Life gets complicated fast. You wake up in the morning, your feet hit the floor, and from there on out the action is nonstop. House cleaning doesn’t always take top priority. The unfortunate aftereffect is a home that doesn’t get the attention it needs. But it doesn’t have to be this way. To keep it clean, keep it simple.
Make it a Priority, Simply
Having a clean home means making cleaning a priority. This doesn’t mean devoting your whole day to housework. Keeping up a simple daily housecleaning routine is actually the easiest means to achieving the goal of a clean home.
It’s all in the Details
Housework is all about details. Many small tasks over the course of a day are easy to accomplish. Look at housework from the bottom up to figure out what you need to do to keep your home clean. Every mound of clutter started off with a few single items.
Your Home Versus the House Next Door
There’s not a specific one-size-fits-all regimen that applies universally where housework is concerned. What’s true for you isn’t your neighbor’s truth. Your neighbor might need to focus on clutter control or making sure floors are clean enough for toddler safety. Your daily routine might be more about keeping the dog hair out of the Jello.
Break it Down
It’s not difficult to figure out where your attention is needed. Just look around. If your mud room is continually messy or dirty, this is an area that needs regular attention. Make it your mission to pick up every day or wipe up the floor. It’ll only take a few minutes.
If your bathrooms never seem clean, commit to a daily 5-minute wipe down. If your kitchen sink is constantly overflowing with dirty dishes, make a point of getting the job under control each day after dinner or breakfast or whenever it’s do-able to get it done.
Keep it Simple
The most important part of housework is the doing. The longer a task goes undone, the larger the job becomes. Just 20 to 30 minutes each day, spread out over the whole day in little increments, can make a huge difference.
Commitment to daily cleanups means never spending a weekend catching up. And never make the mistake of cleaning what isn’t dirty. Address the messes that need attention and don’t waste time or energy wiping down or sweeping up surfaces that are already clean.
Keep your cleaning routine simple by doing what needs to be done when it needs doing. It’s quite simple: just keep it simple.
Strangely enough, house cleaning means different things to different people. One person’s perfectly acceptable clean house is, to someone else, appallingly dirty. House cleaning doesn’t have to be a subjective experience. This step by step cleaning maid simple approach will get everyone on the same page.
Before You Clean: Declutter
Picking up and putting away or throwing away miscellaneous objects is the prerequisite to cleaning that makes dusting, vacuuming, and wiping up a quicker and easier process. Some people mistake this step as a part of the actual cleaning process. It is not. De-cluttering is like warming up before starting a workout.
The kitchen is the room in most homes that sees the most action. This is the space that will likely be the most time-consuming part of any cleaning job. Using the “do the worst first” approach gets this big job done right off the bat.
The job itself will vary considerably from house to house. Fastidious types who clean up after each meal will have much less to do than those who don’t.
Ideally, chores such as unloading and/or loading the dishwasher, taking out trash, wiping down countertops, and cleaning the stove would not be a part of the cleaning regimen because they would be done on a daily basis. That being said, if these chores need to be done, they must be done.
Additional kitchen must-dos include cleaning appliance fronts, de-crumbing the toaster, wiping out the microwave, and spot-cleaning cupboard fronts, drawer pulls, knobs, and handles.
Finally, as will be done in all rooms of the house, the kitchen floor will need whatever attention it demands, be it from a broom or vacuum and wet mop.
Step 2: Dusting and Vacuuming Common Areas
Dusting and vacuuming common areas is as much a must-do as cleaning up the kitchen. Whatever approach to dusting you take, make a point of clearing away cobwebs in corners and dust on baseboards as well as the obvious settlements on flat surfaces.
Vacuum, sweep, or dust mop floors, and wash as needed. Don’t forget to occasionally vacuum upholstered furniture as well.
Step 3: Clean the Bathrooms
Bathroom cleanup is the third essential step to cleaning any house. Like the kitchen, the amount of work involved will depend on the degree of daily cleaning that’s done. Showers that are squeegeed every day will be far less trouble to clean and disinfect than those that aren’t. Sinks and countertops that get wiped down every day or two will likewise take less time.
Don’t forget to sweep and mop the floor to complete the job.
Step 4: Clean Bedrooms
Bedrooms are the rooms typically left for last for two reasons: people spend less time in their bedrooms than in other parts of the house and guests are less likely to notice dust and debris in these rooms. It is necessary to clean up these rooms on a regular basis. Change bedding, dust, vacuum, and mop as needed.
