We all have that one friend whose home is impossibly clean. The floors shine, nothing is stained, and dust doesn’t ever line bookshelves. You go home after girls’ night and your home looks like a college dorm room housing 3 roommates in comparison. You live alone. “How does she do it?” you wonder.
There are many people who have developed small, daily cleaning habits that help them keep their homes clean so that they don’t have to spend hours cleaning just to have to repeat the process the next week. Here are a few small habits you can pick up throughout the week to help keep your home clean.
Don’t let laundry pile up. You don’t necessarily need to be doing laundry every night (hello, electric bill!), but don’t let your hamper get so full. Choose 3 nights every week that you dedicate to laundry and you should manage to keep up without any issues. Your gym clothes don’t need to be washed every day, contrary to popular opinion.
Put your clothing and shoes away. One of the worst habits is kicking your shoes off the minute you walk in the door and leaving them in the middle of the floor. It’s understandable to leave a pair or 2 by the front door, but the best practice is to take them off and then put them back in your room. The same rule applies to your clothing – it needs to be put away every day, whether it goes in the hamper, folded in a drawer, or on a hanger.
Have an assigned spot for everything. You don’t need to label every drawer and shelf, but make sure that the items in your home have a designated space. Take the extra second whenever you use something to put it away, and it’ll save you time every week that you would normally need to spend cleaning.
Vacuum and dust once a week. Spend an hour one day a week dusting shelves and vacuuming your floors and you’ll save hours. In between, you can sweep small spots or even use a Swiffer. Make sure to include your bathrooms in this cleaning, too.
Clean the kitchen every time you use it. This rule should apply to everything. When you use it, wipe it down or give it a quick cleaning. You avoid the hassle of a longer cleaning down the road, and everyone is held accountable rather than one person having to go behind the rest of the family cleaning up.
These tips are great to put in practice because they save you time every week. They’re also healthy habits to teach kids when they’re out on their own.
