Maintaining a clean house doesn’t come without its challenges. Life gets hectic and it’s not always possible to clean as much as we would like. If children or pets are present in the home, then cleaning becomes even more difficult. Kids are naturally messy and it takes a lot of effort to clean up after them. Also, if you’ve ever had to remove pet hair from a sofa, you’ll know this is no easy task. However, keeping a clean home everyday is as simple as adopting certain habits and repeating them until they become a part of your routine. Once you practice a behavior for a period of time, it becomes ingrained so it will be more natural for you to follow along. Cleaning a little each day will ensure that your home is always neat and tidy, which can greatly increase your level of comfort. Plus, as an added bonus, you’ll always be ready in the event you have surprise guests. Whether you live alone or have a house full of children and animals, here are some tips you can follow to ensure that your house is clean on a daily basis.
Start the day off by making your bed
It may sound overly simple but starting this habit will have a domino effect on your other cleaning habits. Some people don’t see the point of making their bed each morning since they will end up messing up in a few hours. However, a neat bed will make the room look more tidy overall. Making the time to tidy your bed can be as simple as waking up five minutes earlier than usual. While you will lose those precious few moments of sleep, we promise that you will gain back that time and more once you develop routine cleaning habits, that start with getting your bed organized.
If you struggle with making your bed, aim to simplify your bedding. While a host of decorative pillows may look nice, they are a hassle to organize. Keep things simple with a comforter and pillows. If you are especially pressed for time, you can just draw the comforter over the sheets. That way, you will still achieve the look of a tidy bed and even save a few minutes in the morning. If you aren’t accustomed to making your bed, check out these tips from Spruce on how to make your bed like a pro. Believe it or not, it’s not always as simple as laying the sheet over the mattress. Give daily bed making a try and watch your entire cleaning routine transform.
Do laundry a little at a time
Perhaps the most time consuming part of doing laundry is folding and putting clothes away afterwards. You may have a pile of unfolded laundry laying around at home this very minute. Don’t feel guilty; we have all done it at some point. If you do laundry once a week or every two weeks, this greatly increases the amount of clothes you will have to put away once you are done washing and drying. Instead, try to do a little each day or even twice a week. If you have a large family, then it should be easier to find enough dirty clothes to make a load a couple times a week. If you live alone but you are still feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of clothes you have to wash and fold, then switch up your laundry routine and break it across a couple days. For example, you can try washing during the week and then folding on the weekend. Or, fold a little each day so by the time the weekend comes around, you will be all done. You can also try splitting the laundry tasks with your family. For example, one family member can be responsible of washing all the white clothing on a Tuesday. Having a specific day when different types of laundry will get done will help other family members to get their dirty clothes in the wash on time.
Clean up after every meal
Dirty dishes aren’t only unsightly, they can be a health hazard, too. Food left on dirty dishes can attract rodents and other creatures. Instead of letting all the dishes pile up, wash and put them away after every meal. Even if you only use utensils while making a small snack, wash and put away each item. You can hand wash dishes or use a dishwasher. Hand washing your dishes may take a little extra time but ultimately, it will save you some money on your electric bill.
If you have a dishwasher, you can rinse dishes and utensils and put them inside until you are ready to wash everything. Be sure to get all food off your plates before putting them into the dishwasher if you will not immediately be starting a cycle. Leaving food remnants inside the dishwasher for several days can be just as bad as leaving them in the sick. Don’t neglect to clean your dishwasher. If you are washing a high volume of dishes, you should give it a thorough cleaning at least once every two weeks. If you have a hard time cleaning up dishes, consider using plastic or styrofoam utensils. This allows for easier clean up since it is not always possible to clean dishes immediately, especially if you are dealing with a large number of people.
Declutter and utilize storage
It should come as no surprise that spaces look neater when there is less clutter. However, being more organized can also help with your cleaning. Keeping countertops and other surfaces free of unnecessary items can reduce the amount of time you will spend dusting. Try to get storage containers for smaller items instead of leaving them hanging around the place. Open and sort your mail as soon as you receive it to prevent them from piling up around the house. A container for your mail is the best bet for keeping it organized.
