You know you landed here because you need to clean out your space don't you? Am I right or am I right?
Anyway, I'm glad you found this article because it includes all the aspects I could think of that'll be helpful for you to clean your space and feel good about it.
Need a good reason to clean? I've got 10 good ones for you! Check out my video on 10 reasons you need to clean your space RIGHT NOW.
Let's move on to some of my best tips when it comes to cleaning:
1. Take it easy
On some days you are going to be extremely motivated to clean out your entire house. But beware that it is almost impossible to finish everything in a single day, you'll need to do it more slowly and mindfully. And inspiration comes and goes, what stays is discipline. So take it easy at first. Ease yourself into the cleaning process. Do it one bit at a time.
2. Tackle your space zone wise and not room wise.
Cleaning out some rooms is easier than the others. For example, your kitchen and bedroom might take longer to be cleaned out than your living room. So it doesn't make sense to divide your time room wise. Instead dealing with certain zones is much better! The graphic belows shows 6 common zones that have a tendency to get cluttered. You can add your own to the list according to your needs! The 6 zones I've identified are:
Kitchen counter
Kitchen cabinets
Desk area
Shoe rack
Wardrobe
Bookshelf
A few other zones might be your pantry, bathroom, the medicine cabinet, storage space, etc!
3. Tackle the messiest area first!
This is going to make you feel so much better once you've dealt with the worse! From now on, the ride is much easier, and you know it.
The trick here is that, you're going to be most likely to finish that messiest area that same day because it's really hard to stay in such a messy place once you've got everything out and about. You'll most likely put everything in order there and then.
4. Decide a time-frame in which you want to finish your cleaning.
You don't want your cleaning to last for ages. Set aside a time-frame that you know is realistic to get your house cleaned. Say one week or two? That way, you'll hold yourself accountable to finish what you've started and get going!
5. Know what works best for you!
Are you a 'I'll organise it shelf-by-shelf' kinda person ? Or does emptying out the entire wardrobe, sorting and putting it back work better for you? Find that out for yourself and do it that way. Do a trial with a smaller zone to find out what way suits you best.
6. Decide your cleaning goal for that day
How much do you want to get cleaned today? How many zones are you going to tackle? Decide that before-hand. Not only will it hold you accountable, but'll also ensure that you don't overdo it in a single day and overlook other priorities.
7. Take pictures of your clean space
This is for you to remember what your space looks like when it's super clean and organised. Not only will the before and after shots give you that feeling of accomplishment, but you can also use these pictures to motivate yourself when the next cleaning cycle comes around!
8. Decide your cleaning routine
Once you've finished out cleaning everything, you now have a better understanding of which places need the most attention. Decide your cleaning routine by dividing it into specific tasks.
Here is my guide for a cleaning routine
Of course, this is not sacro-sanct and you can totally change it up according to your needs!
1. Cleaning surfaces - twice a week
2. Kitchen counter - once a week (but depends on how often your kitchen gets used!)
3. Sweep and mop floors - twice a week
4. Reorganise wardrobe - quarterly/ seasonally
5. Reorganise desk/ cupboard - twice per semester
6. Kitchen cabinets - once every two months
7. Bathroom - once every fifteen days
8. Sink and wash basin - once a week
9. Bookshelf / shelves - once every two months
10. Other cabinets - quarterly
I hope that this blog post was helpful for you in some way or the other!
Did I miss out on anything? Let me know in the comments!
Also, comment below your favourite tip out of the ones I mentioned and tell me about your cleaning routine. I want to know!
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