If you ask an always-tidy person how they do it, they’ll probably list habits and rules they live by. If you ask 50 people whose homes are always tidy the same question, clear patterns will emerge. To the less-than-tidy, these habits may seem irritating, annoying or even unfathomable, but they’re the ones neatniks swear by.
1. ‘A place for everything, and everything in its place’
The origin of this saying is unknown — it has been attributed to Benjamin Franklin as well as to Mrs. Beeton and her “Book of Household Management” — but regardless, it’s a guiding principle of the tidy set. The idea is that everything in your home should have a home of its own, a place where it belongs, and that when it’s not in use, it’s returned to that particular place.
2. Don’t put things down, put them away
Having a place for everything makes this habit easier to commit to: Instead of putting things down when you’re done with them, put them away. This applies to everything from packages entering the home to piles of folded laundry. Don’t put them down — put them away.
3. Never leave a room empty-handed
Treat transition periods as a time to return things to their rightful homes. When you go to the kitchen to get a snack, bring your empty glass and put it in the dishwasher. When you head to the bathroom, bring that package of toilet paper that was just delivered. When you get up from the couch to head to bed, grab the hoodie you discarded earlier and hang it up. These small acts help keep things in their place.
4. Place garbage receptacles in every room
Putting things away instead of putting them down applies to trash as much as it does to your belongings. Placing things in the trash as soon as they become trash is an easier habit to stick to if trash receptacles (garbage cans, wastepaper baskets, recycling bins, etc.) are easy to access. Placing one in each of the main rooms in the home will help keep refuse from cluttering up your spaces.
5. Check the fridge on trash day
Before tying up the trash bag and taking it out, open the refrigerator and do a quick check: Are there leftovers languishing that you know you won’t eat? Forgotten lettuce liquefying in the crisper drawer? Yogurt past its expiration date? Toss them and, if need be, wipe up small spills or messes that you spotted as part of this quick cleanup.
6. Clean as you cook
Cleaning as you cook is a good way to make use of downtime to pick off tasks that take only a minute or two. This could be loading items into the dishwasher; hand-washing, drying and putting away a knife or wood cutting board; wiping sticky fingerprints off a cabinet door. There will still be cleanup after the meal is finished, but cleaning as you cook makes the job much less daunting.
7. Run the dishwasher at night, and empty it in the morning
In households of two or more people, run the dishwasher every evening — even when it’s not full. (Singles: Do this every other day.) Then, in the morning, unload it and, throughout the day, do your best to put dirty dishes straight into the machine rather than in the sink, where they tend to linger and turn into a pile that needs to be dealt with.
8. Treat bathroom counters like kitchen counters
It’s standard operating procedure for most people to wipe their kitchen counters daily, either throughout the day during and after food preparation, or in the evening as part of a “closing shift.” But bathroom counters don’t always get that kind of attention, and they should: Wiping the bathroom counter, as well as the sink basin and faucet, at the end of the day removes germs, bacteria and other buildup, and it’s an easy task to add to your evening washing up routine.
9. Use ‘dwell time’ to pick off small tasks
Dwell time, those idle moments while waiting for something (a pot of water to boil, a hairstyling tool to heat up), is perfect for performing small cleaning or tidying jobs such as wiping off a counter or putting stray items away.
10. Do laundry throughout the week, not just on one day
It may seem counterintuitive, but moving away from the idea of one dedicated day to do all the laundry is a way to lighten the load of what can feel like a never-ending chore. Instead, split laundry up throughout the week, doing one load every day, every other day or every third day, depending on the size of your household.
11. Put your laundry hamper where you undress
This may not be feasible for all households, but if you have the space, placing your laundry hamper where you undress — usually the bathroom — makes it much easier to toss dirty clothes where they belong. (And keeps them off the floor!)
12. Have a place for in-between clothes
“In-between clothes” are clothes you’ve worn once and plan to wear again before they’re washed, and having a place for them, such as a hook or a basket, instead of strewing them about, will help keep your bedroom from looking messy.
13. Make the bed every morning
Speaking of messy-looking bedrooms, the quickest way to make a bedroom look tidy is to make the bed. Do it every morning.
14. Handle mail when you pick it up (same thing goes for packages)
There are two fun acronyms for this one: OHIO, which stands for “only handle it once,” and HOT, which is short for “handle one time.” OHIO and HOT can apply to plenty of things, but they’re particularly useful rules for handling mail and packages.
15. Follow the ‘two-minute rule’
The two-minute rule is simple, and sticking to it will make a big impact on the tidiness of your home: If a task takes less than two minutes, it gets done now.
16. Establish a ‘closing shift’ routine
Think of taking five to 10 minutes in the evening to “reset” your home as a gift you give to your future self: Waking up to a clean house will make your morning run more smoothly, not to mention that it is simply more pleasant. An evening routine may include straightening up the living room, starting the dishwasher, wiping kitchen and bathroom counters — no deep cleaning, just a few small jobs before turning in for the night.
17. Perform a weekly ‘clutter sweep’
Take 10 or so minutes once a week to walk through your home picking up, putting away or throwing out things that are out of place.
18. Use the basket method
The basket method is a simple way to tackle clutter throughout the day or when a quick tidying is needed. Grab a basket or bag, fill it with stray items that are out of place, and tuck it away for the moment. Then, when you have time, empty it by returning things to their rightful homes.
19. Establish ‘dirty zones’
Our homes are active places, and messes and piles are a part of life. Plan for them, and keep them contained, by designating “dirty zones” in your house that help contain everyday messes to one small area.
20. Schedule the routine cleaning jobs
Routine chores such as cleaning the bathroom and kitchen, changing the sheets, vacuuming and mopping, etc., have to get done, and one of the best ways to ensure that is simply to schedule them for the same time each week or month.
21. Store cleaning supplies where you need them
Finally, set yourself up for success by storing cleaning supplies where they’re used — especially in the kitchen and the bathroom, where daily cleaning is ideal.
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