While most of us naturally prefer tidy spaces, it can be challenging to maintain a look of perfect order. How do some people do it? What’s their secret to a tidy home?
With a little dedication and no small amount of elbow grease, anyone can keep their home tidy and clean. Read on for seven keys to maintain a sparkling clean and clutter-free home.
1. Create a space for everything
You come home from work. Exhausted, you toss your coat on the kitchen chair and throw your keys on the counter. Sound familiar?
Though it might sound simple, putting items away in their proper place can drastically reduce the amount of clutter in your home. If you don’t have a dedicated spot for an item, make it a priority to create a place for it.
For instance, don’t have a place to put your keys? Instead of placing them on the counter, install a key rack where you can hang them. If something doesn’t have space, either make some for it or get rid of the item altogether.
2. Follow the “one in, one out” rule
Do you have a bad habit of bringing items home that you don’t necessarily need? This is a sneaky cause of clutter and one that can be difficult to control.
To help you keep your home tidy, consider following the “one in, one out” rule. This rule dictates that if you bring a new item home, one of your older items must come out.
Although the “one in, one out” rule is most commonly used with clothing, it can be applied to any item in your home. To hold yourself accountable, make sure that your old item is taken care of right away — perhaps within an hour or so of coming home with the new item.
3. Clean your kitchen appliances
Your kitchen appliances are some of the hardest-working machines in the entire house. If you’ve recently upgraded your kitchen appliances, now is the perfect time to establish a regular cleaning schedule to keep them looking shiny and new.
When ignored for too long, kitchen appliances can become grimy and cluttered. Here are a few kitchen appliances that deserve your regular attention:
Range oven
Wipe down your cooktop after each use. Remove the oven racks and soak them in hot water and dish soap. Give the inside of your oven a good cleaning every few weeks using baking powder, vinegar and a damp cloth.
Refrigerator
Every few weeks, clean out expired food from the refrigerator. Clear out drawers and soak them to remove any food buildup on the bottom.
Dishwasher
Run the dishwasher as needed and don’t let dirty dishes build up in the sink. On a bi-monthly basis, put vinegar in the dishwasher and run a hot water cycle to remove grease and grime.
Make sure that you know how to clean stainless steel appliances before you go anywhere near them with harsh cleaning products. Never use harsh abrasives, steel wool or scouring powders on stainless steel appliances, as these can permanently damage the finish.
4. Get organized like a pro
We’ve all seen those beautiful luxury homes with sparkling appliances and clutter-free countertops. How do they do it? It likely has to do with their superior organization.
Drawer organizers, rolling carts, refrigerator bins and wardrobe storage systems can revolutionize your space for the better. Once you have an efficient organization system in place, you’ll be truly amazed at how much easier it is to stay organized and tidy.
Don’t be afraid to get creative with your storage solutions, either! For instance, have an old spice rack you’re no longer using? Give it new life by repurposing your spice rack into a nifty holder for your craft paints or yarn.
5. Sneak in quick clean-ups throughout the day
Tidy people all have one secret in common: They sneak in a quick clean whenever they can.
Whether you’re giving the countertops a quick wipe-down or picking up a stray sock or two, taking small steps to clean up your space can add up over the course of a day. The key is to train yourself to make the effort to tidy up, as opposed to ignoring it like you normally do.
Give it a try for at least a couple of days. You’ll likely be pleasantly surprised at how clean and tidy your home is by the time you sit down to relax.
6. Donate regularly
If you can’t resist the urge to bring new items into your home, the second-best thing you can do is donate your old items. Following the “one in, one out” rule, you can set up a donation bag in your garage and consistently add an item to it whenever you bring something new home.
Once the bag is big enough, drop it off at your local donation center. If you’re worried about the state of your clothing (such as rips or stains), just make sure that you choose a donation center that will recycle unwearable garments. This will reduce the likelihood of your clothing ending up in a landfill.
7. Allow yourself a single, cluttered drawer
Here’s an interesting idea: Give yourself one drawer in your space that’s dedicated entirely to clutter. After all, some of the best diets have a “cheat” day — why not apply the same philosophy to your home?
Often called a “junk drawer,” this idea is perfect for those who have a hard time letting go of items that they may need in the future. Just make sure to clear out your junk drawer once a year and to consider applying the “one in, one out” rule to avoid overflow.
Make a clutter-free home a top priority
There’s no single, groundbreaking secret to keeping your space clean and tidy. Those who have perpetually clean homes work hard to keep it that way, even though it may not seem like much work to them.
While it may take some time to form good habits, cleaning and tidying up your home will eventually become second nature. Once you get into the cleaning groove, you can finally transform your space into the relaxing, clutter-free space you’ve always dreamed about.
