It is finished. The scrubbing, repairing, and painting is done and our house is officially on the market. We had seven glorious days of sunshine - just enough time for our painter to give the house a new, fresh look. And then, BAM! It started raining. Pretty sure that was God's way of saying, "Yes, that was Me holding back the waters in answer to your prayers."

But the challenge isn't over yet. Now I have to keep this house spotless. Maybe for a naturally tidy person that would be easy. But tidiness doesn't come naturally to me. And I have two messy kids, and a messy husband, too.

So I'm using to-do lists to tame the madness. I have an every day to-do list and a couple of to-do lists for when the house is about to be shown. My everyday list is something most of us should be using everyday, anyway. Something I'm learning (I'm a slow learner, it turns out) is that it's best to clean before it looks dirty. In other words, if you clean it every day (or close to it), the job will be quick and so much easier.

(P.S. Even if it's something I normally do every day - like keeping up with dishes - I added it to my list. It feels good to have all the chores listed in one place - and then check everything off!)

My everyday checklist looks like this:

(You can download this list in a format that can be edited by clicking here. Also check out my Mama Chore Charts.)

* Vacuum.
* Vacuum under the kitchen table after every use.
* Mop.
* Clean sinks as used.
* Wipe down tubs/showers as used.
* Clean toilets.
* Do dishes after every meal.
* Remove clean dishes from the dishwasher right away (so dirty dishes can go directly into it).
* At least one load of laundry every day.
* Pick up. (Don't let anything sit out overnight.)
* Make sure flowers or fruit designed to pretty things up look fresh and appealing.

When the house is about to be shown, I'm using these checklists. (Totally inspired by Suburble, whose lists are prettier, but not as practical for me personally.) The first is if I have less than an hour to prepare:

(Click here to download these lists in a format that can be edited.)

* Make beds.
* Close toilet lids.
* Empty all trash bins.
* Hide small trash bins in cupboards.
* Put out nice towels.
* Tuck small appliances into cupboards.
* Open curtains/blinds.
* Turn on all lights.
* Grab a box and put all clutter - anything sitting out - into it. Tuck box into a closet. (After the showing, it's important to retrieve the box and put it's contents away.)
* Put out "From the Owners" binder. (More on that in a coming post.)

If I have at least an hour before a showing:

* All of the above.
* Vacuum and touch up bare floors.
* Clean toilets.
* Sweep porch.