Keeping your home clean can seem like a never ending battle, especially if you have to head out to work.  Doing a few simple tasks every day can actually keep you from pulling your hair out and keep your home a whole lot cleaner.

One Load Each Day:

Do one load of laundry every day.  Laundry is the biggest time suck for many working individuals, especially those with large families and overflowing hampers.  Throw a load on first thing in the morning and switch it to the dryer when you come home (or log off) of work.  Take the 5 minutes to fold and store the laundry and it won’t seem like such a burden.

Clean Enough:

Stop thinking your home has to be spotless every day.  You’ll drive yourself nuts with unrealistic expectations.  Yes, you want a tidy nest but not everything needs to get done right away.  Sometimes the details, like cleaning every speck of dust, can best be saved for a once a week, or bi-weekly, deep clean.

Hit High Traffic Areas:

Dirt and clutter are most likely to spread from spots your family gravitates to like the front or back entrance or living room.  Have everyone kick off their shoes and keep them organized and have small rugs to catch loose dirt and debris.  A quick vacuum of these areas once or twice daily can really cut down on time spent laboring over cleaning.

Clean As You Go:

The problem with a mess is that it builds up.  Typically, we might feel lazy or be in a tizzy trying to accomplish other things and leave a mess lingering.  This only makes it harder to clean and puts more pressure on you later.  Instead of leaving the plate you just used on the counter or in the sink, wash it and leave it to dry or load it in the dishwasher.  If you use something, be sure to put it back where it belongs when you leave the room.  Just a few seconds of prep can save you the headache of a mountainous mess later on.

Hold Everyone Accountable:

If there’s more than yourself living at home, the cleaning shouldn’t fall on your shoulders alone.  Everyone needs to lend a hand to keep the home tidy.  Putting things away after use, washing a dish or putting it in the dishwasher, putting shoes neatly by the door, cleaning your own space – there are little things that people of all ages can do to help.  Take the time to teach your kids how to accomplish such tasks.  Not only will it teach them better responsibility and habits but it will save you from having to run around like a hamster on a wheel.

Make That Bed:

When you wake up for the day, make the bed.  It may seem silly to some but the minute it takes will provide better mental health throughout the day.  Your room will look neat and you’ll be able to crawl right into bed at the end of a long day instead of fiddling with sheets and blankies.  To save time, eliminate any items you don’t use – like the top sheet.

End Of Night:

Before everyone hits the hay, have them tidy up the space they were just in.  For kids, this might be a play room or their bedroom.  This might be the perfect time to fold and put away that load of laundry you did.  Focus on something that will cause you a headache if left to linger – like a kitchen after dinner.  If you employ the “clean as you go” rule, you’ll likely have very little to accomplish right before bed making an end of night routine a breeze.

PRO TIP:  Some of these tasks are PERFECT for the office as well – clean as you go, keep your space tidy, everybody is accountable, etc.