Some people just love to clean while others simply hate it and prefer to be doing a million other fun and interesting things than cleaning the house around the clock. Yeah, I admit it. It is always a bit frustrating to clean something and watch it getting dirty in no time over and over again. It is like a never-ending cycle that causes great stress to those living in the house that want a clean environment that they can enjoy for long. Well, for those in this category, I must tell you guys that not caring about having your house clean is not an effective solution. Truth is we all want our houses to stay clean. We just don’t want to go nuts keeping it that way. With that in mind, I have some great news. Here is how you can have a reasonably clean house and keep your sanity, too!
The Lazy Person’s Super Cleaning Guide!
1. Drawers in Action
Your first line of defense to bust clutter is your drawers. Many houses are just full of stuff sitting around, on the floor, the kitchen countertop (here is the right way to clean kitchen countertops and more), the coffee table, you name it. Little things here and there that make the house look so messy. The thing about most people living in these homes is that they know they should put all that clutter up, but can’t seem to figure our where to put them. And, I know for sure that it requires a ton of mental energy to try to decide where that thing lying on the floor by the bathroom door should go. Such thoughts multiplied many times simply leave you exhausted. Maybe, all you need to get out in the open is drawers! Have you considered a stuff drawer placed in every room? Stuff drawers that will help you separate the bedroom stuff from the kitchen and bathroom stuff. So, next time you find yourself wondering where something goes, just put it in the drawer. Check! Done!
2. Cleaning Supplies Strategically Placed
I have a friend that says “If I need to get downstairs to get my Windex, my bathroom mirror will probably stay foggy and dirty for long”. So, we agreed to have one bottle in the kitchen and another one in the bathroom. The same applies to brooms and dustpans. Where do you want them most? The pantry and bathroom? Have them easily accessible in both areas. Having your cleaning supplies where you know you will need them to clean is a huge deal for the lazy ones and will leave you super-happy and your house much cleaner than before!
3. Make yourself Start
All you really need is a push, something to get you going. The idea I am about to share comes from my aunt, a devilishly smart woman and a superb housekeeper. What she advised me was to set a timer for, say 10 minutes, and see what I can do for that time. Trust me, once you get started with those 10 minutes, you will find yourself wanting to clean a bit more after the timer rings. You will realize that it wasn’t THAT bad after all, and you DID get some cleaning done! This strategy is an excellent motivator that will help you win this battle!
Oh, did I mention that the exact same concept works for exercising, as well? Try it and tell me what you think!
4. Have Fun or At least Make it Fun
This one comes from a bachelor colleague, when working at a restaurant, who once told me that the best time for him was the end of the day, when he would iron his clothes while drinking a couple of beers! That was the time he felt totally relaxed and, as much as he hated ironing (who doesn’t anyway?) he found a way to actually enjoy it by having a few beers along the process. At that time, I was so not into tasks such as ironing, but I thought I’d give it a try. Well, after a couple of hours, I got all my ironing done, and although I didn’t feel relaxed, I had found a way to make a hated chore a bit more enjoyable. So, have a glass of wine while doing the dishes, turn the music up when dusting, make it a party. It is a nice way to make a chore look not like a tedious chore!
Tip: You can also apply this strategy on #5.
5. Don’t Mind over things that Don’t Matter
In short, don’t sweat the small stuff. What I mean by that is this…if your bathroom mirror is dirty, clean it in 10 seconds and don’t mind the teeny tiny spots left behind. They don’t matter, believe me. There is no need to go super crazy or be a perfectionist and want everything spotlessly clean. Life is worth so much more when you see the bigger picture indeed.
6. Don’t Jam your Spaces with Stuff
It is a pretty simple and straightforward concept. The less stuff you have, the less time you will need to get them organized and clean the house. It is, perhaps, the hardest tip of them all thus far, considering that we Americans have a strong (and strange) tendency to want to get rid of clutter, yet we are always in need of buying new things, creating new clutter. The secret is to take the first step. Start sorting out the things you don’t want and get them out of the house (plan a yard sale to also get some money out of it!). The first few boxes will be super-easy. Stay strong when things get more difficult and don’t have second thoughts about what you are doing. I guarantee you are going to freaking love your place once you are done. So much less visual clutter! Such a relief to not having to keep up with things you don’t really need!
At the end of the day, the best thing you can do is adopt a simple routine that can save you from tons of cleaning. Not anything fancy. You only need to know the easiest and most effective ways to keep your house spotlessly clean every day!