9 Daily Habits to Help Keep Your Home Clean

Feb 17, 2022

Want to be one of those ‘tidy people’? These everyday rituals will keep your house shipshape, day in and day out

For people like me who enjoy having a clean home, getting things in order doesn’t just involve doing a last-minute tidy-up whenever friends come round, instead it’s a way of life. We’re creatures of habit, and it’s only through doing daily cleaning tasks and routines that an organised home can be achieved. So if you consider yourself to be a messy person but would like to have a cleaner home, try adopting these everyday habits into your routine and they’re sure to do the trick.

Straighten up before bed

Before calling it a night, always do one last check around your house. Turn on the dishwasher, place dirty clothes in the laundry, and fold the throws on the sofa. This way, when you wake up in the morning, your house will already be in order and you’ll be ready to tackle the day.

Get rid of any excess

Perhaps the reason there’s so much clutter around your house is because there’s simply too much stuff. When we don’t have a place for items, they end up floating around and often get in the way. To have a clean home, you have to get rid of any excess. This includes doubles of anything and items that you’re saving ‘just in case’.

TIP Try simple behaviour- modification techniques such as asking yourself, “Do I really need this?” when making a new purchase. You’ll be surprised at effective this can be. Or follow the Marie Kondo method and ask, “Does it spark joy?”

Don’t procrastinate

You know that voice inside your head that says, “Just do it later”? The trick here is to avoid it when it comes to little tasks around your home. For example, when you see a messy surface, polish it right there on the spot. By ridding yourself of minor messes as they happen, you’re avoiding a much larger cleaning task later on.

Prioritise at all times

Tidy people tend to always have a long to-do list, but they’re careful to prioritise. In order to stay productive, create a daily list of the tasks that are most important for that particular day. Focus on completing each task, one by one, until it’s done, and for those that you didn’t have time for, simply place them at the top of tomorrow’s list.

TIP If you need more help, put reminders into the calendar on your phone. Or, more helpful still, download a time-management app such as Todoist, Wunderlist or Swipes.

Divide and conquer

Sometimes it can feel like it takes an entire village to keep a house clean. Where possible, divide chores between all the people who live in your home. Delegation is one of the simplest management tools, and is highly effective when it comes to cleaning.

TIP If it’s easier, divide the responsibilities by rooms. Younger children might like taking ownership of tidying up their room once a week – good luck with that!

Place things where they belong

Make it a daily habit to put things back where they belong – this will save you time and stress later on. When you see something amiss, pick it up and take it straight back to where it lives. This not only helps to keep your home clean, but you’ll also be rewarded by knowing exactly where things are when you need them.

Clean as you cook

The kitchen is notoriously easy to get messy, so it’s important to stay on top of it. The best way to do this is by multi-tasking as you cook. Don’t leave scraps lying around – toss them in the bin as you go. Wipe down surfaces along the way and place dishes in the dishwasher as soon you finish using them. When it’s time to serve up dinner, there’ll be hardly any cleaning up left to do.

TIP Keep a container on your worktop for daily food scraps, such as peels and cores. Then when it’s full, empty it into the bin. Breaking up tasks in this way makes it easier to stay in control overall.

Put your clothes away

Most of the time we’re in a rush when dealing with our clothes. We’re either swiftly getting dressed for the day, chucking the clothes we’ve decided not to wear on the floor, or quickly getting undressed when we get home and throwing our worn clothes on the bed. However, if you take time to place your clothes where they truly belong – either back in your wardrobe or in the laundry basket – you’ll save yourself extra work later on and help keep your house in order.

TIP If you look at your wardrobe and shake your head at how disorganised or overloaded it is, don’t attempt to tidy it all in one go. Break it down into the different types of clothes and on one day, sort out your trousers, then on another day, sort out your shirts and so on. Once it’s organised, book an annual wardrobe clean-out into your diary.

Make your bed every morning

Making your bed may be a small task but it has a big impact. Yes, doing this task every morning can improve your lifestyle. You’re starting the day off with a sense of accomplishment, which will likely create a positive momentum for the rest of your day. Plus, the bed is the primary focus of your bedroom, so having this area tidy will also help the rest of the room feel cleaner.

TIP Leave room around your bed to help making it easier. Having to clamber over piles of books or pieces of furniture to get to your bed can discourage you from good daily habits.

Original post: https://www.houzz.co.uk/magazine/9-daily-habits-to-help-keep-your-home-clean-stsetivw-vs~82104189