Let's first start this post out by saying my house is NOT always clean. It is far from it actually and most nights I look at my house and think... geez did I even clean up? But I got sick of being embarrassed of people coming into my house and feeling like I had to apologize for something that wasn't very clean. Lucky for me, my mother-in-law is what I would call a clean freak... in the nicest way possible. She has taught me a few things on keeping a tidy house!
Keeping a Tidy House
Whether you are a master Mr.Clean or not, take a look at my five awesome tips on what I do for keeping a tidy house!
Tip 1
MORNING CLEAN UP. Clean your home every morning for an hour. Make this a priority. We are often more motivated and accomplish more the first part of the day. I have found if I do this I can get the house all picked up and wipe down the counters and vacuum the floors. Doing this every morning really helps eliminate the clutter.
Tip 2
DAILY CHORES. If you have children that still live at home, this is for you! Every morning my kids have jobs they have to do before they go to school. Their rooms have to be cleaned and one of my daughters unloads the dishwasher while my other daughter puts a load of laundry away. If your kids don't have time for this in the morning, make it a priority when they get home from school or get them up earlier. Now this is one of my best kept secrets... ready? My husband does all of the laundry and every night he loads the dishwasher. He is totally a keeper, right? But honestly, keeping a house clean has to be an all hands on deck operation. And a bonus, EVERYONE has to learn the principle of hard work, especially my kids.
Tip 3
BEDTIME PICK UP. Before my kids go to bed I make them walk around the house and pick up all their stuff they have left out. This helps us to get ready for the next day and minimizes any "picking up" I need to do the next morning. I try to make sure the kitchen is cleaned up and the dishes are done because I sincerely hate to wake up to a messy house. This doesn't always happen, but we do our best!
Tip 4
EXTRA JOBS FRIDAY... or "deep clean" Friday. On Fridays I take off of work so I can catch up on around the house things. This usually involves mopping the floors or cleaning the bathrooms if they need it. I also have my girls do a few extra jobs when they got home from school since it is early out day. Those jobs include cleaning their bathroom, taking out the garbage, matching socks, vacuuming stairs or anything else I need done.
Tip 5
PURGE. Clean out your cabinets and closets periodically. Nothing drives me more crazy than opening a closet or cabinet and having things fall out. A few months ago my husband and I went through each room and cleared out stuff we hadn't used for a LONG time. I was surprised at how much stuff we had shoved EVERYWHERE!!! We took our entire suburban full of stuff to a local donation center. I also had my girls go through their toys and clothes and get rid of things. The other thing that really helps is I have a bag in our front closet and every time we find something we don't need or use anymore, I put it in the bag to go to the DI (local thrift store). Doing this has been great because all those little odds and ends aren't getting shoved somewhere in the house.
I hope these tips can help you in keeping a tidy house as well! Happy Cleaning!
Brooke
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