5 Ways That Make Keeping a Tidy Home a Breeze

We all know that one person whose house is always clean. No matter what day it is, what time it is, there never seem to be any messes. And you wonder how in the world they can they keep it that way all the time. Well chances are, it’s not always that way. Their house isn’t always perfectly clean, but they do simple things that certainly make it appear to be and you can do those things too. Here is a list of 5 easy ways to keep your house tidy and have others question how you keep your house clean all of the time.

1. Clear out the sink before you go to bed.

We cannot push this enough. When you go to sleep with a clean kitchen when you wake up your day will start our right. Not to mention you will get a better night’s sleep. No one likes to wake up to a sink full of dirty dishes. No one. But the feeling you get when you walk out to your kitchen and see an empty sink will make you want to do a happy dance. Plus we believe it can kickstart your whole day. You already have a clean kitchen, so maybe you use that time to make a healthy breakfast, or even better, exercise.

We know there are about a million excuses to leave your dirty dishes in the sink overnight. Maybe you’re just not feeling up to it, maybe you have a million other things to do. But listen, it will only take you a half hour at the most, if even that. So just do it. You will never regret doing the dishes before you go to bed. For those of you with older kids, make them do it. It is a good skill for kids to acquire.  We have found it works to assign certain days to specific kids.   It’s okay if you miss a day here or there, but make a habit out of it and soon you won’t be able to go to sleep without leaving a clean sink.  

2. Put it away when you are done using it.

(photo credit www.thelightingjudge.com)

This is something very simple that is often not taken advantage of. How often do we use something, set it down when we’re done, and then hours go by before it gets put away? We understand that it may be harder for kids to learn this skill, but start teaching them now. It will save you so much time and grief later. So why is it so difficult for even adults to put away things they use after right after they use them? Is it laziness? Are we just to busy that we can’t do something that would take maybe 30 seconds to do? Personally, for me, I think I get distracted and then forget about it till the moment I go around picking up everything that I “forgot about.” However if it is a habit we pick up, we will stop forgetting about it and start putting it away, right away.

This is something that can really make a difference in how your home looks because you won’t always have things out where they shouldn’t be. Only having to pick them up in one huge sweep later. The bottom line is, you’re going to have to put it away anyway, so why not do it right after you use it? It will take you 30 seconds, instead of spending 30 minutes having to pick up at a later time. The other plus is that your house will appear much tidier than ever before.

3. You see something out of place, pick it up now instead of later.

This is very similar to the point made above, except you are putting away anything and everything you see in the moment, and not just the things that you personally had been using. Maybe this is a kid’s toy your toddler stopped playing with. Maybe it is your husband’s shoes. I probably should have mentioned this before, but this all doesn’t just fall on Mom. It is a responsibility that should fall on every family member. Teach your kids that they need to pick up their stuff, and if they don’t and mom sees it, she will take it away for (insert time here). That might motivate them to keep their stuff put away where it belongs.

All it takes is just 3 or 4 things out of place and the room looks like a disaster. So taking the time to put those things away will really make a huge difference.

4. Always have a good stock of cleaning supplies.

Keeping a stock of cleaning supplies is more important that one might think. That includes garbage bags and anti-bacterial wipes. It is so easy to put off cleaning simply because of the excuse that you don’t have the right supplies to do the job. Always having a set supply of cleaning supplies will keep you from ever using that excuse again. This is honestly a very simple thing, but is something that will make all the difference the moment you suddenly find motivation to clean. Which for some, may not happen that often, so don’t lose out only because you didn’t have the things that you needed.

I might also mention that if you don’t have cleaning supplies and you are an adult, then something needs to change. That is really not okay. Unless you can afford to have a maid come clean your home, buy the cleaning supplies. You don’t have to spend a ton of money and it really is worth it. Your house will always smell great and you will never have to be embarrassed about having anyone over, in fact, you might actually enjoy inviting others to spend time at your place.

5. Minimize your stuff.

This is a really important one. Clutter doesn’t help anyone. As important as saving every little thing that has any type of sentimental value is, sometimes there just isn’t a place. And that is okay. Go through your junk and get rid of the stuff you haven’t used or even seen in the last year. My husband and I just recently did this with a filing cabinet that we used for extra storage. We literally through 90% of it away because we realized that there is no point in keeping something that you never use, let alone see, especially when you don’t have a ton of space. We even got rid of the filing cabinet because now we didn’t need that either. I think it is great to have a special box or bin of things that hold a lot of memories, but there is only so much space in a home. You need to prioritize and figure out what really is worth storing and what is not. I love getting rid of stuff, because it gives me more room to breathe.

Sometimes less really is more, and sometimes the space you save is worth more than the item taking up the space. Plus I believe there are a lot of people that don’t realize how overwhelming it can be to have so much stuff. I do think it’s possible to have too many clothes in a closet because it really can be stressful just figuring out what to wear. I stand by this statement, if you haven’t worn it in a year, then throw it out. You never will wear it again.

One thing we also want to add is that minimizing your stuff also includes minimizing your bedding. What better way to minimize than with a Beddy’s bed! It is all the bedding you need in a set that zips open and closed. This will also allow your kids’ bedrooms to appear tidier than ever because making the bed will always be super easy chore for them, if you can even call it a chore. We even offer toddler bedding options for those who are still in transition. Click here to order your Beddy’s set.

There might be a few that don’t agree with some of the statements mentioned above. Some really do enjoy the clutter, some really do enjoy the mess. It’s something we cannot quite understand, but we don’t need to. For those of you who truly do appreciate having a tidy home, these really are simple things that will make all the difference. Even embracing just one of them will help.