10 Tips To Get Your House Clean and Keep It That Way

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It finally happened, I got my house clean. It’s not spotless and there are still messes that happen all the time but cleaning it up is not such a chore anymore. I managed to get the whole house cleaned and ready for the week with only four hours of work yesterday and it usually takes me all weekend. That is a win so I am sharing 10 tips to get your house clean and keep it that way so you can get back to the things that bring you joy, like Netflix, family and maybe even some gardening.

10 Tips To Get Your House Clean and Keep It That Way

Deep Clean Your Space. Pick a room, closet, or space and deep clean it. Go through everything in the space and honestly think about whether it is still of use to you. Put what you want to keep back in the space if it belongs there. Donate and trash everything else. Remember that the more you trash and donate the less you will ultimately need to clean down the line. This may take place over a few weekends if it is the only time you can do it but it needs to get done. Everything needs a place.

Purge Multiples. You don’t need 12 bottles of sunscreen just because you got a great deal on them. The same goes for toothbrushes, almost empty bottles/jars/containers of anything in your possession, and the 8 ‘other’ lipsticks that came in that box set that you will never wear.

There is no “What If”. The biggest thing for me getting rid of anything was the ‘what if’. What if we need this particular cream that we haven’t used in two years but may need next month? Forget about what may happen and get rid of it. If you really do need it you can purchase it again but the odds are that if you haven’t used it for that long you won’t need it.

Kids Space. Go through all of your kid’s toys, stuffies, and books and throw out anything that is either broken or missing pieces. If a toy is in good condition but your kids don’t play with it, either donate or sell it. I brought most of the toys from the main floor upstairs into the kid’s own rooms. Although some make it down weekly, each Saturday morning we pack them all up and bring them back upstairs where they belong. If there isn’t enough space to neatly store your kid’s toys then you need to either purge more or get more storage. I recommend this set from Ikea to store toys.

Clothes. Go through everyone’s closets and get rid of anything with stains, rips, or that doesn’t fit anymore. This will cut down on the number of clothes that are taken out of the closet only to be dropped on the floor or stuffed into the back of the closet because they are unwearable.

Roll The Socks. This is completely new to me and I have always had baskets of socks in each kid’s room so that they grabbed what they wanted. Last month I was binging on a show on Netflix and needed something to do while I hid in my room. Cue rolling of all the socks in the house and although the first time took a couple of hours (there are 6 of us) now when I do laundry I almost always just get the pairs of socks so it’s easy to roll them up. I also have a basket where I keep the socks that have no pairs until I find their significant others. The benefit of this is that it also makes mornings easier as there isn’t a rush to find matching socks.

Sort Your Laundry. Get 3 or 4 baskets and keep your dirty laundry sorted as it happens. Pairs of socks will go into baskets together, make sure clothes are not inside out, and once a basket gets full wash it. It makes doing laundry not such a chore and can be done quickly. Also, make sure you wash your sports gear before you store it, that stuff stinks (instructions here).

Throw Out Broken Items. We are the type of people who like to fix things but after finding the parts of 5 broken blenders in my cabinets last year I went on a HUGE purge of broken things in my kitchen. If something breaks either fix it right away or throw it out.

Buy Smarter. Over the years I realized that by buying better quality products less break. For all of the blenders that broke that cost us less than $50, we could have bought a better quality good blender. We finally got the Vitamix and use the Breville Boss to Go for small jobs. Both have been used almost daily for years and are still in perfect condition. Also, spend the money on decorating your walls so you can add personality to the room without cluttering. I love Photowall for new prints, wallpaper, and canvases.

This doesn’t just apply to appliances–high-quality furniture lasts longer, too! Save yourself trips to the furniture store by buying wood furniture. Furniture made of natural wood not only lasts longer but also looks great! Wood furniture is versatile, meaning that it will look good with any style of interior decoration.

Touch It Once. This is life-changing. Once everything has a place when you pick something up that is out of place pick it up once and put it in its place. Think about how much time you waste putting things somewhere only to put it in its proper place later. If you have two floors and you spend most of your time on the main floor make a basket to take upstairs each day and put it away then. Stop doing things multiple times. It’s causing clutter and making life harder for you.

