Life, death, taxes... and dust. There are some things in life that are unavoidable - whether we welcome them fondly or not.
It seems that there is always something to dust or clean up at home, and we'd all love to clean our house like a professional every time, but that isn't always plausible. People get busy, life gets in the way. But that doesn't mean you can't take small and simple steps to keep on top of your chores.
A clean home can really change your mood, so these are some of our favourite tips for staying on top of your housework.
32 tricks for keeping on top of housework
Clean little and often
Letting messes accumulate and become harder to clean is just giving yourself a much bigger task.
Who wants to tackle mountains of rubbish and dried-in mess for hours when you could spend 10 minutes a day cleaning as you go? Try doing small things each day, even if it's just running a wipe across the surfaces and taking rubbish out regularly.
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Work your way top-to-bottom, left-to-right
Don’t start a room by cleaning the coffee table and then turn your focus on dusting the blinds - you might find you've accidentally sprinkled that dust over something you've just cleaned.
Keep cleaning as simple as possible by starting at the top of the room, such as dusting the corners of the walls, and work your way down to the floor to avoid redundant work.
Separate your cleaning products by room
This is a nifty little trick that can make cleaning feel more organised and simplified - and it's Mrs Hinch approved.
Sharing her top tip, per Good Homes Magazine, the cleaning guru advises divvying up all the cleaning products you use by room, keeping them in separate baskets. This makes it much easier to just grab the basket and get right to it, without having to stop-and-start or dig around for missing bits.
Make sure you're fully stocked before you start
There’s nothing worse than, when you finally muster up the energy to clean or tackle some chores, you realise you don’t have enough polish or bleach.
We all know that feeling of once we stop what we’re doing for a minute, we sometimes lose all momentum.
Don’t let a last minute supply issue slow your roll. Keep regular tabs of your cleaning supplies days before you usually clean certain rooms.
Stick to one task at a time
If you start hoovering and suddenly notice a smudge on the doorframe, or discover some weeds in the garden while cleaning your windows, don't suddenly switch and leave things half-finished.
This will feel like you're doing too many things at once, you could waste time and prolong the housework and you could even forget to finish some tasks - meaning when you sit down thinking you're finished, you make an unpleasant discovery.
Set a timer
Having your smartphone on you while you're cleaning might feel like it'll distract you and prolong the housework, but if you use it wisely, it can streamline your chores.
Use your smartphone as a timer so you can avoid letting yourself potter around waste time.
Try and clean as thoroughly as you can before the timer goes off. You can also use these timings to better plan for your next cleaning, understanding which rooms need more time and which ones you can save time on.
Declutter regularly
It's simple really - the less you have, the less you have to clean.
There are plenty of great ways to get started decluttering your home, including focusing on one room at a time or grouping similar items. Refine your belongings, free up space to tuck away more things and you'll find that it's easier to stay on top of overall cleaning.
Get the family involved
If you live with family or flatmates, keeping on top of the housework could be as simple as sharing out the tasks.
You might meet some resistance (especially if you have teenagers in the house…) but you can give them some of the easier tasks to begin with, simple things like dusting or taking the bins out.
These small chores taken off your list frees you up to tackle some of the bigger tasks.
Invest in your tools and gadgets
When it comes to your money, you might resent the idea of spending too much on anything to do with housework and chores, but the right investment can make your life so much easier.
Spend a little more on the sorts of gadgets that can simplify your time cleaning and you'll have more time for yourself each week. Can you put a price on that?
Some gadgets that are worth the investment include a good vacuum cleaner, a power scrubber for your bathroom tiles and a more up-to-date washing machine if yours is getting on in years.
Give yourself a reason to get started
There is no greater motivation to keep on top of your housework than the knowledge that you're going to have visitors.
If you need some inspiration to get more organised with your chores, why not plan a regular thing at your home? This could be a book club, watching a show with friends, or just hosting a regular dinner - not only will you want the place to be pristine, but you get the added benefit of enjoying a regular social engagement, too.
