5 Things to Keep Your House Clean Everyday

My house was a mess. No matter how much I cleaned, it always looked like it had never been cleaned. I was desperately looking at ways to simplify my life and keep my house clean.

How to keep you house clean everyday? Pick up stuff, put things away as soon as you have used them, downsize and declutter, establish routines and involve family members.

Cleaning the house was not an easy task for me as at one point in my life I wasn’t keeping too well. So I wanted a system which was quick, easy and effective. I also wanted a system which would require little movement for a person like me who couldn’t move around much.

5 Everyday Habits to help You Clean your house

Step #1 Declutter

Before we begin cleaning we must and should declutter our possessions. This is one tip which I learned from the Konmari Method and from the Flylady system.

When we declutter the house we actually minimize cleaning and make it much easier to maintain the house. Decluttering is getting rid of things you no longer want and keeping only those items which you are important to you.

Start removing duplicates ( utensils, baking trays, clothes, books), old clothes, furniture, cleaning supplies. The easiest way for me was to identify what I wanted to keep. This meant I could quickly throw away or donate the other items.

Decluttering can be very easy for some ( like for me), and very heartbreaking ( like for my son). Be patient with yourself and you will find that it can be very therapeutic.

Another point to remember is to never give away other people’s things ( even if it looks like clutter to you). This is a lesson I have learnt and will save you a lot of trouble. Once you have eliminated things now is the time to take stock of what you have and rearrange into categories and by location.

For example, all books belong in the bookshelf. This means not in the living room or in the bathroom. This reduces visible clutter and once verything has a place it makes it easier to clean and dust.

Step #2 Put Stuff Away

Anything which is taken out, or used should be immediately put back in its place. I never followed this rule. I never knew about it till my house looked like it had been hit by a hurricane.

I would use things and leave them on the counter or on the bed or on the sofa. The intention was that I would put all these back soon.

Soon never came, and the things just lay there. Another theory of mine was to leave things out which I would use often.

These items created a lot of visual clutter which ended up making me fell depressed and actually fall sick.

The simple solution is to put things away as soon as you can. So now whenerver I am done with using a spice I put it back in the cupboard where it belongs. Once I have used a comb it goes back in its place.

Just this simple activity has made my house looking clean ( an illusion) because things are in their rightful place.

I also follow the one touch rule. I actually picked it up from a Youtube video long long ago. The concept is any object touches only one place ( the place where it should be).

So when I walk in the door I ensure that I take my purse and leave it in its place. All groceries are put away immediately (on most days). Any mail is sorted and junk mail and advertisments are discarded right away.

This is another tip which has helped our family a lot. I have managed to teach it to my kids. They no longer leave their things in the living room. They are also mindful of putting their toys, craft and coloring material away.

Step #3 Cleaning Supplies

I love sharing this tip because since I have been doing this my life has changed. I started investing in good quality cleaning brushes, and other supplies.

With the right tools on hand cleaning becomes very easy. I always keep a microfibre cloth, cleaning brushes and detergent on hand always. Some people have dedicated cleaning caddies ( I don’t). If that helps you then keep a cleaning caddy.

What I do different from others is that I keep supplies in 2 of my 3 bathrooms. This makes it easier for me to access them as I get tired if I run around too much. Yes they are duplicates but it ensures that I keep the bathrooms and the room closest to it clean.

Having the required supplies on hand is the game checker. It stops procrastination in its tracks and literally pushes to move ahead.

Step #4 Establish Routines

I was searching for ways so that I can get my cleaning and house maintenance chores done quickly and in a short time. That is when I came across articles and videos about establishing routines.

I purchased a book by Flylady and started implementing what she said.

The Flylady system is all about making routines so that you can cut down the overwhelm. Routines will ensure that your house is always presentable.

When you are creating a Routine for yourself think about your household, your schedule. I worked with my schedule so that I would have the least resistance to something new.

I have used the techniques mentioned by Fylady but modified it so that I w ill be motivated to clean.

If our household hadn’t embraced routines, we would have failed at this. Routines became habits, which we now just follow everyday ( with closed eyes).

Step #5 Ask for Help

You are not required to do it all alone. I have always used the help of my family. Cleaning and maintaining a house is family effort. It is not the “job” of one person.

After all, all of us live together, hence we should be keeping our spaces clean together. So do not feel guilty to involve kids and your spouse.

I initially did feel guilty involving the kids. Over the years I have realised that the kids have grown up to be very responsible.

They actually take pride in their new skills and clean rooms. Ocassionally they call me over to check how they have arranged their toys or books.

