Keeping a clean house and a modern schedule is a never-ending challenge. The simple matter of daily life creates the eternal cycle of dirty clothes and dust in the corners. Anything you don't have time to clean this week only builds up for deeper cleaning next week, or the week after that.
In reality, it takes time and skill to learn how to keep an entire house clean and organized. Especially if you're trying to live a full life and have a clean house. This is why young adults always practice in apartments with roommates, and why each decade seems to reveal more organized households. We get better at it. But how can you finish all your chores and keep your house looking nice today without taking up work, family, and personal time?
You don't have to wait a decade to get faster and more efficient at cleaning, or make your home beautifully organized. All it takes is a few cleaning best practices every day.
The Clean-As-You-Go Challenge
Challenge yourself to clean the house as you move through it. When you stop by the sink, give it a rinse and wipe the surrounding counter. It only takes a few seconds. Unload a few dishes from the dishwasher when you grab a cup. Fluff and arrange your bed when you get up, and push the shower curtain all the way to one side after your shower. These little touches make a big difference.
One great approach is the clean-as-you-go challenge. Set a few rules each week to help you get a little more cleaning done every time you go through a daily routine or move through the house
Give every surface a wipe before you leave
Always leave pans and dishes soaking in the sink
Always wipe crumbs or spills off a counter when you see them
Tidy up small items as you move through the house, pockets help
Try to leave clear surfaces and tidy containers
Try to leave a room clean and visually tidy
If it takes less than two minutes, don't put it off
A little cleaning now is less cleaning later
Give Yourself Containers for Quick-Sorting
One of the best things you can do for yourself to keep your house organized is containers. Cube storage, kitchen canisters, a panel of clear workshop drawers, drawer organizers, and desk organizers all work wonders. Give yourself places to drop small items in sorted boxes, so that clutter quickly becomes resource stockpiles all around the house.
Want to make it beautiful? Simply choose an aesthetic and color scheme for your organizers and your home will look unified with matching boxes along each shelf and in every drawer.
Leave Cleaning Supplies in Handy Places
Make it easy to clean as you go by stashing cleaning supplies in handy places around the house. Leave a spray bottle and a roll of paper towels tucked into every room of the house. Store your broom, mop, and vacuum somewhere easy to access. Leave your favorite bathroom cleaning supplies under each sink with all the right sponges, brushes, and gloves.
With organizers, it's even easy to hide your cleaning supplies inside cubes and cloth boxes so each room remains elegant.
Break Up Cleaning Tasks Into a Weekly Schedule
Don't try to do all your cleaning at once - or remember every task when you're tired after work. Instead, make a schedule. Break up all your tasks into easy-to-manage chunks for each day of the week. You might do a massive decluttering on Monday, mop the floors on Tuesday, clean out the fridge on Wednesday, and make sure to schedule one full load of laundry each day to keep up with the family cycle.
A schedule can help share out tasks between household members and keep you from trying to do more than is possible in one weekend afternoon.
Multitask: Double Cleaning with Casual or Useful Priorities
Start doing cleaning tasks alongside other things you want to get done. You can make this conversation time while doing chores with family or catch up on your favorite television or music while cleaning alone. Some people manage to exercise while doing certain chores - like squats while folding laundry - and a few people can study while doing chores with the help of technology or a friend.
By doubling up, keeping the house clean effectively takes less of your time.
Make Cleaning Your "Default Animation"
Try to remember to clean any time you are not doing anything else. Waiting for your partner to finish getting dressed? Tidy a nearby table or shelf. Waiting for the sauce to simmer while cooking? Empty a few items from the dishwasher. Instead of shuffling your feet or browsing on your phone, make cleaning your 'default animation' when inside your house - or in your office.
When You Just Don't Have Time
Of course, constant cleaning is not always an option. Some lives are too hectic, some cleaning tasks are too strenuous. That's why cleaning services are an essential part of the residential economy. When your house needs more upkeep than you have time or energy book a cleaning and keep our home in the clean, good condition your family should enjoy.
Spring Into Clean is here to help you keep your home clean and organized no matter what your schedule looks like this year. Contact us today to learn more about our home cleaning services or book a cleaning now!