Keeping a clean house doesn’t require as much effort as you might think. We’ll share you some things that people with spotless houses do every day.
Overwhelmingly, it appears that their secret is to do a little bit each day and to develop habits that keep their homes clutter-free without thinking twice. In the process, they exert less energy than those of us who resort to binge clean-ups. Here are 15 things people with tidy homes do every day.
1. Offloading clutter
“Clutter is like a magnet, clutter attracts clutter,” said Amy Revell and Kirsty Farrugia, hosts of The Art of Decluttering podcast, and founder of the professional home organization service of the same name.
“A home that has less stuff is so much easier to keep tidy,” said Amy and Kirsty. “Each day consider what items you no longer need that could leave your home.”
There are plenty of decluttering methods out there – from the quasi-spiritual KonMari method to the everyday, practical approach taken by Amy and Kirsty. Listen to their podcast on Acast to discover solutions to real-world sources of clutter including sentimental papers, sports equipment, Tupperware, and more.
To eliminate needless clutter building up around your home, regularly ask yourself: what can I donate, recycle or sell to make life easier?
2. Don’t shove things into a junk drawer or junk room
Jo Carmichael, professional organizer and founder of All Sorted Out says hurried, ad hoc tidy-ups just don’t work.
“What often happens with the ‘fast clean’ scenario is that the items strewn around on furniture and the floor are simply shoved into a wardrobe or drawer,” she says. “It quickly tumbles back into an unrecognizable pile of the clutter once the family returns home and starts living.”
3. Store ‘Like with like’
The solution is to seek out spaces where clutter hides and start storing like with like.
“Keeping like with like,” says Jo, “means it’s easier to put things away and find them because t-shirts are together – not mixed up with jeans or socks.”
This will allow you to get ready quicker, and put your hands on the item you need without having to look twice.
Storing like items together is the key to keeping drawers and other spaces organized.
4. Keep things in their place
“Make a place for everything,” says Jo. “It’s an age-old saying, but a worthwhile habit to start making your own.”
Jo recommends giving each one of your possessions a dedicated space in the home. If you’re not using something, “don’t put it down, put it away! Aim to put things back after use, every time and every day.”
If you master this habit, Jo says “You’ll be able to find what you need, leave on time, arrive at work or an appointment on time without search missions for lost documents, wallets or keys.”
5. Do it now
“Stopping procrastination is the key to keeping your house tidy,” said Amy and Kirsty.
“Open the mail when it comes in; answer party invites as soon as you get them; sign school notes when they are taken out of school bags and get your kids to put them straight back in their bags to hand in.”
“Don’t walk past something that belongs in another room without putting it away in its home,” said Amy and Kirsty.
6. Follow the ‘Only touch things once’ rule
“Have you noticed in your bedroom that all it takes is one item of clothing to be thrown on the floor next to your bed and before you know it you’ve got a floordrobe?” ask Amy and Kirsty, who say the remedy is to ‘only touch things once.’
“If you get into the habit of putting things away the first time you touch them, you’ll find it easy to maintain a tidy home,” said Amy and Kirsty.
This could also mean taking things ‘one step at a time.’ In the morning resist the urge to pull out the hair-straightener if your makeup is still strewn all over the counter.
As soon as you finish with one item, put it back into its dedicated place and then move on to the next step.
7. Tidy up before bed
“When you tidy up your house before bed it makes you feel that you are on top of things,” says Enjo founder, Barb de Corti.
In the kitchen, that could mean stacking the dishwasher, sweeping the floor and wiping down benchtops. In the bedroom, it could mean hanging up jackets, robes and putting away shoes.
Every little bit helps and will allow you to start the new day feeling fresh and accomplished. “I love waking up to a clean home,” says Barb.
Keep those good feelings flowing by making your bed as soon as you wake up.
8. Clean as you cook
Cooking dinner after a long day at work is hard enough without having to trawl through dirty dishes leftover from yesterday.
Sophie Kovic, founder of eco-friendly, plastic-free food container company Seed & Sprout says “Having a chaotic kitchen can set a chaotic tone for the day, which is why I prioritize cleaning up before I walk out the door and start work for the day.”
Another tip she swears by is to clean her kitchen while she cooks by “wiping down surfaces after each use and putting everything away in its place.”
9. Organize the pantry
In modern households, a perfectly organized pantry is almost expected. Gone are the days of half-open packets of rice sealed up with a twist tie, these days glass jars with custom labels and lazy Susans loaded with an array of condiments are the norm.
Sophie says creating an organized pantry is an achievable goal to have that can help you reduce food waste.
As for her secret ingredient? “Jars, jars, jars! Thrift as many jars as you can in all different shapes and sizes for your food requirements.”
She recommends keeping an eye out for stackable jars like Seed & Sprout Co’s pantry jars that will help to utilize all available pantry space. “Jars are a great way to keep food fresh and you’ll also be able to see what is inside without labels.”
10. Wipe down the shower
“My top tip for a sparkling clean shower. is to keep your bathroom as dry as possible,” says Barb.
“Use a blade to remove moisture from shower screens and a super-absorbent cloth like the Enjo Bathroom Miracle to keep surfaces clean and dry.”
Likewise, it’s a good idea to wipe down the bathroom sink each day to eliminate the possibility of stains, odours, and mould growth.
11. Finish the cycle
“Think about the term ‘finishing the cycle’; you’re not finished with the laundry if you leave wet clothes in the machine,” says Peter. “To finish, you have to wash, dry, fold and put away your clothes.”
Jo concurs, and recommends “Taking the washing off the line as soon as possible and put it away instead of letting the washing sit around.”
“Think more broadly about all the steps of your tasks, see them through to the end and you’ll begin to create a more orderly space around you,” Peter adds.
12. Share the tasks
Keeping a tidy home shouldn’t be the responsibility of just one person. Everyone contributes to mess, and everyone should share the load of household chores.
Enlist help by creating a household chores roster, or delegating tasks to the kids or to your partner. Sydney-based psychologist says “So much of chore completion is about efficiency and effectiveness, and it’s easy to get caught up in folding socks the ‘right’ way rather than focusing on the principle being taught — whether to partners or children,” says Brewer.
