Believe it or not, you don’t have to spend every day scrubbing your house from top to bottom to keep a clean home.
You just have to develop a few habits that ensure your place stays in tip-top shape from day to day, so when you do get around to cleaning, it’s less of a job. Make these habits your own, and you’ll find out it’s so much better to clean a little each day than everything at once.
1. Do a load of laundry every day
That mountain of laundry you face each Saturday seems insurmountable, but one load isn’t so bad, right? Do one load of laundry every day, and you’ll find that your weekly clothes selection is bigger and your weekends are much longer.
2. Make your bed
No reason to make your bed if you’re just going to unmake it tonight, right? Your mama taught you better than that! A made bed makes the whole room seem more orderly, so at least make sure the comforter is pulled up over the pillows. No one will notice if you don’t have hospital corners.
3. Clear your counters after each meal
The longer you let those pots, pans and dishes sit on the counter, the harder they’re going to be to clean and the less you’re going to want to do it. As soon as you’re done eating, rinse everything and wash it up or load the dishwasher.
4. Clean those counters, too
Each night, wipe down your counters with disinfecting wipes or spray. It only takes a minute or two, and makes your kitchen look sparkly and clean.
5. Unload your dishwasher each morning
You need something to do while you wait for your coffee, so unload the dishes you washed last night. Now it’ll be ready for dirty dishes all day, giving you no reason to let things pile up on the counter.
6. Keep your shoes outside
Your shoes track in all kind of nastiness, and the more you bring in, the more you have to sweep up. Leave them at the door to limit how much dirt and grime is hitting your floor.
7. Sort your mail at the recycling bin
Junk mail has a way of piling up and making everything look cluttered. Sort your mail over the recycling bin, so everything you deem “junk” can go straight to File 13 without ever having touched your table.
8. Leave your dining table set — always
Yes, it looks pretty with all the dishes and placements, but that’s not our reasoning here. If your table is already full of stuff that’s supposed to go there, you’re less likely to cover it in stuff that does not. Leave your table always ready for a meal, and you’ll say goodbye to your No. 1 dumping ground.
9. Dry your bathtub after your shower
Stepping out of the shower and moving along with your day may be the easiest way, but it’s not the most efficient. Leaving your bathtub wet will encourage mildew, so after you’ve dried yourself off, use your towel to wipe down the tub and walls. You’ll also wipe away some of that soap residue, and you’ll notice much longer windows between when your tub needs a good scrub.
10. Wipe down the sink
After you brush your teeth, wipe down your sink. You’ll make it look dry and shiny, and erase all of those left-behind toothpaste dribbles.
11. Pick up messes as they happen
Messes happen all day long — there’s no avoiding it. But leaving them all until the end of the day leaves an overwhelming mess when you least feel like picking up.
12. Eliminate your junk drawers
If you don’t have a place to shove random items, you’ll find actual homes for them. That makes everything easier, doesn’t it?
13. Keep cleaning supplies all over the house
You’ll probably notice the toothpaste on your bathroom mirror as you’re drying your hair, but the glass cleaner and paper towels are all the way downstairs, so… you’ll do it later. Right? If you have what you need within reach, you’re more likely to clean messes as you spot them.
14. Put carpet runners in high-traffic areas
It’s so much easier to throw a rug in the washing machine than it is to shampoo an entire carpet. Make your traffic areas as low-maintenance as possible.
15. Brush your pets
And do it outside. Getting rid of all that hair outside means it’s not going to end up on your floors and furniture.
This post was brought to you by Clorox.
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