Does it seem like every time you turn around your house is a wreck? Do you dread someone coming over unannounced in fear that they might see a hot mess as soon as you open the door? Keeping a tidy home, especially when you have kids, can seem like a futile task. (I understand because I have kids, and some days, I feel like all I do is follow them around the house picking things up behind them, amiright?)
So here are a few handy mom-hacks that have helped me to keep the house organized (for the most part) and make our living room look like less of a disaster area. By taking just a few minutes here and there throughout the day, you can maintain order in those pesky problem areas so that they stay neat and tidy.
Finally conquer the clutter with these six easy tips that take 10 minutes or less!
Tidy Home Tip 1: Make the Bed
This is literally the easiest thing you can do that will have the biggest impact. It takes me about a minute to make the bed, but the overall look and feel of the room is dramatically improved once it’s done. Plus, there is just a great feeling and sense of accomplishment that comes with starting off the day with a tidy bed.
Tidy Home Tip 2: Put Away the Dishes
Clear out the dishes from the drying rack and wash or put dirty dishes in the dishwasher. Getting rid of all the clutter in and around the sink will make the kitchen feel so much more organized and put together.
Instead of letting the dishes pile up, try to clean them as soon as you are done eating to make the job more manageable. (And avoid having to work twice as hard to get rid of stuck-on food.) A good routine to get into is to wash dishes/run the dishwasher at the end of the day, and then empty the dishwasher/drying rack in the morning. I find this an easy thing to do while I’m waiting for my coffee to brew.
Tidy Home Tip 3: Contain Paper Clutter
Clear all of your mail, magazines, newspapers and schoolwork off of your kitchen counters and tables by moving them to a designated tray or mail bin. This way you can still access the papers you need, but they are not scattered all over the place. Have the kids put their schoolwork away at a desk or in their backpacks. Having clear, clutter-free counterspace immediately makes a space feel much more organized and inviting.
Tidy Home Tip 4: Don’t Let the Laundry (Literally) Pile Up
Laundry is another task that is much more manageable when done in smaller chunks. Instead of getting buried under piles of laundry, I find that doing a little bit each day makes it much easier to stay on top of the “heap.” Make it a part of your morning routine to throw in a load of laundry before breakfast, or maybe start a load before dinner and then fold the laundry while you watch your favorite TV show. Just make sure to fold and put the clothes away that day so you don’t add to the clutter by leaving piles of laundry around the house. And again, this will go quicker because you’re only doing one or two loads at a time.
Tidy Home Tip 5: Tame the Toys
For households with younger kids, the sheer magnitude of the mess that kids make with their toys can be overwhelming. I find myself constantly walking around the house picking up a Nerf gun here, a stuffed animal there, putting them away as I go from one room to the next.
To make sure toys end back up where they belong, get the kids involved. (Same with making the bed!) Before bedtime, have them help pitch in for 5 minutes to clean up and put away their toys. It’s also a great idea to have a few attractive looking bins or baskets in the main areas of the house that you can use to quickly wrangle the toys into.
Tidy Home Tip 6: Do a Quick 5-Minute Sweep
Speaking of bedtime routines, in addition to cleaning up the toys/clutter, try to make it a habit to spend just a quick 5 minutes tidying up around the house before going to bed. For me, this is putting the throw pillows and blankets that invariably get scattered around the living room back in their rightful places, straightening up the coffee table and end tables, and putting away any cups, trash, or other things that have been left out. Just those few things alone make the room feel so much more inviting and put together.
Keeping It All Together
By breaking up the tasks and taking a few minutes throughout the day, the mess you once thought insurmountable can now be totally manageable. Of course, this doesn’t take the place of vacuuming and your regular deep cleaning, but it will help keep the clutter at bay in between those times. Make these quick and easy hacks part of your daily routine and your house will be sitting pretty (at least most of the time)!
Do you have any tidy home hacks to share? Post them in the comments down below!