Do you ever feel like the rest of the world has it all together and you’re just… taking it hour by hour? Or no matter how hard you try to keep your house in order, everything keeps getting messed up? Same. But the truth is, there are ways to (actually) keep your home clean and organized. Sometimes it just takes a little forethought, planning, and involvement from everyone.
Here are a few tips (and honest thoughts):
Why Clean in the First Place?
There is no denying that cleaning can be tedious. I don’t know a single person who looks forward to a night of vacuuming or hours spent cleaning the bathroom. But we all know it’s important, right?
The most compelling reason to clean your home is to protect the health of your family. Dirty homes are perfect breeding grounds for germs, mold, and mildew, all of which are health hazards. If your home is dirty, it can expose your loved ones to allergens like dust mites, pet dander, and pollen. (And PS: If you’re curious about seasonal allergies causes and preventions, there are many ways you can preemptively clean before symptoms arise.)
And let’s face it, few things are half as relaxing and calming as walking into a clean home. A tidy home improves clarity and creates a restful atmosphere, which is precisely what a home should be. Not to mention, a clean home can help you save time and money. You will preserve your appliances better if you keep them clean, for instance. This means less money spent on repairs or replacements.
6 Ways To (Actually) Keep Your Home Clean
Make Your Bed
Make a point of getting up and putting your bed together every morning. Although small, you’ll see what a difference it makes in your room. Plus, you’ll feel both accomplished and put-together, and you’ll reduce the temptation of crawling back under the covers for a few more ‘snooze’ minutes.
If you struggle with making the bed, simplify the process! Get rid of the top sheet, so all you have to do is smoothen the bottom sheet and the duvet. Remove any unnecessary pillows too. This way, the process will take less than two minutes.
Do One Load of Laundry a Day
Laundry is one of the big tasks that, no matter how hard you try, is both inevitable and time-consuming. Instead of waiting until the end of the week or when the piles are out of control, do a little every day. Every morning, put a load in the machine and set the washer to start when you’re about to get home. If your machine doesn’t have this feature, start the laundry as soon as you get home.
Also, try to iron and fold your laundry in the laundry area. By all means, avoid having unfolded laundry in the bedrooms. Every time you throw a load of clean but unfolded clothes on a chair or basket, you will always be tempted to add to the pile, and you will soon be staring at a messy and untidy bedroom.
Prioritize Your Cleaning Tasks
Do you feel like your home is never clean enough, even though you put in a lot of effort into cleaning? Then perhaps you need to implement the 80-20 rule: If you’ve done 80% of the cleaning you need to do, don’t worry about the 20% you have yet to do.
So, how does implementing this rule (actually) keep your home clean? It helps you forget the small details that don’t matter in the long run. For instance, cleaning beneath your couches every single night may not be as productive as you think. It only holds you back from concentrating on the things that matter.
Save the remaining 20% for when you do a deep-clean of your home. That way, you can preserve your energy for cleaning most of the spaces in your house and only attend to the remote parts of your home when you need to.
Get Everyone Involved
One of the best ways you can ensure your home is always clean (without feeling overwhelmed) is to enlist the help of everyone in the family, including the kids. The load gets much more manageable when everyone carries their weight.
Simple tasks can go a long way in making cleaning and tidying more manageable. For instance, you can your younger kiddos pick up their toys and place them in baskets after playing. They can also be in charge of putting their shoes on the rack once they get home. Older kids can be responsible for keeping their rooms neat and clean, as well as doing the dishes every other night. Make it a rule for everyone to pick up after themselves. That way, you won’t always be swamped.
Never Leave a Room Empty-Handed
Another habit that can help keep your home tidy is to avoid leaving a room empty-handed. If you’re leaving a room, do a quick scan to see what does not belong in it, and take the item to its rightful place. For instance, if you’re leaving the living room for the kitchen, carry any glasses or plates with you. If you are headed for the bedroom, take any clothes in the living room with you. That way, everything will always be where it is supposed to be, and you won’t have to put much effort into this.
You can go to the next step and have a basket for each room in the house where you can collect items and take them to the right room at one go. This will make things even easier.
Create a Cleaning System
An excellent way to always ensure that you stay on top of your cleaning chores is to have a cleaning system in place. Dedicate certain days of the week to cleaning specific parts of the house; that way you’ll never have to clean your whole house in one day. For example, you can dedicate Mondays to vacuuming the floors, Tuesdays for deep cleaning the bathrooms, and Wednesdays to organize the kitchen. With such a schedule, you will hardly ever feel overwhelmed.
To read other mom tips + hacks, click here.
Featured Image Credit: Ketut Subiyanto