Home

[FlowerBear]

How do you keep your home or apartment looking neat and clean at all times. Or do you? I try and do this but it ends up being messy all of the time.  I cant seem to stay organized. I would like my place to be neat so that anytime anyone comes to the door I wont be embarassed to have anyone come in lol. Is there some way to do this?

[Sooner]

It is easy if you don't have anything that doesn't have a place.  If eveything has a place to be put away, it will work. Othewise you are simply shuffling things around.

[phoenixbrd]

@FlowerBear   Just an idea....do you have a friend that you could be phone buddies and set up a time and day where you check in with each other for a certain amount of time while you clean.  Maybe sharing your goal to accomplish a task in the next 15 minutes...you could stay on the phone or hang up and call back.  Little accomplishments could add up to continual maintenance for your home.  Just a suggestion...you could tweak it to accommodate what would work for you.  Happy House Cleaning!

[Mom2Dogs]

@FlowerBear ....I rarely go to bed with dirty dishes in the sink or with 'stuff' sitting around.  I am pretty good at putting things where they belong....there are no children in our house, and that makes a big difference.

I live by this motto...most of the time!

Quote by Benjamin Franklin: “A place for everything, everything in its place".”

[Peaches McPhee]

Self discipline.  Put it away when you are finished with it. Every time.

[alicedee]

My apartment is small.  Everything has a dedicated “spot” where it should be kept when not in use.  What helps me keeping it looking tidy is:

Toss trash daily.  Make sure the dishes are done (I don’t use the dishwasher) after a meal.  Deal with mail immediately.  Each evening clear off any clutter that  accumulated on my small kitchen counter.  Have a spot out of sight (in my second bedroom) for dirty laundry.  Make the bed as soon as I get up.  Wipe out the bathroom sink before I go to bed. (I keep a roll of paper towels under the bathroom sink).

There are always cleaning projects to be done, but if I keep on top of the above things, it looks fine if someone stops over.  And it can all be done quickly each day, once you make it part of your routine.

[phoenixbrd]

@alicedee   These are excellent maintance tips.

@alicedee wrote:

 What helps me keeping it looking tidy is:

Toss trash daily.  Make sure the dishes are done (I don’t use the dishwasher) after a meal.  Deal with mail immediately.  Each evening clear off any clutter that  accumulated on my small kitchen counter.  Have a spot out of sight (in my second bedroom) for dirty laundry.  Make the bed as soon as I get up.  Wipe out the bathroom sink before I go to bed. (I keep a roll of paper towels under the bathroom sink).

There are always cleaning projects to be done, but if I keep on top of the above things, it looks fine if someone stops over.  And it can all be done quickly each day, once you make it part of your routine.

---

[Havarti]

Years ago I studied in London to become a Montessori teacher.  One of the strict lessons we were taught is "everything has a place, everything in its place" and this rule applied to every child no matter their age.  It really kept the classroom organized and taught the children early to put things away and value thier belongings.  It started the minute they arrived and had to put their coat & lunch away in the proper place and it applied to everything they touched & used in the classroom.  I had always been a messy kid growing up and this really taught me a wonderful new approach to life and definitely made things easier.  Sadly, somewhere along the way I lost the drive I once had for this approach and have become more lax.  I keep meaning to go back to what I know works so well, but it keeps winding up on my ever growing "to do" list.  I hope I get it together soon - I know I will be happier once I finish with my declutter project (which is also on my very long & growing "to do" list).

[Pqfan]

I can’t because I live with Oscar Madison.😏

He is very sweet but...

 I love him with all my heart and if it were not for him I would be homeless. ❤️

When things get messy I remind myself how thankful I am to have a home to clean.

[jannabelle1]

I don't know that my town home is shiny clean all the time, but I do keep most everything "tidy". I never leave dirty dishes in the sink - and when cooking or baking, I clean as I go. I like to use the Clorox or Lysol wet wipes daily or every other day in the bathrooms (only takes a few minutes to wipe out the sink toilet lid/rim. Keep mail from piling up - go through it every day. Pick up anything laying around before I go to bed. I use my rechargeable Dyson daily because I have 4 cats, and that keeps the floors relatively clean and doesn't take long to do.