Where to clean first

*Proceed from higher to lower. Start upstairs and work your way downstairs; in general, clean higher places in each room before the lower.

*Proceed from dry to wet. Begin with dry rooms and areas without sinks, tubs, or toilets, then go on to wet rooms and areas.

*Proceed from inside the house to outside.

*Begin with the chores that require waiting periods. Start time-consuming automatic processes first - bed airing, laundry soaking, soup simmering - so that they can proceed while you do other things.

From "Home Comforts: The Art and Science

of Keeping House," by Cheryl Mendelson

(c) Copyright 2000. The Christian Science Publishing Society