5 Quick Chores that Keep Your House Clean

 

Cleaning is one of my least favorite things to do. That’s why I try to manage our home cleanliness by doing quick chores that keep things in shape. These help me so much and I hope they help you, too!

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There are lots of quick things you can do to tidy up your home fast, but these are my favorites. Let me know in the comments if you’ve got one you can’t skip on!

1. Fold and put laundry away as soon as it’s done. This one is tough, but it’s one that ALWAYS makes our home feel better. Relative to the space in your house, having a pile of laundry on your sofa is a much bigger mess than having a few toys or books out. Getting it folded and put away will immediately have a positive impact on your home. (Thanks for submitting this tip, HeatherAnne!)

2. Put the dishes away as soon as they’re dry. I never enjoy this one, probably because I home-cook all of our food and do a ton of dishes. Still, once they’re dry, I’ve been making more effort to put them away and be done with the task. It helps me to be ready to cook the next healthy meal and generally makes our home feel better.

3. Wipe the bathroom down daily. If you have multiple bathrooms this can be a daunting task. We only have one in our RV, so it gets pretty messy. I’ve got a homemade cleaner that makes me feel better about getting my kids to help out than if I had harsh chemicals. When we do this daily, our house feels so much cleaner and it’s one of the few chores that gets easier and easier to do than the first time it’s done when there’s likely a week of grime built up. Don’t get into scrubbing down the tub or things like that—save that for Saturdays. Just wipe the toilet, sink, and mirror and you’ll see a big improvement and be able to get it done quickly. If you have multiple bathrooms, get to the one that gets the most traffic and rotate through the others in order to ease your burden.

4. Do a nightly tidy-up. This is one of my favorites because we all jump in and clean for 5 minutes and the house suddenly feels great. I actually sleep better knowing it’s done! This nightly tidy-up means straightening the couch, putting keys/bags where they belong, toys away, dirty clothes head to the hamper, and coats are hung in the closet. Don’t make it complicated—just do those quick, easy things that make the house feel better but don’t require a vacuum.

5. Make the bed each morning. This one is so important! Think about it—your bed is a massive piece of furniture, so if it isn’t made, it feels like a massive mess. Make your bed when you get up and if you have kids, help them get into the habit of doing it, too. Your whole house will probably feel cleaner and it’ll make those beds more relaxing places to read in during the day or climb into at night.

Good luck with keeping your house tidy and remember, it’s all about the experiences, not stuff.

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Four Quick Chores that Keep Your Home Tidy

If you’ve listened to this podcast even somewhat regularly, you’ll know that I hate cleaning. This is especially tedious for me when the mess has built up, so I’ve learned to not let that happen. Even if I can’t get to the bigger daily chores, these are the few things we do almost every single day to ensure our home stays pleasant and manageable.

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1. Deal with mail right away. Not only does this lower our stress because it’s not hanging out where we can see it, nagging at us to take care of it, but having a tidy space also lowers our stress. Recycle flyers and ads, then file mail that needs to be taken care of another day. If you don’t give it a home, its home will be whatever surface is closest to the front door.

2. Put your keys/purse/wallet/backpack away as soon as you enter. It takes so little time, but the tiny bit of extra effort will make your home a more pleasant space.

3. Empty your dish drainer or dishwasher right as soon as soon as your dishes are dry. This always inspires me to cook better foods and makes me a happier person in the kitchen. Plus, it just looks nicer.

4. Do a nightly clean sweep. It’s one of the easiest ways to keep your home clean. Taking 5-10 minutes to pick up all the little stuff that’s quick and easy to put away is pretty simple and a great habit. If you have others living in the home, try to get them to help out! It’s so nice to wake up to a clean home in the morning.

These four things won’t make your home perfect, nor will they necessarily help you to downsize, but they are great at maintaining the hard work you’ve already done. If you’re home right now, I challenge you to quickly do one of these things. If you’re not home, do one of them as soon as you walk in the door.

Remember, it’s all about the experiences, not the stuff.

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