Tips for Keeping a Tidy Home!

Good Morning Everyone!

Recently Erin over at Two Thirds Hazel  posted a blog about tips and tricks for keeping a clean house and I thought it was such a fantastic idea that I would give her the credit but do my own spin on it and share how I manage to keep a clean house!

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Jason and I are both a little over the top about a clean house, we don't like clutter of any sort, no dirt, no dust, no germs! Germs are the biggest one for me to be honest, I should have shares in Clorox wipes because I go through so many of them. I am not saying that my house is always spotless, not by any means but I would like to think that you wouldn't come over and leaving thinking that we are messy people. I believe everything should have a place and go there!!

People often think our home looks pretty empty and truth be told it is because we are still decorating, slowly but I cant say that it will ever look complete to others because there will never be a plethora of knick knacks or stuff sitting out.. it will just never happen.

As for cleaning its not like I absolutely love cleaning, I mean who does? But I truly think if you keep on top of it then it will never actually be a overwhelming task. Not loving cleaning gives me the motivation to get it done so I don't need to worry about it. When we first got the house I use to feel extremely overwhelmed when I would start to clean because its so big, so many rooms and it all collects dust and what not even if we don't use those rooms.

Like I said, I really keep on top of things. Here or at home after making a meal in the kitchen I wipe everything down with Clorox wipes, once a week I make sure to clean out the fridge, purge anything not getting eaten or nearing expiring and give it a good wipe down. After washing the dishes I make sure to wipe out the sink and take the trash and recycling out as soon as I can smell it or its full. I never take it out and leave it sitting until I have time to take it to the trash room or outside to the larger bins, I tie it up and take it to its final destination immediately. Putting it off only leaves another task to be accomplished why not just knock it off the list at the time, besides my memory sucks and if I don't take it out most likely I would do so later and remember I didn't put a new bag in the bin when my hands are full and I'm trying to put something in there. I also buy the fresh scented trash bags, I highly recommend those.

I wipe down the bathroom daily, not a full clean but I dislike water spots on the counters and toothpaste spots on the mirror (Jason not me). Plus when I put on my makeup stuff can get on the counter so usually after I finish getting ready in the morning I wipe everything down.

Every morning when I make the bed I take all the blankets off and start from the bottom, fluffing everything and spraying with Febreeze to keep everything, fresh, comfortable and smelling good.

When I know I am going to do a super clean, vacuuming, washing floors, dusting, etc I tend to make a list of every thing that needs to be done. This just keeps me on track and keeps me motivated as I like seeing things checked off. Plus if I didn't I would likely forget something and then put all my cleaning stuff away and be really unhappy when I have to get it back out.

Once my list is done I take advantage of our smart TV and turn on Pandora because what is a day of cleaning without a good dance party to go along? I find if I have something to sing along to it doesn't seem so much like work because I enjoy myself a little more.

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When at home I generally divide the cleaning by floors. I start upstairs and I work my way through the entire floor. I will clean the master bath shower, tub, sink, mirror, toilet, etc and then our bedroom. I move to the other bathroom, two bedrooms and the laundry room. Yes I clean the laundry room! There isn't much to be done in the loft space besides the floors and I hate vacuuming so I always leave it until last. Once all the rooms are completed I bring the vacuum up and do the entire floor. I take all the cleaning supplies and vacuum back downstairs and then I wash all the tile floors upstairs and call it good.

I will vacuum the stairs and then start in the kitchen. Again although the downstairs is extremely open I work at one room at a time and thoroughly clean everything. When I am finished with everything I do all the vacuuming and wash the floors. I swear the floors in that place are the worst, they are dark and therefore everything shows and they are just so vast!! I feel like vacuuming and washing the floors definitely take the longest.

I feel good when I am done, when you think about taking a break to sit and have a coffee or something, DON'T! Push through, get it done and over with, you will feel so good when its all done and the house is nice and clean.. I love that feeling.

Like I said I like to keep up with things so once a week the big things don't seem so overwhelming because I also have a ton of little things to do. I like to wash the bedding once a week, wash the floors, scrub all the toilets and do a really thorough cleaning of the kitchen. I keep up with the rest of the cleaning and laundry during the week so its not such a big deal on weekends and doesn't consume an entire day.

I am really lucky when we are at home Jason cleans just as much as I do. He stays on top of things during the week with me and then on weekends will split the bigger chores. I actually love the system we have worked out, I do all the laundry and he does all the floors because to me the worst chore is vacuuming. I tend to dust more than he does because somehow I see dust on everything all the time where as he will take time to use special cleaner to wipe down all the kitchen cabinets and granite.

Before we leave the house we do a thorough cleaning so when we go back home we don't have a ton to do before we can enjoy the short time we have there.

Our cleaning methods really stay the same no matter where we are, at an apartment Jason tends to work a crazy amount of hours so I do more of the cleaning and cooking which I am totally fine with. When we move (all the time!!) it will just depends on our schedules who does packing, although most often we pick a night and do it all together and then the day of our move out Jason packs the truck while I clean. I tackle one room at a time, spray it with Febreeze when I am done and then close the door and move on to the next room. We always get all our money back from our deposit!

We don't love cleaning but we certainly love a clean home! I like when I come in the door and things smell fresh and clean.

In a pinch here are a few things I would recommend to achieve a clean look in a short period of time.

• Lose clutter. Things sitting on the coffee table, counters, etc looks messy. Find things a home that is out of the way, when you are not using it put it back there. 
• Baskets. I have a basket on the dining room table for keys and mail that needs to be dealt with, etc. Throwing a few things in a basket looks a lot better than having it thrown all over the table. 
• Use the dishwasher. Nothing looks worse then a bunch of dishes sitting in the sink. If you don't have a dishwasher don't let the dishes accumulate, just wash them and put them away. 
• Wax burners and candles. We don't burn candles at the house so we use wax burners and it makes the house smell fantastic, just as a candle. Buy the good ones so even when the candle isn't burning you can still smell it (Home Good wax from Walmart are my favorite). 
• FEBREEZE! There really is something about a fresh smelling house, when I make the bed everyday I spray the sheets with Febreeze because I only wash them once a week. I spray the spare bedroom and gym everyday as well. 
• Put shoes in the closet. We have a mat inside the door but you will never find shoes on it. Take them off and put them in the closet, coming in to a pile of shoes to trip over, never good. 

A clean home is a happy home folks! Just call me Danny Tanner! (I'm really not that bad, but Jason's close!)