How to Keep a Clean House

Keeping a clean house is often a source of anxiety for those who aren't naturally organized. Finding oneself asking for estimated time of arrivals from your guests so that you can do a quick panic clean, is one sign that you may not be naturally neat-inclined.

Take one step into a library and you'll see that keeping a clean house is a problem faced by many, not just yourself. There are many books touting the various ways to clean. All proclaim that their way is "the only way". Everyone who has lived with more than one person even for a short period of time knows that this is not true. There is no one way to clean.

However, there are ways to lessen the time spent cleaning house. Mainly it is an issue of maintenance. If you have no children or pets this is as simple as picking up after yourself when you are finished with a meal or activity. Get in the habit of bringing your dishes to the sink immediately. Once that has become habit, start rinsing out the dishes and putting them in the dishwasher. If you don't have a dishwasher, wash the dishes. After doing a craft or project, clean your area and put away your supplies, even if you'll be "right back" after going to the grocery store or running an errand. When you undress, put your clothes directly into the laundry basket. Small habits that will help you create and keep a clean house.

If you do have children or pets, you'll have to do a bit more to keep up. If your children are old enough to walk, they are old enough to walk a toy to the toy box, so enlist their help. A few times each day, spend ten or fifteen minutes doing some light cleaning. Throw in a load of laundry while you are playing a game or working on a report for work. A quick run of the vacuum cleaner once a day will save you having to spend hours on it later.

The most vital part of keeping your house clean is creating and sticking to habits. Start with taking care of the dishes directly after finishing a meal. From there you can add habits one by one until you are cleaning your house without even thinking about it! If you take cleaning step by step, keeping a clean house becomes not a chore but just part of your regular routine.