Yesterday I was cleaning my house up a bit. Tidying up, cleaning the kitchen, cleaning the bathroom, and just trying to make sure everything looked nice.
I have to admit that I get so much pleasure from relaxing in a clean home. Of course, when you have a large family, the tidiness doesn’t last long. However, through the years, I’ve picked up on some techniques for keeping things clean and tidy.
If you’re looking for tips for keeping your home clean with little effort, here are my tips for maintaining a clean house, stress-free.
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How to Keep Your House Clean with Little Effort
1. Don’t Leave Dishes in the Sink
Or for that matter, don’t leave them on the counter either. When you’re cooking, try to clean as you go. Once everyone is finished eating, clean up any mess in the kitchen. Wipe the countertops and clean out the kitchen sink. Try not to let the mess build up. Once the mess starts building up, that’s when cleaning starts to become stressful.
2. Tidy Up the Bathroom as You Go
After I use the bathroom, I take a few minutes to wipe down the sink, make sure items on the countertop are organized, or give the toilet a quick scrub. If you move efficiently, this won’t take much time at all. And I can’t tell you how nice it feels to have a clean bathroom.
3. Pick Up Around the House as You Go
There are always going to be those little things that the kids leave around the house. For the older kids, I ask them to pick up any toys they’re no longer playing with (we’re still working on this one). For the little ones, I’ll pick things up throughout the day. I like to keep a basket in the living room so that I can just dump their toys in the basket for convenience and put them away in the kids’ bedrooms later.
4. Don’t Leave Clothes Out
This is something that I had to work on. I have a habit of leaving clothes lying around, which can quickly clutter the place up. Now, I make sure that dirty clothes go where they belong, and clean clothes are hung in the closet or folded and placed in drawers. I can’t tell you how much of a difference it’s made for my peace of mind not to have clothes laying around.
5. Take the Trash Out Daily
My husband takes out the trash every night. It keeps things cleaner, and the house smelling good. Sometimes he’ll take out the garbage even if it’s not completely full. It helps him keep the habit, and we don’t have to worry about smelling stinking garbage in the morning.
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6. Don’t Leave the House Messy When You Go Out
If you need to leave the house, try to tidy up a bit before leaving out. It feels so good to come home to a clean house.
7. Make Your Bed in the Morning
“If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day… It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another.” – William McRaven
You’ve probably heard this before, but it makes a world of difference if you make your bed in the morning. Your room will look neater, and it feels so good to get into a made bed at the end of the night.
8. Tidy Up Before You Go to Bed
I really dislike waking up to a dirty house. Make sure you tidy things up before you go to bed. Waking up to a clean home is a great way to start your day. If you’ve cleaned up throughout the day, you shouldn’t have as much mess to worry about in the evening.
9. Don’t Let the Clutter Build Up
There’s a place in the kitchen where we pile mail and random items. That needs to go. Piles are stressful. I will clear this counter daily, and I recommend you do the same.
10. Get Rid of the Papers on the Fridge
I purchased a calendar from Amazon that I use to keep track of important dates. This is much better than having papers on the fridge and countertop.
11. Teach the Kids to Put Their Stuff Away
By far the greatest source of stress and messiness. This will also be the most challenging task, and I don’t know if it can ever be accomplished. But it’s worth a try.
Life gets busy. Don’t worry about trying to implement every single suggestion on this list. I recommend starting small and taking it from there. If you don’t do anything but make your bed first thing in the morning, you’ll be off to a good start.