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I kind to hate to admit this, but for well over a year, I have been toying with the idea of getting a cleaning lady twice a month. While it’s not super expensive, in the spirit of my prioritization rules (which you can read about HERE) , I decided it made more sense for me to spend that money on upcoming trips rather than hire someone to clean my house.. Plus I’m more than a little paranoid that my stuff with get stolen :-/.
So, I had to make a plan if I was to have the clean house I want to live in. Fortunately, I live in a whopping 740 square feet, so keeping it clean is easier than it would be for a bigger space. Here I tell you how I keep my space clean, simply by adding little one or two minute cleaning methods to my daily routine. It takes small adjustments, but my place is never dirty as a result!
Make your bed the minute you wake up. As soon as my alarm goes off, I turn it off, sit up, move my dog, and make my bed… Yes, while I’m still in it. It takes all of one minute, and makes my room look so much neater. Feeling accomplished is a good way to start the day.
Invest in a Roomba. This robotic vacuum cleaner was a major purchase I had been contemplating for months. I thought I could go ahead without it, and just put off buying one.. I mentioned my thoughts to my mom when I was in Florida a few weeks ago, and peppered her with questions about what she likes about her Roomba because I ALWAYS do major research before major purchases. When I came home from work recently, I noticed an Amazon box was sitting outside my door.. My mom bought me a Roomba and I loooooove it and have no idea how I ever lived without it! If you’ve been thinking about buying a Roomba and can afford it, what are you waiting for? Trust me when I say, you’ll love it. Plus, you can set it to run while you’re away! I got the iRobot Roomba 650 Robotic Vacuum Cleaner
I thought my place was clean, and #humblepie, this is what the Roomba picked up. Ew.
Plus, it cleans under beds and under my couches, which are areas that I didn’t always get to when I was sweeping the old-fashioned way… Cannoli is fascinated by his new robot sibling…
Clean your bathroom sink and counter every day. I have a tendency to make a complete mess in the mornings, so I make it a habit to quickly spray down and wipe my bathroom sink and counter with a bit of toilet paper (so I can just flush it) and bathroom cleaner before I leave for work. Again, this takes all of one minute or less, and leaves my place smelling great. I love Method products for this. They’re non-toxic, affordable, last forever and smell amazing. My personal favorite for bathroom is: Method Foaming Bathroom Cleaner
Spray down you kitchen counters every night after dinner. Easy peasy, right? Method makes the Anti-Bac, which I love. (here it is: Method All Purpose Cleaner – 28 oz – Wildflower
Swiffer WetJet
Leave your shoes at the door. I’ve read too many articles about how much grody stuff gets tracked in when you wear your shoes in the house, so I’ve gotten in the habit of taking them off right by the door. It also makes for keeping the floors much cleaner.
Have two sets of sheets on your bed. There have been plenty of times where I simply do NOT have time to change my sheets, but I really want them to be clean! When I have two sets on my bed, I can just take the top (dirty) set off, and use the backup set underneath. This also works well for when I have dog sitters at my house. They sleep on the top set, and then when I get home from my trip, I just take that one off, and my bed is ready to be slept in by muah.
Put your dishes in the dishwasher the minute you’re finished with them. Seriously. If you spend all of ten seconds doing this, and your dishes will never pile up! (side note: I love my FiestaWare dishes.. They’re extremely durable and come in so many fun colors. I got them at the factory in Newell, WV, and they’re “slightly flawed,” aka way more fun. Definitely worth the road trip!).
Scrub down your shower after each use. Again, this take all of a minute or two. What I usually do is, before showering, spray it down with cleaner that has bleach in it, let it sit for about two minutes, and then turn the water on full blast to rinse off the shower before getting in (inhaling the bleach smell isn’t good for you). Then, after showering, I wipe it down with the Method bathroom cleaner and a cleaning rag that I keep in the shower for that very purpose.
Run a “feather” duster over everything when you get home from work twice per week. I really like the Swiffer dusters. It takes only a few minutes to run over every surface, if you have a small space like I do.
Detox Detox Detox. And stay organized! I may have mentioned this upward of a thousand times, but I can’t recommend The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
If you do these little things, your place will NEVER get dirty! On occasion, you’ll have to do the nitty-gritty cleaning, like your oven, baseboards, furniture polish, etc., but these tips are a great way to keep your place from ever getting out of hand. It takes a routine change, but will will add a few minutes to your day.
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