Tidy Up Tips for the Busy Mom
Here are some tidy-up tips for the busy mom and dad. Who enjoys a messy house? I know I don’t, and neither does my husband. We do have a lovely cleaning lady that comes every fortnight to deep clean the house. Whilst she does most of the hardcore elbow grease such as the oven and bathroom, we do tidy up the house every day, tag-teaming daily chores around kiddie duties.
In our early years of dating, just ask Kenz, I used to be a slob, leaving clothes to pile up on my armchair, not making the bed, and leaving cups and dishes out. I hate to admit it, but it’s true I used to be very messy. Since then, I have embraced living clutter-free and keeping our house nice and tidy so we can enjoy (and be proud) of our home.
Here are some of my daily tidy-up tips for keeping your house clean. Honestly, these tips are no brainers. The key is cleaning and tidy-up often makes a big difference and avoids the need to do a big weekly clean.
1. Always make your bed first thing in the morning
This is an obvious one, but it makes a difference. Making your bed not only makes your bedroom look and feel better, but it’s also a mental life hack that helps you feel that you accomplished first thing in the morning. It helps put you in the right frame of mind for a positive day. I’m not suggesting to make your bed picture perfect for an Instagram-worthy photo op, but a few minutes to straighten your sheets and comforter and fluff your pillows will do.
2. Run the dishwasher at night and unload the dishes in the morning
Another obvious tip, but you’ll be surprised how many people don’t do this. It’s very easy to let the dishes pile up in the sink because the dishwasher is full. Then mess piles up on the kitchen counter, and so forth. When it’s time to prep for lunch or dinner, and guess what? Well, you guessed it — the cutting board, knives, pots and utensils are all dirty. For the time-poor parents rushing to get dinner ready, this is less than ideal so try to have the dishwasher empty so you can load up your dirty dishes.
3. Keep on top of laundry
Keeping on top of laundry is another easy task to tackle. Don’t let your laundry pile up to a point where you’re spending your weekends playing catch-up. Run your laundry first thing in the morning and by the end of the day, you’ll have fresh clothes. Another top tip: fold and put your laundry away pronto to avoid the endless task of folding laundry.
4. Quick “surface” cleaning
After each meal, do a quick surface wipe-down of your dining table and kitchen countertop with a citrus-scented antibacterial spray. You’ll be shocked how quickly grime builds up. “Surface” cleaning also applies to vacuum your high traffic floor areas so a quick hoover to pick up tiny crumbs and dust off the floor will do wonders.
5. Declutter, declutter, declutter
Declutter your house regularly. I’m serious, I’m talking declutter ala Marie Kondo style — if it doesn’t sparkle joy, then it’s time to throw it away or give it away. We declutter our house to a point where every item has “home” which makes tidying up is a lot easier knowing exactly where things should be placed. That said, this may sound counterproductive but we also have a designated “junk” drawer for miscellaneous little items that will eventually find a permanent home.
These tidy-up tips aren’t rocket science, and you are probably doing these things already. The key to do this often and regularly. This “clean little, clean often” mantra is all about making tidy-up part of your routine and you’re on your way to nearly having a self-cleaning house.
