Did you know research suggests that people with messy homes have higher levels of stress hormones? Keeping a clean and tidy home is good for your mental health, but it’s not always easy.
Sure, you’ve hired a professional cleaner for occasional visits, but what can you do to keep a clean home in the meantime? It doesn’t have to be spotless, but you want it to be livable.
Let’s talk about it! Read on to learn a few quick tips for keeping a tidy home.
Clean As Soon As Things Get Messy
This is one of the best pieces of advice that anyone can give you when it comes to how to maintain a clean home. You should clean up messes as soon as they happen.
This doesn’t necessarily mean cleaning up toys or clothes on the floor as soon as you spot them. You want to focus on messes that could leave stains or difficult-to-remove spots if you let them sit.
For example, let’s say that you spill a drink on your tile floor while you’re going about other tasks. It’s not in the way of anything and it isn’t something that will stain, so you plan on getting it after you’re done with what you’re already doing.
It’s easy to forget about spills while you’re already busy. By the time you remember, you’ll have a dry spill that requires more elbow grease to remove.
At the very least, lay a microfiber cloth or paper towel over the spill to soak it up and make the spot more visible so you can return to it. Better yet, wipe it up completely. It only takes a few seconds!
Create Daily and Weekly Cleaning Challenges
Do you struggle with finding the motivation to clean? You’re not alone. Many people can’t keep a tidy house because they get overwhelmed or don’t see the natural value in tidiness (and that’s okay!).
To overcome this, one of the best things to do is to give yourself cleaning challenges. This makes cleaning feel more like a game. Better yet, give yourself a reward for completing those challenges.
Rewards for chores aren’t just for children.
For a small challenge, we recommend setting a timer for fifteen minutes. Use that time to clean as much as you can. If you’re feeling motivated and you have some extra time, try giving yourself fifteen minutes per room in your house.
For daily challenges, try to complete a few small tasks every day to turn cleaning into a habit. Do things like:
- Make your bed
- Do laundry (if you have enough for a full load)
- Sweep the floors
- Wipe the counters
Weekly challenges are for things that you don’t need to do every day. These will vary depending on your household. Some people, for example, may need to vacuum more than once per week if they have small children or pets.
Weekly challenges can include things like:
- Vacuuming
- Dusting
- Cleaning pet bowls
- Cleaning the toilet bowl
Get the Whole Household Involved
If you live alone, you’re unfortunately on your own. If you live with family members, a partner, or roommates, however, you can get everyone involved.
Even small children can do age-appropriate chores.
Set up a list of tasks for every person in the house to complete. This doesn’t mean that someone else can’t step in every now and again, but it will help keep things fair.
If you’re assigning tasks to children, we recommend using stickers or magnets to check off tasks. Make sure there’s some kind of reward available for larger tasks.
Bonus tip for getting kids to do chores while teaching them the value of work: instead of assigning specific tasks, place dollar amounts on each task and allow kids to choose what they want to do.
Harder tasks get more money. A child who washes and dries the dishes may get more money than a child who sweeps the floor. This will motivate children, especially if they’re trying to save up for something.
Buy More Storage
Do you always feel like there’s too much clutter in your home? Eventually, the best choice is to invest in more storage. Decluttering only goes so far.
Consider storage that has multiple functions. For example, you can get a storage ottoman for holding toys that stay in the living room. You can also invest in a bed that has storage underneath.
Get large plastic storage bins for items that you don’t use year-round. Make sure to label them!
If you’re running out of room at home, we recommend finding a storage unit that’s within your budget. Storage units are fantastic for storing seasonal items and furniture that you don’t have room for, as well as items that you plan on donating or selling in the future.
Clean Up While You Cook
Everyone knows that the kitchen is one of the toughest rooms to keep clean. Sauce splashes on the stove and backsplash, dishes pile up, and counters get covered in crumbs.
It will make your life easier if you clean while you’re cooking. Cooking often has some downtime involved, so take advantage of it.
Clean dishes while you’re waiting for food to cook. Wipe up splatters as soon as they happen. If you have a lot of downtime, this is even a good time to clear out the fridge (or at least throw a few things away).
You Can Keep a Tidy Home With These Tips
Maintaining a tidy home isn’t always easy, but these tips can help. You may not have the spotless home of your dreams, but you’ll be able to keep it clean enough between visits from your local professional home cleaning company!
At Vantage Point Cleaning Services, we love making homes sparkle. Whether you need regular house cleaning or a full deep cleaning session for move-ins or move-outs, we’ve got you covered!
Contact us to request a quote today!
