Here are 7 easy tips and habits to keep a home clean (most of the time).
“Please don’t mind the mess.” “I’m sorry about the mess.” “Just walk over the mess.”
Have these words ever come out of your mouth when company arrives? I know I’ve certainly said them a time or twenty!
I don’t know about you but I feel like it’s time to stop apologizing and time to start taking action of our houses. It’s our home and that means it’s supposed to be a sanctuary and not a prison sentence of clutter and frustration.
So if you feel like you’re constantly battling clutter and messes in your home you have to remember that it’s not going to stay 100% clutter and mess free 100% of the time.
With small kiddos running around, making messes and living in the moment is apart of their genome.
But there are some ways that we can minimize what we as the adults bring to the table right? If we understand that a kids gonna do what a kids gonna do and we work on ourselves first, we’ll solve half of the problem. I’ll bet your stuff can get just as bad as theirs.
1| Keeping a home clean means you need to be more proactive
First, you have to become a proactive ninja. What do I mean by this? To be a organizing ninja, you have to be one step ahead of your clutter.
This is obtained by planning and prepping ahead of time.
- Schedule in time to pick up and tidy in the mornings, in the evenings,
- Prevent clutter from settling in somewhere by having a plan to deal with it.
- I sometimes forget starting laundry in the morning so I put it in the night before and set it to a timer so it starts automatically.
2| Multi-tasking different cleaning tasks
Multi-tasking by using waiting time. What can you do while you’re waiting for something else to happen?
- While something is cooking on the stove or in the oven, I use this time to clear the counters and clean up as many dishes as I can.
- While the coffee is brewing, you can empty out the sink or the dishwasher.
- Another example is while the clothes are washing, what else can you do while that is happening in the background?
3| Give yourself a cleaning time limit
I have a 10 minute timer on my watch. My Fitbit has a notification to move 10 minutes to the hour if I haven’t walked enough steps. I use this time and play a game with myself to put stuff away. I get my steps in and a cleaner house along the way.
4| Taking that extra step to put the item away
There are so many times where we are starting to put an item away but only take it 80% away. For example, I’ll bring home a jumbo pack of toilet paper from Costco, and bring it upstairs, just to leave it in the loft.
I should really take it to the linen closet and put it away, so the task is done the first time. I bet it would only take a minute or two more, at most!
Take the extra step to put an item where it belongs. How much longer does it really take anyway? 10 seconds? Maybe even less?
5| A Home for Every. Single. Thing.
Have a spot for your items and don’t squeeze any more into that spot. This is a more minimalistic approach to storing your items. Stop stuffing all of your stuff away.
Think about what you can get rid of so it’s easy to pull out and put back. When we’re having to move things around and shove stuff onto shelves and cupboards is when we really get overwhelmed
6| Is Less really more?
Equally important, is the concept of “Less is more.” Is less really more? Yes. Pick your favorites and let all the stuff you don’t use, go.
If you haven’t used it, you probably aren’t going to use it anytime soon. Less stuff to put away gives you more time and energy. By having less stuff, this actually gives you more space in your home.
Less options gives you more freedom. You can actually cherish everything you have because you will be able to see everything. It won’t be stashed away in the back of the closet because you forgot it was there.
7| Have a rule to keep horizontal surfaces clear.
Finally, try to have a rule to keep horizontal surfaces clear. This is the easiest and quickest place for stuff to pile up. For example: mail, papers, random stuff, toys in my house, stuff we haven’t gotten to, or haven’t decided what to do with. Try to make quick decisions.
The first decision that you make is usually the one you’ll go with in the end anyway. Do you need it? Is it important paperwork? File it away. Is it junk? Throw it in the recycle or garbage. Toys? Have the kids put it away. The more clear space you have, the cleaner and brighter, and more open your home will feel!
Okay that wasn’t too much was it? I hope these 7 tips will help you to keep your home and your spaces clean and clear! If you’re way too overwhelmed right now. Don’t do all of them at once. Work at it a little bit at a time, one space at a time!
Let me know in the comments below, which space you’re going to work on first?
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A simple task to do today to help you gain motivation and your house to feel more clean & organized!
