The secret to a spotless home: 10 STEPS to save hours on cleaning
- Replies 5
Even though keeping your home clean and orderly every day can be a lot of work, that doesn't mean it has to take up all of your time.
Here at the SDC, we believe that a clean home has less to do with how much time you devote to it and more to do with the good habits you form.
The writer shares her best tips to keep her house spotless without cleaning daily. Credit: Daily Mail.
Author Natali Juste Simmonds, a Brit currently living in the Netherlands, shares this outlook and argues that setting some basic ground rules for family members and cleaning as you go would ensure that you never waste time on boring chores.
She used her Twitter account to talk about how she manages to keep a spotless home while still having plenty of time to pursue her other passions, including writing and spending time with her family.
Before she began listing down her household cleaning tips and suggestions, she first pointed out how important it is to avoid the mess in the first place. 'The secret [to a spotless house] is to not make a mess in the first place,' she wrote.
Everyone in your family, she stressed, needs to pick up the habit of cleaning as they go. These measures will reduce your workload and stress levels and, at the same time, set the stage for a lifetime of improved lifestyle habits on their behalf.
'After a while, these habits will become routine, but you MUST stick to them and make sure no one is let off the hook,' she added.
You don't have to strain yourself cleaning the bathroom every single day. Credit: The Maids. (Stock photo)
1. Keep a squeegee in the shower.
The author's first tip for cleaning the house is to always have a squeegee ready in the bathroom. This way, everyone can simply wipe the glass clean after every shower to keep it free of water spots and stains.
She also said that people should make sure to dry off in the shower before stepping out. 'No white marks on the glass, and no wet floors. No need to spend hours scrubbing the shower,' she wrote.
2. Keep a dry cloth next to the bathroom sink.
If you keep a clean towel next to the sink in the bathroom, every member of your household will be able to use it to clean the countertop and the mirror after using the sink or brushing their teeth.
'Takes literally 2 seconds. No cleaning toothpaste stains off counters,' Natali said.
3. Keep bleach/loo cleaner next to the loo. Pour some twice a day.
Even though it's still important to clean the toilet regularly, keeping a bottle of bleach or toilet cleaner close by can stop stains from getting too bad.
She also discouraged having a toilet brush in the bathroom as it can urge people to scrub their poo with it. 'Loo roll and bleach. Each person cleans their own,' she said.
Every item in Natali's home has a rightful and proper place. Credit: Daily Mail.
4. Put everything back in the right place every time you use it.
'Sounds simple, but if you don't want clutter, put your things away.' Natali also mentioned that it is considered quite disrespectful to clutter up a shared area in her home, so this rule is something she strictly enforces.
5. Young children need to know keeping a house tidy is normal and a life skill.
Even though you may not be sharing a house with your grandchildren, it is still crucial to teach them the value of hard work and responsibility by showing them how to correctly do household responsibilities.
'I never say “can you help me?” because a) it's not a favour and b) it's not MY job. I say “time to contribute” because we all live together and respect that space and one another's time. This includes partners,' said Natali.
6. Always keep the kitchen counter clean.
The author said you must clean the kitchen counter every time you go in. 'One spray, one wipe, 3 seconds,' she said, adding: 'And clean as you cook, no mess to go back to at 9 pm.'
7. Train your pets and avoid letting them wander too much.
Natali said in another tweet that it's easy to keep pets from making messes by teaching them not to wander around the house too much. However, cats and other animals are known to have a healthy dose of natural curiosity, which might make things quite difficult.
8. Once a day, get a bag, fill it with everything that's in the wrong place, and put it back.
This advice goes along with the fourth rule. If you have been putting things back where they belong, this shouldn't bother you too much. But things do happen, so it's best to be ready for them!
You don't have to clean every day if you learn how to clean as you go. Credit: Reader's Digest. (Stock photo)
9. Don't bother ironing anything that's not a cotton dress or shirt.
According to her, most creases come out with body heat. Instead of breaking your back trying to iron your clothes and fabrics, she says that only cotton dresses and shirts should be ironed (or at least prioritised in ironing).
Besides, no one else probably will see your bedsheets but you, so it's okay to leave them unironed!
10. Don't have a chair in your bedroom.
Natali's last piece of advice is to never leave a spare chair in your bedroom. If you do, you'll probably leave clean, dirty, and half-worn clothes on it, which will pile up over time and make your room look messy.
It certainly is true what Natali says: if you never make a mess, you never have to clean! What do you think about her house cleaning tips, folks? Have you been doing them already in your homes?
Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
Here at the SDC, we believe that a clean home has less to do with how much time you devote to it and more to do with the good habits you form.
The writer shares her best tips to keep her house spotless without cleaning daily. Credit: Daily Mail.
Author Natali Juste Simmonds, a Brit currently living in the Netherlands, shares this outlook and argues that setting some basic ground rules for family members and cleaning as you go would ensure that you never waste time on boring chores.
She used her Twitter account to talk about how she manages to keep a spotless home while still having plenty of time to pursue her other passions, including writing and spending time with her family.
Before she began listing down her household cleaning tips and suggestions, she first pointed out how important it is to avoid the mess in the first place. 'The secret [to a spotless house] is to not make a mess in the first place,' she wrote.
Everyone in your family, she stressed, needs to pick up the habit of cleaning as they go. These measures will reduce your workload and stress levels and, at the same time, set the stage for a lifetime of improved lifestyle habits on their behalf.
'After a while, these habits will become routine, but you MUST stick to them and make sure no one is let off the hook,' she added.
You don't have to strain yourself cleaning the bathroom every single day. Credit: The Maids. (Stock photo)
1. Keep a squeegee in the shower.
The author's first tip for cleaning the house is to always have a squeegee ready in the bathroom. This way, everyone can simply wipe the glass clean after every shower to keep it free of water spots and stains.
She also said that people should make sure to dry off in the shower before stepping out. 'No white marks on the glass, and no wet floors. No need to spend hours scrubbing the shower,' she wrote.
2. Keep a dry cloth next to the bathroom sink.
If you keep a clean towel next to the sink in the bathroom, every member of your household will be able to use it to clean the countertop and the mirror after using the sink or brushing their teeth.
'Takes literally 2 seconds. No cleaning toothpaste stains off counters,' Natali said.
3. Keep bleach/loo cleaner next to the loo. Pour some twice a day.
Even though it's still important to clean the toilet regularly, keeping a bottle of bleach or toilet cleaner close by can stop stains from getting too bad.
She also discouraged having a toilet brush in the bathroom as it can urge people to scrub their poo with it. 'Loo roll and bleach. Each person cleans their own,' she said.
Every item in Natali's home has a rightful and proper place. Credit: Daily Mail.
4. Put everything back in the right place every time you use it.
'Sounds simple, but if you don't want clutter, put your things away.' Natali also mentioned that it is considered quite disrespectful to clutter up a shared area in her home, so this rule is something she strictly enforces.
5. Young children need to know keeping a house tidy is normal and a life skill.
Even though you may not be sharing a house with your grandchildren, it is still crucial to teach them the value of hard work and responsibility by showing them how to correctly do household responsibilities.
'I never say “can you help me?” because a) it's not a favour and b) it's not MY job. I say “time to contribute” because we all live together and respect that space and one another's time. This includes partners,' said Natali.
6. Always keep the kitchen counter clean.
The author said you must clean the kitchen counter every time you go in. 'One spray, one wipe, 3 seconds,' she said, adding: 'And clean as you cook, no mess to go back to at 9 pm.'
7. Train your pets and avoid letting them wander too much.
Natali said in another tweet that it's easy to keep pets from making messes by teaching them not to wander around the house too much. However, cats and other animals are known to have a healthy dose of natural curiosity, which might make things quite difficult.
8. Once a day, get a bag, fill it with everything that's in the wrong place, and put it back.
This advice goes along with the fourth rule. If you have been putting things back where they belong, this shouldn't bother you too much. But things do happen, so it's best to be ready for them!
You don't have to clean every day if you learn how to clean as you go. Credit: Reader's Digest. (Stock photo)
9. Don't bother ironing anything that's not a cotton dress or shirt.
According to her, most creases come out with body heat. Instead of breaking your back trying to iron your clothes and fabrics, she says that only cotton dresses and shirts should be ironed (or at least prioritised in ironing).
Besides, no one else probably will see your bedsheets but you, so it's okay to leave them unironed!
10. Don't have a chair in your bedroom.
Natali's last piece of advice is to never leave a spare chair in your bedroom. If you do, you'll probably leave clean, dirty, and half-worn clothes on it, which will pile up over time and make your room look messy.
It certainly is true what Natali says: if you never make a mess, you never have to clean! What do you think about her house cleaning tips, folks? Have you been doing them already in your homes?
Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
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agreed with her I do that all the time mind you it's only my husband and I but he can be quite messy. So got him to clean up after clean as he goes and it works.tr works. He clean the shower the sink after a shave and it good for both of us. So yes ladies 8t can be done take care everyone and have a blessed weekend
