Few people love cleaning but most of us love having a clean home. If you lead a busy life, you probably can’t say that your home is spotless all the time, especially if you have a big family. Once you find yourself buried in clutter and dirty laundry, it can take days to restore order. The more you wait, the harder it gets to keep up with the house chores. To prevent this from happening, you need to implement some healthy cleaning habits. A busy lifestyle is not an excuse – it is more about your daily habits than it is about time. There will still be times when things get a little out of control, but you’ll never reach a state of total chaos again if you implement some good cleaning habits.
It may be hard in the beginning, but the more you follow these rules, the easier it gets to stay on track with the routine. If you feel like it’s too much for a start, just pick one or two ‘rules’ and add more whenever you feel comfortable.
If you clean regularly, your job will be much easier when the time comes for some big project, like a home renovation or relocation. When moving out, leave everything tidy so you don’t have problems with your landlord. Not to mention the health benefits of having a clean and organized living space.
DON’T KEEP YOUR MESS WAITING
The bigger the home (and the longer you wait), the longer it takes to clean it. When we know in advance that we’ll spend hours cleaning, we are more likely to put it off. Meanwhile, the mess multiplies. So, instead of one big cleaning session every once in a while, have a micro session every day. This habit will save you a lot of time and energy in the long run.
- Start by making your bed every morning. It is an easy task that helps you start your day with a sense of order and productivity, and it only takes two minutes.
- To stay on top of your laundry pile, do one load every day. Then fold and put away clean laundry as soon as it’s dried. If you implement this cleaning habit, you’ll never run out of clean clothes to wear.
- When you return home and take off the clothes you wore that day, either put them in the laundry basket or hang them in the closet right away. Putting stuff away as you go takes little time and effort but makes a huge difference.
- To keep your kitchen clean, put dirty dishes directly into the dishwasher as soon as you’re done using them and wash them right away. Do not leave them on the counter, especially overnight, because they will be harder to clean later.
WORK TOGETHER AS A TEAM
Sometimes, it seems easier to just do everything yourself, without anyone bothering you or doing things the wrong way and creating an even bigger mess. However, every member of the family should have their own responsibilities. Assigning your kids age appropriate chores has many benefits. The cleaning habits they form at a young age will last them a lifetime. They can put dishes in the dishwasher, clean their room, or take out the trash.
WRITE A LIST OF HOUSEHOLD CHORES
A checklist is a great way to organize household chores to save time. Create a to-do list and post it on the front of your fridge or some other visible place. As mentioned, you do not need to tackle all those chores at once. Address one or two of them every day. If possible, have other family members do their part, too. As you watch the list get shorter, you’ll feel more relaxed.
PRIORITIZE
There are chores that can wait a day or two as well as those that should be taken care of as soon as possible. Identify the most urgent areas and tackle them as soon as you can. For example, dirty dishes are a higher priority than a dusty bookshelf, which doesn’t mean the shelf should wait for weeks. Writing everything down could help you stay focused on your top cleaning goals.
DECLUTTER
Clutter makes your home look smaller and messier, plus, it makes it harder to clean. If your clutter has been piling up for years, have one big decluttering session and then keep doing it on a regular basis to prevent your home from becoming cluttered again.
There is usually a ton of stuff lying around that belongs either in the trash or in another room. Prepare a trash bag for all the things you find that should be thrown away. You will probably find some things that you don’t use even though there’s nothing wrong with them. Give those items to someone who needs them. Place the rest of the items where they belong and you’ll immediately notice the difference.
Boxes and organizers will help you stay organized and clutter-free. Get several storage boxes or organizers in different sizes for different items. This way, magazines, papers, toys, and other stuff that tends to pile up will always be safely stored and out of your way.
DEVELOP NIGHTLY CLEANING HABITS
Leaving some chore until the morning may seem tempting, even reasonable, after a long day’s work. However, that just means you’ll have more on your plate in the morning, before work, when you are short on time. A 5-10-minute nightly clean-up is one of the best cleaning habits that will help you maintain a clean home. Start with the priorities that need to be addressed before you go to sleep, like the dishes you used for dinner. If you still have some energy left in you, prepare an outfit for tomorrow and set out breakfast dishes to save your future self some precious time.
AUTHOR BIO:
Lorraine Cain is a content writer who mostly covers relocation, home improvement, interior design, and landscaping. She currently lives in Nevada and works for triple7movers.com. In her free time, she enjoys watching DIY craft and home décor tutorials and making things for her own home.
