large jobs, it helps to give it to them in small parts, three at a time. For example, "I want you to take the dirty glasses into the kitchen, take the laundry to the hamper, and pick up the Legos." When that is done, I say "OK Now I want you to fix your bed, straighten your desk and hang up your clean clothes." And I do it in sets of three until their room is presentable. For younger children, you may even need to give one order at a time. You say it in a commanding, yet not overpowering, voice.

For the major household jobs, I have begun to enlist the help of the children. One feeds the animals, one brings the clothes in from the dryer and one puts the clothes into the dryer from the washing machine. I am pretty picky about what gets washed together, so I load the washing machine. I also like to load the dishwasher, because you have to do it a certain way to get the best results. I would like to have someone else vacuum, but the vacuum cleaner and I are having an argument, and the vacuum cleaner is currently winning. I have taken it apart and fixed it several times, but we do still have some issues.

I do the sweeping, because I like to actually get the dirt off the floor. But I let my daughter mop, because she thinks that it is fun. I clean the bathrooms, but I let them do little things to help me while I am doing that.

At the end of the day, the garbage goes out to the garbage house. The recycling goes into the recycling boxes. The kids are involved in cleaning, and they enjoy it. They really enjoy it when I pay them. But I save that for when they help me clean out the car.

Ink from pens can be removed with hairspray. It breaks down the particles in the ink if you spray it at least 15 minutes before washing it as usual. This even works after the clothing has been washed and dried already.

Candle wax can be removed from carpet by placing two paper towels over the wax and then ironing the paper towels on top of the wax with an iron on a medium setting. Replace paper towels as needed (the wax melts into the paper towels, which need to be replaced periodically to allow more wax to be removed from the carpet).

Dryer sheets make good drawer fresheners and can also be used to clean blinds.

Ivory soap is good with cold water to remove blood and other bodily fluids from clothing. It is also good to use Ivory soap when someone has a cut.

Baking Soda is a good abrasive cleaner that has a multitude of other uses. It can be used in laundry, to brush teeth, etc. There are more ideas right on the box. I use it to clean the sink if I don't have Comet.

If a child wets the bed, you can use a foam carpet cleaning and deodorizing spray that doesn't require rinsing. I have sprayed that on the spot, rubbed it in with a towel and let it dry under the ceiling fan. As for the offensive odor on the clothes and linens, Borax in the washer is good. Borax is also good for washing clothes when you are trying to kill lice and carpets for killing lice and fleas.