We all know that person. That person whose house is spotless, every item in the house has a home. Every dish is washed, every pillow is fluffed. We tell ourselves that her home is only that clean because she spent all day cleaning for her guests. Then we secretly hope there’s at least room in her home that is way too messy to show off. We can either hate the girl that has the immaculate house, or we can be that girl.
Now your home may not be spotless. You may have that room where the door is permanently shut because it’s such a mess inside. Yet, you can learn tips and tricks to give the biggest bang for your buck as far as cleaning goes because who has time to spend all day cleaning? Here are the top secrets of active women who always have a clean home for the busy woman who doesn’t want to spend every last-minute cleaning her house.
Start and finish laundry on the same day.
Nothing screams “there’s still more cleaning to do” than laundry sitting out overflowing waiting to be cleaned or cleaned laundry waiting to be folded up and put away. Suppose you don’t hear your laundry machine go off when a load is done. Set a timer on your phone to remind yourself since most people always have their phone on them. There are so many laundry systems out there that you can follow. Regardless of your system, don’t leave laundry unfinished.
Do your dishes.
Honestly, your kitchen can be spotless without a crumb in sight, but if there are dirty dishes in the sink, your kitchen automatically looks messy. Yes, it’s easy to leave the plates in the sink, thinking you’ll clean them the next day. Deep down, you know it’s NEVER easier to clean the dishes the next day. Just wash them immediately.
Keep cleaning supplies handy.
It’s hard enough to keep a house clean, don’t make it harder. It’s best to keep an all-purpose cleaner & paper towel under each bathroom sink. Now there’s no excuse not to wipe down the counter when it looks dirty. If you have to haul your cleaning supplies throughout the house, you’re much less likely to use them. Also, make sure your cleaning kit is stocked up with all of your favorite cleaning supplies and keep it in a central location. That way, you know exactly where it is when it’s time for deep cleaning.
Do the important things each day.
Everyone has those things you need to do each day to make your home look cleaner. Whether it’s putting ‘front door area’ clutter away or wiping off the counters, make sure to do that thing. You know it makes a considerable amount of difference. It may also make you feel better to do some cleaning every day.
Change your routine.
Everyone has a different system that works for them. Yes, it’s excellent to search Pinterest for cleaning inspiration, but no one knows your schedule and lifestyle better than you. What one person says they do every evening, for example, may not work for your schedule. Don’t force a game plan that isn’t working. There’s no shame in changing what doesn’t work.
Invite someone to your home.
We all have those times when our home is just a mess for too long. We ignore it or pretend it doesn’t exist. Put the pressure on yourself to get the house clean periodically by inviting friends over. As much as we might deny it, we all like our home to be clean for guests. You could even joke with your friends and tell them you’re inviting them over for selfish reasons to motivate you to clean. Whatever works, you’ll thank yourself in the end.
Clean as you go.
You knew this one was coming. Were you cooking up a storm one weekend day? Clean up those dishes that day. Were you doing some big art projects at your house? Put away the supplies after you’re finished. If you’re walking in the front door, hang up your coat in the closet instead of laying it on the couch. Now you don’t have to do colossal weekend cleaning sessions for little things that could have been done almost seamlessly during the week. Save your extensive cleaning sessions for actual deep cleaning, like cleaning out your fridge or mopping the floors.
Have a junk drawer.
No matter how much we try to put every item in its correct place all the time, there are those days when you want to shove all your stuff away quickly and deal with it later. Whether it’s a junk drawer or decorative baskets, it’s alright to have a place to store things that you don’t want to deal with today. Plus, it makes cleaning up for house guests much more manageable.
Set aside time each day.
There’s no magic formula that cleans your house without you putting in some work into it unless you’re hiring someone to clean it for you. So many of us wait until we have huge chunks of time to clean. Yet, you can make serious cleaning progress even if you have five minutes. When you have some downtime, take a moment to tidy up your front closet or whatever area is bothering you in your home. Even if you have to come back to it later, sometimes the most challenging part is starting.
Exercise.
Some people may disagree, but cleaning is the ultimate workout, especially if you put hand and leg weights on while you clean. While it’s not fashionable, it does give you a great workout. A clean house and enough calories burned to skip the gym sound like a fair trade.
In the hustle and bustle of life, it’s easy to put cleaning your house on the back burner. However, if you let the cleaning tasks pile up, it’ll be harder to start versus doing a little every day. If you take a tiny bit of time out of your day to accomplish one cleaning task, you’ll have a spotless house before you know it.
