Ideas For Keeping Your Home Organized and Clean

Often I am asked by our customers for ideas on organization and cleaning tips for their homes. This always surprises me as I have honestly never taken the time to sit down and write out what I have learned as a mom or an owner of a cleaning company. When I finally did it was very apparent to me that the tips my mom and my grandmother gave to me are still the same ones that worked today. With  a few new modern techniques or products. There are many sites online that can help you with organizing your help from DIY projects to more detailed, custom solutions. At the end of the day these are my personal tips that have help me over the years with four children, four cats at one time and now with my business, to keep my space clean and organized.

1. Do not just put it down, put it where it belongs.

Okay I realise that this one makes me sound uptight but the truth is the number one easiest way to keep your home organized is to put everything back where it belongs instead of the more common "drop and leave" method. My children heard this phrase since they were little , now as adults they have come to understand how much easier it is to keep their living spaces organized and clean by just taking a few extra seconds to put something back. Cleaning is 99% easier to do when everything does not need to be put away first.

2. Pick it up as you go.

Walking to the kitchen you see a couple of cat toys on the floor. Don't walk by thinking you will clean them up later, grab them as you go by and throw them in the cat's toy box (if you have one). Laundry in a bin sitting at the top of stairs? Bring it with you when you are headed downstairs to the kitchen and drop it off in the laundry room. Make every trip count for more by taking an extra sixty seconds to not just do what you set out to do in the first place but getting one other goal accomplished as well.

3. Spot Clean.

After putting everything back in it's place and picking up one extra thing as you go, spot cleaning is my absolute favorite way to keep on top of everything! As a busy woman with a family and business I do not have large chunks of time to do a whole house clean every week. The easiest way for me to keep my home clean is spot cleaning. When I am done dishes I will clean down my counter, my stove and even the top of my stove fan. It is just a little bit but it keeps my home at a respectable level of clean.

4. Use good quality cleaning tools.


Our mothers and grandmothers would take old t-shirts or jeans and cut them up to use as rags for cleaning. I have to confess that using an old t-shirt even washed does not really make me feel as though I am cleaning anything. Modern technology in cleaning tools has  come a long way these days. Microfiber towels are in my humble opinion one of the best new tools we have to clean with . Why?  For one they have a cleaning power better then anything. They are made to scrub away dirt,smudges or spills much more effectively then paper towel or old rags. One of the reasons our company uses them is that they are effective at removing up to 96% of bacteria with water alone , which is important today as many people suffer from chemical sensitivities. We use different coloured microfibers in our cleaning business for different purposes. Blue for mirrors and windows, pink for bathrooms and kitchens, green for dusting. In addition to microfibe towels choose a good quality cleaning product that is as eco friendly as possible which means low in VOCs. Better for you and for your home.

5. Have a main designated entry area for heavy traffic use.

Many of you might wonder about this tip but if you have one main designated entry for the family it really does help immensely. It keeps the clutter of shoes,boots,keys,coats,bags and everything else that we bring in , to one area. This includes the tracking in of dirt. In many other countries such as Japan,Russia or China it is normal to take off your shoes and leave them by the entry. Do as I have done for many years, I have a basket in my entry area filled with slippers for guests to use so that they take their shoes off and leave them in that area. This keeps outside dirt from tracking through the house, which can affect great wear and tear on your floors and rugs. Also keep a good mat at our door. Most of us who live in the north and deal with the snow and slush from winter know how important this is. There have been government studies that have shown that by keeping a mat at your door and not wearing outside shoes through your house, dust,dirt and chemicals levels in homes were greatly reduced. Simple steps with huge benefits.

6. Keep to a schedule.

Change your sheets every Saturday morning? Clean your bathroom Sunday afternoon? If you have a schedule for doing different cleaning tasks in your home, stick to it! If you do not , work to establish one. For cleaning tasks that can not be let go such as changing sheets, cleaning a toilet, etc. a schedule helps make it easier to get it done consistently and faster. If you maintain a schedule the level of dirt for example in your bathroom will not have a chance to build up making the cleaning of your bathroom that much easier.

7. Declutter, declutter, declutter !!!

I can not say it enough. Yes we all love pretty collectables and items in our home. But every six months take a good look around and see what you really need and what you don't. If you have not used it in six months, donate it as you are not going to use it. If it is old and broken, waiting for the day you have time to fix it, give it to someone else who has the time to fix it. A house filled with clutter does not have a good energy to come home to. Even simple things as magazines or books. If you have a lot of books, go through them every six months and donate the ones that you will never read again. Magazine lover as I am with more coming in then I should admit to? :) Make a goal to read through one a week. Tear out recipes you want to save (then put them right into your recipe binder), then give the magazine to your local doctor or dentist's office for others to enjoy.

These are just a few tips that I use for my own home. It can sometimes seem overwhelming in our every day lives with work,extra curricular activities, children, pets, partners and all the other demands on our time to keep up with our homes. If you break it down to little steps like the ones above, it will keep everything in your home organized and cleaned not to perfection, but a level that makes you want to come home at the end of the day.  If all else fails,  call a local cleaning service such as Fine Details Cleaning and we will help you keep your home clean! (Had to get one shameless plug in) :)

Enjoy a wonderful, green week.