8 Easy Ways To Keep Your Home Clean
One thing I love (and hate) about a New Year is the extra motivation to have a clean house. But believe it or not, there are a few things you can do to keep your house clean year round.
I think people struggle because they wait until the house is tore down to attack. Keeping your house clean and tidy is really just a daily game of pick up.
Here are 8 Easy Ways to Keep Your Home Clean:
1. Clear countertops + Clear tables
Clear surfaces will clear your mind. Try to consciously put the items away instead of leaving them on the table. After each meal, make sure the countertops and kitchen table are cleared and cleaned. Personally, I’m motivated by smell. Hit those clear surfaces with a nice smelling cleaning spray and BOOM!
2. Mail Drop Zone
Important and random papers can be the demise of any home. Pick one area to place incoming mail. Make sure everyone in the family knows where it goes. Before placing the mail in the designated area, trash all junk mail. The bin should only contain mail. The junk mail goes immediately into the recycling bin. Mail is the king of paper clutter. Re-purpose a box or bin. With most of your papers under control, you have a fighting chance.
3. Kick the Corners
Now brace yourself, this is a Mrs. Cr8 original. When you are just living your day-to-day life and it’s not quite time to clean the floors. Kick the corners. I know it sounds funny but hear me out. Take a Clorox wipe or a 3-4 paper towels doused with a cleaning spray, put it on your foot and kick the corners. The perimeter of the room is where the nasties go. So kick the corners. The end.
4. Only wash what you will fold that day.
You know I have a lot to say about laundry. But if you do nothing else . . . if you can finish the load, as in wash and fold it then do not wash. That doesn’t mean don’t do laundry ever though. Stop playing these reindeer games with yourself and see the laundry load through to completion. Need ALL my laundry tips? Read this blog post.
5. Dishes . . . Duh.
There’s no way around them. If you want a clean home, all hands on deck to to get the dishes done. If you are the cook, then I believe you shouldn’t be on dishes. Children 7 and under can help sort silverware and put their dishes away. If possible, store their dishes where they can reach them. The 8’s are in Dishwashing Boot Camp. The 9’s are in full-on hands-on training. The Ten and ups are on dishes. Dishes are a part of Period.
Some parents shy away from these kind of chores because:
- They want it done a certain way. (Well teach the way!)
- They don’t want to put their work off the kids. (Everyone in the family has work to do. We all do our part.)
- They want their kids to be kids. (Do you want to do the dishes of your grown kids? Ok so that’s that.)
6. Put the Shoes Away
The shoes have to have a home if you want your house to look tidy. The shoes need to come off at the door if you want your home to be clean. There. I said it. Outside shoes that are worn all around town in the dirty streets, where people spit and animals poop, all those playground germs . . . worn inside the house?
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You know those floors aren’t clean!
A location in the garage or front door where everyone’s shoes goes solves this problem. The house will immediately look tidy and the floors will be cleaner.
{If shoes in the house work for your family, so be it. Remember this post is called 8 Easy Ways to Keep Your Home Clean. Do what works for you and your people. BUT if you come over here, you will have to take your shoes off. lol}
7. Keep Clorox wipes in each bathroom
Wipe bathroom surfaces once daily. Wipe while the children are in the tub. Swipe after you brush your teeth. Teach everyone in the house to fold the towel and leave no drips or goo in the sink (another life skill). Don’t think, just wipe while you are in there.
8. When you đź’© clean the toilet bowl
My last Mrs. Cr8 tip is for the golden throne. After you do the do, shoot the toilet bowl down and clean it with the toilet brush. Keep toilet bowl cleaner and a toilet brush in every bathroom. Moms of littles make sure your things are tucked in a safe unreachable spot. But it really is that simple. And you will never forget.
When you $hit, clean the $hit.
After using the toilet brush, take a Clorox wipe and clean the toilet from the top down, skip the bowl. Take a fresh wipe and clean the top of the toilet seat and under the toilet seat. Use the wad of wipes to hit the front of the toilet. You can also clean with a disinfectant spray and paper towels. I recommend using disposable things on the toilets.
