How Small Chores Make a Big Difference

Each day presents new opportunities and challenges. For many, the perpetual challenge is how am I going to keep my house clean/neat/presentable today? Whether it's working long hours, children and/or pets, or age that keeps us from getting to the household chores, many times they just don't get accomplished. Then they add up to an almost insurmountable task that we dread doing. Luckily, there are several small things that we can do each day to help keep the chaos under control. The key to much of cleaning is timeliness.

In order to help get a perspective on each day, make your bed each morning. This simple task takes two minutes, but lets you know that getting back into bed is not an option. It also makes the room look instantly neater. Use the water in last night's glass that is on your nightstand to water the plants and straighten up last night's reading material. Then get on with your day.

The first chore to tackle is the laundry. The laundry monster rears its ugly head in every household; it does not discriminate. In order to streamline laundry, put your clothes and linens into individual hampers. This way, you'll be able to wash what you need when you need it instead of digging through the dirty laundry pile to find that one pair of jeans. It will help you know when you have a full load to do, which will save water, electricity, and detergent. No more red shirts turning all of the underwear pink because the underwear is now separate from the clothes. If they're not on the floor, it automatically makes your house cleaner. Make sure you fold and put away the laundry as soon as it comes out of the dryer. If you procrastinate, you'll end up with an overstuffed laundry basket at the end of the week. The twenty minutes it takes to fold a load of laundry is worth the ease of finding it for the rest of the week. So the easy act of picking up laundry and putting it straight into the hamper can go a long way toward making your home a simpler place.

As for the kitchen, the dishwasher is a wonderful invention. Make sure you unload it! Again, this is a very simple task, but one that often gets overlooked and so we end up with dish mountain in the sink. Take the five minutes to put everything in your dishwasher away and reload the dishwasher. Your kitchen will look instantly cleaner. From that point on, each time you have a dirty dish or a cup, rather than stacking it in the sink, put it directly into the dishwasher and turn it on when it gets full. This will save you time and the extra step of loading everything into the dishwasher that was in the sink. Wipe down the counters and sink. With that small step, you've just made your home neat and sanitary. Food crumbs attract pests and nobody wants or needs those in their home.

Paper messes are a big culprit toward clutter in many homes. Go through the mail as soon as you get it. When you are done reading your newspaper or magazine, immediately stick it in the recycling bin. If the kids are bringing home lots of papers, start a file in which to collect them all and then periodically go through it. Deal with papers as soon as you get them and you won't be stuck sitting at your desk for an hour wondering why you saved that catalog or how you forgot to pay the trash collection bill.

Bathrooms are little rooms that can harbor big messes. Have a place for everything and put everything in its place. Nice jars go a long way toward holding all of those q-tips, cotton balls, toothbrushes, etc. If the counter is looking a little rough, give it a quick one-minute swipe with a rag. Cleaning the toilet doesn't have to take a long time or a lot of harsh chemicals. Wipe it down with some vinegar and water or disinfecting wipe whenever it needs it. Use a toilet bowl brush on the inside of the bowl for a quick way to make any bathroom look cleaner.

Other small things that make a big difference are straightening the pillows on the couch and cleaning the floors. Depending on how many and what age of people are in your home, you may be able to only vacuum or sweep once or twice a week. But having a ten minute vacuuming makes a big difference on a rug in a heavily used room. Additionally, cleaning up the crumbs from on the table and under it goes a long way toward keeping pests at bay and making your house neater. The Swiffer Sweeper Vac is helpful for those who have tile, laminate, or hardwood and can't bend down with a dust pan.

These small tips will go a long way toward keeping your home neat and your sanity intact. Doing small things each day will help when you go to do deep-cleaning. You won't have to spend nearly as long and if you have children, get them involved! After all, you're not the only one living there and using the home.