Items that are in regular use such as cleaning supplies or toys should have their own storage areas. Even if you don’t consider yourself a hoarder, it is inevitable that things will pile up. As life happens, it’s only normal to acquire more and more items. A great way to consistently declutter is to get rid of something any time you buy something new. You can put your older items to good use by giving them away as a donation or make some extra cash for yourself by selling them. Apps like OfferUp and Letgo allow you to quickly sell used and new items to people nearby. If you don’t have sufficient space inside your home for storage, then renting a self storage unit would help. Self storage isn’t just for moving or storing large items. Self storage units come in a variety of size options so you can easily choose the best one to match your immediate storage needs.
If you’re confused about where to start in terms of planning and organizing your schedule to clean and declutter, consider consulting a professional organizer. At On Task Organizers, professionals are available to help you save time and boost your productivity. They can even work with you to create a personalized solution in their results-driven organizing sessions.
Set a schedule, and stick to it
While it is helpful to clean a little bit each day, you will undoubtedly need to dedicate at least a couple hours to getting major things done around the house. Chores like wiping the floor and cleaning the bathroom will still need to get done, regardless of how much you tidy up everyday. Based on your schedule, carve out the best day and time to get these big ticket items done and out of the way. Once you create a routine, ensure that you follow it as closely as possible. There will be exceptions as life gets in the way but follow your cleaning schedule as much as you can. Create a list of things that need to get done and share them with the rest of your family. If everyone consistently participates in cleaning, it will go by a lot more quickly. As long as your routine allows you to get to all the major areas of your house in a reasonable amount of time, you are less likely to feel overwhelmed.
Deal with one room at a time
Trying to take on too many tasks while cleaning up is the easiest way to feel overwhelmed. Instead of trying to tackle every room, break your cleaning down a bit and do one room at a time. High traffic areas like the kitchen and bathrooms will need a little bit of sprucing up each day. In the bathroom, clean surfaces after use and empty the trash bin every two or so days. For your bedroom, vacuuming as needed and dusting nightstands and shelves regularly will help to lessen the load on major cleaning days. Rooms that aren’t used as often can be cleaned on separate days. You can even add this to your schedule to ensure that you touch each room at least once every two weeks.
Put everything away after use
If you practice to put everything in its place, you can cut down on the amount of time needed to put items away when you are cleaning. Putting away your items as you go along will not take a lot of time in the moment but it will definitely help to cut down on the overall amount of time you spend cleaning. Developing simple habits can make a world of a difference in the end. Put dirty clothes in the laundry basket instead of letting them hang around your room. Hang up your clothes as soon as you take them off. Put your keys in the same spot. Put away your shoes as soon as you get inside your home. It may not always be possible to put everything away as soon as you have used them. There are times where you will be in a rush or maybe just downright tired. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you sometimes deviate from this practice. If you follow it the majority of the time, your entire cleaning routine will not be thrown off if you are not able to put everything away all the time.
Hire help, if needed
Scheduling, organizing, and cleaning a little every day will only go so far. If you do not have the time and ability to clean your home on your own, then don’t be afraid to ask for help. House cleaning doesn’t have to break the bank. Service like Handy can cost as little as $50 per cleaning, depending on the size of your house. If your budget allows, hiring help is a much better alternative than trying to take on more than you can handle. Another benefit to hiring professional house cleaners is that it helps to get you motivated to do your little cleaning tasks on a regular basis. A professional cleaning service is not responsible for putting away your personal items. If you leave them lying about, it may affect how thoroughly your home is cleaned. Knowing that there is a dedicated day when cleaners will arrive is an excellent motivator for getting your end of things done on time.
Keeping your house clean daily will require a number of small habits. These changes are worth it as there is a level of clarity that comes with having clean and organized spaces. Making these adjustments to your routine can even end of saving time in the long run. The more organized your home, the easier it will be to find things. Imagine running late and being unable to find your car keys. If you are used to keeping them in the same place, they will be much easier to track down. Organization is just one of the many benefits of keeping your home clean everyday. Keep an eye on our blog for more home organization tips.
