Parenting Pointers: 10 Ways To Make Your House Stay Clean Longer

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The best way to keep your house clean is not to mess it up in the first place but that’s easier said than done, so take heart, there are lots of other little ways too. Here are 10 ways to make your house stay clean longer:

1.     Don’t mess it in the first place. Training yourself into little habits like putting your clothes in a laundry bin, plates straight into the dishwasher and books back on the book shelves is the smartest and easiest way to avoid having to spend hours cleaning.

2.     Empty the dishwasher first thing in the morning, this allows you to put all plates and cups straight into the dishwasher and stops a nightmarish mountain of dishes piling up on the side. It makes your house look cleaner and if there is more than one of you that lives at home, it’s less work for you too.

3.     Implement a shoes off policy. Make family and visitors leave their shoes at the door, this will stop them tracking dirt and mud all over your clean floors and save having to get the vacuum out.

4.     But if that doesn’t work buy a handheld vacuum: hoover up any mess straight away and with none of the hassle of getting the cumbersome big vacuum out.

5.     Get someone else to do the cleaning. If you have kids start a reward chart based on household chores; star is given every time a job is done and when they get 10 stars a reward follows. Getting the kids to do simple jobs such as taking plates to the dishwasher, putting their clothes away or tidying their toys is a sure winner.

6.     Be organized. A place for everything and everything in its place. Being organized makes your house look smart and saves time. Just a few ideas; a letter holder for post, a shoe shelf and coat rack by the front door, a toy box.

7.     Little and often, don’t let it all heap up. Try to create a routine; put on a load of washing every morning when getting ready for work, wipe down sinks and toilets every day when you are using the bathroom, rather than letting them get really nasty, adopt a speed-cleaning tactic – a 20 minute whizz around to tidy up clutter, or with a duster, makes a huge difference and means you don’t have to dedicate Saturday morning to cleaning.

8.     Make your bed. It takes seconds, but straightening the duvet and fluffing your pillows really makes a different to a bedroom. And get your kids to make their beds too.

9.     Keep animals clean. This is as simple as making sure Fido has a rub down with a towel after coming back from a walk, but also think about grooming cats and dogs outside. Animal hairs get everywhere and regular grooming will keep your house looking and smelling cleaner.

10.  Clean your windows outside too. It’s easy to ignore the outside of your home but if you spend some time (or perhaps money if you are double storey and need a window cleaner) making sure any windows or glass doors are clean, then the inside of your home is given an instant face lift too.