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Are you tired of finding your house dirty and unorganized despite cleaning every day? Well, this is the case with most of us. It’s a shame when you just find your house cluttered and dirty despite cleaning for at least an hour in the day. You might be wondering how your neighbor managed to keep her house neater without spending more time than you.
Well, you might be missing out on a few minor yet substantial tips. Cleaning the house and maintaining the neatness isn’t a one time process. It’s an integrated process that involves a lot of factors. It’s no rocket science, though, and a bit of change in your lifestyle and approach can make your house look neat, clean, and cozy without much effort.
In this article, we have listed 13 practical ways people employ other than the “normal cleaning” to keep their house clean throughout the day. Go through all of these tips and start incorporating them into your routine.
13 Habits of People Who Have Clean Houses
1. They Remove Their Shoes Before Entering
Dirty shoes are one of the most prominent reasons why your floor always looks dirty no matter what. The dirt, flint, and sand from the road get stuck to your footwear every time you go out.
Now, if you don’t have a shoe rack outside your door or your kids just forget about it and enter the house with their shoes on, your house is bound to look dirty all the time. Moreover, these foreign particles are often more dangerous than the ones found at home. They are also more difficult to clean. Put a shoe right near the entrance and instruct everyone to put their shoes on it so that your floor stays clean for longer.
2. They Clean Simultaneously While Cooking
Are you tired of coming home to a heap of vessels and dirty utensils in the sink? Indeed, it can spoil the overall look of your kitchen. The cleaning task also becomes all the more taxing because everyone left too many dirty dishes in the sink.
People who keep their homes clean prefer cleaning utensils simultaneously while they cook food. For instance, you just rinse your spoons, plates, and other items used while cooking. Cleaning the pans instantly ensures that the particles break easily, and the grease doesn’t stick much.
3. They Use Drawers Instead of Open Shelves
Open shelving units do look aesthetically cool, but they invite in a lot of dirt and dust. As a result, the utensils in these places in the kitchen get dirty frequently and easily. Closed drawers help reduce the maintenance tasks as they keep the utensils dirt-free for longer.
It would help if you considered having closed drawers near the cooking area. If you are opting to have open shelves at places, consider the time you are willing to invest in cleaning these. Otherwise, they’ll get dirty and ruin the decor.
4. They Run The Dishwasher Frequently
If you have a dishwasher, you should use it regularly to keep your utensils clean and your kitchen cleaner. People who keep their houses clean use the high functioning appliance after every lunch and dinner.
If you don’t fill the rack after every meal and have a smaller family, you can lower the setting to half load. In this setting, the dishwasher only cleans the top rack and uses around 30% less water. Hence, you don’t need to worry about water wastage either.
5. They Update the Pantry regularly
How many times do we pick a baking soda pack from the pantry only to find out that it has expired? It’s a common issue because we don’t check items in the pantry until they are empty. Instead, consider checking your pantry weekly or every fortnight.
In this way, you’ll be able to identify the expired items and also prevent the mishap of consuming them. Moreover, the pantry will have lesser useless items in it and will look neater and cleaner.
6. Keep Dirty Clothes in a Laundry Basket
A lot of us have a terrible habit of throwing dirty clothes in a corner and letting them stay there until the weekend. While it is okay to do the laundry only on weekends, you need a better way to store dirty clothes in order to prevent your house from looking messy.
Having a laundry chute beside your washer or dryer is a dream for those who like to be organized. Otherwise, you can get a large enough laundry basket to store your whole family’s clothes for the week. The basket also enhances the aesthetic if you manage to grab one that matches your decor.
7. They Make The Bed As Soon As They Wake Up
If you are always running late to the office or have to get your kids ready at 7, you might forget to make up your bed at times. If that has become a habit, it’s high time that you change it. It takes less than a minute to fold the quilt or comforter and straighten your bedsheet and pillows. You can also get rid of any dust particles in the process.
Having a neatly made bed can make you feel more peaceful. Your room will look more presentable, and the morning tea will provide you more comfort.
8. They Place Air-purifying Plants in their Home
A cleaner home includes having fresher air as well as an aesthetic decor. Some people hit two targets in one shot by placing air-purifying plants in corners. These plants clean up the pollutants and make the room fresher.
Moreover, they enhance the aesthetic, bring a bit of nature inside your home, and make it feel cozier. You’ll feel more productive and energetic with fresher air to breathe. Plants like pothos, snake plant, or lush green ones like philodendron are all excellent options to have in your bedroom as well as the living room.
9. They Don’t Keep Things Just for the Sake of It
A lot of us don’t feel like throwing anything away—even if that means you have multiple objects of the same type. Having four staplers, 50 pens, 12 hand mirrors, or so is only taking up unnecessary space in your house. They will make small spaces look cluttered and messy.
Yes, it isn’t easy to throw things away but think of donating them. It would help if you tried getting rid of any spare items that aren’t valuable but are consuming excessive space. You should also try to check stuff like fairy lights and more regularly to see if they are still working. In this way, it gets easier to dispose of useless items.
10. They Wipe Down Surfaces after Every Use
Make it a habit of cleaning the table after every meal, cleaning the countertop after every cooking session, and wiping the basin after brushing your teeth. Even a little bit of spilled items and dirt can instantly make the house look messy and poorly maintained.
Wiping down these surfaces takes just a few seconds. For better results, keep a microfiber cloth handy at a few places in your home. You should mainly clean glossy and glass surfaces after every use. The house shines when these surfaces shine.
11. They Put Things in the Right Place After Use
How much time do you spend finding seemingly regular-use items every day? Well, I used to spend a fair bit doing that. God knows where the comb got lost every day or why I couldn’t find the lighter in the kitchen now and then. There’s an easy fix to that, but all the people in the house should actively employ it.
All you need to do is make it a habit of putting the things you use back in their original places—this will just take a moment. Just don’t roam around the house with them and place them back right after their use.
12. They Keep Dusting Regularly
A lot of us think that cleaning the house once in the morning is enough. Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but it doesn’t work like that. Particles of chips fall on the sofa while you are eating. A lot of the snacks and other things fall on the carpet now and then, especially if you have kids or babies.
All you need to do is dust your furniture every once in a while. Cleaning these places regularly also makes the primary cleaning task more manageable. You can also keep the vacuum cleaner handy and give it a run every time the house starts to look messy.
13. They Clean the Shower After Every Use
Many of us complain about the scum stains building up in the bathroom after every shower. Instead of finding a cleaning hack, all you have to do is rinse the shower after every use.
This way, the scum stains won’t get enough time to build, and your shower will stay clean after every use. You can employ a similar tactic for your washbasin and faucets. That will also save you a lot of time when you are doing a major cleanup at the end of the week.
You can also make these cleaning tasks fun by focusing on other stuff during cleaning. That can make the thankless task a bit less overwhelming and much less tiring. You can talk to your kids, make them read out to you, listen to music, make a phone call, or do stuff like that to keep yourself engaged while cleaning. You can also make your housemates understand the importance of having a clean house and encourage them to help employ these tips.