Asking the kids to involve has been one of the best things for our family. They have taken ownership of their rooms. I have taught them how to clean certain areas, so that they understand what I mean by the word clean.

What Should you Clean Everyday ?

I was always procrastinating and trying to skip a day or two. If I cleaned one day, I would try to skip another day. I never really understood the importance of daily cleaning.

Till I started cleaning daily 🙂 ..

I am not speaking about the daily deep cleaning, but the maintenance kind of cleaning daily. The house just started looking so different and inviting and was always guest ready.

So what should you be cleaning everyday? Here is what I clean daily ( even on most sick days). Even if I do not deep clean, just this daily cleaning schedule helps keep my house on track.

  • Kitchen Counters – After every meal preparation, I try to wipe down the counters. I literally have to push myself to do this one most days. I usually would leave the spices, the dishes out until I found a suitable time later in the day. That suitable time never ever came and stuff just seems to attract more stuff. If the counters are cleaned and clear, you will notice that they remain like that for the most part.
  • Stove – I wipe down the stove after every meal. Initially, I thought I needed to scrub it down so thought I would do it at the end of the day. Now I just keep a rag around, clean the stove quickly ( like 2 minutes ). This saves me a lot of hard work later one. No more burnt on food and stains.
  • Kitchen Sink – When you get started with the Flylady System, you are asked to start by cleaning the sink. Marla Cilley calls it “shining the sink”. I love how she lovingly asks us to shine the sink and keep it shining throughout the day. When I started shining the sink, I realised that I would make an effort to not pile up dirty dishes. Slowly I started trying the area around the sink clean. This is one habit which is a must.
  • Dishes – Try to wash dishes as soon as you use them, or load them in the dishwasher. I hand wash dishes ( most of the time). So I try to wash them as soon as I use them, else they land in the sink ( and I want my shiny sink to stay shiny ).
  • Laundry – We go through a lot of laundry. School uniforms, towels, bedsheets, we literally go through a lot of clothes each day. I never wear any dress more than once. The piles of laundry were a nightmare initially till we decided to tackle one pile a day. Marla Cilley of the Flylady System says “laundry is not done till you wash, dry, fold and put it away”. I am trying my best to go through at least one load of laundry in one day. The kids help with this one, they keep their clothes away, load the washer and help dry the clothes (on most days).
  • Bathroom Sink – Clean the wash basin daily. This keeps it looking like brand new. I have kept a small brush in the bathroom, which I use for cleaning the wash basin. This gets rids of all stains, toothpaste marks, any spills from my homemade face powders. The days I skip this, I can totally see how gross the bathroom feels.
  • Toilet – I used to clean the toilet bowl once in 2 or 3 days. Now I clean it every day. It is called the swish and swipe by Marla Cilley. Just a quick scrub keeps it looking clean and fresh. My kids try to keep their toilet bowls clean ( but I need to supervise often). This is one quick clean up which is really helpful in keeping the house clean.
  • The Common areas – I learnt a trick, a kind of cheat to make the house look stunningly clean. I purchased a mop which self cleans and I keep in the kitchen. At least 2 to 3 times, I quickly mop the kitchen floor, around the dining table and the living room ( if needed). This makes my house look like its been deep cleaned. I have also kept a small brush in the kitchn which I use to quickly scrub any food which has fallen and stuck to the floor. Spot cleaning has literally changed our house.

How can I keep my house clean if I work full time?

I was asked this question by a subscriber on my Youtube channel. They wanted help in maintaining a clean house while managing a full-time job.

I was so eager to share because I too was working full time, had 2 kids and had a health issue which made any movement very painful. So I came up with a system

  • Routines – I created a Morning and Night Routine following the Flylady method. For me the night routine is the most important. I kind of get ready for the next day at night. I use a bullet journal to jot down my to-dos, including bible lesson, working on my blog, working on youtube videos, school work, important appointments. I follow the same routines for cleaning. At night kids make sure they have their school uniforms ready for the next day. They are responsible for clearing their toys, books and helping with clearing the dishes. Kitchen is cleaned up, floors are mopped and we are ready for the next day.
  • Pick a Few chores – I picked the bare minimal tasks which had to be done. Then these were divided between my Morning and Night Routine. These included laundry, the dishes, cleaning the kitchen, laundry, mopping the kitchen and common areas). Rest all could wait.
  • Weekly Tasks – Most of the major cleaning was done on the weekends. This is the time I could use the help of my family ( because they were home too).
  • Help – There were phases in my life when I just couldn’t do anything. So while I was preparing for surgery and just post surgery I hired a helper. She cleaned and cooked for a couple of months till I recovered. So if you just cannot manage it, hire someone for a few hours or days.

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