Step 5: Keep it Clean
Cleaning up as you go along is by far the simplest cleaning method on the market. This means cleaning up spills as they happen and keeping a watchful eye out for messes as they crop up.
While the detail involved in house cleaning will undoubtedly differ based on the amount of effort invested day to day, the overall process should generally be the same. Cleaning involves the same steps for everyone in every situation. This straightforward step by step approach means never having to wonder if your home is as clean as it should be.
If you’re a total cleaning novice, you’re in the right place. This is House Cleaning 101, the introductory course to making your home shiny and clean. Cleaning is both simple and complicated at the same time. At its core, house cleaning is quite simply the means through which dirt and other unwanted substances are removed from your living space.
There are also many nuances to cleaning which make it complicated. We won’t worry about the nuances today. Our focus today will be on some basic home cleaning fundamentals.
The first thing you should understand about house cleaning is that it’s a process. Done properly, cleaning isn’t something that only happens once in a while. Keeping a home shiny and clean requires commitment. Simply put: the more frequently you clean, the nicer your home will look and smell. It’s therefore necessary to establish a cleaning routine that involves cleaning your home on a regular basis.
Establish a Routine
Figure out a schedule that will easily fit into your lifestyle. Your routine could be carried out daily, weekly, every other week, or some combination thereof. Whatever the routine, the most important element is that you have one. Get into the habit of cleaning your home on a regular basis in order to ensure that it stays clean.
Doing an extensive cleaning of your home once every six months isn’t a cleaning routine; it’s damage control. When dirt and grime sit around for a long time, they begin to degrade surfaces. Furthermore, it’s much more difficult to remove long term buildups; a process that is both time consuming and potentially damaging to the surface.
Get Some Supplies
After deciding on a cleaning schedule, you’ll need to know what supplies to have on hand. The short list: a broom or vacuum cleaner, a mop for bare floors, a bucket, a toilet brush, some rags or cloths, sponges, possibly a dusting wand (makes the job go quicker), and some basic agents for cleaning glass, appliances, counter tops, bathroom fixtures, floors, and any other surfaces. My post entitled What Supplies Do You Need To Clean A House? gives more in-depth info on this topic.
Get Busy
Once you’ve got your cleaning supplies, it’s time to get busy. First de-clutter and organize your living space as much as possible. It’s a lot easier to clean surfaces that aren’t covered in stuff. Organizing and de-cluttering are the prime prerequisites to keeping a clean home. This step might take ten minutes, or a week and a half, depending on your particular state of clutter. If need be, just work around the clutter for now and plan to organize and de-clutter incrementally.
Make a Strategy
Next, take a few minutes to make a strategy for your plan of attack. Decide how much time you have available to spend on cleaning. Then take a quick walk through your home, getting an idea of what needs to be done. Refer to my House Cleaning Checklist for ideas about what specific tasks comprise the steps in cleaning a house.
Look for trouble spots as well as areas that don’t need any attention. Once you’ve got an overall picture of the job, plan how much time you’ll spend cleaning each area, keeping in mind the total overall time that you have available to spend on the job. Getting the whole house cleaned is your goal; budgeting your time and staying on schedule will help you to make that happen.
The cleaning process itself shouldn’t be too elaborate at this point. If you’re a cleaning novice, focus on the obvious. You’ll hone your skills over time. There’s a learning curve to house cleaning.
Keep it Simple
For now, keep it simple. Dust, vacuum, sweep. Clean glass surfaces and counter tops and appliance fronts. Clean your bathroom fixtures and mop your floors. Don’t concern yourself with eradicating every speck of dirt. Cleaning every single nook and cranny is time-consuming and unnecessary.
If you perform your cleaning routine on a regular schedule, everything will get cleaned eventually. For now, focus on high-traffic areas. These will need to be done every time you clean. Areas that see little or no use don’t need to be cleaned as often.
As your cleaning skills improve, you’ll get a better feel for the process. Regular cleaning ensures that high-traffic areas are always in good shape and areas that need less attention get cleaned as needed.
Maintenance
The final step of house cleaning is maintenance. Getting your home into excellent shape might take a few weeks, or months, depending on the state it’s in today. Once you’ve achieved a state of excellence, your home will stay that way if you clean regularly and keep up with the control of dirt, grime, and dust.
