What’s your biggest cleaning frustration? There are quite a few we can think of that rank pretty high on our list of annoyances – folding laundry, dusting, cleaning the oven and other big appliances, or getting those plastic containers under control – but the most frustrating has to be the most obvious: the cleaning never stops.
It’s obvious, but it’s true. There are few things as disheartening as watching something you’ve just cleaned become messy or dirty nearly as soon as you’re done, and all we want sometimes is just a few days – or even moments – to really enjoy our finally-clean homes without starting the tidying cycle all over again. Thankfully, there’s a simple way to make cleaning a little easier and a little more long-lasting: developing good daily habits! As Clean My Space’s Melissa Maker explains, “The secret to keeping a clean home is actually having really good habits to keep a clean home.”
Today, she’s sharing six of her easiest and best habits for always having a clean home, and we loved these brilliantly simple ideas so much that we just had to share our favorites. Check THESE habits out!
- Start a basket system.
One of the biggest frustrations for clean freaks everywhere – or just for people who prefer things tidier than messier – is the mess left behind by family members who don’t put a clean home at the top of their priorities list. When that family member is your spouse? That’s when things get dicey. After all, you don’t want to scold your husband or wife like you’re their parent, but you also don’t want to just grin and bear a messy home or always have to clean up after them. The solution? Baskets!This trick is brilliantly simple. All you need to do is assign each person in your family a labeled basket. Then, as everybody goes about their lives about the house, as you tidy other things, as items come in the mail, etc., each item found out of place simply goes into the basket of its owner. Then, as Melissa explains, “it’s incumbent upon each person to empty out their own basket.” This way, you don’t have lots of clutter around, but you’re also not frustrated by trying to find a place for things for which your other family members should be responsible. Smart!
- Always have full hands.
As Melissa points out, anybody who’s ever worked in the food industry is familiar with this helpful habit. It’s about as basic as can be: your hands should always be full!No, this idea doesn’t mean you have to be working or cleaning constantly. What it does mean? Whenever you move from room to room, take something with you! (After all, you’re going anyway, aren’t you?) For example, if you’re exiting the living room and heading toward the kitchen, grab any plates, bowls or glasses you see, take them with you, and pop them in the dishwasher. This simple habit helps keep up the “traffic flow” of items in your home, and guarantees that things a) don’t get stuck and b) don’t require a big, one-time cleaning that sends you scurrying all over.
- Dump your duplicates.
How does clutter start? By accumulating things you don’t really need— or duplicates of things you do! While we understand the idea of needing multiples of some things, and the desire to have a “back-up” of some tools, when it comes down to it, you have to ask yourself— do you really need more than one of everything?Melissa’s example is flat head screwdrivers, but yours could be anything. If you find yourself with multiples of anything, but you only ever actually use one of them, that’s a sign that you should dump those duplicates and make room for stuff you really need and use.
Of course, there’s more ideas where these three came from! Be sure to watch Clean My Space’s video below to learn her other three best simple tricks for always having a clean home.
So what do you think? Personally, I can’t wait to implement the basket idea with my husband. Which ideas will you try in your home? Do you have any good habits of your own to share? How do you ensure that your home is always clean and tidy without stressing out too much?