Let’s face it: No one
wants to — or has time to — make a second job out of cleaning their
home. And that’s okay. We polled home bloggers and other busy folks to
find out what little things they do daily to keep their places
presentable. Good news: Each of these tasks takes a few minutes at most.
1. THEY TAKE THEIR SHOES OFF.
Shoes are not allowed past
the front door in Danielle Lackey’s Carrollton, VA, home. “I have three
children who frequently play on the floor. Our shoes carry germs and
dirt!” Her family knows the rule by now, and a cute wooden sign in the
entryway alerts guests, so she doesn’t have to.
2. THEY MAKE THE BED.
Before she even thinks
about leaving the house for the day, Amy Bell, makes the bed. “Even if
the rest of the room isn’t picture-perfect, a neat bed instantly makes
the whole space look pulled together,” the Cary, NC, mom says.
3. THEY WIPE DOWN THE SHOWER.
“We squeegee the shower
door after every shower to prevent water spots and grime,” says Deanne
Goodman, 33, from Oceanside, CA. “It only takes about 20 seconds, and it
keeps the glass looking clear and bright.” Her go-to tool? This
All-Purpose Squeegee> ($7, oxo.com).
4. THEY CLEAN THE BATHROOM SINK.
Keeping a container of
wipes (baby wipes work just fine) under the sink. “Just pull out a wipe
and give the sink a quick cleaning.” Try it and you’ll never have to
look at toothpaste dribbles again!
5. THEY WIPE DOWN THE KITCHEN COUNTERS.
“I wipe down our kitchen
counters nightly with a homemade solution — one part vinegar, three
parts water and a squirt of almond oil dish soap — that I store in a
spray bottle,” “The vinegar cuts through grease and also does a great
job clearing up the smudges on our stainless appliances.”
6. THEY CLEAN AS THEY GO.
Never go to bed with a
dirty kitchen. The trick is cleaning up while she cooks. “If I have
something in the oven, I wipe down counter tops and wash dishes while I
wait for it to finish,” she says. “I try to have almost everything
cleaned up by the time dinner is ready, so that all we have to do after
dinner is stick our dirty dishes in the dishwasher.”
7. THEY SWIFFER BEFORE BED.
Spending seven minutes
(give or take) every night Swiffering her way through the downstairs
rooms. A quick pass prevents dust bunnies from taking over the house.
8. THEY DO A END-OF-DAY CLEAN SWEEP.
Before bed, Fabbri gets
everyone to pitch in for a quick tidying up session. The family of four
picks up the dog toys, puts away the mail, hangs up jackets and puts
items back in their place. “With everyone helping, it usually takes less
than five minutes, and I feel so much better when I come downstairs in
the morning and the house is organized.”
9. THEY PUT THEIR CLOTHES AWAY.
Almost every master
bedroom has one chair that starts off empty on Monday and is covered
with clothes by Friday. Unless you follow this daily tip from Debra
Johnson, a home cleaning expert from Merry Maids: “Before you go to bed,
put dirty clothes in the hamper or re-hang clean ones in the closet.
And in the morning, fold your pajamas and store them in their proper
place.”
10. THEY OPEN A DOOR OR TWO.
“I throw open the front
and the back door to air out the house every day, even just for a few
minutes if it’s cold outside,” says Sherry Petersik, who, along with her
husband, wrote the upcoming book Lovable Livable Home. “It helps to
fight off stale air — or any random lingering odors from dinner — and it
makes the house feel fresh and breezy.”
11. THEY CLOSE A DOOR OR TWO.
Another easy one! Knowing
that the entire house will never be clean and organized at the same
time — especially three kids’ rooms. “I’ve come to accept that and I
just shut their doors.” “If the main floor is tidy and I can just close
off the mess, I’m likely to invite people over more.”
Regal Towers Apartments
27500 Franklin Rd Southfield, MI 48034
| (248) 356-8020 ext 19 |