This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Clorox Company for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a housekeeper, at all. Sure, I like to keep things tidy and in order; but somehow between the excess amounts of packages and normal daily life I almost always fall behind and find myself needing heavy equipment and the entire weekend to remedy. Thankfully with my nesting in full swing, I've found ways to keep it from becoming too overwhelming that only take maybe 30 minutes a day. It also doesn't hurt that I have a little extra help from Clorox's new Scentiva line of wipes and all-in-one cleaning solutions. The smell is heavenly and like Clorox's other cleaning products, it gets the job done. I'm currently favoring the Tuscan Jasmine and Lavender but they also have the Hawaiian Sunshine scent available as well. I've been using the Scentiva wipes daily to wipe down my counters, stove top and most importantly, the doorknobs. We just got over the flu and this has been a life saver for keeping things sanitized. It kills 99.9% of viruses and bacteria and is also bleach free. Plus, it cuts through grease and grime without having to muscle down and scrub. Psst. there's a Target Cartwheel offer.
So, with the help of Clorox Scentiva I'm rounding up my top 10+ ways to keep your house clean on the daily with minimal effort. Because really, who wants to spend all their time cleaning? Exactly: no one.
10 Daily Tidy Up Tips for a Clean House
1. Make Your Bed Every Morning.
Ok, I HATED doing this until recently because let's be real, you're getting back into it at the end of the day. But the reality is it instantly makes your room look 100% cleaner. I actually find myself putting my clothes away more instead of leaving them in a pile when my bed is made. Random but true.
2. Wipe Down Your Counters Daily
Instead of waiting for a pile-up of food and grease, wiping down your counters daily only takes a second and keeps you from having to soak and scrub. A simple once over with a wipe goes a LONG way.
3. Dishes
Dishes are actually my least favorite daily chore in the house. I would much rather scrub toilets than do dishes for some bizarre reason. However, doing dishes daily keeps the number of dishes you need to clean small, so it's actually less work. For sure, it makes your kitchen look cleaner just by not having dishes sitting in the sink, plus you don't have to start scavenging the cabinets for random dishes to eat cereal in when everything is piled up and crusty. For us, our kitchen is the first thing you see when walking into our apartment and we're constantly making sure this room is sparkling when getting ourselves ready for guests. First impressions, you know.
4. Put Your Clothes Away When You're Done With Them
Ugh, this is my weakness. If anyone else is prone to a clothes explosion when getting dressed, you know exactly what I'm talking about. They either end up in a giant pile or all over in random areas and sit like that until I finally get around to them- usually when I can't find something I'm looking for a week or two later. As tedious as it might seem in the moment, like it is with dishes, putting them away immediately makes it exponentially easier on you in the long run and saves you time and effort. Put it back in the drawers and on the hanger. This also goes for handbags and shoes too.
5. Spot Sweep/Vacuum Daily
We kind of cheat on this one because we have an electric sweeper/vacuum so it's just a few quick strokes and voila no more food, kitty litter or other random small pieces on the floors. We do the living room area rug daily as well, to keep it from building up and keeping the pink rug oh-so-bright. Tip: having a specific landing area for shoes outside or in the entry way also helps cut down on spreading dirt and bacteria throughout the house.
6. Create a system for your mail and miscellaneous papers
Paper clutter & boxes are one of the most challenging things about constantly receiving packages and having school-age kids. They both come in excess and somehow find their way into the most random places. Having a system like a specific landing area for mail, papers, and packages cuts down on the clutter and makes clean up/processing go a lot faster. Also, just like with the dishes and clothes: put everything where it's supposed to be right away. Waiting until you have a pile of papers or cardboard before you sort and recycle can not only be overwhelming, but takes way more time than just processing little bits at a time.
7. Surface Clean Bathroom
Spritz your shower with a multi surface cleaner and a quick wipe down on the surfaces makes cleaning your bathroom a cinch when you get around to doing the 'deep cleaning'.
8. Invest in an Air Filter
Hate dusting as much as I do? Investing in an air filter or two (depending on square footage) cuts down on dust-build up and saves you from having to clean heavily dusted areas in your house.
9. Walk Through Tidy Up
I'm constantly going through the apartment and picking up miscellaneous pieces and putting them back where they go. I'm obsessed with putting the throw pillows back where they belong and folding the blankets on and near the couch. If something is out of place I put it back where it belongs in the moment instead of leaving and letting other items build up (seeing a pattern here?).
10. Schedule Your Deep Cleaning
Make a schedule for your deep cleaning and stick to it. Have a set date for changing your sheets, mopping and scrubbing and split it up by rooms or surfaces. For example, take a day out of the month to wipe down the cabinets in your kitchen. Another day of the month, maybe deep clean the stove top, and so on. This way you know exactly what needs to be done and when, saving you the stress from trying to get it all done at once.
