Just clean it!

That is my motto for cleaning the new house.  No time for perfect methods, or even proper methods.  I have actually been looking for a blog that offers cleaning advice, especially for larger spaces.  Our kitchen really gets to me since I spend so much time cleaning it, yet it is rarely clean.

(can't keep those kids out of the shot sometimes!)  I forget the measurements, but it's something close to 700 sq feet, so that is a lot of mopping and a lot of counters to clean.  I'm not going to complain about having the space, because it is a blessing, but I am going to say that it is HARD to keep up with!
So, my best method is to just jump in and do it.  I don't wait to find a home for all the paperwork on the counters, or even all the toys on the floor.  Sometimes it is best to just push them into a pile and clean what you can.  It's better than nothing.  For the actual cleaning,  I have to recommend Swiffer.  I have 4 (2 plain, 1 sweeper vac, 1 wet jet) and it really does speed up the process.  The plain are for other areas of the house, and the sweeper vac (gets all the crumbs that would otherwise be pushed into the grout lines of the tile) and the wet jet are for the kitchen.  The counters are tackled cafeteria lady style- with a bucket of warm soapy water and a sponge.  In between cleaning 'sessions' i usually use a green cleaner spray on them.  Oh, and I always dry them with a rag as i go so that they don't get water spots on them.

Since i have the pictures up, let's mention that there is still quite a bit of design work left to do on the kitchen.  We are waiting on crown molding (maybe my Valentine's Day present!??) that backsplash I have mentioned, lots of lighting (over/under cabinets) and I would LOVE to wrap painted beadboard around the bar counters.  Hope to have updates to show....someday.