7 Easy Tips to Reduce Your Stress and Mess

Last week, we went over 5 easy, no budget tips for spring cleaning your home. After your cleaning spree, what do you do to help keep your home clean for the rest of the year? Here are some quick, easy, and painless tips for keeping a cleaner house.

1. Fill your dishwasher at night, and empty it in the morning. Put the dishes away while you make your morning coffee, and they’ll be clean and ready for you during dinner. After dinner, rinse and load the dishwasher, then start it if it’s full.
2. Utilize commercial breaks. When you’re watching your shows at night, skip fast forwarding through the commercial breaks and use that time to do a small chore. This is a great time to load that dishwasher!
3. Keep a “toss” basket for quick cleanups. Once a day, do a full sweep and put away any items that were left on tables, couches, or floors.
4. Wipe down surfaces each day. Get in the habit of keeping disinfecting wipes handy in each room. Clear off and wipe tables, chairs, shelves, and counters each day to minimize the amount of intense dusting you’ll have to do on the weekend.
5. Clean your shower while you clean yourself. Keep a small caddy with a shower cleaning spray, brush, and squeegee in your shower. As soon as you’re clean, give your shower a quick scrub as well- remember to deep clean the shower as needed! Do the same with your countertops, mirror, and toilet as well.
6. Leave the outside, outside. We all love a little nature (see below), but leaving your shoes on when you come in tracks dirt, grass, mud, and critters in the house. Set up an entryway shelf to hold shoes; as a bonus, place items such as keys, bags, and coats there for easy pickup in the morning.
7. Keep the air fresher, naturally! Indoor plants help increase the fresh air in the house. Aloe plants, English ivy, peace lilies, snake plants, bamboo palms, and golden pothos are all great additions to your home.

Just by adding these little tweaks to your days, you can enjoy a cleaner, healthier home with little added effort. You’ll also enjoy the extra hours you get back in your weekend. Encourage the rest of your family to pitch in, and you’ll make it even easier on yourself!