Keeping your home clean, organized and clutter-free all the time is no mean achievement, especially when you have kids. Life can be messy. Below are things you should do to keep your house clean and organized all the time.
Secrets to Keeping Your Home Clutter-free All Year Round
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Set a cleaning routine
To ensure that dirt does not get out of control, it is important to schedule cleaning tasks on a daily or weekly basis. A cleaning routine can be life changing – it makes a huge difference in your home. A cleaning routine can be very helpful especially if you’re ever busy and hardly finds time to do a thorough cleaning. For instance, you can set Tuesdays as laundry day and Saturdays as your main cleaning day.
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Daily cleaning tasks
Allocate yourself time to perform some cleaning tasks daily. Setting aside as little as 30 minutes to do some house cleaning chores before heading out for work can be a game changer. You can do simple tasks such as making the bed, collecting clutter, a quick sweep on the floor, a little touch with a vacuum cleaner, wiping the kitchen and bathroom counters. Doing such simple tasks ensures that cleaning will never become too burdensome and overwhelming.
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Get rid of stuff regularly
You should always get rid of stuff that is no longer in use. Things such as outdated decor, old clothes that are no longer needed and kitchen supplies that you no longer use should be thrown out of the house. It is easier to manage a home with less stuff.
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Always leave your kitchen clean
No matter how tired you might be, you should never be tempted to leave your kitchen messy. Make sure you clean the dishes, mop the floor and scrub the sink before going to bed. Doing so guarantees a great start to your day.
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Arrange your house
It is vital to ensure that everything you need and use has its designated place and everybody in the house knows that. It makes it easier for people always to return things in their place whenever they use them or after cleaning. This way, things will always be in their place, and the house will look orderly and clutter-free.
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Involve your family
Everybody in the home should be responsible for keeping the house clean and organized always. Include everybody in cleaning tasks including the kids; teach the kids the importance of having a clean and properly arranged house.
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Get professional help
In case you can’t find time to a thorough cleaning, or you simply can’t bend to scrub the floors, you can outsource the services of professional home cleaners. Professional cleaners use specialized equipment, and are experienced and will obviously do a better job than you.
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Avoid procrastination
Make a good habit of returning stuff to their place immediately you are done using them. If you procrastinate, you will have things scattered everywhere, and the house will look disorganized and untidy. This should be a habit for everyone in the house.
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Do a load of laundry daily or a few times a week
If you do one load of laundry every day, you will not have to spend your entire weekend catching up on laundry. Make a habit of doing a load of laundry the first thing in the morning or evening after work. You may not have to do it daily depending on the laundry you have, but going through at least three loads of laundry per week would be okay.
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Do a room at a time
Attacking one room at a time is the simplest way of keeping your house tidy and organized. You can accomplish this by cleaning room by room instead of handling all tasks at once.
Here’s how to maintain a clean home by tackling one room at a time:
Bathroom
From shower grime and mirror stains to wet floors and toothpaste dribbles, the bathroom endures a lot of mess throughout the week. It is the easiest to clean after yourself, however, because we use it severally. Don’t wait several days for a bigger mess. Do it constantly.
To keep your bathroom clean, focus on the following areas:
- Mop the floors
- Remove stains on the mirror
- Clean the sink
- Scrub the tub, shower and toilet
Bedroom
Having enough storage is the key to maintaining a clean bedroom. If you have proper places to keep all your accessories and clothes, you are more likely to keep your bedroom clean. In case you don’t have enough space, invest in baskets and storage containers that can fit under your bed. Additionally, make sure you have the right nightstand in your bedroom. It makes the bedroom look organized. Store your books, journals and magazines in the drawers. You can also use it as a work desk if it is large enough.
Try the following habits to keep your bedroom clean:
- Make your bed every morning
- Vacuum area rugs and the floor
- Remove clutter
- Dust shelves, nightstands and desks
- Fold throws and blankets
Kitchen
Focus on the following areas to keep your kitchen clean:
- Clean the dishes after every snack or meal – always have your sink empty
- Use steel cleaner to clean appliances
- Organize your refrigerator and pantry
- Sweep and mop the floor
- Clean counter tops
Living room
The living room is the busiest room in a house. If not careful, it can become disorganized and littered very easily.
Simple steps to keeping your living clean and organized:
- Remove clutter (including putting books, toys and games in their place)
- Vacuum the floors and couches – especially if there are pests
- Fold blankets and fluff pi
- Dust end tables, coffee tables and mantels
In case your living room is carpeted, have a shoe rack where family members and guests keep their shoes. Constant foot traffic can wear the carpet. It also prevents tromping of grass and dirt through your home.
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Keep doormats at every entrance
Place doormats on the inside and outside of the front and back doors. This way, a lot of dirt is left that could have otherwise found its way into the house is left on the mats. Doormats work wonders! Try them today.
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Prioritize
Some cleaning tasks are more important than others. Create a list of the chores you want done and prioritize what needs to be done immediately and what can wait for the next one or two days.
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Sort and recycle papers immediately
Prevent papers from piling up on your dining table or kitchen island by dealing with mails as you walk in the door. Place the letters and bills in a mail sorter and put the junk mail through a shredder.
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Clean your fridge weekly
If you notice some scary goop under your groceries in your fridge, you are not doing it right. Make sure you clean your fridge every week. This will not only help to keep things fresh and clean, but it will also help you make an accurate list of the things you will require on your next visit to the store.
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Making cleaning an enjoyable exercise
Cleaning is not a pleasant exercise. Some cleaning tasks can be quite physically demanding. There are ways, however, to distract your mind as you complete your chores. You can make cleaning enjoyable by listening to your favourite podcasts or music. You can use wireless Bluetooth headphones to enable you move around the house freely. You may as well count cleaning as part of your workout.