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5 Basic Tips to Keep Your Home Tidy
By: Cara - The Household Helper
I am the messy child of a born-organized mom. I don't know how
she did it, but growing up our home was always clean and tidy. I
never questioned my mother's methods or her system - I just took
for granted that I lived in a clean home.
But when I went out on my own, I lived in a constant state of
clutter. I struggled everyday to keep afloat in a sea of dishes,
laundry, mail, and just 'stuff'.
In my quest to de-clutter, I've read countless books and spent
immeasurable hours surfing the internet. My research has led me
to the following 5 Basic Tips to Keep Your Home Tidy.
1. Set a routine. Humans are creatures of habit. We thrive on
the consistency of knowing what comes next. Therefore, setting a
housekeeping routine makes it comfortable and automatic. When
you wake up in the morning, don't you do the same thing every
day? Just add to what you already do. After you brush your
teeth, wipe down the bathroom or make your bed. Make things ‘a
force of habit’.
2. Don't just put it down - put it away. This is common sense
that we are not all born with. Setting something down 'just for
now' will eventually lead to a pile, no a mountain, of things
set down 'just for now'. Taking a minute now to put it in it’s
place will save you hours later on when you are expecting
company.
3. Sort as things come into the house. Whether it is mail, toys,
or groceries, sorting and putting away items as soon as they
come into the house allows you get it done immediately and not
have to worry about it again. Sorting things right away will
also prevent the piles and mountains mentioned in Tip #2.
4. Do a quick clean-up every night. It is a very nice feeling to
go to bed and NOT think "Darn, the sink is so full I won't be
able to make my coffee in the morning" or "I hope there is a
clean path to the baby's room if he cries in the middle of the
night". Take a few minutes every night to straighten-up the
place and you will prevent the stumbling, toe-stubbing midnight
walk to the nursery.
5. Imperfection is OK. Real life isn’t about living in the
perfectly organized and clean home pictured in magazines.
Housekeeping is about comfort and necessity. As long as you have
clean dishes to eat off of, clean clothes to wear, and a clean
place to play with your kid, who cares if it’s not organized in
neatly stacked color-matched boxes.
I have better things to do with my time than spend hours
cleaning my home. Creating a routine and making my chores
automatic has helped me de-clutter and be comfortable in my own
home. And I can go to bed knowing there is room in the sink for
the coffee pot and the path to my son’s room is obstacle free.
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