10 Ways to Keep Your House Clean
I recently had a reader that asked how I keep my house so clean and tidy. I assure you, not every space is neat and organized. My desk and my closet are probably the messiest parts of my house. My desk is a brain dump of ideas and the craziness of managing too many things. Once the comment came in, I immediately took a few minutes to organize and clean it.
Keeping things clean and organized helps me feel a bit more in control. When there is so much out of my control right now, I know as my home is my safe space and where I am spending the most time, I can keep this organized. It is a complete coping strategy that I am happy to admit.
There are few things that make me happier right now than a clean kitchen and puppy snuggles.
For those of you with kids right now who feel like there is WAY TOO much happening, please do not feel stress or pressure from this post to do anything more than you are doing now. I do not have small kids at home except for Henri who has not learned to pick up his toys before bed. Parents with kids at home, I applaud you and think you are amazing.
Here are a few small things I do daily/weekly to keep my home clean and tidy.
Make the Bed. When I wake up, this is the first thing I do after brushing my teeth. I am not an expert bed maker but it instantly makes the room feel more pulled together. I also love crawling into a made bed at night. It is a simple pleasure.
Vacuum/Swifter. I love to vacuum. I am very lucky Henri does not shed. I shed a lot and feel like I am constantly cleaning up dirt and hair around the house. The kitchen is probably the place that has the most to vacuum on a regular basis. I keep my Dyson here and make it accessible to clean up crumbs and dry spills. Henri isn’t the biggest fan, but we are getting there. I really like to pick up anything that he could chew on or eat right away so he doesn’t get something he isn’t supposed to. I also have darker floors so dirt shows a lot faster. In a perfect world, I would vacuum daily as my nightly clean-up routine.
Load/Empty Dishwasher. This may be one of my favorite things. I actually named her Rosie. I LOVE a clean kitchen. Please don’t ever give me a dirty sink with dishes. I can’t handle it. I have been known to clean up dinner before actually eating because I am thinking about the dishes the whole time. (it’s not normal) At night, I load the dishwasher and clean the sink. You can stick your sponge in the dishwasher to give it a good healthy clean. In the morning, I empty the dishwasher while I make my French Press coffee. It is a great way to multitask.
Wipe Down Counters/Kitchen Table at Night. This is such an easy thing to do and makes all the difference when you wake up in the morning. This goes along with the clean sink/clean dishwasher.
Reduce the Clutter and Clear the Area of Things You Don’t Need This goes in the category of everything has a place. If you don’t need it, put it where it belongs or get rid of it. I traveled to Paris and back out of a suitcase for two years and didn’t have room for a bunch of things I didn’t need. Make a pile for donation and take it on a weekend run when you are out.
Place items on Stairs to bring up/down My mom used to do this to my sister and me as kids. Anything that didn’t belong downstairs needed to be brought upstairs. I do this now to get the clutter out. It also helps me remember to bring something upstairs or downstairs.
Laundry/ Wash sheets Weekly I typically do this on a Sunday because I have the time and I am home. I love fresh sheets to start the week off. I hang dry a lot of my clothes especially all my workout clothes. Sheets go in the dryer and I wash with Laundress.
Everything Has a Place My mom makes fun of this for me. But really it helps keep me organized and my brain can manage more knowing that I know exactly where my keys are. In the kitchen, there are drawers that have all my most used items in the front for easy access. If everything has a place, it is easy to return it when you tidy up. If it doesn’t have a place, toss it or donate it.
Baskets in Every Room I have baskets in pretty much every room to keep things organized. Hats, gloves, masks, and all Winter items can easily fit in a basket and easy to grab on the way out the door. Henri even has a basket of toys in one of the middle rooms. He loves to keep toys ALL around the house. I love them to be picked up at the end of the night so I don’t trip on them. I find Target has an inexpensive and good selection. I also keep baskets in the closet to organize things too if I don’t have enough drawer space or shelves.
Light a Candle This is a simple thing you can do as you are cleaning. I love having a candle on the kitchen counter to light as I am doing the dishes or organizing. It helps me unwind at the end of the day.
