How to Keep your House Clean

In everyone’s world there are lots and lots of things that need cleaning.

Household chores are a part of everyone’s life and there are times to just tidy up and times to really get down and scrub. One way you can make cleaning less time consuming and less trouble is to follow a routine every day that makes the big jobs a little less intimidating.

Here are some quick tips on how to clean areas of the house in between your regular cleanings.

Bathroom Cleaning:

• Clean the bathroom sink with a cleaning wipe.
• Use the same wipe to clean around the tub and finish with the toilet.
• Dampen a soft rag to wipe down the mirror.
• After your shower, use a squeegee to wipe down the shower walls and glass door.

Cleaning the Bedroom:

• Make your bed
• Put away or hang up any clothing that’s lying around and put dirty clothes in the hamper.
• Put away jewelry that’s on the dresser top or night table.
• Straighten the dresser top, desk, and night table.

How to Keep the Kitchen Clean:

• Either do the dishes or fill the dishwasher, if the dishes are done put them away.
• Hang up or fold the dish towels
• Wipe out the sink
• Wipe off the top of the stove
• Wipe off the countertops
• Sweep the floor
• Wipe up any sticky spots on the floor
• Clean the coffee carafe and empty filter basket

Living Areas:

• Pick up toys, CDs, magazines, books, and other stuff that’s just lying around.
• Clean up the sofa – put cushions where they belong and fold throws.
• Dust
• Clean up crumbs
• Wipe fingerprints off tabletops and the TV
• Follow the basic list above for the dining room, the living room, the family room and whatever other living areas you have in your home.

Hall Closets and Entryways:

• Line up shoes and boots
• Make sure coats are hung
• Put away clutter

Laundry:

In some houses, depending on whether a family is large or small, laundry may need to be done every day.

• Family members should bring laundry to the laundry area. If they’re good at it, they should sort it into the correct piles. If not, someone who is should be responsible for this chore.
• Pre-treat stains
• Start a load of laundry and let it go through a cycle while you’re doing some of the jobs above.
• When the load is done, put it in the dryer or hang or lay flat to dry those things that can’t be dried in the dryer and start another load.
• Empty the dryer
• Hang or fold the laundry.
• Either put it away or have the kids pick up their own laundry and put it away.

Now, if there’s any time left, and if you have any “steam” left, pick a job off the list of larger jobs that get done once a week and do it. Maybe it’s getting rid of leftovers in the refrigerator and wiping down the shelves. Maybe it’s vacuuming or mopping. If you have kids that do work around the house to earn allowance, add some of the cleaning items listed to their chore list.

If you follow the list above and do one big job at least every couple of days, your house will be spic and span all the time and you won’t even feel like you’ve done a lot of housework. It’s all in the planning and organization.