(photo from apartmenttherapy.com)
Imagine yourself coming home late at night—you’re dead tired from your work, but you see your family all safe and sound on their beds. You relaxed a bit, knowing that finally, you’re home, and finally, you can call it a day after long hours of working in and out of the office. However, you noticed something that caught your attention. It makes you feel anxious. It makes you quite irritated. You caught the sight of the sink and it’s full of dirty dishes. You saw the laundry area, and you immediately wondered the last time you made laundry. You checked the kids’ bedroom, and you stumbled upon that piece of clothing and toys scattered on the floor. Everywhere you look, there are stuff that’s not supposed to be there. You just can’t help but sigh to the unlikely sight of your home. You want to pick up those pieces and start cleaning, but you wondered how and what to start.
In order to avoid these scenarios, you might as well want to put things in order before you leave your home for work and some errands. You might think that you cannot do it, given the circumstances of your busy work loads. You also find your weekends fully packed of family outings and friendly reunions. Now, when will you really start? The first thing that you have to keep in mind is to know how to balance you work and life schedule during weekdays and weekends. Despite of your busy schedules, you have to find time in cleaning those dishes in the sink and doing your laundry at least once a week. Now, you have to set a particular and define schedule on when to do a certain task. You have to allot at least 20 minutes a day- every day- to do some home errands, like cleaning the dishes, cooking meals for the family, and even folding those ironed (and not ironed) clothes. If you can manage to do things one at a time, you’ll just be amazed on how many things you can accomplish in a short period of time. It will also be easier for you if you follow a calendar or a timeline, for you to be able to keep track of the things that you need to accomplish. You may also adjust this list of yours should there be a need to do so (if there are a sort of family requirements, etc.).
To help you in sorting your daily house chore needs, here are some of the tips and habits that can use to keep your home clean.
1. Practice a ‘put it away’ habit
When we arrange stuff in our homes, we often find ourselves still keeping the things that are of no use to us and are meant to be put away. These things should not be put down, instead, they should be put away in order to de-clutter the area. The clothes that are filling up the cabinet spaces but will never be used again should be moved away and instead donate or give it to someone who will need and use it. The papers and other paraphernalia under your study table should be removed also in order to create more breathing space in your room. You will be amazed by how much space you have saved by de-cluttering your area and by putting away the things that should not be put down.
2. No to cleaning procrastination
What can be done today should not be done tomorrow. We often hear those words in a classroom or work environment, but needless to say, those words are also applicable in doing our house chores. Why wait for few more days if you can clean your kitchen sink today? Why not do your laundry on your free weekend this month instead of doing it next month? We should make it a habit of cleaning anything that needs immediate attention. By doing so, you can be assured that you can keep your house cleaner for a long time and this will also avoid the long hours of general cleaning.
3. Clean as you go
Take a tour around your house and see the things that you can pick up in order to lessen the mess that you see. When going upstairs, check the cupboard for some things that you can throw right away. Pick up those clothes and put them in the laundry bag. Arrange the books and papers piled up on the bed and put them accordingly on the shelves. After watching the television in the living room, pick up and straighten those throw pillows and toys. Make it a habit also of washing the dishes after every meal. When you see finger smudges on the door trim or food splatters on kitchen cabinets and floors, make sure to clean it by damping a micro-fiber cloth that’s been lightly sprayed with an all-purpose cleaner. This simple and easy cleaning can contribute much in keeping your home mess-free.
4. Designate an entry area
One way to make sure that you’ve been doing well in your housekeeping duties is by seeing your things packed and arranged in an organized manner and in specific entry areas. Your personal things like shoes, clothes, bags, books, among others should be well-kept in certain areas inside your room—shoes in the shoe racks, clothes, ties, pants, coats and others hanged in your closet and folded neatly on your cabinet, bags and make-ups in your dresser. Whereas kitchen stuff should be kept in cabinets in your kitchen and personal care should be in the bathroom. You should organize things inside your house in order to avoid confusion when searching for the things that you needed in the moment. Also, organized things are good to the eye sight.
Organize your things to save space and to keep them in good condition. (photo not owned)
5. Create a schedule
Tasks like cleaning bathrooms, changing sheets and curtains, clearing out cobwebs, vacuuming the carpet and other heavy home duties should be scheduled. Mark your calendar for these duties and make sure to follow and stick to your schedule to avoid time constraints. Also, designate a family member in doing those tasks. Assign someone to clean the bathroom, while the other one is changing sheets and curtains. Simple chores like cleaning the bedroom can be assigned to the youngest member of the family. Everyone lives under one roof, so it’s everybody’s task to keep the house clean.
Make a schedule on your daily and weekly house chores (photo not owned)
6. De-clutter your life and your home
The above habits will not be put into good use if you don’t keep in mind that the best way to organize your life and your home is by de-cluttering your life, removing all the things that are of no use to you and your family. These things can only add up to that little space in your room, wherein you can just use that space as your reading nook. Keeping a pile of three years’ worth of newspapers and magazines are no good; you can just give it to the junkshop. Add more personal space in your room by fixing your things and putting away all the stuff that you don’t need. Make your kitchen and dining room more appetizing by removing the tough stains on the sink and counter tops. Create a friendlier atmosphere in your living room by using color coordination, and removing the excess furniture that only blocks space. Remember, less is more. Practice all these habits and you’ll have always have a wonderful home.
Create some breathing space in your living room. (photo not owned)
Truly, it’s more fun staying at home 🙂
Keep your kitchen stain-free and inviting to every family members and visitors
A family that cleans and enjoys together, stays together 🙂
(Reference: Kathryn Weber, Bellaonline Cleaning Editor)
Disclaimer: Photos are ours, unless stated otherwise.
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