Tips for a Clean Home

Let me start this off by saying that I'm not a naturally organized person. Just ask my mother. Or my roommates in college. I really, really have to work at it. Since I am now a full-fledged adult, I've learned some tricks along the way to cut the clutter and capitalize on cleanliness. Cheesy alliteration aside, this list may be helpful if you need some assistance in home organization, or maybe you just want to freshen up your routine. Let my trial-and-error experience (and lots of observation of people with clean houses) lead you to a spotless home, mostly.

Tips for an organized home:

1. Make your bed as soon as you leave it. Not only does it make your room instantly look neater, but it sets the tone for the day. If you start off accomplishing things, the day will follow. Plus, it takes away the temptation to curl back up in bed for a "few more minutes".
2. Throw in a load of laundry before you leave for work. Think of it as a morning chore, like brushing your teeth or having that cup of coffee or three. If you do this every morning, laundry in the washer day 1, laundry in the dryer day 2, fold and put away day 3, you will create a cycle that means no daunting piles at the end of the week. If you have a bunch of kids, you may want to add in an after work laundry switcheroo to your rotation.
3. Do the dishes as you make them. If you have a dishwasher, load as you go. Run before you go to sleep. Empty in the morning.
4. Never leave a room empty-handed. Notice something out of place? Take it with you on your next trip to/through for any reason. Take the laundry basked down the stairs when you go to grab your coffee. Bring the toilet paper from your grocery trip up the stairs when you have to grab a sweater. It never feels like a chore when you work as you go.
5. On that same vein, when you get something out, put it away when you are done with it. My mother tried and tried to teach me this as a child, and it took me until recently to get it. You take a book off the shelf to read, you put the book back on the shelf when it's time to do the next item on your list, this time with a bookmark. This also applies to cleaning. If you spill glitter everywhere while crafting, you clean it up immediately. You see dog hair, you break out the vacuum. You get the idea.
6. Wipe down kitchen counters and tables, and do a cursory floor sweep/swiffer every night before bed or after dinner, whenever makes sense for you. 
7. Take out the trash when it is full. Or smells. Or you just get the inkling to do so (did you know inkling was spelled that way?). Just do it. I don't care if it is snowy. Yes, that is how I talk to myself. Originally, I was going to say, take out the trash every day. If you have kids, you probably should. I don't make enough garbage to justify an every day takeout, and it would really add to my garbage bag budget. So create a system that works for you.
8. Either designate a day each week to thorough cleaning, or follow a monthly cleaning chart. My mom cleans Saturday mornings and enlists the kids as helpers. I know there are many cleaning charts out there, but here is the one I made for myself that works for me. There's no right way to do it, just do whatever works best for you. If you are doing the one day a week cleaning option, just be sure to include all items listed from Monday to Saturday of that week.

 Click here for a full size printable version.

Don't beat yourself up if you miss a day. Just pick up where you left off and try to fill in the gaps later in the week. We all have days when we are super busy. Make sure to relax one day a week! This helps me, and I hope it can help you, too.

 Happy Cleaning!