Baking powder can save a lot of time and effort
Keeping on top of your housework can be made simpler by using things that really, really work. And you might be overlooking some unsung heroes that can cut down on the time needed exerting some elbow grease on tough stains or smells.
Baking powder can be used as a very effective deodoriser - sprinkle soft surfaces such as a dog’s bed or a fabric sofa with a little baking powder and then vacuum it up after 15 minutes.
Add some quick tasks to your daily routine
When you think about it, there are plenty of opportunities throughout the week where we can add a bit of maintenance without really exerting much effort. For example, give your bathroom surfaces a quick wipe while you’re in and out getting ready for your day – and keep a bottle of shower spray or mould spray by your shower so you can spray it right after you’re done without forgetting.
Similarly, if you’re waiting for the kettle to boil or the microwave to ping, run a wipe across your surfaces or throw some things in the bin.
It’s a small, obvious step, but it'll stop things building up.
Have a designated clutter space
Okay, this one might seem counterintuitive, but, the reality is, nothing will ever be perfect.
Instead of getting down about it, or giving up on cleaning and decluttering altogether, try to minimise any mess or loose ends to one specific draw/cupboard/box.
Eventually, as you get more organised and find time to declutter further, you can reduce the size of your clutter space to the point where it's nothing more than an easy-to-hide small box.
Clean away your plates right after eating
Something that can catch everyone out is waiting too long after cooking and eating to clean up. Once you've had your meal, you might feel relaxed and sleepy - and the last thing you want to do is scrub the pots and pans.
So try to clean as you go, popping anything used in the dishwasher or rinsed through as soon as you're done with it.
Leaving things too long is how you find yourself with a sink full of plates and pans with caked in stains, turning a two minute job into a 20 minute one, which could have a knock-on effect on your other housework.
Assign each member of the family their own laundry day
This one might not be as relevant if you live alone, or the opposite, and you have too many people to justify it, but if you can swing it, giving family members an assigned day for their laundry can really simplify the housework.
To start, it puts the onus on them to make sure their clothes are in the washing machine on schedule, meaning less items casually strewn across the house.
Secondly, having an assigned day each means that clothes don’t get mixed up or lost, and you wont be digging in hampers for missing pieces of uniform or favourite tops when you're already in a hurry.
Have a 'lost and found' box
Taking inspiration from the likes of supermarkets, deploy a lost and found basket or ‘trolley.’ At retail stores, employees will often put things they find in one lost and found trolley until it’s full, and then reassign things to their rightful place when they get a spare moment.
This means you can put everything back where it belongs in one go instead of rushing around every time you spot something.
This is particularly useful to those with small children or grandchildren - you don't mind the toys being everywhere during the day, but when the children go to bed, you can neaten up the place easily in one go.
Synchronise your window cleaning
Whether you do it yourself or have someone who cleans the outside of your windows, try to make time to clean the interiors after the exteriors have been done – this way, any marks are more visible and easier to get.
Your cleaning appliances need cleaning, too
Keeping on top of your housework will be much easier if your gadgets and machines are working as they should. Putting your dishes through a dishwasher and them coming out just as dirty because you haven't cleaned it for a while will just add to your work.
Take the time to use a dishwasher cleaner once every couple of months, and check that your washing machine and drier filters are also in good shape.
Find products you love using
You might not have ever really paid much mind to why you buy the products you do, and this could mean you're missing out. Sticking with brands or products you've used for years just out of habit could mean you're not making the most of new innovations in the industry.
Shopping around to find something with a scent you love, or using a washing up liquid that is kinder on your hands, will make chores feel more pleasant and rewarding.
Make sure everything has a home
No matter how big or small, if everything in your home has a designated space, it’s easier to spot when something is askew. This can also be made simpler by keeping similar items together, so you don't have too much faffing around needed.
Start the day on a positive note
Each morning, get in the habit of doing small, simple things that will form healthy habits. These don’t even need to be too strenuous, but make your bed, open the blinds, let fresh air in, etc.
