Having a clean and tidy house with minimal effort. That is everyone’s maxim. Or at least of all those who hate cleaning or having to spend their little free time putting the house in order. The problem is that when you are one of those who are lazy about cleaning, in the end, you let the dirt and mess accumulate, and there comes a point where there is no other choice but to start a cleaning marathon. And that does not please anyone, nor does it help to reconcile with order and cleanliness, because if you spend five hours cleaning, not only will you end up exhausted but you will hardly want to repeat it, so you will not create the habit of cleaning.
Also, when you choose to leave everything for “cleaning day”, for that marathon, if you don’t finish the pending tasks for whatever reason, you will feel that you have failed, which in turn will demotivate you. Because cleaning marathons are not something sustainable over time: you cannot do a cleaning marathon every day. Not even weekly. And that means you’ll go back to accumulating dirt, clutter… and having to plan another exhausting “super clean.”
Make the Bed Everyday
It may seem like bullshit, but a made or unmade bed makes a big difference when it comes to perceiving how the house is. Seeing that you have a freshly made bed makes the room seem less cluttered and makes you feel good, especially when you arrive tired from work and go into the bedroom to go to bed. So the first point of your new cleaning method should be to make your bed every day before you leave the house. Stretching and fitting the sheets or duvet will take less than five minutes; It is a very profitable investment.
Do the Dishes After Every Meal
There is nothing more devastating and that causes a greater sense of disorder and dirt in the house than entering the kitchen and seeing the sink full of dirty pans, plates, and saucepans, with food remains. If sooner or later you are going to have to wash them, do it after each meal, and do not let them pile up or wait until you need something from the dishes to start cleaning them.
This is also applicable to dinner. Clearing the table, clearing the counter, putting on the dishwasher, or washing dishes and pots before going to sleep will allow you to start the next day on the right foot. At first, it can be lazy, but you will appreciate it every morning when you go in to prepare breakfast in a tidy kitchen.
And the same in the morning. Don’t go out the kitchen door until you put it in order. You will appreciate the difference when you return when you come back saturated with work and you don’t have to clean up or do the washing up to prepare dinner.
Also remember that the fewer appliances and utensils you accumulate on the countertop, the easier and faster it will be to clean it. Another useful trick to keep the kitchen clean and tidy with less effort is to place a rug in front of the burners: it will collect the splashes that are produced when cooking and thus keep the rest of the floor cleaner.
Keep the Fridge Clean
A black point when it comes to keeping the house clean and in order is the refrigerator. We open it a thousand times a day and, if it’s dirty, it makes us more and more nervous. The first thing is to throw out everything that smells bad or has expired and wipe the shelves and drawers. Then it is about organizing the food, leaving the ones we use the closest at hand, and trying to always maintain that order.
In addition, to prevent food or liquid residues from accumulating in the drawers, you can put a piece of paper underneath. Thus, every time it is dirty, it is changed and that’s it, without having to clean the entire drawer again.
Dry the Bathroom After the Shower
Drops and traces of lime on the mirror, the screen, or the taps immediately make the bathroom look dirty. If you leave a microfiber cloth and a squeegee handy and pass them through windows and taps after showering or using the sink, limescale drops will not accumulate and the bathroom will stay “clean” for longer. Also, the day you have to really clean it, it will be easier to do it.
Ventilate
A fundamental aspect when it comes to cleaning the house (and making it “smell clean”) is to ventilate it regularly. In the bedroom, you can do it daily while you make the bed. And the rest of the stays, while you shower, clean up, have breakfast, or clean. Ten minutes are enough to renew the air in a room and the house always smells clean.
Top to Bottom
Another trick to speed up and facilitate home cleaning is to do it from top to bottom. That goes both for dusting (that way you won’t have to go over it again) and for ordering shelves or cabinets, or if the house has more than one floor. If you start at the top, it is easier for you to finish cleaning than if you have to go up to the upper rooms when you are already tired of cleaning the lower ones.
You may like to read Six Simple (Effective Tips) Tricks To Cleaning The Kitchen