A clean home has both mental and physical benefits. A study by Indiana University revealed that people with clean homes tend to exercise more and experienced less stress. Apparently, a cluttered home environment keeps the mind churning with a constant to-do list.
But for some people, keeping a clean home is a constant battle. One day it feels won and then a day later, lost again.
Yet, there are many techniques you can start using today to get your house in shape and keep it there.
In the following article, we’ll look at a few of these methods that will help you stay organized and cut down on clutter and grime.
Deal with Your Mail Everyday
Mail is almost a metaphor for the fight to keep up on house cleaning. You need to deal with it every day, and if you put this little job aside, it mounts up quickly.
Get your mail, open your mail, and file or trash your mail — every day! Two things make this process quicker. Have a dedicated place to put your bills. When you’ve paid them, trash them. You can get a shredder, but for the most part, just ripping your bills or junk mail is sufficient.
Also, don’t give yourself too much credit. If you never go back and take up the magazine subscription or buy anything from that catalog, trash it. You can usually find the same items online if you change your mind.
Clean Home, Clean Dishes
Do your dishes as soon as you cook. Don’t wait. There’s nothing more embarrassing than someone stopping by and having a sink full of dirty dishes. Besides, it’s ugly and bad for your sense of accomplishment.
Also, don’t skimp out. Take the time to wipe down and disinfect the countertops with a scented product you enjoy. The smell alone will amplify your sense of accomplishment and deep cleaning.
The last step? Sweep up. Unless you have an Amazrock robot vacuum, take the time to do a once over with the broom or vacuum. It will be the icing on the cleaning cake.
Make Your Bed
Besides starting your day off right (and ending it), making your bed helps keep your entire bedroom tidy. Also, it sets a good example for your children and helps ensure that they adopt some of the good habits you are trying to maintain.
Organize, Organize, Organize
There are a lot of books on organizing and even whole streaming TV series on how to organize. But the basic tenet is to keep trying until you get it right. It’s not easy to find systems that actually work for you, but stay positive.
Just because you came up with a system to keep your leftover containers organized only to find them dominating your cabinets again doesn’t mean that your intention was wrong. It just means you need to keep adjusting your organizing methods until you get it right.
In the end, an organized house is a clean home.
Clean Up!
Change is hard. Some people who have a clean house grew up with these cleaning tendencies. But keeping a clean home isn’t a genetic trait; it’s a learned behavior. Keep at it, and you’ll find by taking some simple steps (and not giving yourself a day off!) that you’ll have a consistently clean home in no time.
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