6 clean home habits

Maybe it’s your neighbour, your sister, brother, partner or a family friend - we all know that one family, person or couple that just seem to always have a perfectly clean home. What’s their secret? Have they trained their children to clean dishes and do laundry, or hired help, or do perhaps they spend hours every day cleaning and scrubbing? While some people do get a bit of help from a professional cleaner, most of these seemingly effortlessly clean people just have tidy habits. The good news is, with a little practise, you can adopt these habits as your own – and soon you will be the one with a clean home making your family and friends envious!  

First things first

Making the bed first thing when you wake up can set the tone for the entire day. And plus, it makes your entire bedroom seem more put together, even if it’s slightly chaotic. Seeing this instant result from an easy task can even motivate you to tidy the rest of the house, or at the very least, avoid making any additional mess. This task can also serve a symbolic purpose of starting afresh each morning.    

Clean as you go

This habit is especially handy in the kitchen, as there is nothing worse than dragging yourself back to a trashed kitchen after enjoying a lovely home cooked meal. It is also a good idea to implement this in your bedroom as you get dressed every morning. Trust me, it’s much easier to decide what to wear today if yesterday’s rejected outfits aren’t piled up on the floor. As you finish using things, put them back in their place – of course, this is a lot easier if most objects in your home actually have a place. Clear out clutter that doesn’t have a spot, or arrange a storage solution for these items to get them out of the way  

Keep on top of the laundry

Another clean home habit to adopt is regularly throwing your clothes in the washer to avoid a landslide of washing that needs to be done in one day. It’s less stressful to run two or three loads throughout the week rather than spending an entire day of your weekend putting through load after load. If finding the dirty clothes in the first place is the issue, putting a laundry basket or bag in each bedroom and the bathroom makes collecting everyone’s dirty clothes a much easier task – sure beats sifting through a pile of clothes trying to figure out what’s clean and what’s dirty! And I don’t think I need to tell you to actually put dirty clothes in the laundry basket straight after you’ve removed them.    

Attend to the kitchen

Much like the laundry, dirty dishes, pots and pans tend to stack up quite quickly – particularly if you have a large family. And if you love cooking creative meals from scratch, you are in even more trouble! If you have a dishwasher, rinse and stack plates in it immediately after eating, and run it each night or every second day, making it a habit to empty it first thing when you wake up (after you’ve made your bed of course!). If you don’t have a dishwasher, then you might have to get the family on board with pulling their weight when it comes to washing dishes – there’s no need for one family member to feel like they are the only one washing up. Use a schedule and take turns, or ask everyone to clean up after themselves.  

Dust and vacuum regularly

Making vacuuming and dusting a regular habit is particularly beneficial for anyone who suffers from allergies or asthma, as it reduces the build up of allergens in the carpets and on surfaces. It also makes your home appear much neater overall, and much more pleasant for you, your family, friends and housemates to spend time in. No need to get OCD clean about this – a weekly vacuum and dust should be sufficient, and just a quick once over is all you need if you are doing it regularly.    

Prepare for the following day

I know it seems a bit primary school, but your mother was right – preparing yourself for the next day right before going to sleep is the key to a smoother morning routine. Laying out your clothes for the next day, perhaps even packing a lunch, filling a water bottle and making sure you know the whereabouts of your keys and wallet are just some things you can do the night before. Putting away any items that are floating around the house can also help you feel in control of the day just gone, and ready to tackle the next one. To save even more time, prepare some overnight oats, or pull the toaster out for a speedy breakfast without having to think about it.