10 Tips for Having a Clean Home at All Times

One of the biggest challenges of having your home on the market is having to be ready for a showing at a moments notice. You never know who the right buyer is, so passing on a showing because your house is a wreck isn't really an option. So how do you keep your home clean with two large dogs, a 4 month old, a messy husband (sorry babe) and crazy busy schedules? Well... in a perfect world you hire someone, but if that's not an option for you there are some quick and easy ways to keep your home tidy without feeling like you're constantly cleaning!

1. Divide up the Chores - This is critical for a clean home and a happy marriage :) If taking out the trash is no one's job, then no one is going to take responsibility for it. That opens you up to arguments & well...lots of trash. Divide up the daily chores and I bet you'll be surprised at how easy it is to divide and conquer. Neil and I recently found out that I hate to load the dishwasher and he hates to unload the dishwasher. Magic! Now we have each taken responsibility for a piece of that chore and it's so much easier.

2. Pick up clutter every night - Yes...every night. Set a timer on your phone for 10 minutes and just go. Mornings are hectic enough without having to dig through piles of stuff, or find that one missing baby sock. Take everything back to the room it belongs in and put it away!

3. Get yourself a Roomba - The Holy Grail of cleaning items. If you have dogs you will live for this machine. We run it just about every day and it makes a huge difference in the amount of hair & dust that we see on the hardwood floors.

4. Automatic toilet bowl cleaner - So easy! Just drop it in the tank & forget about it. A ring in your toilet screams dirty! These cleaners will keep your toilet fresh and ring free for weeks.

5. Deal with Items as they come up - I'm talking mail, receipts, and general clutter. If you let it build up it will be a mammoth of a project. Check the mail every day and deal with the items. If it needs to be paid...pay it. If it needs to be filed...file it. If it needs to be tossed...then toss it! Clean counter tops make your home look organized and clutter free. This will also keep you from shoving mess into your junk drawer when you get unexpected company. That leads me to my next point...

6. Don't have a junk drawer (or cabinet, or closet, etc.) - What?!? Every red blooded American has a junk drawer! Get on the Marie Kondo train, people and get organized. Everything should have a place. If it's not easy to figure out where something should go chances are you don't really need it in your life. Make piles for trash, donate & keep and then take care of it.

7. Smaller Loads of Laundry More Often - This kind of falls into the "deal with items as they come up" category. Don't let your laundry pile up all week and then spend an entire day washing, drying, and folding. Do a couple of smaller loads throughout the week and it wont be so overwhelming.

8. Wipe down surfaces every day - This is probably the hardest one to commit to daily, but so worth it! I wipe down our kitchen counters with Lysol Wipes (stove top included) every night after dinner and it's so nice to wake up to a fresh kitchen. I will admit that we don't wipe down our bathroom counters every day, but I do try and do it a few times per week.

9. Make Beds - How many times have you heard this? It's true! A made bed makes a huge difference in the overall feel of your home. It looks organized and tidy and will actually make you feel like you have your shiz together.

10. Bi-weekly Cleaning - Yes...actual cleaning. Run the vacuum, dust, clean mirrors, do some mopping, maybe even some baseboards? Again, if you don't do it regularly it will be a much bigger project when you finally dig in.

Overall the key to having a clean house is to stay on top of it. If you let the dust, dog hair, and forlorn cheerios build up it will feel like a huge chore and keep you locked inside your house all weekend scrubbing away instead of spending time with your family. Try implementing a few of these ideas at a time and see what a difference it can make!