It might be tedious to keep up with everyday housekeeping, but it doesn’t have to consume all of your time. I believe that maintaining a clean home has less to do with the time required and more to do with developing healthy habits that you ultimately learn to simply follow naturally. Yes, there are sometimes when life becomes hectic and I’m unable to complete the daily cleaning, but for the most part, I strive to adhere to these practices for maintaining a clean home. I’m telling you, it becomes easier the more you do them. Choose one or two items from the list if it seems too much to begin with, and then add more as you are able.
Make your bed first
Although some people may feel that making the bed is a waste of time, it really has a significant impact on how neat the room seems and only takes a few minutes. Additionally, I believe it gets the day off to a good start, and at the end of the day, I like getting into a made bed. Keep your bedding as straightforward as you can to make things easy. Since our top sheets often ended up in a pool at the foot of the bed, we decided to rip them out and replace them with a duvet and washable cover. But if you like your top sheets, you can consider reducing the number of pillows on your bed or selecting a cover or duvet that is big enough to prevent you from tucking in your sheets.
Laundry should be done once a day
Depending on how many loads you regularly do each week, you may not need to do this every day, but for us, at least 7 loads each week is the minimum. Try to establish the routine of starting one load of laundry first thing in the morning. Put your machine on delay if it has one so it will be ready to put in the dryer when you return home if you work outside the house and won’t have time to dry it before you leave. As an alternative, load the washer in the morning and just turn it on when you come home. To finish the load, including putting everything away, make sure you allot some time in your day.
Perform a 15-minute daily cleanup
Make a 15-minute nighttime clean-up for the family a ritual. When everyone is cleaning up at once, for some reason, it doesn’t seem nearly so horrible. Set a timer, then focus on the most important aspects of cleaning. While you finish up the kitchen cleaning or fold and put away the laundry, kids may tidy their rooms or take care of other modest domestic tasks. Start by doing any “must dos” that need to be completed before going to bed or those that are causing the most chaos or clutter. Usually, in our heavy traffic areas, I always run my robotic vacuum at this time.
Keep essential cleaning supplies close to your work area
I’ve got the essential cleaning tools in each of our bathrooms, including microfiber cloths, a polishing cloth, a toilet brush, and a spray bottle with water and vinegar (or your preferred all-purpose cleaner). Instead of having to go for cleaning products, this makes it so much faster and simpler to quickly wipe the toilet or remove the nasty toothpaste spit off the mirror. Try to do these little jobs whenever you notice the need; most of them just take a minute or two. This will significantly lessen the frequency of top-to-bottom comprehensive cleanings.
Never leave a room with your hands empty
The overall cleanliness of your house may significantly improve if you adopt this practice. Try to quickly check each room (or level) as you walk from one to the next to see. If there is anything you can take with you that belongs where you are headed. Take just the items you will have time to store; transferring a pile from one room to another without putting anything away will not be of much assistance. You may need to throw a few dirty dishes in the dishwasher or put away some laundry that is upstairs. The “one-touch rule” states that you should never touch anything more than once before putting it away. Make the additional effort to put anything away right away instead of touching it and moving it about, which will save you time and energy. Once again, I believe that habit more than a lack of time actually drives this behavior.
Declutter
This one can take a little longer to put into practice. But organizing and decluttering your house will significantly reduce the time it takes to clean. It is so much simpler to clean up – for you and the rest of your family. When everything has a location that is “easily accessible and easy to put away.” Less clutter on the tops and countertops of the surface means less dusting and faster home cleaning. If you don’t know where to begin, check out my 6-Week Decluttering Challenge or my piece on keeping junk out.
Understand the areas that create the most clutter
You may significantly contribute to preventing the spread of filth and dust throughout the rest of the home. If you concentrate on keeping the heavy traffic areas clean on a regular basis. Make sure there is a designated area for shoes at the entrances to your home. So that everyone is reminded to remove their shoes and so that all shoe filth is collected in one location. Small area rugs at the doors and windows may also be quite effective in capturing a lot of incoming dirt. Have an old towel nearby to swiftly wipe off paws when furry guests enter and leave the house. Every day, try to clean or vacuum these areas. It doesn’t have to take long; a short five minutes or so would suffice.
As You Move, Clean
Although it may seem apparent, I believe we often fail to perform this one. The difference between a neat and clean home and a dirty house and garden at the end of the day may be made by putting things away as you go, which doesn’t actually take up much time. Take your clothing off by your closet and either rehang them or place them right in the washer and dryer. Instead of leaving them on the counter, load the soiled dishes immediately into the dishwasher. As you enter, put your coat and shoes aside. After supper, enlist the assistance of the whole family in cleaning the kitchen. So that you are not left with a filthy kitchen when it is time for bed. These tiny things may all be turned into habits with a little forethought and preparation. While there will undoubtedly be instances where this is not feasible, try to do it. Whenever you can avoid having to perform a ton of cleanup afterward.
