Tips for Keeping Your House Clean and Organized Without Much Effort

I have heard a number of my younger clients talk about how overwhelming it is to do housework. Most of them tell me that they have one day a week when all the family members spend the day cleaning. I found this kind of hard to understand until I realized that most of them let everything go for several days and then face an almost overwhelming situation.

Following are some tips for keeping your house clean and organized without much effort:

1. Do not walk anywhere around the house or yard with empty hands. If you are going to the kitchen for a drink of water, pick up the bedroom garbage can on the way by. Empty it in the kitchen, have your drink and return with the newspaper that the delivery person slipped under the door.

2. When you have something that belongs in an upstairs room, place it on the bottom step so that you can take it on your next trip up. Do the same with things that need to go downstairs. You will save a lot of trips this way and remember to transport the articles because they are in an obvious and convenient place.

3. Do your dishes immediately after a meal. It is far easier and takes less time to clean up before left-over food dries.

4. Practice what I call "power working". I may decide that I want to watch a program or movie but first make a deal with myself that I can only do this if I use the commercials to do tasks. During the first commercial, I quickly water all the plants. The next commercial might be used to throw a load of clothes into the washing machine. During the next one, I might empty the dishwasher. Most commercial breaks last for three or four minutes. Because I am focussed and determined, I can complete small goals during each one. By the time my show is over, I am able to marvel at the number of things that are done. And the added benefit is that I was able to complete everything in time that would have been wasted while still being able to enjoy the program.

5. Practice good maintenance - When you spill something, wipe it up right away. Hang your clothes up when you take them off at the end of the day. Open your mail by a garbage can so you can get rid of the envelopes and paper that you don't want as you read.

6. Have a plan - Another secret to having a clean and organized home is to have a place for everything and keep everything in its place.

It is far easier to do a little bit on a regular basis than to have to give up a whole day every week when you really didn't need to do that. Follow the above tips and you will soon find that your weekends will be at least one day longer than they had been in the past! Then, instead of planning to clean you can plan a wonderful adventure instead.