6 Tips for Maintaining a Clean & Organized Home
I love simple luxuries, like fresh fruit in a pretty bowl. Keeping a clean and tidy home is a simple luxury too!
Last week, when I started writing this post in between mothering my kids, I felt like we had found that summer rhythm I wrote about in my last post. This week, the kids are at day camp and the change in schedule has me all off kilter again. Don't get me wrong, I was desperate for this quiet time to work. It's just that I am a creature of habit. The summer rhythm doesn't come easy for me.
As a routine loving mama, the long summer break can really throw me off balance. Maintaining a clean and organized home, even with kids and a large shedding dog, helps me thrive.
A clean and organized home just feels good. Here are six simple tips for keeping our spaces in order:
Do it For Yourself---If you want to keep a tidy home, it's important to want that for yourself. Without this mindset, we get caught up in the vicious cycle of marathon cleaning just for guests. We all deserve a tidy home, every day, not just when visitors come.
Establish Positive Routines---I write about routines all the time, because that is how stuff gets done, especially reoccurring tasks. When it comes to keeping a neat home, small daily routines are the key to making it almost effortless.
Think Small---This sounds counter intuitive; however, many of us feel overwhelmed by household tasks. Keeping a tidy home is a lot about mindset and feeling a sense of accomplishment. Start by keeping one small area of your home tidy every single day. If you need some ideas as to where to start, check out my 31 Days of FlyLady highlights reel on Instagram.
Be Happy With Good Enough---We cannot perfectly organize and clean our home on a daily basis. Know what is good enough for you and stop there at the end of the day. It can wait until tomorrow.
Rotate Zones---The average American home is roughly 1,000 square feet larger than 40+ years ago. Even in a small home, it's impossible to do everything all the time. Break up your home into zones for deeper cleaning and organizing.
Enlist Help---This can be paid help in the form of a cleaner or organizer, such as yours truly. Or it can be the help of your family. Over the years, my kids' household tasks have grown, especially, during the summer break.
Time and again, the thing that gets me and keeps me in balance is maintaining a clean and tidy home. Our homes are our sanctuaries from the busyness of the outside world. When I am at home I want to feel peaceful. Things are a lot more peaceful with clean, clear surfaces.
Please reach out in the comments below or by hitting reply! I would love to know what organizing skills you are interested in.
Keep a lookout for more details on an organizing retreat for fall 2019.
