3 More Tidy Habits For A Clean Home
If you’ve had a chance to read and practice the previous 3 Tidy Habits post, you’ll see that once you get into a routine, you become more efficient at what you’re doing.
Developing good habits around cleaning can take away a lot of the overwhelm so that cleaning becomes less of a chore and more of your daily routine.
So, why not up your game and add 3 more tidy habits for a clean home?
Well, what are they?
- Wiping down and cleaning the counters
- Doing dishes and cleaning the sink
- Not wearing shoes in the house
If you start with these 3, you can go back and check out the others I previously talked about.
Also, keep in mind, you don’t need to start doing all of these at the same time. Take your time to get into the routine of doing each task. Let it become a habit before adding another.
This way, you won’t feel so overwhelmed trying to do it all at once.
Sometimes, the most challenging part is getting over the mental barrier of completing all these tasks in a day. Trust me, I know. But as you make a habit out of each task, the mental barriers will start to crumble.
Getting into good tidying habits around the house will result in some very positive things like:
Better Time Management
You’ll become faster at finishing tasks, and find the most efficient order to do them in, giving you more free time.
Stress Reduction
Less worrying about the state of your home if someone were to drop by unexpectedly and less overwhelmed when thinking about how you’re going to get everything done.
Feeling Better About Your Home
Just knowing your home is neat and tidy will reduce mental fatigue about your living space. When your home is clean you have a better sense of appreciation for it.
Overall, establishing good habits contributes to making your life easier, as it’s already part of your routine.
So, let’s look at 3 more tidy habits for a clean home in more detail.
More Tidy Habits for a Clean Home #1: Wipe Down and Clean the Counters
This one sounds obvious, but you would be surprised how often people don’t wipe their counters right away. If you are one of those people who doesn’t, now is the time to start. Why you may ask? Well, let’s look at 2 reasons.
First of all, it’s a matter of hygiene. When you let bits of food or liquid sit on your counter for long periods, unhealthy bacteria starts to form.
And, you don’t want little unseen creatures making you and your family ill when all it takes is two seconds to avoid.
The other reason is of course, that it keeps your kitchen looking clean. If you’ve ever noticed stains, or, bits of hardened food particles on a countertop, it’s not exactly appetizing. It’s a turnoff.
So, take a moment and give your counters a quick wipe as you’re cooking.
And when you’re finished with your meal prep, clean your counters with a nice warm soapy cloth. This will remove all the grime, and they will be clean enough to eat off!
More Tidy Habits for a Clean Home #2: Clean Dishes and a Clean Sink
Yes, this one relates to the previous post in terms of “tidying as you go,” but let’s dive into it, in more detail.
Not many people enjoy doing dishes, especially when the sink is full of them!
In fact, dishes have been cited as causing more relationship issues than any other chore. So, developing a habit of taking care of the dishes right away, will do wonders for your kitchen and quite possibly, your relationship.
No dishwasher? No worries. If you do your dishes while you are preparing and cooking, there will be less work to do in the end.
Now, if you do have a dishwasher, dishes are much easier. As you are finished with the dish (or whatever item) you are using, give it a quick rinse and put it in the dishwasher.
Use your dishwasher to its full potential. Run it a couple of times per day. If your dishwasher has a setting for Pots & Pans, run it while you’re eating dinner.
Additionally, delegate the loading and unloading to the kids.
Remember to clean the sink. Again it only takes a minute or two. This is another area where bacteria can build up if it’s not cleaned regularly. Just use hot soapy water and a cloth or sponge to wipe it down.
More Tidy Habits for a Clean Home #3: Don’t Wear Shoes in the House
Shoes are for outside, and they bring in the dirt, even it is a little at a time. And you and I both know it takes longer to sweep up the dirt than it does to take your shoes off. This becomes doubly important if you have little ones in the house. You don’t want them crawling around on a dirty floor, what would your mother-in-law say?
Put your shoes away using shoe racks, hanging shoe organizers, shoe boxes – there are plenty of options.
Time Well Spent
So, there you have it – 3 more tidy habits for a clean home. Developing these good habits will not only save you time but peace of mind as well.
Taking care of a home is a big responsibility, and I don’t know about you, but I like to work smarter, not harder.
In the first post, the word habit was defined. And, if you happened to miss it, here it is:
A routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously
This is the goal, to get into the habit of doing all these things without thinking about it. Just like brushing your teeth in the morning, you don’t need to make time for it, you just do it.
At the end of the day, it won’t be stressful looking around your home and thinking, “Where to start?” because it will be done. Doesn’t that sound good?