A Clean and Tidy Home

I love a clean and tidy home! and I seriously cannot function when things are messy. My stress levels are high, I can’t relax and I feel annoyed. So over the years, I have managed to develop a routine to keep a clean and tidy home. And this seems to work well for our family.

I have this fantasy that if I do the housework during the week I will have the whole weekend free. Unfortunately, that is just a fantasy because the reality is, that if I want my home to remain clean I think I have to do at least something every day.

That being said I have forced myself to try and limit the amount of housework I do on the weekends so I can enjoy some downtime. I also like my family to enjoy their home and not feel like they can’t make a mess. Thankfully they know that if they do make a mess, they are responsible for cleaning it up.

I will confess that I don’t actually love cleaning, but I don’t mind it either. For me having a clean house is my motivation for cleaning. The sense of accomplishment I feel when my housework is under control is priceless!

8 Simple Tips For A Clean And Tidy Home

1. Keep Everything In Its Place

I really like the saying “A place for everything and everything in its place”. I am a firm believer in this. There is nothing worse than rummaging through drawers trying to find things. I try very hard to make sure everything has a designated spot so that if I or anyone else need something, we know exactly where to look.

Even things like keys, wallets, sunglasses. We have an entry hall table with a small drawer and these items have a home there. When we are headed out for the day we can quickly grab the things we need as we fly out the door.

2. Clean the Bathroom Monday to Friday (Have The Weekend Off)

I used to only clean the bathrooms once a week. We have two bathrooms, the main one, and an ensuite. I found that when I cleaned them once a week I was constantly annoyed at the state of them. I would be in there and see the toothpaste splattered on the mirror, the dust around the sink, the shower looking dull. And it just IRRITATED me!

So I started to give both bathrooms a quick clean every morning before work. Now I certainly don’t do a deep clean every day. Usually, I will leave the deep cleaning for when I think it really needs it which is about once a week.

I use a bathroom and shower cleaner to spray the sink, the bath, and the shower screens. I wipe everything down. Then I disinfect the toilet and toilet bowl. I give the mirror a quick spritz and leave it all shiny. Finally, I will use a microfiber mop and disinfectant to whizz around the floor and it’s done! It probably only takes me between fifteen to twenty minutes to get both of the bathrooms clean.

The great thing about cleaning the bathrooms every weekday is that I get the weekends free from bathroom cleaning. It’s kind of like my weekend reward!

3. Do Laundry Every Day

Every night before I go to bed I put my washing in the machine and set the timer so it starts washing about an hour before I get up in the morning. Then the next morning I will hang this load out to dry and put another load in if I need to.

We have a lot of laundry. There are school uniforms, sports uniforms, work uniforms (My husband is in the Hospitality Industry), and a whole lot of other laundry. You get the picture!

Washing and folding laundry every day means that it never has a chance to pile up. Of course, when it rains, my beautiful routine flies out the window because we don’t have a clothes dryer. But we work it out and stay on top of it.

4. Leave the Kitchen Clean Every Night

We always clean the kitchen straight after dinner. I wipe the countertops and cupboard doors leaving everything shiny. We stack the dishwasher but I won’t run it till just before I go to bed. I love watching something on television and having a cup of tea and a treat once the day is done. I put any cups etc we use after dinner in the dishwasher and then I turn it on as the last chore of the night.

It is just the best feeling when I walk into the kitchen in the morning and everything is all reset for a new day.

5. Vacuum and Mop the Floors Every Second Day

My house is small so this is very doable. I have a Dyson stick I love and can not live without. I will quickly run the Dyson stick on my floorboards and I am constantly amazed at how the dust barrel fills up every single time!! How there can always be so much dust?? Sigh! Then I use my microfiber mop with the built-in spray bottle and give the floors a quick mop. I can usually get this done while dinner is cooking.

6. Tidy the Living Room

Like I’ve mentioned before we like to sit in the lounge room and relax in the evening.  Some days it’s just me as my husband will be at work or sometimes especially on the weekends, it will be all of us enjoying a movie.

Regardless of what night it is. We always make sure to give the living room a quick tidy once we’re done. It takes hardly any effort at all!

7. Change the Sheets Every Week

I just love the feel and smell of clean crisp sheets. So every Friday I change mine and my son will strip his bed on Wednesdays. This routine means our sheets are clean and fresh every week. Bonus!!

8. Make the Bed Every Day

If the bed is made the whole bedroom just looks tidy! Either I will make the bed or my husband will make the bed. The deal is that whoever is last out gets the chore.

A Final Thought

These are just some of the things I do to keep a clean and tidy home. It is a fair amount of work and it does take some effort to stick to a routine. But it is so worth it because it means I get to really enjoy my free time.