HOW TO KEEP THE HOUSE CLEAN
How To Keep the House Clean
Are you looking for some simple habits of how to keep the house clean? We want to share the best ways to keep your house clean and it will change the way you clean. These are habits you will need to get familiar with so that you can start the process and then repeat it daily.
This practice will start a routine and you will begin to see a consistent pattern each day as you put it into play. Getting into the mindset of adjusting your daily activities will become effortless once you get started.
Cleaning Habits Your House will Love you For
If you’re married with children this makes the job a little tougher but even more critical to do. With so many people in the house, there’s two things that will be true, chaos or order. In my house, I chose order. Cleaning and having a place for things is a big part of it. My house is clean and only because of good habits. I’m so happy to share with you how I was able to achieve these rewarding habits and how you can too.
This is something that you have got to want. You want a clean house and you don’t want to have to pay someone to do what you can do for yourself. Maybe not be so easy to start, but the desire does have to be there for this to work.
Doing The Job Like a Pro
You can always hire a professional cleaning service to do the work, but those funds can be used for something else. If you want to get into good cleaning habits yourself, you’re in the right place. Why pay someone else to do what you are capable of?
My Mother always taught us or should I say required us to clean. It’s just what we did and was never appreciated at the time. But as I grew older not only did I appreciate those lessons, but passed those concepts to my own children. Hopefully you will too!
Start them out when they’re young and it will become second nature. These concepts work whether you are single, married, children or no children. If you are living in a home and you want it clean you are included. The principles remain the same.
Observations of how to keep the house clean
During visits to my in-laws, the cleaning lady always seemed to grab my attention. I would watch all the big and little things she did without saying a word. Just taking mental notes of how to keep the house clean.
Seems I put into practice what I observed. I consider these life lessons free education that I didn’t have to pay for but the value of those lessons were priceless.
Yes, sometimes the house gets junky, but it’s clean. You don’t wanna live in a museum you wanna live in a clean house and I’m gonna share with you how to do this.
10 Tips – How To Keep the House Clean
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1. Clean in the Bedroom
What faces you each morning after you get up? Your bed. It takes less than 5 minutes to make your bed each day. When you get up – make it up, move the clutter from the dresser to the designated places.
The dirty clothes should have a basket, clean clothes should be stored in the drawers, socks, underwear should all have a place. Sheets should be changed weekly, 2 weeks is a stretch.
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2. Clean in the Bathroom
Spot Clean the bathroom daily. Deep clean the bathroom weekly. Once you brush your teeth and wash your face which I trust is done every morning is the best time to do it.
It takes a complete 5 minutes to gather up your clothes, put things away, wipe up the sink and counter and straighten out the towels.
Be sure to clean the toilet. We keep the toilet brush beside the toilet to be sure it’s available to clean the bowl daily.
Cleaning the mirror can be done with plain water using a wet clean cloth, then wipe dry with a clean dry cloth and it shines up nicely. On the weekly clean though I like to use windex as it seems to sparkle a lot longer.
Comet is amazing on tubs, toilets and sinks in the bath and the kitchen. You may not like cleaning the bathroom and you’re not alone but it sure makes a difference when it’s clean.
At the end or beginning of the week take the time to clean up the shower. More about Cleaning the Shower on #9 Cleaning Habit.
3. Clean in the kitchen
Hopefully you clean the kitchen at night or after dinner so that you can wake up to the beauty of clean and no dirty dishes when you enter the kitchen in the morning.
However, if there are dishes left out that need to be washed, it doesn’t take more than 20 to 30 minutes to get them all done.
Run a sink of hot soapy water, put all the dishes in there to soak. Wash off all the counters and table, unload the dishwasher, put up the dishes, utensils, pots and pans and load the dishwasher with the dishes soaking in the sink and you’re done.
But I trust this is not needed very often, but we all have those days where things come up and maybe we couldn’t get to it…it happens.
Clean House Call of Duty to the Kids
Are there kids at home between the ages of 12-18? These are great ages to get them started in the kitchen. You don’t want them in there when they’re too young handling knives and glasses, but by the age of 12 they should be more than capable of being taught safety first and then to learn the responsibility to have a week of chores to do dishes.
I cannot emphasize enough how it helped me form lifelong good habits. It helps you too, but it just wouldn’t be fair to leave out the ‘FACT’ that you will not be the most popular parent on the block when you run a tight ship in the cleaning department.
You will get a lot of dirty looks and mumblings, but be strong. I endured it and they are all adults with clean kitchens and I say that with a sense of hope and humor lol.
Does the Floor Need Sweeping? 
Use an automatic sweep vac, I recommend the shark. It’s a lightweight sweeper that picks up really good. I honestly love it. You can use the vacuum also, but my go-to is the shark because of ease of use. You can buy the Shark Here.
During the weekdays you can use a few hot soapy paper towels and wipe down the floor, then a couple dry ones to dry it up, throw those out and you’re good to go. Save the heavy mopping for the weekend.
I know, getting down on your knees may not be so comfy, but just throw a couple of folded towels to place under your knees.
Let’s face it, cleaning is an exercise regimen in itself. Wipe up the stove, fridge, and dishwasher if needed. If you have stainless steel appliances, I implore you to keep them shining. I use the stainless steel spray but because I’m pretty sensitive the windows are open when spraying. Be sure to give it a chance to settle before getting too close to breathe it in. Wipe them down with paper towels and toss them or you can also use a cloth. It’s pretty strong but boy are those appliances like new when I’m done!
With all the floors, counters and tables cleaned and no dishes in the sink…your kitchen is ready for guests or just simply your own personal satisfaction.
