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10 Simple Habits to Having an {almost} Always Clean Home

by Marci Ferrell
Cleaning Homemaking Homemaking 101 Series

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Let me share some simple tips that have helped me to always have a home that is tidy - not perfect - but tidy. @mferrell
 
Let me share some simple tips that have helped me to always have a home that is tidy - not perfect - but tidy. @mferrell

 

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.

Related Posts: Podcast EP 16: Simplify Your Housekeeping with a Cleaning Schedule

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. Click to Tweet

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.)

Daily Docket Free PDF Printable @mferrell

 

Related Posts:
Homemaking 101 Series
Cultivating Beauty in Your Home
5 Minute Daily Bathroom Tidy

 

 

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Related posts:

  1. Teaching Our Daughters to Clean a Home
  2. EP 16: Simplify Your Housekeeping with a Cleaning Schedule
  3. EP 29: Where to Begin When You’re Overwhelmed in Caring for Your Home
  4. EP 19: Benefits of Habits in Our Homemaking


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Comments

  1. Teisha says

    at

    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!

  2. Mary says

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    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?

    • Marci Ferrell says

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      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

  3. Gabrielle says

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    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.

    • Gabrielle says

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      Oops! I meant to say *tidying* it up! – not riding.

  4. The Mama Behind the Story says

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    What great tips for busy moms!! Thanks for sharing them, Marci. 🙂

  5. Jacqueline says

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    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!

  6. Gina says

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    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 🙂

    • Marci Ferrell says

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      I think that clutter gets us all Gina. So good to keep encouraging one another to press on 🙂

  7. ~JoAnn~ says

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    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

    • Marci Ferrell says

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      Thank you so much JoAnn

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Marci Ferrell
It is better to get wisdom than gold. Gold is anot It is better to get wisdom than gold. Gold is another’s, wisdom is our own; gold is for the body and time, wisdom for the soul and eternity.⁣
~ Matthew Henry⁣
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Read Seeking Whatever is Good at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
Whether you're running errands, doing household ch Whether you're running errands, doing household chores, or sipping your coffee, you can do it in style, reminding yourself and others you are a Thankful Homemaker 🥰⁣
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Shop TH Gear at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
What do you think of when you hear the word discer What do you think of when you hear the word discernment? The dictionary defines it as making a distinction between good and evil and truth and falsehood. As believers, we all desire to be discerning and wise in our choices. As we mature and grow in our knowledge of the scriptures, the hope is we will use that information to make choices in line with God's will.⁣
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We become discerning people by not just knowing what to think but how to think. Being spiritually discerning is an ability to see the world the way God does. This comes about as we grow and mature spiritually into the likeness of Christ. It is about seeing “All That's Good.”⁣
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Read Seeking Whatever is Good at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
“Waiting exposes our idols and throws a wrench i “Waiting exposes our idols and throws a wrench into our coping mechanisms. It brings us to the end of what we can control and forces us to cry out to God. God doesn’t waste our waiting. He uses it to conform us to the image of his Son.”⁣
~ Betsy Childs Howard⁣
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Listen in to EP 23: Seasons of Waiting at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
As I’m sharing this episode, I’m finding mysel As I’m sharing this episode, I’m finding myself in a waiting room on the Lord, and it’s been a long one, and I don’t see an end near.  It has reminded me that when I gave myself to Him, I gave up my “right” to be in charge. The reality is we never were in charge anyway; we just came to that understanding when the Lord opened our eyes to His sovereign control over our lives.⁣
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Even though it is a truth I know or we know, how many times do we want to think that somehow we can effect change in our life situations?⁣
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Waiting is hard because there is no guarantee that my waiting will end in this lifetime. One thing I have learned – my waiting has deepened my trust in the Lord and has helped me to develop patience, perseverance, and endurance.⁣
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It’s also given me different eyes to see with compassion others who are in a season of waiting.⁣
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Listen in to EP 23 Seasons of Waiting at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
Six questions I have written in my Bible that have Six questions I have written in my Bible that have been a help to me over the years may be a help to you, too, to be prayerful and slow to speak. These are helpful questions not just in our friendships but in our marriages and with our children, and truly any of our relationships:⁣
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1. Is this the time to say this?⁣
2. Am I the person to say this?⁣
3. Is it necessary?⁣
4. Is it true?⁣
5. Is it kind?⁣
6. Do I need to say this?⁣
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Listen in to EP 140: Threats to Biblical Friendship at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
We all know that fostering true biblical friendshi We all know that fostering true biblical friendship isn’t easy – it takes work. Jesus told us in John 16:33 that we’re going to have trouble in this world, and trouble does touch all our lives in various areas, but this includes our friendships too.⁣
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We’ll be hurt; we’ll be the ones hurting others; selfishness is a battle; jealousy and envy raise their ugly heads; we have our fears and insecurities, failed expectations, the damage our tongues do to one another, not appropriating the gospel and these all come from hearts that are still battling sin. ⁣
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So when these threats to our friendship with one another in Christ come up, it shouldn’t surprise us that we have these issues, but what we need to keep at the forefront of our minds is how we respond and deal with them when they do come up. ⁣
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I want to walk us through some of these threats, and this list I’m working with isn’t exhaustive – there are many more threats than what I am addressing today – but these are areas that stood out to me that have been a battle within some of my friendships over the years. Sadly, it is often the sin I’m battling in my heart, and I need to get my thinking, attitudes, and actions lined up with God’s Word.⁣
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May we be women who are willing to return to the a May we be women who are willing to return to the authority of God’s Word, embrace God’s priorities for our lives and homes, and live out the beauty and wonder of womanhood as God created it to be.⁣
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Women will never find fulfillment and satisfaction Women will never find fulfillment and satisfaction by trying to be "like" men and shedding their uniqueness as a female.  They will only find satisfaction in Christ.⁣
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