7 Things Tidy People Do To Keep A Clean House

First thing’s first – addressing tidy vs clean. Tidy is keeping things neat and orderly. Clean is keeping things free from dirt.

While these are two separate topics, they also go hand-in-hand because tidiness helps speed up the cleaning process. Rather than tidying up messes and then scouring the house, you’re just scouring the house when it’s time for a good clean.

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Tips to keep a tidy home

I was born with the tidy gene. As far back as I can remember, my family members would take turns going into my room to shift things around just to mess with me, and I would spot it as soon as I walked in. They got a kick out of it. Me?

Just annoyed.

But it’s one of things that stuck with me into adulthood and people often mistake my tidy house for a clean house. I don’t clean near as often as I should but keeping things picked up and wiped down buys me some time between deeper cleanings. I actually despise cleaning. I totally love and enjoy it when it’s done, but de-spise what it takes to get there.

If tidy is something you struggle with, then just start by incorporating a couple of these habits daily for one week, add two more the next week and so on. Before you know it, it’ll become second nature!

So what exactly are 7 things tidy people do to keep a clean house?

How to keep a tidy home, make the bed

1. MAKE THE BED

I can’t tell you why, but there is something about starting the day with a freshly made bed that sets the bar for your motivation and keeping things picked up. Maybe because it’s not as tempting to crawl back into a made bed vs an unmade bed? Again, I honestly can’t tell you – but it works.   

Tips to keep a tidy home, organization

2. ORGANIZATION

Everything should have a place.

Sort through your mail when you get it. Put the items you need to keep in a bin or filing system, toss the junk and shred items with personal info that you don’t need to keep.

Have a place for keys and small items that would otherwise end up all over counters and tabletops. I have a small basket set out for my husband to throw his keys in (and whatever odds and ends guys have in their pockets) that would otherwise end up on the nearest available surface.

Create storage for shoes. We usually enter through the garage so I have a basket near that door that we can all throw our shoes in, and put away at the end of the night.

Keep large toys in your kids rooms and have a bin or basket in other areas of the house with smaller items for them to play with when they’re out there with you.

File paperwork or scan and go paperless with as much as you can.

Tips to keep a tidy home, remove shoes

3. REMOVE YOUR SHOES

This may fall more into the clean category vs tidy, but it pertains to both. This applies even if you hard floors, but especially if you have carpet! The bottoms of our shoes come in contact with a lot of disgusting things that we probably don’t want to trample all over the house (think public restrooms – BARF) and then walk on with our bare feet, or have little ones crawl on. This one may seem tedious, but it’s a lifesaver because it will buy you time in between cleanings. I don’t typically ask guests to remove their shoes when they come over because I don’t want to make anyone feel unwelcome by being uptight, but if I notice shoe prints on the floor then I’ll just do a quick clean after they leave.

4. PICK UP AS YOU GO

Clean up dishes and wipe down surfaces right after each meal as opposed to letting everything pile up. Wouldn’t you rather spend 5-10 minutes after each meal doing the dishes and wiping things down, rather than having a huge daunting pile of dishes and several meals worth of crumbs glare at you at 10pm when all you want to do is go to bed? Plus, it’s nice to wake up to a clean kitchen and empty sink!

If you have a snack while you’re watching your favorite show, then just grab your dishes and trash when you leave the room and put it all away. If you let your kids take food into their rooms, make it a rule that they bring it out when they’re done or they lose the privilege.

If you have little ones, teach them to clean up when they’re finished with their toys. You can make clean up fun by making a song out of it, or making it a race that they always win – whatever gets the job done while you keep your sanity and you aren’t doing it all for them. One thing my boys have never had is a mommy maid. They were taught early on to pick up after themselves and it has been a life saver now that they are teens. Their rooms can get out of hand, but as long as it’s contained I can deal with reminding them to clean it before creatures start moving in.

5. KEEP CLEANING SUPPLIES HANDY

I have cleaning supplies under the kitchen sink and in each bathroom with paper towels nearby so everything is right there and convenient to grab if I see a quick mess that needs tending to.

How to keep a tidy home, declutter

6. DE-CLUTTER

Tidy people don’t have clutter. If your home is cluttered, messes tend to get lost in the clutter and eventually it adds up until you don’t even know where to start with it all. If you have items out that you don’t use every day, find a place to store them. Or if it’s something you haven’t used in years then maybe it’s time to get rid of it. If you have too much décor, consider scaling back a bit. A cluttered house can be the cleanest house you’ve ever walked into but it still feels dirty because it appears messy.

7. MAKE IT A FAMILY AFFAIR

You all live there and should all do your part, so get everyone on the same page. If someone makes a mess then they need to clean up after themselves and not leave it for mommy (or wifey) to do - unless you truly enjoy cleaning up after people, but I have yet to hear anyone say that. Ever. Times have changed and the “housewife” mentality needs to get gone. I know that may be easier said than done. If that’s not something that’s currently practiced in your house it will take time to get there, so be patient and find a good common ground that allows everyone to keep their sanity.

These are all things I do daily so if you’re wondering if I practice what I preach – I do! :)

Being tidy may seem time consuming, but it’s really not because you incorporate it throughout the day so it’s a few minutes here and there as opposed to one huge chunk of time. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m pretty selfish with my time because there just isn’t enough of it in the day, so if I can do it – so can you!

Did you find these tips that tidy people do to keep a clean house helpful? Or do you have any tidying tips of your own that you’d like to add?

Leave a comment below!

XO,
Christina

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Comments

This was another great post! Loving the 2018 blog posts C xo

Thank you, Brittany!!

Right on point! My husband is tidier and I’m clean. He walks around picking things up more often than me but I wipe. 9/10 Times, we’re ready for a tidy inspection --

Now that’s a perfect team right there!!

Good post! Happy to read and report that I do most of these things. Although with 2 dogs the cleaning part alludes me...cause dog hair gets
Everywhere! The one we dont do is the shoe removal and I wish we did that one because I totally agree...yuck.

Thank you, Elizabeth! Dogs definitely makes the cleaning part more challenging - haha!

Great info and great tips that everyone could use! When you break it down like that it does seem so simple ❤️

I’m so glad you found it helpful, Courtney!