4. Keep the House Clean Picking Up
Pick up anything on the floor that has a place, and just take time tidying up the place. Little ones can easily begin the cleaning process with this habit. This also takes just seconds to do. Once you adopt this habit you’re almost there, lol.
This Forbes Article talks about how to declutter your home and this is a great habit to get into.
5. Clean w/Laundry
My husband does the laundry, it takes a good 15 solid minutes to throw the clothes in the washer, I do help with this every once in a blue moon.
Right after the wash is done, go ahead and put the clothes in the dryer. If you wait too long to move the clothes from the washer to the dryer…you’re risking the mildew smell and you don’t want that…so do this on the same day, what a waste it would be to have to re-wash a load because they sat damp for too long…once the clothes have been dried – It’s best to fold them while they’re hot, makes for nice neat folds. Put them up and the job is done.
6. Take out the Trash
Make a 10 minute drive to the dumpster outside. Empty the trash from the main sources, the kitchen, bathrooms and laundry rooms and any other rooms that have waste baskets and take it out…this will keep your house smelling clean. This habit is based only on when it fills up. Garbage day is a great date to target for this task.
7. Wipe Down Spaces
This seventh habit is not so much a daily task as it is weekly. Our house smells like happiness when we wipe down with our special cleaning ingredients. This is something I want to emphasize: The smell of clean is never overbearing. It’s light and very bright and clean. Too much of anything (you know the rest) just be sure if you’re gonna try this recipe to use it as prescribed.
The smell of your home should be clean and perfectly balanced. You do not want the smell to be strong enough to make you grow a beard. But the smell should be clean and just right.
Keep the House Clean with These Smell Amazing Ingredients
This amazing mixture smells so clean and it is as simple as can be. To make it you will need Lemon Pine Sol (Original) Murphy Oil Soap (original) and Dawn Blue Dish Liquid. The key here is the amount you use… 1/2 capful of pine sol (not a capful only half the cap), 1/4 cup of Murphy Oil Soap and a squirt of Dawn Blue Dish Liquid. Add this mixture to a half sink full of hot water and your house will smell like a dream come true.
My son-in-law attempted to clean the bathroom with Pine Sol when they were staying with us as their house was being built. The smell of the pine sol was so strong it could turn you into a statue. Please follow the ingredients to get the gist of this amazing smell. I reiterate, don’t overdo it!
Use this on countertops, floors and walls. You may want to adjust this mixture as you become more familiar but this is what I do and I am very sensitive to chemical smells.
8. Vacuum
I can’t say how many vacuums I’ve purchased in my lifetime but this Bissell vacuum that I have now is probably the best I’ve ever had. Seriously, it gets all the corners and it’s a clear view so you actually see all the dust and dirt that it sucks in. It has a retractable cord…so no cord to deal with and the suction is incredible. Click the link above and get yours today you won’t regret it.
This is one of those as-needed habits you should adopt. Vacuuming is one of those things that is not needed everyday. It only takes 10 minutes to do a couple of rooms.
This practice will help the life of your carpet and hard floors and is a great tool to use to keep your house clean, at least weekly this should be done.
I have always required my visitors to remove their shoes and leave them at the front door. Can you believe some relatives don’t want to cooperate? This may not make everybody happy but at the end of the day my floors remain clean! Adopting this practice will preserve the life of your floors and carpet and is just a great germ eliminator.
9. Shower & Tub
Cleaning the Shower and the Bath tub is critical. This is not my favorite which is why it is so far down on this list but I love a clean shower and tub so it has to be done.
My husband uses a capful of bleach when it’s his turn to clean the shower but it’s just too strong for me so no can do. And NEVER mix Chemicals.
When I wait too long to clean the shower doors, I need to call in the grease captains, the SOS pads. These little babies with the help of some hot soapy water will break through the enemy of dirt like a true commander.
Clean shower floors and bath tubs with a mild mixture of hot soapy dish detergent.
You don’t want to ruin your grout so for deep clean use SOS pads along with your hot soapy water. The thing about the shower is you can’t slack on it. If you are not consistent your shower will haunt you, your grout will start to darken and it just won’t be pretty. But that is only ‘IF’ you don’t create these good habits to keep the house clean.
SHOWER MAINTENANCE – HOW TO KEEP THE HOUSE CLEAN
Maybe just every week or two add a capful or two of vinegar to a spray bottle of water and spray around the shower and grout, getting all the corners and walls to repel against mold. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes and then spray the shower down.
10. Windows & Screens
Clean the windows and screens. I saved one of the very last things I do once a year for last. It must be done. And, yes sometimes, when little fingers find their way onto the windows throughout the year, I will clean them as needed, but this big job usually waits for spring.
There is nothing that says clean like sparkling windows. I simply use Windex. It works very well for windows, mirrors and chrome for a great sparkle. I keep the windows open when I use it because I find the smell a little strong, and you don’t want to breathe in any chemicals in a closed in space.
Cleaning Habits need ‘The Good Smell’
Diffuser for the Home – Sold at Bloomingdales
I have so much to say about smell and when visitors come by. The first thing that greets them at the door is the smell. So Nail the Smell. They will remember it. I love the electric candle warmers that plug into the wall. I usually buy the large Candle and keep it warming all day. It stays solo, away from anything that could cause it to overheat. It’s safer than a burning candle, and being married to a Firefighter, it’s the only way to go.
For bathrooms, I would never use the candle warmer, I just believe it is better served using a plug in air freshener or diffuser. Diffusers are amazing, you know how many fragrance varieties there are of diffusers, wall flowers and candles but most people stick to just one or two of their favorites and that’s what it’s all about what you like best.
Hopefully you can use these Tips and Change your Habits.
Keep your House Clean all the time &
Make your house a home you love to spend time in.
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