For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a very stress free house cleaner and that means there’s musts when cleaning your home daily. Some of you follow cleaning trends that focus on deep cleans every so often. Whether that’s once a month, every other month or just a deep spring cleaning; as in once a year. Yeah, NO!
I don’t live or clean like that so you won’t really find any deep cleaning tips here.
In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle you must clean naturally daily. When I mention daily cleaning routines people get freaked out and think I mean daunting tasks. I don’t. I mean everyday daily maintenance to eliminate the overload.
Everyday Musts When Cleaning Your Home
This really ties in with our morning and nightly routines. It’s just something that I do each and everyday to prevent clutter, bacteria and stress from building up. No one needs that in their lives. This mama has been cleaning since she was a young gal but I didn’t start to enjoy cleaning until about the last decade or so. And then when I went completely no tox – that is when I stopped cleaning and started truly living!
Stop Cleaning, Start Living
Stress free cleaning is all about understanding how to clean your home based on the structure of your living situations. These 6 musts when cleaning your home daily are not only simple and easy, but helps balance the foundation to running a successful home!
Let’s talk 6 musts (TO DO’S)
- Kitchen Cleaning– the kitchen is the heart of the home and where the most bacteria & viruses can build up, so we need to focus on this room more than any other room in the home. Just a fact, not an option. Clear the sink often and keep dishes under control. Having a daily routine makes this really easy to maintain. Follow a morning and evening routine if your day to day life is rather busy. Unclutter the countertops so they don’t produce an overwhelming vibe every time you walk into this room. More stuff looks clumsy. Wiping down appliances and surfaces with just a hot wash rag will do wonders in terms of keeping up. Vacuum or sweep more often than mopping. Mop only as needed.
- Straighten Up– this is just a natural thing to do when you wake, going in and out throughout the day, and into the evening when finally unwinding. Remember that cleaning is NOT supposed to be a stressful event. It’s just a structured one. So tidy up throughout the day. Don’t keep the bed unmade just because you ‘think‘ you’re going to be jumping into it again anyways. Prep your mind for a clean space by making the bed, folding blankets, straightening the shoes, picking up toys, putting dishes in the cupboards, putting clothing away, empty the garbage bins, put things back in the drawers, etc.
- Quick Wipe Down– ever since I’ve been cleaning all naturally the only thing I have to do is a quick wipe down. I typically take a cloth and dab some castile soap/hot water on the end to wipe up the bathroom vanity and surfaces. If I’m in the kitchen I use white vinegar because we don’t have stone countertops. Normally I just pour a little on the counter, let it sit a minute and then wipe. There’s nothing else to it. That, the stove and appliances.
I don’t really use spray bottles in our home. Talk about simplicity. Just do whatever works for you and your family. For me, it’s just easier to pour the vinegar straight out of the original bottle or dab it on a cloth because I keep it handy (right on my dryer which is near the kitchen, so it’s just better for me that way). The castile soap is such a fast way to clean it’s insane how much it works in terms of food stains and breezy wipe downs.
- Take a squirt of castile soap on the end of a cloth and wipe down the cabinets. Take the other end to dampen it with hot water and wipe to rinse. If it’s caked on use a soft toothbrush to get in there.
- Squirt castile soap on food stains, let sit then wipe with damp cloth.
Fast House Cleaning Tips
Sometimes just vinegar will do the trick. Pour a little on the food stain, let sit and wipe. You can also mix in a spray bottle if that works better for you.
- Mix 50/50 hot water & vinegar for quick wipe downs on NON stone surfaces.
- For stone: mix water in a bottle with a small squirt of castile soap and a tsp of alcohol or tea tree oil.
Using hot water alone can be the easiest, safest way to clean up your home. I barely have to clean because it’s just a fast wipe when it’s been soiled. PLEASE NOTE that you may not even need to use soap if your home is being cleaned up daily. Normally some surfaces can go a few days without seeing even the simplest of damp wipe downs because of the texture the surface may be.
6 Musts When Cleaning Your Home Daily
Keep up with the maintenance of the floors. I’m not saying you have to vacuum or even sweep every single day. We have pets and can go a couple of days without doing either. But that’s because we have a good grip on how we established that specific task in our house. We also don’t normally wear shoes in the home.
- If your home is in dire need of establishing a healthier living space then vacuum up each day just to get that routine developed. This is when handy dandy sticks become your best friend.
- Do NOT mop everyday. This is not healthy for you or your floors. It will ruin them. Check out my floor cleaning posts if you need further assistance.
- Simply picking up, making sure toys, shoes, clothes and things are off the floor will really help the overall cleanliness throughout the week. Remember that the floors are NOT storage units. Everything needs to have a home on the floor. If the shoes are not in baskets or on a rack, invest. Put pet and kids toys in bins like these.
This is another daily task that faded for me since decluttering and purging our closets monthly. Laundry. I think it’s really important to incorporate this into a MUST because when I think of laundry I don’t think of just washing and drying. It’s a full blown task when it comes to anyone’s wardrobe.
- Toss a load into the washer as needed- I’m not saying to run the wash if you don’t need to. I’m simply saying if there’s enough colors or whites for a half load then do it.
- Making sure the dryer is empty at the close of every night is key to sanity. Don’t leave them in the dryer overnight because it causes wrinkles. Take them out and fold. Keep in the basket until the next day if time doesn’t allow you to put away.
- Put away as needed.
- Pick up off the floor as needed. Transfer from the floor to the baskets.
Between picking clothing up off the floor, organizing whites from colors, kids and baby clothing from adults, the daily routine is just necessary. Doesn’t have to be stressful and you don’t have to wash immediately but have the structured routine of picking up and separating until you can do a small load, dry and then repeat the process. Put away when you can. When you start doing the ‘laundry‘ every single day you become mindful of the task and start establishing a routine that works for you!
Simple House Cleaning Tips For Everyday Sanity In The Home
Last but not least, make your beds. I’m so much more productive and have a clear outlook on my days when my bed is made. It’s part of a healthy mental being. I mentioned that above and I do a lot. It’s a must. Sorry not sorry!
6 Musts When Cleaning Daily
- Keep the kitchen sink clean and clear
- Make the beds
- Pick things up off the floors
- Straighten up
- Wipe down stovetop and surfaces
- Take out trash
Until next time, more coffee please. XO – V
If you stress out about cleaning your home, please reach out! I offer many different house cleaning sessions and programs that can help you get back the sanity you deserve. No mama should ever feel ashamed or any less because they need help cleaning! You’ve got this.
Great tips!