Keep it Clean - Hints on Managing your Home


For housewives, students, bachelors, and everybody in-between, keeping a house clean and organised can seem like a mammoth task. Housework is never fun, but it doesn't have to be such a time-consuming chore if you know your goals and keep up a little home maintenance every day.

The key to keeping a tidy home is in developing good habits. Learn to pick up after yourself and wash up after you cook; make sure that everything has a place of its own and ensure that it always ends up there. If you develop good habits in being generally tidy, there will be less for you to clean in the long run and you will have more time to spend on having fun!

Set yourself a small routine of daily maintenance to prevent clutter and unnecessary debris gathering up around the house. Here are a few hints for daily home cleaning that take only a few seconds for each task, but will dramatically reduce the effort required when you come to do a major clean and will make your home appear instantly clean and tidy:

Clean Kitchen

Kitchen -

Clean Bathroom

Bathroom -

Clean Bedroom

Bedroom -

Sitting room -

Clean Sitting Room

General Tips

Below is some general advice on how to get and keep your home clean, and how to make the job easier as you go!

Sit down with pen and paper and make a plan. Figure out your problem areas, like those which contain the most clutter and those that require regular cleaning, and allocate yourself some good time to them. Parts of the house where people don't see (tops of cupboards) or rooms that are not used as regularly (spare rooms) don't have to be cleaned as often.

If you identify points like these you can make yourself a realistic and manageable plan to which you can dedicate certain time. As opposed to haphazard cleaning, if you are aware of times when you have to clean, you will also be able to focus on your free time as a goal and know how much time you have left to complete the task. This will make the cleaning appear more manageable and only a small part of your time.

Before your cleaning can any effect, it is important to de-clutter first. Pick up and find homes for all the objects in the room that don't belong, and throw out any rubbish. To prevent clutter accumulating:

When cleaning, avoid distractions. Turn off the TV and your phone. Some upbeat music however, can inspire to get on with the cleaning at a pace and get it finished quickly.

Do one room at a time, and work around the room from top to bottom as you go. Carry your supplies in a basket or bucket so that you have everything you need with you:

Make your house a shoe-free zone. If people take their shoes off at the door, you will avoid a lot of dirt being trodden through the house and into your carpet.

If your home smells fresh it will create the impression of cleanliness. Start by throwing out full and smelly rubbish. Baking soda can be sprinkled in ashtrays to prevent smells, as well as on the carpet and vacuumed in the morning to eradicate any musty odours.

Take clothes out of the tumble drier as soon as it finishes; they will not require ironing as they are warm and creases will not have formed. Fold them or hang them up straightaway.