Do you ever wonder how people who always have a clean home get their home to look well, so clean?
If curious, then you’ll love this post because I’m going to share with you the twelve habits people have embraced and used to keep their homes neat and tidy!
By way of confession – I love a clean home. It makes me happy to be in an environment that is clean and well-organized.
If I lived alone, I could probably get away with cleaning my house once a month, but that’s not my reality. I have to clean my home weekly and here’s why.
Three things make my house less than tidy, and require me to clean on a regular basis:
1. Pets – I have three cats, so keeping cat hair, litter, and food particles to a minimum is always a challenge.
2. My Elderly Mother – Older people as their balance and abilities decline, tend to be a little bit messier. There’s no way around it; we’ll all be there someday.
3. Kids – By nature of their personalities, kids make a mess, and if they didn’t, they are probably not being kids.
Being organized is a vital piece of why my house is clean. Without being willing to keep things in order, my house would probably look like a bomb went off.
SO WHAT ARE THE HABITS OF A CLEAN HOME?
1. Put Clothes Away
When you take your clothes off or walk in the house, whatever your wearing should either be put away or put in the laundry.
Don’t throw your clothes over a chair or throw them on the floor.
Put your clothes back in their place at the end of the day without exception.
It takes less time to do this each night than it does to run around looking for the other match to a pair of socks or your favorite jeans.
If your current environment isn’t working, you may want to get creative.
Studies find that clothes that are not put away usually means closet storage is crowded, not well lit and that hampers are not close by.
How about some of these ideas:
2. Don’t Own Extras of Anything
Do you have four staplers, six measuring cups, and three hundred pens? If you do then you understand why getting rid of extras is a good idea. I used to be like that too.
But once I decided I wanted to live a simple life, I had to make decisions about what I was going to keep and what I was going to get rid of. I remember the day I was organizing the attic and found 30 sets of Christmas lights, enough lights for three trees or more.
I tested them all, threw away what wasn’t working any longer, kept the ones I wanted and gave away the rest.
Too much stuff leads to clutter, which isn’t conducive to a clean, orderly home.
Related: Step By Step Guide To Weekly House Cleaning
Don’t feel like reading? Watch instead!
3. Keep Paper Organized
If you have piles of papers all over your home, then you’ll want to consider adopting this habit! It takes less effort to file papers immediately instead of keeping documents hanging around the house.
When bills come in, put them in one place and after you’ve paid the bills, file immediately.
Keep menus, coupons and other mail you may need in one place, so you can find what you need and purge regularly.
Here are some paper storage solutions that might help:
Evelots 6 File HolderAmerican Craft Stacking Paper Tray
4. Wipe Down Surfaces After Every Use
After I cook, brush my teeth, make a sandwich, put on my makeup – whatever I do, I wipe down the surface I just used.
I can’t stand to see a dirty sink, stove top or counters, so I make it a habit to do a quick swipe of the area to keep it looking neat and clean. It takes only a few seconds to wipe down the area after you just used it.
This way it stays clean and disinfected, ready to be used again. Most importantly, if you let grease and grime build up over time, it’s almost impossible to restore it to its original condition.
5. Bed Is For Sleeping, Not Storing
My mother was a borderline hoarder and always had junk on her bed. It drove me crazy to see this, and I couldn’t understand why anyone would leave a mess on their bed.
I mean it interferes with your sleep, right? My bed is used for it’s intended purpose which doesn’t include storing clothes or other items.
If you need your bed to put your clothes on, you probably are due for a major clothes purge.
6. Have a Reasonable Amount of Pillows and Blanket
I remember going to clean this house for the first time and counting 12 pillows on the bed. How on earth do these people sleep with 12 pillows? I’m surprised they never suffocated themselves!
If you have too many sleeping or decorative pillows they’re hard to manage and often end up on the floor; too many blankets end up there, too. Keep a reasonable amount of pillows and blankets that you’ll actually need.
Throw out your old pillows and donate the blankets to a local animal shelter. The less you have on your bed, the more likely you’ll make the bed each morning.
7. I Make My Bed Every Day
Nothing makes your bedroom look tidy and clean than a made bed.
8. Put Shoes and Coats Away
This is one of my biggest pet peeves. I hate to see shoes thrown around a house. We take our shoes off at the door and put them away in the closet when we get home. I don’t like the idea of all the dirt and germs being dragged through my house.
It’s also a great way to keep your front door inviting to guests who may pop over for a visit.
Here are some ideas for shoe storage:
9. Dishes Are Either Washed or Put In The Dishwasher After Use
Growing up my daughter was notorious for leaving her dirty dishes in the sink even when there was plenty of room in the dishwasher. I eventually broke her of the habit, but it was tough to break.
It’s so easy to rinse, open the door and stick in the dish inside the dishwasher. Run the dishwasher at the end of night, and in the morning you’ll have clean dishes that will take you a few minutes to put away.
After you use pots and pans, clean them immediately, dry and put away. You counters will look clean and organized, and you’ll have what you need the next time you cook.
10. Put Things Away After Use
If everyone decided to leave things out or to put them somewhere where it didn’t belong, we’d collectively never be able to find anything.
Putting things back where you’ve determined they live in your home ensures everyone knows where to find things and keep your house neat and tidy.
11. Dust and Vacuum Regularly
Don’t freak out when you hear my vacuuming schedule. I know it’s not for everyone, but I have three cats, so we vacuum daily. I dust once a week.
If you dust and vacuum weekly, your house will remain cleaner, and you’ll save time because you won’t have to do a major cleaning each time you do decide to clean. Things will stay presentable longer.
Here are my two favorite tools to accomplish this task:
12. Be Respectful to Those You Live With
Ultimately, I want to be respectful to the other people who I reside with. Therefore, for me, keeping a clean home – neat and orderly is a way in which I can demonstrate my respect for their living environment.
Luckily, we all enjoy a clean home. And even when it wasn’t a priority for everyone who did live here, they came to understand it was a way to respect what was important to me.
Adopting these 12 habits will keep your home clean, neat, and tidy and will reduce the stress associated with a messy, dirty house. You’ll be happy to be in your clean home, and you’ll see and feel the benefits immediately.
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