10 Ways to Keep Your House Clean and Tidy

Don’t you wish your house would just stay clean and tidy?

How many of you are raising your hands right now? However, some days…OK most days…that feels like an impossible task or just some fantasy. It doesn’t have to be though. I’m not saying that your house is going to be spotless 24/7, because that’s just not realistic. That being said, your house doesn’t have to be a “complete disaster” all the time either.

As let’s face it, when push comes to shove, no one actually enjoys cleaning. You do it because you have to or you just want to live in a clean house, because who doesn’t. One main thing to keep in mind is that you need to learn to be OK with “good enough” sometimes. It may not be as clean as you want it to be, but it’s “clean enough” for the time being. For some of you, myself included, this may be hard to accept at first. But I realized that I couldn’t keep up with all the cleaning myself, nor could I expect my fiancé and his kids to have the same “cleaning standards” as myself. I’m not saying that my house has trash piles everywhere or anything like that. It’s just things like sometimes the dishes don’t always get done that day or the kids’ rooms are only “cleaned” once a week, if that, and that’s OK. Do I wish that stuff was done more often, of course, but does it have to be, no.

Sometimes I think we create images in our minds of what our houses “should” look like on a daily basis. Most of the time we are just setting unrealistic standards for ourselves. Especially when we have company over, it’s like we don’t want people to know that we actually “live” in our house. I’m guilty of thinking and feeling that way too. It is good to tidy up when you have people coming over. Just saying sometimes I think we take it too far, for instance no one coming over is going to be looking at the state of your baseboards. If they do, don’t invite them over anymore…just kidding. You just need to find a balance.

With that being said, let us get to the first point.

1. Create and stick to a cleaning schedule.

This includes others in your family too. I know this is easier said than done. If you’ve read my previous post, “How to Organize Your Life When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed,” then you would know that a cleaning schedule doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective. You likely already have some sort of cleaning schedule already and just don’t realize it. Is there a certain day that you typically do laundry on? Do you have a designated person to do dishes after dinner or empty the dishwasher when it’s finished? Also, don’t be afraid to delegate! I’m definitely guilty of this. I constantly find myself saying, “it’ll go faster if I just do it,” or “they’re not going to clean it well, so I better just do it myself.” It may not look perfect when someone else cleans it but it’ll be CLEAN and that’s all that really matters.

2. Use Labels.

By using labels on bins, drawers, etc. other people in your household know where to put things and where to find them. When people know where to put items when they are done, they’re more likely to put them away after. If items don’t have designated spaces then they’re not going to put them back, because that item can “belong” anywhere. I’m one of those crazy people who love labeling! Although, I probably label too much. My fiancé jokes with me because our eggs are stored in a clear acrylic container with a label, and says, “Thank god you labeled the eggs otherwise I would have never known that those were eggs.” I use my Cricut machines to label everything. I have the Cricut Joy and Cricut Explore Air 2, but you don’t need an expensive label makers like those. A Dymo label maker (or any brand really) will work perfectly well to label what you need. You can even purchase labels off of Amazon or Etsy.

3. Use Dividers.

This goes along with using labels. If you have a drawer that holds multiple different things, get some drawer organizers or dividers to keep things separated. This will immediately make your items look more organized and make it easier to find what you need when you need it. You can find inexpensive drawer dividers/organizers at places like Dollar Tree, Target, Amazon, IKEA, Home Goods, etc.

4. Contain the Clutter.

Use bins to keep “like items” together, such as all toy cars in one bin and all dolls in another, etc. Also, if you know that the contents of the bin are not going to be “pretty” looking be sure to use an opaque bin so no one can see the “chaos” inside. Another way to use bins is to put spices in them. This allows you to just pull out the bin(s) instead of having to sift through the cabinet or pantry and risk knocking things over just to find a spice you need.

5. Declutter Regularly.

Having a specific day every month or quarter is a good way to keep you on track of decluttering, but as long as you just through through your items once a quarter you’ll be able to keep the clutter at bay. You don’t need to have a giant pile of items every time you do it. Just periodically going through your stuff to get rid of things that are not being used and just taking up space will have a significant impact on the amount of clutter in your home. You can even challenge yourself to find 100 items every time. That might seem like a lot but when you are counting every individual item (even small little knick-knacks) it really isn’t that much.

6. Arrange books in common areas by color.

It might not seem like it would not make that much of a difference, but I feel like having color-coordinated items is much more pleasing to the eye. It feels more organized, even if it is the same items you’ve always had on the shelves. This is just my personal opinion. My fiancé disagrees with me on that one, he has his books in his office arranged alphabetically by author.

7. Keep horizontal surfaces clear.

Or at least as clear as possible. This includes kitchen counters, desks, coffee tables, dining tables, etc. Obviously these areas, especially your kitchen counters will never be completely clear, but as long as you keep them “clear” to a reasonable extent. For example, I always have the cookbook stand, KitchenAid mixer, cookie jar, and coffee machine on my counters, but I’ll have the kids put away the toaster after every time and I’ll put the blender away after I use it, and so on. This means that paper clutter should also not be piling up on the counter or tables either. If this is a frequent occurrence for you then try to set aside some time at least once a week to deal with all the papers that have begun to pile up.

8. Keep cords together and hidden.

This one also might not seem like it would make much of a difference, but trust me after you do it you’ll be surprised by how much better it looks. They even sell inexpensive cord covers, on Amazon, that stick to the wall so you can put the cords into it and can’t see them. Just a heads up on these though, they are NOT renter friendly, and make sure you put them in the correct spot the first time, as they may rip off some of the drywall when you remove them.
Side note, if you have a bin of cords individually wrap each one in a rubber band and put a piece of tape on it and label what it goes to.

9. Focus on Floors.

If you don’t have time to clean anything else before guests come over, at least get the floors clean. There’s nothing worse than going over someone’s house and constantly hearing the crunch of cereal, chips, etc. under your feet. Or having to constantly dodge toys that are scattered around on the floor. Even if there are still some dishes in the sink or piles of paper around, your house will look and feel clean when the floors are clear. A way to help stay on top of having clean floors is to use a robotic vacuum. I know they are pricey, but I feel like they are worth the investment, especially if you have pets. Also, I feel like the technology in them is so advanced now that you don’t have to worry about having cords on the ground or anything really, as it’s able to recognize it and go around it. Since there are soooo many different versions and brands out there now, I do recommend doing your research first and not just buying one because it’s on sale or the cheapest option. Make sure it can do what you will want it to. But I understand if you don’t have the funds for something like that, in that case, I recommend putting vacuuming at least twice a week on your kids’ (or husband’s) chore list.

10. Utilize shoe racks.

Whether it’s in your mudroom or closets, shoes in general take up a lot of space and when they are not organized can make your house look dirty and cluttered. You can find inexpensive shoe racks on Amazon, IKEA, Target, Walmart, etc. They don’t have to look “fancy” or anything, just as long as they are able to hold the amount of shoes you need and that it’s sturdy enough to hold the shoes. Getting the shoes off the floor and out of the way really helps your house look and feel clean and tidy.

Those are my 10 ways to keep your house clean and tidy. I know not everyone will agree with my selections. I hope you found at least some of them helpful! Leave a comment below with anything that you think should have been on the list but wasn’t. I would love to hear your thoughts.