How to Keep Your House Clean

I will be the first to admit, I am not the worlds cleanest person. My house is lived in and the very thought of cleaning used to make me cringe. I have however found a easier way to keep the house clean and to also reduce the amount of time I spend cleaning. These are a few tips that have helped me.

When in doubt, throw it out. This is my new motto. The best way to keep your house clean is to reduce all unnecessary clutter. I found the best way to do this was to go room to room and get rid of everything that has not been used in 30 days, and that there was no future plans of using. It was hard letting go of some of the items but lets be realistic, would I ever wear that lime green bridesmaid dress again? I donated almost everything to the local thrift shop and they were thrilled to receive it. GoodWill and Catholic Charities are also great places to take your items as donations are tax deductible.

After you have cleared the clutter then it is time to deep clean. This is the step I always dreaded the worst, however I was able to break it down and it really wasn't so bad. The best way I found to do this was to take a Saturday and devote it to getting the house in order. I went one room at a time and cleaned the room top to bottom. I worked from the left to the right of the room and washed curtains, scrubbed window blinds and dusted among other things. It may take a while to get all of your deep cleaning done but the reward is definitely worth it. Once you have deep cleaned then you just have to maintain the area cleaned and that will be a snap.

Ok so now you have the deep cleaning done, you are pleased with your results and want to keep the house looking as good as it does now. This is the time to make yourself a cleaning schedule. If you focus on just doing a few things each day the nice clean house you have grown to love will stay that way.

When making your schedule be sure to include bigger chores such as doing laundry every couple of days instead of letting it pile up. Also make the time to do a quick spot check every day. I set a egg timer and work in each room until the timer goes off. I have been able to maintain a clean house by doing this.