Growing up, my momma always told us to make sure the house was clean before we left it. This didn’t mean scrubbing and deep cleaning, it meant picking up after ourselves. You can have the ~cleanest~ home, but if it’s messy and disorganized, it looks dirty. When I’m constantly tidying up here and there, not only do my deep cleaning days run a lot smoother because there’s less work to do, but continually being productive just puts me in a good mood. And so, here are 10 habits you can start now to keep a tidy home…and perhaps boost your mood along the way.😉
10 Daily Habits for A Tidy Home:
Committing to these 10 daily habits will help you have a home that’s orderly and always ready for company. Even if you don’t want company, at least you’re walking into a clean home everyday! Lol
1.) Do It NOW
This is my #1 tip for just about everything. If you think of something that needs to be done, go ahead and do it while it’s on your mind. If you can’t ACTUALLY do it right that minute, write it down so you won’t forget. (I love lists and checking off tasks!)
*Read more on the Do It Now Method, here!
2.) Pick Up After Yourself
If you pick up and put away your shoes, clothes, jewelry etc. as soon as you remove them, you’re reducing a bigger task later on. Be intentional about putting everything back where it belongs. Not only does this cut down on clutter, but it saves you from a bigger cleanup later on.
For example, it’s easy to leave your shoes by the door day after day, but then you have this daunting clean up of a million shoes later on. The same goes for everything else. Imagine you get a call from a friend that wants to drop by and since you never put things back where they belong, your house looks like a complete train wreck. But! You won’t have that problem if you make a habit of continually picking up after yourself. Doing this will lower stress and your home will always appear well-kept. Woo!
3.) Clean Your Kitchen After Each Use
In fact, clean the kitchen as you cook! As soon as dinner is over, go ahead and wash the dishes/load the dishwasher, put everything back in its place, wipe off the counters and any appliance that was used, and rinse out the sink. These small tasks take nearly no time at all and you’ll feel so much better getting it done rather than waiting until everything has crusted over and you really gotta scrub!
And not only that, but it feels so much better waking up and making coffee in a clean kitchen versus having to navigate around dirty skillets and sticky counter tops.
4.) Keep Cleaning Products Handy
My love for Clorox wipes is insane. I keep them under every sink and anytime I notice that the toilet needs a wipedown etc., they’re right there, handy. The same goes for Windex when I see splattered toothpaste or fingerprints on the mirror. I think we’re all more likely to clean up small messes when we have convenient cleaning products in multiple locations in the house. That’s why I keep a bottle of Scrubbing Bubbles, Clorox wipes, and paper towels under every sink.
5.) Do Laundry Throughout the Week
Instead of ruining your weekend catching up on laundry the whole time, break it down so you can do a few loads throughout the week. I like to do my towels on nights I get home later so that I don’t have to worry about anything being in the dryer too long and getting wrinkled. They’re just towels, so who cares if I leave them in the dryer until tomorrow when I start a new load?!
Had I washed clothes and let them sit in the dryer for even a minute after the cycle stopped, they’d be wrinkled and I’d have a whole other task of ironing to add to my to-do list. Work smarter, not harder!
6.) Use A Swiffer
A Swiffer is a complete lifesaver in my eyes. At least once a week I Swiffer over the main furniture in my home. Dust collects very quickly, but with this helpful little duster, I’ve put off deep cleaning my home just a little bit longer. Ha!
But honestly, it’s so handy and removing that layer of dust instantly makes my house feel 10 times cleaner.
7.) Wait Til Trash Day
Instead of dumping uneaten leftovers into your trashcan immediately, I suggest waiting until the morning of your trash day. (Unless you live in an apartment and have access to a dumpster). Although spoiled food stinks no matter where it is, if you immediately dump it into the trash, your whole home will end up smelling like whatever you threw into it. Also, if you throw it in your main trashcan, your carport will end up smelling as well. *You might even attract a few furry visitors looking for dinner.* If possible, leave it all in the fridge until the night before, or morning of, trash day.
8.) Fluff Pillows and Fold Blankets
If you’re like me, you have tons of decorative pillows and blankets. After a night of watching tv, my couch looks like a lumpy mess that belongs in a bachelor pad. Taking the time to fold up blankets and fluff my pillows makes it come back to life. Silly, but true!
9.) Air Freshener
I’m talking about anything that will make your home smell good! Plug-ins, essential oil diffusers, candle warmers, wax melts..anything! Just like the Febreze commercial says, we get used to the smells in our home to the point we don’t even know what it smells like anymore. To avoid having a home that smells stale, like last night’s dinner, pets, feet etc., have some way of making your home smell great! This is so important!
10.) Clean Your Floor
So now that everything is off your floor (see #2) take time to sweep up a little here and there every few days. (Especially in high-traffic areas). If you have some sort of Roomba-style vacuum cleaner, maybe let it run in one room per day. Fuzz, crumbs, hair, and dirt collect on our floors continually, so instead of waiting for your deep cleaning day, do a little at a time!
Closing
Okay, so those are just some basic tips I recommend for having a tidy home! Most importantly, do it NOW (except #7), pick up after yourself, and do a little a day! Once these tips become habits in your life, you’ll notice you’re home will always be ready for company!
What do you think?