This sometimes calls for aggressive proactive measures and sometimes can be handled with a more laid-back style. Every situation is different. If you notice that you’re losing ground, increase your vigilance. It’s much easier to maintain a state of order than to have to reclaim it after you’ve lost control.
Following the steps laid out here will get you going in the right direction. House cleaning is a hands-on endeavor. Get in there, get your hands wet, learn on the job. Before you know it, you’ll be effortlessly keeping your home shiny and clean.
Learning to clean is like learning to swim: you’ve got to get your hands wet to truly learn and understand what you’re doing. And the more you do it, the better you’ll get at it and the easier it will become. It takes a little effort but it’s worth it.
Cleaning is neither complicated nor difficult. It’s a skill that improves with time and practice, so if at first it seems like cleaning is hard for you to do or you’re not doing it right, have patience. Once you get the hang of it, keeping your home clean will be a breeze.
Picking Up
Cleaning a home begins with picking up clutter. Get in the habit of organizing possessions on a regular basis and your house cleaning regimen will be halfway done before you begin.
Don’t Reinvent the Wheel
People have been cleaning houses for generations. The process has evolved over time, the basics have not. If you don’t know how to clean something or can’t figure out where to begin, look no further than the internet. There you will find ten ways to clean anything.
Don’t Procrastinate
The self-cleaning house doesn’t yet exist. Until it does, putting the job off until tomorrow accomplishes nothing. The job only looms larger with each passing day.
Dive In
Get the laundry into the washing machines, the dishes in the dishwasher, the trash collected from all rooms, and the clutter picked up. Then keep going. One task leads to the next and next. Once you’ve got some momentum, keep going.
Cleaning Gets Easier
Over time, learning to clean evolves into something else: you become a pro. Practice makes perfect. You’ll be an expert in no time!
Maintaining a clean home can be made simple by consistently managing minor messes before they have a chance to gain a foothold. Discipline and routine are the keys to achieving this objective.
Keep Clutter to a Minimum
Make picking up part of your regular routine. This is the logical first step to house cleaning since it’s easier to dust and vacuum and sweep and mop spaces that are not littered with objects. Whether you choose to declutter immediately before cleaning your home or as part of an ongoing regimen is up to you.
Schedule House Cleaning
You’re the boss, so make a cleaning schedule that’ll fit into your lifestyle. Routine is very important, planning is very important. Following through is essential.
If you’re a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of person, it will most likely be more difficult to maintain a consistent schedule, but give it a try. Think of house cleaning as the job that it is and make a point of showing up for work.
Self discipline is extremely rewarding. You’ll feel great when it’s over. Each victory will motivate you to keep going.
Reassess as Needed
If you begin to notice that chores aren’t getting done, reassess your plan and make changes. Don’t deliberate, just do it. The longer things slide the harder it will be to get back on track.
A (Sort of) Clean House is Easy to Clean
It’s much easier to keep a house clean if it’s already in good shape. The messier and dirtier the house gets, the harder it becomes to get it back in order. Disorder can get out of control in no time and all the ground you’ve gained will be lost.
At that point it’s easy to get discouraged and give up, and then your problem becomes a motivational issue. You’ve lost your will to clean. Don’t let it get to that point. That’s my point.
Organization is Your Ally
If you have a place to put everything that comes into your space, you’ll know what to do with everything that comes into your space. If everything is put away where it belongs when you start to clean, half of your job is already done. Dusting and vacuuming will be a breeze.
Some Daily Chores are Non-Negotiable
Don’t let dirty dishes sit around. Do at least a minimal kitchen cleanup after food prep. Wipe up any food spills or crumbs and don’t let food sit around uncovered or unrefrigerated if it should be covered or refrigerated. If there’s anything that might attract bugs or start to smell, deal with it immediately. If it’s a spill that will get worse over time, deal with it. Don’t let clutter accumulate. Take out the trash regularly.
Plan a Regular Schedule
Beyond those tasks that are a matter of basic hygiene, plan on a regular cleaning schedule that will work for you. Do some every day, do it once a week or once every two weeks. If it’s just you and you’re never home, maybe once a month will work just fine. If you’ve got a house full of kids whose friends are always at your house, weekly house cleaning might be necessary with lots of day-to-day maintenance.
Continue to reassess as you go along. Do what you have to do to stay ahead of messes and grime. At the end of the day, you’ll be glad you did.
