Is your home perennially untidy? If so, then you’re in good company – a considerable portion of us find it incredibly difficult to keep our homes in a respectable condition. So, what separates the tidy people from the messy ones? In most cases, the difference comes in the formation of habits.
Deal with the Small Stuff
Most of our tidying work consists of small tasks that take seconds rather than mammoth cleaning operations that take hours or even days. But given that these tasks are so small, it’s easy to put them off, and this is how a home can over time turn into a mess. So, get into the habit of taking your dirty cup back to the kitchen after you’re done with it, and insist that everyone else in your household adopt the same practice. Similarly, get everyone into the habit of pitching in with the cleaning operation after breakfast (and evening meals).
Vacuum Regularly
You don’t need to go around the entire house in one go. But once you’ve gotten the cleaner out, it makes sense to do at least one floor. Set aside twenty minutes each weekend for the job. If you take turns to take care of it, it’ll be trivial.
Print the cleaning Rota
If you don’t get everyone’s job down in writing, then the chances are that some parts of the family will shirk their cleaning duties before long. Writing down a rota and pinning it a suitable wall, or hanging it on the fridge, will make it clear whose turn it is to vacuum the stairs.
Invest in the Right Furniture
Keeping things organized needn’t mean compromising on aesthetics. A decent console table will allow you to do away with clutter in an office or living space without having to resort to bulky cupboards and filing cabinets. Something as simple as a hook will allow you a place to hang your coat when you come in and make it easier to get your things in order when the time comes to leave. You don’t want to create unnecessary work for yourself.
Throw out Clutter
The more items you possess, the more difficult it will be to keep them all in order. Unfortunately, most of us hang onto stuff for longer than we ought to. After all, we’ve worked long and hard to save for those magazines, books and old games consoles! Be ruthless and chuck out all of the stuff you know you don’t need, and provide everyone else with one chance to look through all of the items you’ve identified as suitable for chucking.
Old books, DVDs and the like can be taken down to your local charity shop, as can furniture. If you’re tidying an office, then you might want to invest in a shredder to deal with all of that paperwork for which you no longer have a use.