Want to know my secret to keeping my home tidy and clean with almost no effort?
It’s incidental cleaning.
The little things you can do while you’re doing something else, or waiting for something to happen.
The things that get easier to do when you do them regularly and become a habit that you do without thinking, that become second nature after a little while.
The little tweaks to your approach to daily tasks that make keeping your home clean and tidy almost a non-event in your life.
Here are a few of my favourite examples:
Make your bed as soon as you get out of it.
It’s a bit of a cliche, but that’s because it works. The flow-on effect of making your bed first thing in the morning is powerful. It’s quick and easy to get up, smooth out the covers and put the pillows in place all in one smooth motion. It doesn’t feel like a big job like it does if you leave the bedroom and come back to see an unmade bed. Once your bed is made, it’s natural to want to take out dirty washing, dishes and rubbish too so that the rest of the room looks as good as the bed.
Stack and run the dishwasher as you go.
Unstack it first thing in the morning when you’re waiting for the kettle to boil, and then stack as you go instead of letting dishes pile up in the sink or on the counter. Run your dishwasher as soon as it gets full instead of at the end of the day, and you won’t have as many extra dishes to do by hand in the evening. You’ll never feel the weight of a sinkful of dishes again.
Do one load of washing a day.
If you do a load a day, you rarely even think about it, it’s on autopilot. You’ll find a rhythm that works for you and the job is so much easier. You can put a load on at night and hang int he morning, or you can put on a load in the morning and hang in the afternoon. You can hang today’s washing and bring in yesterdays at the same time. It’s a smooth, revolving system. I like to hang undercover so it doesn’t matter if it rains, I still get the daily load done. Extra hanging space like clotheshorses and drying racks make it even easier to do a load a day no matter what the weather.
Wipe down your bathroom counter whenever you brush your teeth.
It takes seconds, not minutes, and almost no effort at all because you’re doing it twice a day instead of once or twice a week. Toothpaste, dust and hair don’t have a chance to accumulate and set in. Keep a pile of old washcloths or rags near your sink so you can grab one, wet it and wipe down as part of your morning routine in the bathroom.
Clean the shower while you’re in it.
It’s the same concept as wiping down the bathroom counter when brushing your teeth. When you spray and wipe down your shower every time you’re in it, dirt doesn’t have a chance to set in, and it’s a quick wipe instead of a scrub.
Open your mail next to the bin, with your phone next to you.
Most paper mail these days are junk mail or bills. Recycle junk mail without even opening it. Open, pay or schedule the payment immediately with your phone, tear up the bill and put it in the recycling bin right after. If you prefer to keep your bills, open your mail next to your filing cabinet instead of your bin.
Those are my favourite incidentals that keep my house tidy without much effort! If you’re ready for next steps, you might like to grab a free copy of my Easy Cleaning eBook.
x Marissa