Your Home is Your Sanctuary
Your home is your sanctuary and it should be a place where you feel a sense of pride, not feel bad all the time because it’s such a mess. You should be glad when friends show up to visit, not embarrassed. So make it happen. You’ll be glad you did.
Most of us don’t enjoy the prospect of cleaning out closets. We often shove things we don’t use into closets to get them out of the way. The thought of pulling these objects back out means figuring out what to do with them, which seems a lot like work. These tips for cleaning and organizing your closets will make the job easier.
Cleaning closets is a great opportunity to get rid of stuff you aren’t using. Oftentimes when cleaning closets, you find stuff way in the back that you forgot you had. It’s like Christmas!
However, as a general rule, if you haven’t used something in a year or more, you don’t need it. And if you clear out space in your closets, you then have room to store the stuff you actually use which you don’t have space for anywhere else.
Plus if you can donate your unused stuff to a charity group or find some way to get the stuff to someone who can use it, the situation is a win-win.
First, Make a Work Space
The first thing you want to do when cleaning a closet is clear some space for a work area. If you are cleaning a bedroom closet, lay an old sheet over the bed so you can use the space to temporarily place things.
Pulls Things Out of the Closet
Next, pull everything out of the closet, either all at once or in sections. As you remove items, quickly decide whether each object is worth keeping. Have a box ready for things that you will be giving away, or designate a separate area if you are getting rid of a lot of things.
Clean Dust and Cobwebs
As you clear out areas of the closet, or once you’ve taken everything out, remove any cobwebs and dust off shelves, rods, racks, the tops of door frames, any ridges on the inside of closet doors, etc. Also clean the floor.
Replace Stuff
After the closet is nice and clean, replace whatever stuff you’re keeping, reorganizing and cleaning as you go. Dust off any boxes or other containers before replacing them in the closet.
Introduce new boxes, bins, baskets or whatever storage containers will help with storing things so they can easily be found again. Label boxes, make lists of contents and tape them to the outside, or use clear storage containers. Don’t waste any space. Arrange articles so that taller things are behind shorter things.
Storing things you will use such that you can easily find them when you need them.
Getting rid of things you don’t need that are using valuable space and inhibiting your ability to find the things you need when you need them.
Pace Yourself
Finally, don’t try to tackle every closet in your home at the same time unless it’s manageable. Set realistic goals that you can accomplish in order to stay motivated. What you don’t want to do is pull everything out of every closet in your home all at once and then run out of steam before everything is sorted and put back.
Routinely cleaning your closets is a great way to keep your home organized. Getting rid of things you aren’t using creates space for the things you do use that you don’t have space for. Set up a regular schedule, for example cleaning closets once a month, and stick to it. Chip away at it, keep after it, and always remember that home organization is all about maintenance.
It can be tough to cover all the bases when it comes to house cleaning. Time is short, cleaning routines are inconsistent. Some people just don’t notice fingerprints on walls and streaks on windows. Cobwebs that are visible only when the sunlight hits them at a certain angle are easy to miss on cleaning day. There are many commonly overlooked jobs when cleaning your home.
Professional housecleaners establish routines which ensure all areas of each home get cleaned regularly. This is why I recommend that anyone who does their own house cleaning set up similar schedules to make sure everything gets cleaned from time to time.
Areas out of Sight
Many people subscribe to the belief that if you can’t see it, it isn’t dirty. Unfortunately, areas that accumulate dust are often out of sight, and because settled dust will sooner or later get stirred up and redistributed, any large settlements of dust in your home are potential trouble spots.
For this reason it is important to dust ceiling fan blades and the top of the refrigerator and under the beds to remove these accumulations while they’re quietly resting and before they have a chance to get stirred up and re-circulated into the air. You can’t count on the “cleaning only what looks dirty” style of housekeeping to keep your home in good shape.
Cobwebs
Cobwebs are often overlooked. These nuisances form along the edge where walls and ceilings meet. They form on light fixtures. They form in corners. Cobwebs appear along the bottom edges of furniture.
The trouble with cobwebs is that they can be really hard to see, which is why it’s a good practice to periodically dust all the areas where they tend to form without regard to whether you think they’re there or not. Without fail, cobwebs will become visible the moment some VIP houseguest appears at your door.
Hidden Dust
Hidden dust has lots of hiding places. Some are tough to reach, but many are just beyond your line of sight.
