Messes are going to happen! If you want to entertain and/or have a family it’s just a fact of life. What we see on social media is just a glimpse of reality.
You aren’t alone and today I’m going to share my ‘mess’ with you!
Today I’m sharing five easy clean up tips for your home that I use all the time!
Messes and accumulating clutter is something happens to all of us. I try to keep a lid on it (ha) but sometimes it just overflows and that’s when the house looks messy or full of clutter. I don’t know about you but when things are all over the place and there is too much clutter it gets me a little stressed!
Today let’s talk about how to be effective and efficient with clean up. Following are five easy clean up tips that you can use in your home that will help make your life easier as well has making you feel a bit more in control.
I’m not going to overwhelm you by talking about doing a deep clean or organizing the entire house. Today we are going to talk about:
- how to efficiently reduce clutter that accumulates on counters, corners, and floors
- throwing a trash and items that are no longer needed or used
- how to easily store items
- how to do a quick clean
What are the most common areas in your home that accumulate clutter?
Okay before we start, I’m sharing a couple before and after pictures. Yikes! This is my small desk area off the kitchen. It’s a landing spot for everyone’s stuff. There’s doggy treats, face covers, mail, used napkins, mittens, beanies, jackets, and the list goes on.
Before we dive in let’s start out by saying STAY CALM.
If you’re like me and spin around in circles when there’s a long to-do list, I just want to say IT’S OKAY. Keep calm and carry on. Make a short list, with maybe two or three items that you’d like to accomplish. If it doesn’t get done, don’t worry about it! I promise .. nothing is going anywhere;)
That said, don’t delay! Small messes can turn in to big messes quickly!
- Counter tops
When you walk in the door the first place you stop is where? For us it’s my small ‘desk’ area near the kitchen. My purse goes on the chair and there is a catch-all leather tray that my husband used for is keys and ancillary items. This space is for my computers, my purse, aromatherapy diffuser, and that’s it.
What actually ends up here? Doggie treats, jackets, used napkins, face covers, to-do lists, mail, etc.. There’s no way to stop clutter from accumulating, it’s going to happen, so what to do? Get in the habit of clearing the space every day or so. I do a light clean up daily and a more extensive clean up weekly to help handle the messes.
2. Corners
It’s easy for larger items to land in corners instead of being put in their proper space. Shoes are generally supposed to be outside but sometimes they end up inside.
Another area that’s difficult for us is the exit to our backyard. We unattractive black pads on the floor to protect it from our dogs coming in and out. There are always towels near to dry wet paws and try as I might, they always end up everywhere, especially in the wintertime when we are getting lots of wet/cold weather.
3. Take out the trash!
Sounds so simple but trash accumulates and let’s face it, no one really wants to take the trash out right? Every week when I do a deeper cleanup in the house (bathrooms etc..) I empty the trash in the bathrooms. Some of you might be thinking that once a week isn’t enough. If you are so inclined to get that done more than once a week, yay!
Start with the general garbage and then toss or donate things (clothes included) that are just sitting around and not being used. Doing a mini-purge every now and then will make it easier when you are moving down the road or just doing a major clean up at home.
4. Do a mini-clean every day or so
A mini-clean is just a quickie. You don’t to do the entire house, just a high traffic area or bathroom. I order Method anti bacterial spray for my bathrooms and it’s non-toxic and eco friendly so I can spray and wipe quickly (no sponge or scrubber needed) and without putting gloves. It smells so good and the sink and counters sparkle afterwards.
Vacuum when you can. I try to do the main living areas every couple of days to help. Lots of dirt accumulates near the doors and main living area (dogs and lots of traffic there). Another area to focus on is bathrooms. The floors get messy there too! I’m on my second Miele vacuum. They last a long time and have a hepa filter to not only clean up debris but also filter the air (important if you have dogs, cats, or are allergy prone).
5. Have easily accessible storage. I use baskets to store dog towels and toys. Baskets always make a room feel cozy and it’s a quick and easy way to stash stuff quickly.
Favorite baskets: These dolly baskets are my favorite and I have two in my bathroom and use them for storage.
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