Let’s be real people. Keeping a clean house that is always tidy is a daily struggle and a chore for sure especially if you have kids, pets, or a husband! Am I right? Unfortunately, your house won’t clean itself so following these steps on a daily basis will keep your house clean and organized at ALL times. Trust me. I do them daily and my house is always clean and in order. Not a fringe out of place. Ask my sister. She says my house always looks like a museum!
According to Psychology Today, keeping your house clean and organized is actually good for your health. A study found people with clean houses are healthier than those with messy houses. So do good for both your house and your health and start on a daily plan to always keep a clean and organized house.
1. Find a Place for Everything you Own– How to Keep Your House Clean
“Everything should have a place and there should be a place for everything.” My grandma used to always say that, but it makes sense if you think about it. Whenever you buy something, think about where it will go in your house. If you can’t think of a place for it, maybe you don’t need it. But if you must have it, make a new place for it. Use bins, baskets or any other storage container for items and label them. Then anyone in your house who can read will know where the item goes! Above all, items won’t just be placed randomly around the house. For example, storage containers can be just practical ones that will be stowed away in your closet or if the item will be in plain sight, opt for a more decorative storage bin.
2. Put Your Clothes Away– How to Keep Your House Clean
At the end of the day, place your clothes in the hamper. Similarly, don’t throw them on the floor or drape them over a chair. There is nothing worst than a dirty pile of clothes greeting you from the floor. At the end of the week, wash the clothes in your hamper and stick to a laundry schedule you can maintain. My method of washing all loads one day and then folding another day works well. It doesn’t take up an entire day and then you have 5 days of not having to think about doing laundry!
3. Make Your Bed– How To Keep Your House Clean
I know I sound like your mother, but making your bed just starts your day off right. It is the first task you accomplish in the day. Who wants to jump into a wrinkled mess of a bed at the end of the day? I don’t. There is something inviting about crisp sheets greeting you at night. Treat your house as if you were staying in a hotel where they make your bed on the daily.
4. Vacuum Daily (Yes, I said daily.)- How To Keep Your House Clean
Vacuuming your house every day seems like a daunting task, but trust me, it will keep you ahead of the dust and random crumbs game. I vacuum every single day and still I find mystery crumbs and dust. Where do they fall from? The sky?
I use this vacuum every day and let me tell you it is a game changer! I tell everyone to buy it because of how easy it is to use. In addition, it is wireless and holds a charge long enough for you to get through most (if not all) of your house. I know this vacuum is a slight investment, but I promise you it will be worth it in the end and it will make you want to vacuum your house. Those days of lugging around a heavy vacuum and tripping over the chord are over!
A dust buster should also be your best friend and here’s why. Keep this upstairs or in your bathroom. Sick of hearing your husband complain about all of your hair on the bathroom floor after you blow dry it? Just dust bust it. It’s easy and gets the job done in no time and you won’t hear anymore complaining!
5. Put Away Coats and Shoes
I call it the shoe graveyard when shoes start accumulating in our mudroom. I appreciate the shoes coming off at the door and not into my house to keep the house clean, but tripping over them when you walk into the house is no fun. At the end of the day, all shoes should be put back in their place (in closets, bins, cabinets). Whomever owns them is responsible for putting them away. That way everyone has a responsibility for what they own. Similarly, coats should also be put away and not just thrown around. Show respect for the items you own.
6. Wipe Down Surfaces
Wipe down all surfaces after you use them. For instance, in the kitchen, wipe down the counters, the kitchen table, stove, microwave and sink after you cook or eat with an antibacterial cleaner. Aside from all of these surfaces looking clean, you will reduce the amount of bacteria and germs on them. I tend to use a lot of paper towels when I clean up (which I know can be wasteful), but I like knowing the germs are gone and I’m not spreading them around with a sponge or cloth.
In the bathroom, use a Clorox wipe to clean the counters and sink, which only takes seconds to do and dries instantly. Does anyone else’s kids get their toothpaste all over the sink and counters? I’ll never understand how it gets everywhere!
7. Put Dishes in the Dishwasher
Chances are if you have a dishwasher, it is right next to your sink. After meals, rinse dishes and utensils and place them right in the dishwasher. This way your sink won’t fill up with dirty dishes.
Before going to bed, run your dishwasher, which uses less energy and you’ll have clean dishes in the morning. There is nothing worst than waking up the next day to a sink full of dirty dishes from last night’s dinner. It’s like waking up the morning after you’ve thrown a party and nothing was cleaned up. It’s gross.
8. Don’t Hoard Things
Owning multiples of items or items that you haven’t used in quite some time doesn’t do you or the item any good. Similarly, they just take up space in your house for no reason. Think about the items you have in your house and ask yourself, “Do they spark joy?” If not, get rid of them. There are many ways to do this.
For example, if you want to sell the items and make some money from them, you can list and sell them on Facebook’s Marketplace, you can organize a garage sale, or sell clothing and shoes to consignment shops or on PoshMark.
I typically try to sell my items first. If they don’t sell, I then donate them. You can donate items to local organizations or ones that will pick up the items from your house to make it more convenient for you.
Once you start eliminating items from your house, it won’t feel as cluttered and you can even make room for new items (like more clothing and shoes)! Can you think of a better excuse to go clothes and shoe shopping? I can’t! You will then get addicted to selling or donating your items. I love knowing someone else can use something that I couldn’t.
9. Lessen the Paper Load
Papers of all kinds can really start to pile up. I’m talking bills, statements, receipts, magazines, newspapers, store circulars and of course the daily papers and artwork your kids bring home each day from school. Go back to habit #1 I mentioned and find a place for all of your papers.
File bills and receipts in file folders in a filing cabinet or in a storage container. This way you can refer back to them whenever you need to. Even better, go paperless! It will cut down on a ton of paper and you can always go online to refer back to a statement.
Recycle your magazines and newspapers. If there is an important article you want to hold onto, tear it out and save it in a folder. Trust me. You will never go back and reread an old magazine or newspaper. I never have!
When it comes to your child’s artwork or projects they make, you can’t hold onto them all. Pick and choose which is most special and only hold onto those. I create a bin to put each of my children’s artwork in and I organize it by grade level. That way in years to come you can always refer back to it. Other moms I know take photos of their children’s work and then discard of it (when their kids are sleeping of course) so they don’t see it and go fishing for it in the garbage can!
10. One Final Sweep at the End of the Day
At the end of the day, if you have done all of the above habits throughout the day, there shouldn’t be much left to do. Everything should be in its place and put away. However, you may need to do a quick few minutes sweep of anything out of place or that needs to be cleaned up. Trust me when I say making sure everything is in order before you go to bed will ease your mind and make your next morning run much smoother.
Taking pride in the little things around your house on a daily basis will go a long way. Your house will always remain clean and tidy and even if you have a last minute guest stop by your house, you won’t be embarrassed with a messy house. By following these habits, you also will be teaching others in your house how to respect what they own and where they live. You got this. I have faith in you!
Hopefully you found this a helpful resource to get you started on the road to cleaning your house efficiently each day. Additionally, we can’t wait to hear how you start cleaning your house on a daily basis and some tips you have. Let us know in the comments section below.
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