Ceiling fans are a primary culprit. Think of your ceiling fan blades as dust traps. A surprising amount of dust builds up on top of these, so attend to them frequently in order to reduce the amount of dust circulating in the air in your home. A simple dusting tool or even a broom or dust mop will remove the lion’s share of buildup from your fans.
Other areas to work into your dusting rotation:
The top edge of window treatments and wall hangings.
Chair rails and baseboards.
Ridges on doors.
Lampshades.
Leaves on plants.
Under beds and other furniture.
On top of kitchen cupboards if they don’t meet the ceiling.
Sides of furniture and along any edges or ridges.
Back side of televisions and other electronics.
On top of books.
On light fixtures.
On top of medicine cabinets.
Along the top edge of shower enclosures.
Top edges of doors and door frames.
Hand Prints
Not everyone thinks to clean up dirty finger and hand prints on walls and doors . Common areas to keep an eye on:
Glass doors.
Entry doors.
Cabinet doors.
Switch plates.
Hand rails and banisters.
Appliance handles.
Mirrors.
Glass tables.
Fingerprints can easily be eradicated with a damp cloth and application of a small amount of all-purpose cleaner or glass cleaner. Sometimes they’re invisible but you’ll feel their sticky residue.
Really tough marks on walls or other areas can be removed with an eraser-type sponge but use caution as these also take the paint with the grime.
Pet Hair
Another common offense is sometimes almost completely invisible until you sit down on something covered in it wearing black pants: pet hair. If you have animals that shed, their fur is on your upholstered furniture. Sometimes it’s obvious, sometimes not.
So be sure to vacuum your sofa, chairs, upholstered ottomans and cushions, pillows on your upholstered furniture and anything else that pet hair sticks to. And don’t forget to vacuum under the sofa cushions once in a while , too.
Nose Prints
While we’re on the topic of pets, dogs and cats sometimes leave nose and paw prints on glass doors and windows and window sills. If your dog likes to sit by your patio door and look outside, odds are he leaves residue on the glass. The same can be said for areas on windows next to which your cat perches to watch birds and squirrels frolicking outdoors.
Clean Regularly
Remember, just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t there. The best way to ensure that you’re never caught with an embarrassing mess under the dining room table in the middle of dinner is the two-pronged approach of maintaining a regular cleaning schedule that includes a rotation with attention to all areas in your home along with honing your eye for detail.
Practice makes perfect. In time you’ll be quick to spot Spot’s doggie drool on the windowsill and the smudges left on the kitchen door frame by dirty little fingers. Cleaning pros notice this stuff because we’ve seen it all time and time again and because we do it every day. You can acquire the same skills, all it takes is practice.
Keeping your home clean can be challenging. Some folks make it seem effortless, while others struggle every day to keep even the basics under control. While it’s true that some fortunate souls have a natural ability, anyone can learn what it takes to be a cleaning whiz. These tips and time savers for the house-cleaning challenged will get you there.
House cleaning is a very straightforward process. To stay on track, don’t undermine yourself by making cleaning unnecessarily complicated or procrastinating getting started until the job looms large.
Don’t be the person who dillydallys as a mode of avoidance, so the minor mess that could have been easily converted into a gleaming space deteriorates into a minor hazmat event.
Get Busy
The best way to get yourself on the road to cleaning wizardry is to simply get busy. Dust off the vacuum cleaner, rustle up a few cleaning cloths, and get going. Don’t think about it. Just do it. Follow the trail of dirt, dust, and grime and erase it. When the dirt is gone, your job is done. My post Basic Lessons in House Cleaning might help.
Once you’ve mastered the basic process of cleaning, make it a habit. That’s really all there is to it. Do it, and do it often.
To fine-tune your cleaning skills, here are some time-saving tips and advice:
Clean Frequently
Get into a routine of cleaning up once a week or every day as you go along or whatever works for you. Cleaning often ensures that dirt never gets the opportunity to build up and settle in.
Eliminate Clutter
Cleaning is easier when surfaces are free of extraneous possessions. Furthermore, dust has less opportunity to take a foothold when there are fewer nooks and crannies for it to settle into.
Organize
Organize your stuff so you know where everything goes when it’s time to pick up.
Use a Dusting Tool
Dust with a long-handled dusting tool rather than a cloth or rag, and work swiftly, dusting everything with your tool. A tool with nubs that grab dust will work universally on all surfaces from chair rails to baseboards to lampshades to knick-knacks and books to tables and shelves.