Do you have any tips to add?

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Aneta Alaei

Aneta is a Toronto-based mom of four that loves a good meal, great company, and learning something new. In her free time, you can find her trying to keep yet another plant alive.

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24 Comments

Calvin
April 30, 2018 / 11:57 am

Doing things bit by bit is a nice way to cumulatively clean. Nice tips to keep tidy.
kathy downey
May 3, 2018 / 12:53 pm

What a beautiful big area!
kristen visser
May 3, 2018 / 1:18 pm

these are some great tips hun!! i love going through my clothes and my daughters toys and clearing some things out that way. I always feel good afterwards. definitely need to go through some things cause there are some other items we can do without
Carole Dube
May 3, 2018 / 8:23 pm

I love your family room and your closet space. I deep clean a room here and there all year, so no spring cleaning for me. I do it when I feel it needs it. My house gets so dusty and I change the furnace filter regularly. I also clean my house the same way and rarely spend more then an hour cleaning, but do a bit everyday.
Treen Goodwin
May 4, 2018 / 8:05 am

Great tips thanks for sharing , i love the tip of getting rid of clothes that don’t fit , i am a hoarder of clothes that don’t fit me any longer i really need to get rid of them 🙂
ivy pluchinsky
May 6, 2018 / 1:42 pm

These are some great tips! But sometimes I feel my house will never stay clean, especially when there are kids here!
Lynda Cook
May 9, 2018 / 8:22 am

All great tips, I need to go through my bedroom again, and take so much stuff to goodwill, but it’s hard to part with my stuff!!
kathy
June 5, 2018 / 3:31 pm

All neat tips,I love the white dresser
Debbie White Beattie
June 11, 2018 / 4:42 am

I wish I could keep my house organized as quick as I get rid of things they start piling up again
Cheryl Grandy
June 18, 2018 / 12:02 pm

So true: less stuff equals less mess, less cleaning time and makes life simpler. I love when I go on a trip and only have the clothes in my suitcase to choose from – it makes deciding what to wear much simpler. Now I need to transfer that idea to my home.
Leanne
June 20, 2018 / 6:19 pm

Great tips . I love the no what if rule . I always end up keeping stuff in case I need it one day . Really have to get out of that habit .
Erin N
June 25, 2018 / 3:17 pm

Thank you so much for this list of tips! I am currently trying to de-clutter and organize our house.. Less stuff=less possible mess!
Tricia Hope
January 8, 2019 / 12:38 am

Thanks for this! I was concerned where to start my New Years’ purge. This is practical and easy to implement!
JoKing
March 7, 2019 / 8:43 am

Quality is definitely worth it when making purchases. I agree it lasts longer!
Elizabeth Matthiesen
March 12, 2019 / 10:04 am

I seldom throw a toothbrush away, I keep the old ones and use them for cleaning, they are handy little tools.
Janet M
April 23, 2019 / 11:59 am

They were useful tips as I am in the process of cleaning.
Cheryl Grandy
May 2, 2019 / 7:45 am

Great tips. They are worth rereading every once ina while as reminders of what I need to do. Thanks.
Shirley P
December 15, 2019 / 5:31 am

These are awesome tips I have always matched socks I have a few what if items that I am getting rid of I love waking up to a clean organized space It makes my day so much better
Florence Cochrane
January 7, 2020 / 2:55 pm

What a great post? I really need to deep clean. I really like the out of place idea.
Darlene Burns
January 7, 2020 / 6:54 pm

Love reading all of your great tips .Thank you
Amy Y
December 2, 2020 / 4:51 pm

Great tips. I have trouble getting rid of multiples (dinnerware)…I’m working on it though!
Caroline
December 2, 2020 / 5:10 pm

Great tips! I find my house feels less organized this time of the year.
Shirley
December 3, 2020 / 8:17 am

Awesome tips for cleaning Everything needs a spot
Kathy downey
December 18, 2022 / 8:36 am

Thanks for sharing all the helpful tips. I do love a clean home!