I have a confession to make. I used to be a harried housecleaner – meaning I had major messes to clean up before anyone would come over and I would dread the thought of an unexpected visitor. Having children and realizing I don’t get any more hours in my day made me re-think and change some of my daily habits and routines.
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Let me share some simple tips that have helped me always to have a home that is tidy – not perfect – but tidy.
Sharing some simple tips that have helped me always to have a home that is tidy - not perfect - but tidy.1. Start your morning off with some specific tasks to get your day moving in a forward direction. Examples are getting a load of laundry started, empty the dishwasher, make the bed, etc.
2. Always try to make your bed daily – it takes up 80% of the room and instantly makes the room feel tidy.
3. Keep up with the dishes after every meal. Try to go to bed without dishes in the sink (not fun to wake up to a sink full of dirty dishes). It takes 15 minutes at most to clean up after a meal if you work together as a family. With an automatic dishwasher, it is probably even less.
4. An obvious one but usually neglected is put things away where they belong when you’re done using them. Teach your children this skill when they are young too.
5. Never let clothes pile up. Put laundry away before the end of the day and put your clothes away at the end of the day. No piles of clothes in the bedroom.
6. Take the time to figure out a home filing system, so paperwork doesn’t clutter your counters. You will have more peace of mind if you’re not forgetting to pay bills or continually losing important papers.
7. Have a spot at your back door where family members can quickly remove shoes and coats with a place to put everything. Teach your children to use it too :).
8. Clean up as you go along through your day. Spot on the counter, wipe it. Spill, clean it up. Crumbs on the floor, sweep them up. It is much easier to do it as you go along instead of waiting until these messes become overwhelming and then you don’t know where to begin. (If you’re there now see – Where to Begin When You’re Overwhelmed).
9. Continually declutter as you are tidying areas. Periodically clean out drawers, cupboards, closets and get rid of unused items. When there is a place for everything, it is easier to clean up and put things away. Remember, you cannot organize clutter.
10. Have some cleaning system in place. I do dust and vacuum weekly, and the kitchen seems to get a daily vacuum. It takes minutes and keeps dust and dirt at a minimum.
And a bonus tip – this one’s a favorite: Before you leave a room take two minutes to tidy it up. (Fluff pillows, fold blankets, pick up books, toys, put games back, straighten tops of coffee tables, etc.)
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First time mother to a beautiful 6 month old boy. I have the worst self-talk and experience terrible guilt and shame about my house keeping and overall taking care of everything including myself. My baby is happy and well cared for, but nothing else is. I loved your intro page so I’m exploring your articles before I go to sleep. I’ve never been a very tidy person, but it’s never mattered to me like it does now. I am responsible for the quality of life my baby and his father experience in our home. It’s a blessing not a burden but I struggle to get on top of it. Thank goodness people like you, and “Fly Lady” have been there done that and offer your guidance. Thank you!
Nice article. My problem is that I do all those things but my family, especially H, doesn’t do any of the tidying or cleaning. So I will tidy/clean a room only to have them mess it up within minutes. It’s a never ending cycle. I have not found anything on how to deal with it. Can you help?
Mary, it is challenging if you’re the family isn’t onboard. My hope is you can work to get your kiddos to tidy up after themselves even if it’s just before bed together as a family and maybe it will catch on with your hubby ;). My daughter has littles and they work hard to make sure they clean up an activity before moving on to the next. It doesn’t guarantee that your hubby will change and there are just things, with the Lord’s help that you can let go and overlook. Relationships are always first over a clean and tidy home. These are just some quick thoughts, let me know our thoughts too xo
Very nice list! It is what we try to do here at home also.
The son of some friends of ours told us one time that his mother never left a room without riding it up and making sure it was clean. That gave me great motivation at the time and I’ve been striving to do the same ever since.
Oops! I meant to say *tidying* it up! – not riding.
What great tips for busy moms!! Thanks for sharing them, Marci. 🙂
Wow! This describes me to a tee, Marci…I’ve been accused of being ‘too clean’, but it makes for less work all round! Sharing this b/c I couldn’t write it any better 😀
Blessings!
Thank you for your encouragement. I do well at making my bed every morning, as I usually use it to fold my laundry. The clutter is my downfall…my ambition to go through it is lacking. Yet, it sits there waiting. I must take the initiative! Lord bless you 🙂
I think that clutter gets us all Gina. So good to keep encouraging one another to press on 🙂
Wonderful post. I have been failing miserably the past few months at homekeeping. Your post has been uplifting and encouraging thanks for it. Blessings joann
Thank you so much JoAnn