If you’re reading this, I’m guessing you are here for one of a couple reasons:
- You desperately long for a clean house, but no matter what you do, you can’t seem to achieve it.
- You have a tidy home, but you are an unsatisfied perfectionist longing for more.
- You are usually extremely lazy and could care less, but you’re currently on a “clean freak streak”. (No judgment. We’ve all been there.)
Let me share a secret with you:
It’s not that hard!
All it really takes is the desire, a plan, & just a little bit of motivation.
- You can’t be afraid to throw things away! I cannot stress this enough. First, it’s that pile of magazines you know you’ll never read again. Then it’s the little trinkets from your childhood/gifts from grandma/etc. that you just can’t throw away. And on, and on it goes. Before you know it, you have piles of stuff you don’t even know what to do with. Your closets are full of boxes of who-knows-what. That’s when you will begin to get overwhelmed. SAY NO NOW! Your future self will thank you.
- Pick up as you go. This is a habit that I learned as a child, and it has done me well. If I eat a snack, I wipe the counter and rinse my dishes. When I get undressed, I put dirty clothes directly into the hamper & clean clothes folded neatly back where they belong. When I take my shoes off, they go in the shoes hamper. When I use the bathroom, I wipe up any messes I make. When I get the mail, I put the envelopes in the trash & sort the mail into its relevant slots. It’s little & constant things – but trust me… it adds up to a lot! It’s insane to me how many adults do not know how to do this little thing. If you don’t pick up after yourself, you will be stuck with a whole lot of cleaning to do later.
- Have a vision of what you want your home to look & feel like. I have a way that the blankets & pillows on my couch are supposed to look like, specific places for kleenex boxes, a sorter for the mail. It may seem like a perfectionist thing, but when there is a place for everything, then nothing is out of place! Also, having an idea of what sort of “vibe” or feel you want visitors to experience while in your home is extremely helpful in keeping things that way.
- Make sure that everything you own has a purpose. Go through the items in your house. Make sure that each item meets at least one of these qualifications. If you can’t find a reason to keep that item in your house, pitch it. Don’t worry about regretting it later – you most likely won’t ever remember you had it.
- Fulfills a specific purpose
- Has an important memory
- Brings you joy
- Adds beauty to your home
- Make a plan. Regularly go through the things that you own & throw things away. Have a plan for when you will clean & what you will do. If you do a little each day, your home will be spotless before you know it! If you don’t know where to begin, check out my cleaning checklists to help you get started:
Regular Cleaning Schedule Printables
30-Day Cleaning Challenge
HomeSweetHomeMaker 
I loved the pick up as you go… I want to do it. 🙂 Thanks!
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Awesome! I’m so glad these helped. Thanks for reading!
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I struggle with number one constantly, I find it so hard to let go of certain things…I have to work in this area. These tips are very useful.
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It is difficult! And it doesn’t mean letting go of everything. I definitely keep important things. I have a storage box full of special letters, trinkets and such. And if it looks good in my house, I will proudly display it! But keeping trinkets everywhere just because they are special isn’t my thing. If you can’t bear to part with some things, that’s totally okay!!
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SO useful – great tips! I am constantly trying to keep our clutter at bay, and a tiny part of me cried inside when my 6yo came home from sleepaway camp and said she’d thrown out the daily letters I’d written her for her week at camp – but then I thought, “She’s learning to let go now, good for her!”
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Aww, I would have cried too! 😢 I do keep a box of mementos… special letters, cards, books, notebooks. Some things are too important to throw away! But glad you have taught her well.
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I love your tips and I needed to be reminded of some for sure! I will definitely be doing these going forward!
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Thank you! I’m so glad this helped!
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Throwing things out is how I keep my house organized! I can’t stand clutter or piles of stuff that never get used. We have a policy that if you haven’t used it in the last month or so (except for seasonal stuff) then it goes to charity or we have a yard sale.
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This is amazing! I don’t know if I’m even that dedicated yet. 🙂 however, there are only three of us in the house right now. I might need to adopt a once a month clean out when we have more kids!
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I am one of those who can’t throw things because of memories, but now that I am a mom and my child has so much more stuff accumulating, I have no choice but to throw mine. Great tips you have here. All doable! Thanks for sharing😊
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Awww. I do understand! It used to be hard for me. And I DO have a “box of memories” in our storage. I think it’s important to keep things. 🙂 but definitely not everything. Thanks for reading!
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