The long handle means you won’t have to bend down to reach baseboards or strain to reach up high. Don’t move any objects that you don’t have to move in order to reach dust.
Rotate Tasks
Rotate tasks. Many chores shouldn’t have to be done every time you clean. You will soon get a feel for which ones you can do on a rotating basis. If it isn’t visibly dirty, you probably can put it off until next time or the time after.
Use the Right Stuff
Use appropriate cleaning agents. Use a cleaner that is strong enough to break down the grime you are aiming to eradicate. Don’t use a heavy-duty cleaner on a surface that isn’t particularly dirty or use more of a cleaning agent than is necessary.
Buy Good Supplies
Invest in good equipment: a faulty or ill-performing vacuum cleaner or mop will cost you time in the long run. For more advice about what to use, check out my post What Supplies do You Need to Clean a House?
Keep Your Supplies Straight
Keep track of your cleaning supplies. On cleaning day, you should be able to readily lay your hands on everything you need without spending a half hour hunting down the mop.
Don’t Rush the Job
Don’t try to rush while you’re cleaning. It’ll only cost you time in the long run if things get overlooked, or worse broken or spilled.
Do a Good Job
Do it right the first time. Having to go back over what you’ve already done is a waste of time and energy.
Home cleaning can be as easy or as difficult as you make it. Spending a little time every day or two and a couple of hours every week keeping the situation in hand is all it takes. There are many benefits of daily cleaning. Keep it simple, don’t make work for yourself, and don’t procrastinate. Establish good habits and in no time you, too, can be a cleaning whiz.
What do you do when you’ve lost your will to clean? You see the dust bunnies in the corners and toothpaste splatters on the mirrors but you just can’t work up the enthusiasm to get going. With each passing day, the job becomes bigger and in time you truly dread the thought of cleaning your house.
How do you get moving? Assuming you’re not suffering from anything more serious than a motivational issue, here are some suggestions for getting motivated to clean your home.
Imagine your home looking clean and beautiful. Think about how nice it would be to get ready for work tomorrow in a squeaky clean bathroom and come home to clean floors and prepare dinner in a spotless kitchen. These images might just light the spark you need to get your fire going.
Spur yourself to action by picturing your awesomely clean home and keep thinking about it as you power through the job.
Reward Yourself
If that’s not the right approach to spur you into action, try a reward system. Set some cleaning goals for yourself and promise yourself a treat when they are achieved.
For example, if you are trying to lose weight, dangle a chocolate ice cream cone out on the horizon. You can have it after you clean your house. The calories burned cleaning will equal out with the ice cream. It’s a good trade-off.
Or, if you think a hair treatment you’ve been considering is too extravagant for your budget, calculate how much it would cost to pay someone to clean your home (the going rate is probably somewhere between $25 and $45 per hour) and then reward yourself with a trip to the hairdresser after you do the job yourself.
Take Baby Steps
If that’s not doing it for you, try taking baby steps. Instead of looking at house cleaning as a great big job, think of it as a whole bunch of little jobs. Then tackle one little job, and then, later on, tackle another. Work at whatever pace you want.
Doing one little job, no matter how small, is better than doing nothing at all. So today you might clean the inside of the microwave and tomorrow you might clean the stove and the next day the kitchen countertops and so on. Eventually you might even begin to get motivated by all you’ve accomplished, get some momentum going, and tackle a whole room in one fell swoop.
Since house cleaning is a job that can build on itself, this is a great approach to take to kick your cleaning groove into action. It’s never essential to clean your whole house at once. Cleaning it in smaller increments works just as well. At some point, you’ll get into a routine. Then, spending fifteen minutes a day will become half an hour and before you know it your whole house will be in tip-top shape. Take some baby steps and you’ll be running in no time.
Make Cleaning a Habit
Cleaning isn’t supposed to be fun. Getting motivated can be tough. Housekeeping is a difficult job. Another suggestion I have for you with regard to getting motivated is to make house cleaning a habit. Working out a regular routine and then integrating it into your life is the best way to keep your home in shape.
Ideally, break down the large job of keeping an orderly home into many small tasks and take it in stages throughout your week. You’ll have to concentrate at first, but after a little while it’ll be part of your routine and you won’t mind doing it because you won’t give it a second thought.
