Mess makes me nuts. I literally cannot relax – can’t read a book, can’t watch a movie, can’t even sit down – if the house isn’t nice and tidy. (This, as you might imagine, makes Kendrick nuts.)
Guess what a toddler and an infant create?
Because I don’t have a ton of time (or patience) to handle all this mess – and yet handle it I must, for the sake of my own sanity – I’ve developed a bunch of easy home-cleaning shortcuts that make the house feel lovely and sparkling without taking up too much time (or effort; because honestly: when the day comes to a close and both children are asleep approximately the last thing that I want to do is break out the mop; I much prefer a little Kardashians and red wine in bed, please and thank you).
1. Look For Cool Storage Solutions. If I can’t see the mess, it does not exist. (…Right?) Every room in my house has a couple of places where I can quickly stash all the odds and ends (toys, papers, remotes, et cetera) that seem to accumulate when a family of four spends even a single minute in a space. But rather than boring plastic bins, I look for containers that feel like actual decor elements: my son’s books are tucked away in an old-fashioned bronze bucket; toys go in a streamlined fabric box with a cover; magazines are stacked on an antique tray on our coffee table. In just a few seconds, I can get every single bit of clutter off the floor and out of sight, and presto: there I am, sitting on the couch with my Kim and my wine.
2. Clean One Room Every Day. Rather than spending several concentrated hours cleaning the house top to bottom, I assign each room in the house to a day of the week (I even calendar which room goes on which day in my iPhone so I don’t forget), and I tackle that room on the day it’s been assigned to. No excuses! (OK, sometimes excuses. But rarely.) Handling chores in miniature portions makes me dread them less, and the feeling that I’ve accomplished a whole task, start-to-finish, is a great addition to (almost) every day.
3. Drive-By Cleaning. This trick is so simple, and it works so well. Every time I walk through a room – and I mean every time – I pick something up and return it to its rightful place. Socks under the table? Straight to the laundry basket. Random safety pin? Dropped off in the junk drawer on my next pass by. Errant Lego? Into the toy box it goes. This keeps things more or less in order, so I almost never have to do big, time-consuming picking-up sessions…and is especially handy when it comes to children’s rooms, which have a tendency to turn into little clutter-heaps the moment you turn your back.
4. Don’t Delay. A great habit to get yourself into: if you see that something needs to be cleaned, do it. Right away. It generally takes less time to just tackle a dirty window or countertop right when you notice it than to remind yourself (again and again and again) to do it later on.
We’re all busy people, and sometimes cleaning is the last thing you feel like adding to your to-do list…so why do I think it’s so important to take the extra time out of your day to keep clutter under control? For me, at least, a clean house and peace of mind go together; if my surroundings feel disorganized, my head does, as well. Even taking just a few moments at the end of each day to straighten up before I head to bed – fluffing the pillows, folding the throw blankets, loading and starting the dishwasher – makes me sleep more soundly…and then offers a big mood-lift the next morning, when I get to start my day in a house that looks and feels fresh.
Clean just feels so good.
What’s your Clean Feels Good moment like? Share your moment using #cleanfeelsgood and #sweeps (be sure to use both hashtags!) on Instagram with @ScotchBrite_3M to be entered for a chance to win.
This post was created in collaboration with Scotch Brite.
