Struggling to keep on top of mess, clutter and laundry?
You are not alone.
It is hard to keep things tidy when we are all at home, and our houses have suddenly now also been turned into several other things – home office, creche, school, gym – you name it, we are now doing it at home.
The good news? A clean home and a hectic family life need not be mutually exclusive. The trick is to not let clutter take over by bumping little jobs onto your mental “I’ll deal with this later” list. Look, we all have one. But here are five clever habits that’ll help keep mess at home to a minimum during the week, leaving you free to actually relax come the weekend:
1. Put everything back in its rightful place when you are finished with it
Make sure everything in your home has a place – and when you are done using it (iron, hairdryer, scissors, bathroom wipes) put it back – straight away. You’ll soon notice far fewer piles of “stuff” everywhere and hence will find yourself not having to deal with a big “put everything back” operation.
2. Ask yourself “How long will this take to tidy?”
If the answer is less than two minutes, tackle it immediately – you have two minutes to do it, and you’ll thank yourself later. By tackling the little jobs as you go means that when you do have time for some proper cleaning, you’ll be able to do the big stuff, like the floors and windows.
3. Empty the dishwasher every morning
If you’ve ever timed yourself doing this, then you know emptying even a packed dishwasher takes only about 5 minutes. Do it while the coffee brews or while you wait for the kids to get ready for school. An empty dishwasher lets you put breakfast dishes in so they don’t sit around inviting more mess.
4. Delegate
Give everyone in the house an age-appropriate task, and a clear understanding of when and how often it needs to be done.
5. Give the counters a once-over every evening
Before you head to bed, give the kitchen a quick glance and put away any clutter. In the bathroom, put away your toiletries and jewellery. The same goes for your dining table — don’t let it turn into a catch-all.
(Feature image via H&M Home)