If you haven’t got the time to break it down, a once weekly or every other week full house run-through will net you the same results. The same approach will work as well. Make it a priority to devote a block of time to cleaning your whole house periodically. Each time you complete the routine, it will get easier. In time, your routine will be so routine you won’t even think about it.
Whatever approach you take, it’s essential to get back into your cleaning groove ASAP. Continuing to let things slide makes the job loom larger and larger. It’s often the case that once you get started, you’ll find your enthusiasm pick up.
Just Do it
So, as a last-ditch option, just do it. Get up right now and start cleaning your kitchen. Don’t think about it, just do it. Once you get going, you might just find that your will to clean comes back with a vengeance. Ten hours later, your windows will sparkle, your garage will be immaculate, and even your sidewalks will glisten. Hey, you never know.
If you’ve read any of my posts heretofore, you’ll know that The Cleaning Pro frowns upon clutter. Clutter makes cleaning difficult, breeds dust, and conceals necessary items. However, the reality is that some people are simply not organizers, and cluttered spaces still need to be dusted and vacuumed and generally spruced up. These tips for cleaning cluttered spaces will help get you there.
Don’t throw your clothes on the floor. Put them in a laundry basket or put them away if they’re not dirty. As a last resort, pile them up somewhere, and don’t let the pile get so high that it topples over. It’s impossible to vacuum or sweep floors that are buried in clothes.
Don’t Pile Things Haphazardly
Make your clutter as orderly as you can. Put papers that belong with other papers into piles: bills with bills, junk mail to sort later with other junk mail to sort later, newspapers with newspapers, magazines with magazines.
If it’s all in a big pile of nonsense, you can’t find anything, and bills will go unpaid, your car registration will expire, important papers will be forever lost in the abyss.
Separate Important Paperwork
On a related note, get a basket for the important paperwork that you need to sort through. When the basket is full you have reached your deadline. Deal with it.
Don’t Save Junk
Stop saving clippings, newspapers, magazines, etc. that you will never look at again. If you can’t find anything anyway, isn’t it easier to toss it out now rather than allow dust to settle onto it for the next fifteen years?
Don’t let stuff that’s just plain trash pile up. Move your recycling to the curb or the dump. Old newspapers, magazines, food wrappers, and similar items have no residual value.
Keep Fishing Gear Out of the Living Room
Tools, gardening equipment, parts for the car belong in the garage or the tool shed or the basement. You can’t pile all your fishing gear in the middle of the living room and expect to be able to clean around it (or live there). I’m sorry, but this is where a line has to be drawn.
Christmas Only Comes Once a Year
Take your Christmas tree down by the end of January at the latest. Especially if it was a live tree.
Keep the Kitchen Clean
Keep the countertops in your kitchen as free of clutter as possible so they can be wiped off periodically.
Throw out food containers. Don’t save leftovers indefinitely. Go through the fridge once a week and toss out food that’s no good.
Pay attention to your nose and if you smell a funky odor, you need to root out its source. Now.
Bathroom Clutter is a Big No-No
In the bathroom, don’t let stuff pile up on the counters. Put toiletries into drawers or cabinets. If your drawers and cabinets are full, set aside an hour to go through everything and throw out what’s no good.
Or put all that clutter into a basket when it’s time to clean. You can’t clean countertops that are covered in stuff, and all that clutter collects dust which, in humid bathrooms, turns into a crusty mess.
Minimize Clutter As Much As Possible
While some clutter is tolerable, don’t let it get out of control. Bear in mind that clutter accumulates dust and there’s no way to vacuum or sweep cluttered areas. Unchecked clutter spreads from corners outward until entire rooms disappear. So do your best to keep it to a minimum so you can move freely enough through your living space to clean (and live).
Do Your Best to Keep it Clean
On cleaning day, do what you can with what you’ve got. Dust ceilings and walls for cobwebs. Dust all flat surfaces and dust over and around any piles of stuff. Clean the kitchen and bathrooms. Follow the advice presented here and do your best. It’s not easy, but it is possible (and necessary) to clean cluttered spaces.
Want more organizing and house cleaning tips and ideas? Check out my author page. My books include De-Clutter and Organize Your Home in 7 Simple Steps, Clean Like A Pro: Tips and Techniques for Cleaning Your Home Like a Seasoned Professional, and How to Become a Cleaning Pro: the Ultimate Guide to Starting and Operating Your Own House Cleaning Service.
