I like my house to be clean. When I say clean, I mean dishes put away, counters wiped down, floors swept, and generally clutter free. I take time at the end of every day to pick up Monster’s toys and ensure dinner is cleaned up. I do this because if it isn’t clean, I can’t focus. I know a lot of people claim that they function well in clutter, but I don’t really believe it. I have people who “function well” in clutter and they either do nothing in their home or get frazzled any time they need to find something.
I’m not saying my house has to be spotless at all times. I’m saying it is worth investing five minutes at the end of every day to set things up to be successful the next day. Here are my top 10 best home cleanliness tips.
- Clean as you go
This is a big one when it comes to things like cooking. If you leave everything until the end, it feels like a lot to clean up all at once. If you clean as you go, especially while something is in the oven or needs time to sit, then at the end of your meal, you should only have a few dishes to put away. I often won’t start eating until at least the cooking dishes are clean so that when I am done with my meal I can put my dishes in the dishwasher and be done.
- Watch out for flat surfaces
I don’t know about you, but for my entire life, flat surfaces have been a problem. I swear I clean off a table and within two days it is covered again. Not even with useful things. Often it is stuff I should have just thrown away the first time (see number 5) or just don’t want to deal with. I try putting a plant or something on each table so that there is something to remind me not to cover the entire flat surface with crap.
- Have one junk pile
I know, I know, I just said I have a problem with flat surfaces. This one comes in handy though. I allow myself one “junk” pile in my house. Currently, that pile lives on top of the cat tower next to the door. It is typically made up of any mail we bring into the house. It used to be a chair, where we dumped all of our crap from the day (bags, jackets, workout clothes) into one spot when we got home. When I’m really cleaning the house, it is an entire couch, where I throw everything that I need to put away into one spot so that everything else in the house is clean and then I chip away more slowly at the junk pile.
- Deep clean every year
This is just good practice in general. I maintain clean every day, and really clean at least once a week. But the deep cleaning like wiping down walls, baseboards, and cleaning exterior windows happens once per year. I either make an event of it and invite the whole family or make one big long list and work on it a little at a time over a whole month. Either way, I’m not removing every single shelf in the fridge to clean more than once a year.
- Only touch it once
This advice is specifically for people with paper problems, but it is also good practice all around. If you pick something up, deal with it until it is complete. For example, you receive a piece of mail. When you open it, handle whatever action is meant to go with it and then either file it away or shred or recycle it. There is no reason to pick it up and put it down and pick it up and put it down somewhere else. Take care of it and then be done with it.
- Get rid of things
The best way to minimize clutter and having to clean up is not having a lot of crap. The more stuff you have, the more you have to maintain. If you are a garage sale person, put everything that is going to that garage sale into one spot. If you aren’t, load up your car as often a necessary and take it to Good Will. Just junk and clothes with holes and stains? Throw it away. Trust me, you will feel lighter without all the stuff.
- Get a Vicky
Vicky is my affectionate name for my automatic vacuum. There are some things that have to be done so often that it feels impossible to keep up. Seriously, who has time to sweep the floor every single day? Vicky does because that is her only job. This amazing little vacuum has a timer so that she turns on and starts sweeping while we are all at work. At the end of the day, all I have to do is empty her into the trash and I’m done. It is amazing! Plus she is a reminder that I have to pick up after myself or else she is going to get stuck (I was very distressed the first time she ate one of my bras) or break something (left a cord to my TV on the floor once… yeah, we don’t have that TV any more). I have Vicky because she is really all I need and I felt she was a good price. The Rumba is a more popular, well known version of this as well. Either way, get yourself one of these vacuums.
- Take ten minutes
I clean for about 10 minutes at the end of every day. This is more of a maintenance clean, where I pick up after myself from the day. All the dishes need to be put away, I pick up any projects I’ve been working on, and I make sure my shoes find their way to their home (instead of the middle of my living room). Those ten minutes aren’t much but they help me keep a baseline level of clean.
- Ask for help
I know this is one that I struggle with as both a mama and a woman. I feel like it is my job to maintain the whole house for everyone that lives in it. But the truth is, I work just as much as all the other adults that live in my house. I just have a different standard of clean than other people. Instead of doing it all myself, I ask for help. Many hands make work light.
- Make simple rules
Finally, don’t feel bad about setting expectations for people in your home, including yourself. Trash night is Thursday night, so all the trash and recycling has to be taken out and the bins have to go to the curb. We have a chore board in our house that is updated every week and the expectation is that you do the chore on the board. Even super easy daily rules can be helpful too, such as take off your shoes when you get in the house or wipe down the counter after using it.
Little tips and tricks like these really can help maintain your space on a daily basis. Trust me, it is worth having a clean and organized house. Without all the mess, I feel more able to focus on whatever it is I am trying to accomplish.
