Daily Mail, Thursday, August 29, 2019 Page 57

makes it easier to file bills before

paperwork piles up. Taking a

damp cloth to trap dust, I start at

the top of the house and work

down, using an extendable lambs-

wool duster (£12.99, lakeland.co.

uk) for high up and delicate

objects. Bray swears by the

ostrich feather duster, (£18, john-

lewis.com) she describes as her

‘only cleaning indulgence.’

Perhaps I’m not as thorough as

I should be, but I manage it all in

20 minutes. Just as well, as I am

still traumatised from yesterday.

TACKLING CRUMBS

IN THE KITCHEN

Thursday is kitchen day —

because, as Bray puts it, ‘who

doesn’t want a decent-looking

kitchen when they down tools on

Friday?’ Jobs advised include

emptying the crumbs out of the

toaster where ‘the raisins

from your fruit loaf go to die,’

cleaning inside the microwave

and cutlery drawers — neither of

which, shamefully, I have done

for months.

I put on my Marigolds — in addi-

tion to protecting your skin Bray

says they improve focus (plus it’s

hard to scroll Facebook with a

rubber gloved thumb).

I unearth crumbs from the

toaster and clear baked bean

stains from the microwave before

wiping cupboard fronts mopping

the floor. It’s not perfect, but the

difference is palpable.

DEEP CLEAN TO

FINISH THE WEEK

The idea behind Bray’s ‘Friday

Focus’ is that, by deep cleaning or

tidying one area of the house for

half an hour a week, clutter and

grime is never allowed back,

ensuring, ‘your home will carry on

getting cleaner and cleaner’.

It’s a bold claim, but as most of

the online TOMM community

apparently work through the

eight week cycle — split into chil-

dren’s rooms, living room, kitchen,

bathrooms, the master bedroom,

entrance hall and stairs, a miscel-

laneous room and the garden or

outside space — together, they

help motivate each other.

I cringe at the thought of

stranger seeing my mess and

as a newbie not yet in sync, I

plump for the still-not-spotless

kitchen, picking three packed

drawers that escaped my earlier

de-clutter to clear out, as TOMM

suggests.

The effect isn’t dramatic, but

chucking out ten redundant fridge

magnets and 13 broken hair clips

feels cathartic, and the weekend

well earned.

THE VERDICT

alThOugh Bray only advocates

30 minutes cleaning a day, plus

the extra 15 minutes, that’s still

probably more than I’d ordinarily

devote to housework.

at present I clean on a haphaz-

ard, ‘needs to be done’ basis,

meaning areas of my house most

urgently in need of my attention

receive it. Frankly, 45 minutes,

however fruitful they prove, feels

a bit ambitious for me, no matter

how simple Bray’s formula.

however, I love the simplicity of

TOMM, the practical support it

provides and, above all, its

acknowledgement that time

is too precious to be a slave to

the duster.

n The Organised Mum Method:

Transform Your home In 30

Minutes A Day, by Gemma

Bray, is published by Piatkus

on September 5, at £12.99.

©Gemma Bray 2019. To order a

copy for £10.40 (offer valid to

12/09/2019, p&p free on orders

over £15), call 0844 571 0640.

30 MINUTE

TIPS

CLEAN A ROOM

CLOCKWISE for

maximum speed and

efficiency.

WEAR MARIGOLDS

They help you focus and

stop you fiddling with

your phone.

ENLIST HELP

Kids aged five to ten can

strip their bed, vacuum,

dust and empty the

dishwasher. But don’t

undermine their

confidence by redoing

their work.

CAN’T FIND 30

MINUTES? Split the time

into two 15-minute

segments. Shop online and

plan meals to save time.

BE YOUR OWN

‘FUTURE FRIEND’

For example, don’t leave

dishes dirty on Sunday

night when you know

seeing them will make you

miserable on Monday.

BE ECO-FRIENDLY

Make your own water and

white vinegar cleaning

solution and sprinkle

bicarbonate of soda on

carpets before vacuuming

to deodorise.

BANISH ODD SOCKS

by buying every family

member a net laundry bag

for them to put their dirty

underwear in. Wash and

tumble dry each bag

with contents intact and

hand back.

STORE YOUR

BEDDING SETS in a

pillowcase from its

matching set to keep it

conveniently together.

LISTEN TO MUSIC to

make cleaning more fun.

GET A CORDLESS

VACUUM CLEANER to

make vacuuming quicker.

ALWAYS BE

REALISTIC

Trying to achieve

perfection will break you.

femailMAGAZINE 57

Hard at work:

Antonia tries out

The Organised Mum

Method regime

30

MINUTE

Is a

daily

the secret to a

SPOTLESS

HOME?

BLITZ

Forget marathon cleaning

sessions — one mum’s

become an internet

sensation with

a super-speedy

solution Pictures: DAMIEN McFADDEN