Take out Trash/Recycling Often. I like to clean the fridge on the weekends before meal prep so I have empty clean containers for meals. Boxes are piled up at the door after they are emptied and they can be taken out when I take out Henri. This is a quick and easy Sunday task. Henri likes to follow me around everywhere. Right now the trash is all up high because he likes to get into it.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help! If you have the budget and ability to hire someone to help clean your home safely, do it!
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How do you keep on top of mail, bills coupons etc? If you say a pile on your desk, I’m doomed. My desk is chaos although I know where everything is and what’s on the desk! Then there are the piles of magazines waiting to be read. I pretty much do what you describe in this article but the mail pile described above eludes me still
Hi Jacqueline,
I try to tackle the mail as soon as it comes in. Most of my bills are electronic and I try to pay those right away. If I don’t read something within a few days, I will toss it. My fiancé will keep magazines and newspapers out and I pitch them the next day. Typically if we don’t read them on the weekend we won’t touch them during the week. I hope this helps. Just a few minutes a day going through papers will help you stay on top of things.
Great way to start off the new year!
Thank you, Rose! I love a clean house.❤️
Oh my goodness there is so much of me here! I have the same vacuum, and it’s a godsend with a dog and 4 kids. I ALWAYS clean as I cook because mess stresses me. I’ve slowly got my husband on board with the bed making daily. I’m still dealing with the towels on my own. We have a large house and it’s crazy how stuff collects. A place for everything is essential!
Dear Rebecca,
Great post! I have a question about that beautiful mirror above the mantelpiece – is it affixed to the wall? I recently purchased a vintage gilded mirror and it is heavy and need to attach it to drywall somehow – any tips for securing it? I was planning to let it stand on the matel but also get attached to the wall for support, it has a hook but I am not sure what to use on the wall for securing it safely. I am in lockdown still in Toronto so hardware stores are closed….
Love the new website! Love how your posts are organized.
Great tips! So many of the things you mentioned made me laugh because I do them similarly too. I also like to clean up the prep dishes as the meal is cooking. My husband has made dinner for special occasions (like mother’s day) and I was NOT encouraged because I think he used about every pan and all I could think about was the big mess. I’ve since asked to eat out on those occasions even if the budget only permits fast food 🙂 My parents also taught me that everything has it’s place and that makes sense to me! I love hunting for French ironstone or china but I have a rule that I can’t buy it (no matter how beautiful or great the price) unless I have a specific place or use for it… I’ve kind of shifted my mindset in our house over the last couple of years. I evaluate what I have based on “if we were moving and packing everything up, would this be something that I’d want to take?”
I like to wash the prep dishes before eating, too. And I have to have all the towels folded and facing the same way which my husband mocks me for! It just looks neater!
Hi Dorothy,
Thank you for being on board with the dish prep before eating 🙂 I am happy I am not the only one. Don’t worry about your husband mocking you. You are doing a great job. Now I am going to have to up my towel game in the drawer 😬
You are a kindred spirit because I do all of the things that you have suggested. I love a clean, fresh smelling and organized home! I even do the dishes and clean the kitchen before I sit down to eat, as well. It makes the meal more enjoyable knowing I don’t have much to clean up after. And, I agree, Target is one of the best places to buy baskets and pretty storage containers.
I also have the up and down rule on the stairs, the clean kitchen counters in the morning and a made up bed. Now, for vacuum cleaning, working on it slowly.
Our organizing and cleaning habits are quite common 🙂
I am happy to hear I am not alone! Any favorite tips I missed that you always do?
I have a 7 year old so things do tend to get unorganized- which is also required for the development of a child. However, I have a morning and evening overall cleanup routine. Twice a day, I would make sure to move through the entire house and put stuff back in order so things don’t get out of hand and I don’t have to take a lot of pressure of cleaning up a big mess. I am also trying to teach my daughter to put stuff back in the right place before she leaves a room. We are still in that learning curve 🙂
Quelle jolie maison, et quelles bonnes idées! De plus, Can we talk about how much I love that you named your chien Henri? Mon élève vedette!