Did you just clean your house for a recent event? Doesn’t it feel great to have a clean home? So let’s talk about how to keep it clean and free of clutter year-round.

Take a few pictures

If you’ve recently cleaned your home for an event or party, snap a few pictures of each room. Take a look at the pictures a week after the party, and identify the problem areas.

For example, our dining room table was set up with a tablecloth, 6 placemats, and centerpiece with flowers. Within a few days, someone opened a gift, and left the gift bag and a few of the gifts on the table. Just 48 hours later, the gifts and bag were still there.

Tip: Consider straightening up each room at the end of each day, to keep the clutter under control.

Enlist help

One of the best skills you can teach your children is to clean up after themselves. Have them:

• Pick up their toys when done playing
• Start cleaning up 10 minutes before dinner
• Straighten their rooms or play areas one last time before bed
• Help out with chores such as trash/recycling, vacuuming, sweeping

Living Clutter-Free

Keeping your house clean is much easier when you don’t have a lot of clutter. For example:

• It’s easier to clean the kitchen counters when there isn’t a stack of mail on it.
• You’re also more likely to vacuum if all of the toys are picked up and put away.
• It’s a lot easier to do laundry when all of it is in a hamper, and not left on the floor.

Do not procrastinate

If you have a few minutes, take the time to tidy up. It only takes a few minutes to load or unload the dishwasher. Next time you’re thinking about putting off this chore, trying doing it and timing yourself. You’ll be amazed at how little time it actually takes.

Keeping it Clean Going Forward with Printable Lists

We can’t say enough about having regular maintenance schedules. There are things that need to be done daily, weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, and semi-annually, and annually. Be sure to check out our Toolbox, so you can print our checklists and keep your house running smoothly. Here are a few additional things to think about:

• How much time to you have each day, or each week?
• How many people live in your home? If you have young children, you’ll need to spend more time straightening.
• How many pets do you have? If you have a large yellow lab whose nose brushes up against the sliding door everyday, you’ll want to clean your windows more often than a person without pets.
• Spend some time personalizing the lists so that they fit your schedule.

Printable Checklists and Schedules for Your Home

Just click on the links to get the printable checklists and details for maintaining your home:

Household Chores – Weekly Checklist

Bi-weekly and Monthly Chores Checklist

Tool Box: Time Management Schedule

Toolbox

Could you use a few more ideas?

• You may want to read this article:  Is your house a mess? Not sure where to start?
• Click on this link to our Toolbox, where you’ll find more helpful articles and printable forms: Toolbox: Maintenance Schedules

Happy cleaning!