Eventually, you won't even realise you’re doing it but it will make a difference to your housework.
Make a nightly checklist
Whether it’s making a reminder for the last person who used the bathroom to wipe down the sink to avoid toothpaste stains or spraying mould remover on the grouting, doing little things every night will keep your house sparkling as you sleep.
The added bonus of these nightly steps is avoiding a much bigger clean up job down the line.
Trade chores with a friend
The trick to keeping on top of your housework is to not overload yourself with tasks you either cannot do alone, or simply don't enjoy doing. If you have a mental block on your housework, it'll be harder to find the motivation.
You might have a friend who really loves gardening, for example, whereas you can't stand it. You can barter and make a deal where they’ll come and help you weed and mow once a month, and you can do something in return, be it helping with the ironing or cooking them some freezer dishes.
Remind yourself why you're doing it
"Take a picture, it lasts longer" - while this little expression is usually used as a sassy retort, in this case, it is great advice in terms of finding the motivation to keep on top of your chores.
If you take a photo of your house when it is pristine and you’re super proud of it, you’ll have something to motivate you to keep it looking that way.
Clear your space, clear your mind.
Outsource, even if just occasionally
You might not be able to afford a cleaner on a regular basis, but you should consider springing for the help of an expert once every couple of months at least.
You can tap in the extra elbow grease of a professional who can focus on doing a bigger, deep clean, freeing you up to just focus on lighter maintenance jobs.
Check you’re making the most of all your machines
Do you know all the features of your home gadgets? Make some time to properly sit down and check out the manuals or look up tutorials online. You might be missing out on nifty features that can really keep you organised.
For example, many washing machines can come with pre-set timers for washing and drying, meaning you can set it so things are cleaned and dried by the time you get back home without having to faff.
Assign days for certain tasks
Why not make Sunday your "bedding and ironing day"? This way, you know what to expect when you wake up in the morning, you can build up motivation and you can get into a rhythm.
Plus, assigning certain days for certain tasks might improve your quality of life. Falling asleep every Sunday in fresh sheets and pyjamas? Heavenly! Monday morning will feel less daunting.
This way, you’re also not presented with unwelcome reminders you haven’t done your chores when you’re trying to get ready on a Friday night.
Reward yourself
Whether you reward yourself after meeting your fitness goals with a brand new outfit, or a nice meal after a work goal is accomplished, we're used to following a 'carrot-and-stick' approach to many events in our life.
The 'carrot' - or treat - for keeping on top of your housework can be anything from a nice treat in your clean room or an uninterrupted episode of your favourite reality TV show.
Whatever it is, associating your housework with a nice reward will encourage you to keep on top of it.
Categorise tasks
Not every task needs to be done with the same cadence. Some can be daily, weekly, monthly or even yearly, for bigger tasks like clearing out attics or basements.
If you have a calendar – digital or physical – try to scribble in reminders for each of the tasks. For things like quarterly and yearly cleaning tasks, getting a date it must be done means you wont forget and you can prepare well in advance, so it won't be put off or come as an unwelcome surprise.
Make it fun
If you think of your chores as, well, a chore, you might find yourself more hesitant to get started or keep on top of it. However, if you have the next episode of a gripping podcast or the next chapter of an audiobook queued up and ready to play for your regular spot of housework, you’ll be raring to go.
Prioritise rooms and tasks around your mood
If you know that by Friday each week, you’re tired and a bit low on energy, don’t leave the biggest rooms or messes for then.
Prioritise around your schedule and make sure you aren't making housework harder than it needs to be.
Have a system and keep it consistent
If you can, stick to a pattern - in terms of the days you actually do your housework, and the order in which you do it.
Cleaning the house in the same order every time - working on one room at a time, and starting and finishing with the same task - will help you build consistency and avoid wasted time as you try to mentally keep track of what you've done - or what you might have overlooked.
Once you get the routine down, you might find that you can even get it done quicker each time.
