After I posted my informal “home tour” last week on Instagram, I got so many messages asking “How do you keep your house so clean?” or “How is your house not covered in dog hair or toys?” The honest answer is – It isn’t. My house gets just as messy as everyone else’s (Well, unless you’re super gross). I’m very OCD but I’m also very messy when it comes to leaving things around the house. Since I work from home it’s really hard for me to get anything done or focus when I’m staring at a messy home, so I started this 15 minute cleaning routine everyday and it’s helped tremendously.
SIDE NOTE: De-cluttering has been so helpful for me, big picture. The less stuff you have, the less there’s to clean up right? But that’s a different story for a different day.
However short-term, I spend about 15 minutes a day doing my “lazy” cleaning routine and here’s what I do:
Put Things Away: Basically, just put away anything that’s not in it’s place. I have a basket for all of the dog toys. It’s crucial to keep them organized and out of sight. I take any of our shoes/clothes/personal items into the bedroom or closet and put them in a pile to deal with later. Remember, this is a lazy cleaning guide and we’re on a time crunch here.
Couch Fluffing: You guys know my debacle with my couch. It gets so lumpy and drives me insane. So I spend a minute fluffing the pillows and folding our throw blankets. To be honest, this probably has the biggest impact in terms of making our home look neater.
Wipe everything down: First I take my dry paper towel or cleaning cloth to all of my surfaces, to brush crumbs on the floor and dust surfaces and mirrors off. Then, I go back with product to wipe off the kitchen island, kitchen table and coffee table. If I’m feeling productive, I’ll quickly Windex my selfie mirror and the refrigerator. Finger prints on stainless steel are such a buzz kill.
Vacuum: Lastly, I quickly run the vacuum over high traffic areas. This is another thing that makes such a huge difference for our home, mainly because we have black hardwoods. Opposite to what you might think, dark floors show the most dirt and dust which is why I never recommend them to anyone. Sara tried to tell me this before and I didn’t listen so here we are. Having a lightweight, cordless vacuum that glides easily on hardwoods is crucial for this. I got this one off of Amazon and, while it gets the job done, I think I’ll go back to Dyson next time.
Dishes: And I don’t usually do the dishes at this point, but I’ll put everything neatly in the sink (For Wes to do when he gets home, LOL) and put away whatever’s dry on the drying rack from the night before.
And, voila! Taking this 15 minutes to tidy up my space keeps me sane. I hope this inspires you to do the same! Let me know if you have any other home-related questions for future posts and I’d love to hear your best “lazy” cleaning tips too! I’m weirdly obsessed with cleaning? When I have the time of course…
Happy almost Friday! x
