Ten Tips for Keeping a Tidy Home Daily

Do you have clutter that causes you stress? Do you get overwhelmed at the thought of cleaning up your house on a daily or weekly basis? Do you end up neglecting your house because you just can't figure out where to start? Well, I've got some tips that are sure to help you kick clutter stress in the butt!

I, by design, am a naturally tidy person. I love organization and order. I thrive on it, frankly. Teachers and parents used to comment frequently on how orderly my classroom was and how quiet and stress-free it appeared. Well, that was no accident you guys. I created that environment intentionally, not only for my students, but for me. I do the same with our home. An orderly space leads to a {more} orderly, less stressed lifestyle. So, let's dive in for  T E N tips on becoming tidy on a daily basis. Check yo'self before you wreck yo'self!

TEN TIPS FOR KEEPING A TIDY HOME 

O N E: This first one doesn't specifically deal with being "tidy", but it does set the stage for everything I'm about to say. Try to wake up around the same time every morning {those of you with kids, get up 30 minutes-ish before them if you can} and have some YOU time. For me this includes: coffee, Jesus Calling devotional, and a good scroll through Instagram.

T W O: Make your bed {and your kids' beds} AS SOON AS YOU {they} GET OUT OF IT. In fact, once old enough, teach your children to make their beds {not to perfection, but just the routine of it}. Even as a child, it was a requirement that I make my bed before leaving the house. It has always stuck with me. To this day, I cannot leave the house with an unmade bed. Weird? Maybe, but I promise it helps you feel accomplished first thing in the morning. It takes less than 2 minutes, and it really helps things look and feel tidy. Just do it.

T H R E E: After toys {or any other item} is taken out and used, put it away before moving to another location within the house. Two practical examples: 1) Emerson has a basket of blocks in her room. She loves pulling them out and scattering them across her room. NO PROBLEM there, however, I require that SHE HELP me put them back in the basket before we leave her room to go to another room. 2) We don't have a "master bathroom", meaning we all use the same one. So, hair products/styling tools, make up, etc is all stored in containers and/or baskets in the bathroom. Once I used my flat iron, I put it back in it's designated location to eliminate items from stockpiling on the bathroom counter. And for the record, the only thing that permanently stays on the bathroom counter is the soap dispenser. Everything else is stored in baskets/containers under the sink, in the medicine cabinet (behind the mirror), or in the linen closet. This is SO HUGE in eliminating unsightly clutter and unnecessary piles of stuff.

F O U R: To eliminate piles and piles of sky high laundry, start a load first thing in the morning. Do a load a day if necessary. This has been something I've been working on starting myself actually. Usually Trey + I do our own laundry, I think I have trust issues {haha}. But, recently his laundry pile has reach monumental proportions causing me slight anxiety, so I have just been doing his laundry for him. Realistically, this is helpful to him because he isn't here much, so he doesn't always have time to do it and/or he's scrambling to wash his work clothes at 9p in order to have them for the next day. Nevertheless, I now do laundry before Emerson wakes up + it has helped keep piles at a minimum.

F I V E: Straight up, get RID of stuff. Dedicate a month to going through each room in your house {a couple days at a time} and eliminating any and everything that isn't loved, or more importantly, used on a regular basis. This includes TOYS {!!!}, clothing, shoes, pens, paperwork, toiletries, and the like. I'm not a disorganized person, but I was stunned at the amount of STUFF that we had prior to decluttering recently. It is seriously FREEING to just get rid of it. Not only does this increase storage space for what you DO NEED, but it provides you with a cleaner, less cluttered environment. I posted this recently, but less stuff=less cleaning, more stuff=more cleaning.

S I X: I might catch some flack for this, but hang with me. Vacuum and wipe down your counters at least ONCE a day. I say "vacuum" not to mean the entire house every day, that should occur every couple of days. But, I used to vacuum certain spaces in our home like up to 3-4 times a day, which I agree is a little ridiculous. I have since cut down on that to now MAX 2 times daily. I try to only vacuum after dinner {or after meals, because let's be honest, I have a very messy toddler}. I wipe down the counters if there's a spill or something, but usually I do that after dinner, once we're pretty much finished using the counters for the day {for the most part anyway}. But crumbs and dirt on the floor are not pleasant on one's bare feet OR to the eye, so it's beneficial to everyone to get those up on a daily basis. Also, this is totally a personal choice, but we don't typically wear shoes in our house {unless others come over} because SO much bacteria and disgustingness is housed on the bottom of our shoes. Just think about all the places they touch during the day {um, public restrooms...*GROSS*}. I don't want that stuff coming into our home and leaving traces on the floors only to be picked up by my child when she inevitably eats food and other items off of the bare floor. Again, a personal choice, but one you may want to consider.

S E V E N: Give everything a home. It seems overwhelming, and it can be sometimes, but I promise once you  know where everything is and where it goes, it eliminates so much confusion and stress when it's time to clean up and/or find something. This is not to say that sometimes the designated space isn't overrun with items {like my hair styling basket for example-seen below}, but at the least, I know exactly where to look to find any hair styling item I may need without having to search multiple locations. Again, this is where eliminating unnecessary items is helpful. :)

E I G H T: Similar to seven, have a designated spot for everyday items, specifically those that are needed when leaving/entering the house: keys, wallet, purse, shoes, diaper bag, etc. We have hooks + a basket by the front door for all of Trey's daily items. I have more hooks in the mudroom for  jackets, umbrellas, and keys. Then in our hallway we have a hall tree bench, that hangs Trey's hats, the diaper bag and my purse. I know exactly where to look for all of those things, so if we're ever in a hurry, we know exactly where to go to grab what we need. I'm telling you, it saves so much time.

N I N E: Before you call it a night, do a once over of the house to straighten up. That, for me, includes washing the dishes and/or putting them in the dishwasher {An empty sink is HEAVEN in the morning}, and I like to straighten the pillows on the couch, refold any blankets that were used, pick up + put away shoes that were worn that day, etc. Waking up to a tidy house ensures a less stressful morning.

T E N: The least favorite, but equally as important for sanitary reasons: dusting and mopping. I don't do this every day. No, no. I try to do this at least one a week though, but if I'm being really honest, sometimes it's every two. I would say try to keep it at AT LEAST every two weeks to eliminate major dust bunnies {which are linked to allergies in this house} and disgusting stickiness on the floor. :)

So, there you have it. Ten ways to keep your house tidy on a daily {or weekly in some cases} basis. If you averaged the time it takes to do all of them in a day, I would say you are at about 30 minutes {assuming you already have designated spots for everything}, which is not a whole lot of time when it comes to keeping your home stress-free. Hopefully you've found something helpful here, and as always, if you have questions or comments, please let me know. :) Have a wonderful rest of your weekend, friends!