This story was originally written by C.M Tenhundfeld for Simplemost.com
Everyone wants a clean house, but that can be hard to achieve when you’ve got small children, pets or a messy spouse. For the longest time, I dreaded the weekly clean-up because I was overwhelmed by the mess. However, I’ve found by doing things in small steps, it helped keep our house in better shape.
Specifically, I’ve learned from these nine things that people with clean homes don’t do. Read on to learn how you can make your house cleaner without much more effort.
1. They Don’t Decorate Every Little Nook
When you have to clean and dust around every little decorative knick-knack, you’ll be less likely to do so. Keep your decorations to a minimum and there will be less dust. Plus, you’ll cut down on clutter which can help keep your stress level to a minimum, too.
2. They Don’t Save Cleaning Until The Next Day
People with tidy homes always straighten up a bit before bed. Whether it’s folding the blanket or putting away dishes that have air-dried, when you procrastinate on cleaning, it only adds to a bigger mess.
It can feel like a huge chore to tidy up each night, so before you sink into the couch for some Netflix time, do yourself a favor and clean up first. Put your dishes from dinner in the dishwasher and run it. Sweep the kitchen floor for crumbs. Fold the blanket on the couch. You’ll thank yourself in the morning!
3. They Don’t Save Papers
If you’ve read the magazine, pitch it. If the mail is junk, shred it. Clean homeowners don’t hold onto papers that aren’t of value to them. Those that are valuable are neatly scanned to a PDF on the computer or filed away in a drawer.
4. They Don’t Leave Things Sit For Too Long
Sure, life happens, but tidy people don’t let something sit out for more than a few days. My recommendation? Store a basket near the stairs for things that need to get put away. Every time it gets full, haul it up (or down) the stairs and put the contents in their proper place.
5. They Don’t Have Too Many Pillows
Yes, they’re pretty, and yes they provide fun pops of color. But if they’re always falling on the floor or hanging in the corner or your bedroom because it’s too much work to put all 27 of them on your bed, it’s time to simplify.
Stash some of your throw pillows away, then bring them out when the room needs a refresh. It’ll feel like shopping in your own personal stash of home decor!
