I LOVE a clean house. But that’s not always doable. I mean, spring only comes once a year, right?
But a tidy house? I’ve found just following a few easy habits every day means I always have a tidy house.
And that’s better than nothing.
So let’s leave “clean” off the table for this discussion. I’ll just share some daily tips for a tidy house. And I’d like to know if you employ any of these or have other ideas for the rest of us.
Wake Up & Get Dressed
Hmmm, that’s a tip for a tidy house? Yes. I get up and put on my exercise clothes. That serves two purposes:
- I’ll get my exercise in
- I’m more likely to start in on chores and not bring my cup o’ joe back to bed
Which leads me right to making the bed.
Full disclosure: hub usually makes the bed. Because I’m usually up and at it before he’s awake.
But we never leave our room for the day without making the bed. Just my opinion, of course, but a made bed makes the whole house seem more inviting.
In just 30 seconds, I also completely clear off my nightstand from the nightly detritus and that leaves the whole room tidy.
Pet Chores
Any of you who have even the smallest of pets knows there are chores around pets and they need to be tended to first thing in the morning.
Or you might hear a lot of complaining.
I do a deep clean on food dishes and water fountains once or twice a week. Daily I make sure their mat (which I still like and bought here) is tidy.
Cat boxes are scooped out twice a day and I vacuum up litter off the floor once a day.
My daily cat chores probably take about 15 minutes. Weekly chores take a bit longer.
Handle Everything Once
A terrible habit I’ve been working on breaking, but when something needs to be put away, I place it in a temporary spot and then later have to pick it up and put it where it actually belongs.
My “handle everything once” rule means I immediately put my purse on the shelf in the closet where it lives. Instead of first on the bar counter and then on the bed bench and then finally into the closet.
Employing this tip has really cut down on the time I spend tidying up after myself.
Do the Dishes
After every meal or snack, do the dishes. I know. Pain in the neck.
But with most open floor plans, dishes all over the kitchen means the mess is visible from most of the house.
Taking a few minutes to clear the counters and load the dishwasher after every meal goes a long way towards tidy.
This may actually be my least favorite thing to do. Okay, after scooping the cat boxes.
Well, maybe I really don’t like tidying up much at all. But I do love the final result.
Put the House to Bed
Before I shuffle off to brush my teeth and wash my face, I put the house to bed. In the darker months, I turn on my candle warmer and do a final run though in the kitchen.
Dried dishes are stowed and my bedtime ice water is prepped.
Any books and devices and cups I’ve left in the family room or elsewhere get corralled up and put home.
Throw blankets (yep, I use them even in the summer because AC freezes me!) are folded and throw pillows are fluffed so the living room looks put together.
It’s so nice to wake up in the morning to a tidy house and start the day fresh.
Wrap Up
Are you a neatnik? The older I get the more I need order and fewer things. I guess that’s a natural progression for me.
I’m still continuing with some of my mini-organizing projects. If the weather ever cools down enough to start in the garage, I’ll be tackling that soon too.
Happy Labor Day weekend and we’ll see you next week.