When life gets busy, even the tidiest and most organized of people can find the standards in their home slipping a little. As a busy parent you probably find yourself running around after little ones, taxi-ing them to and fro, cooking, sorting out bills and generally arranging everything that your family needs. Which of course doesn’t leave you with much time for anything else! So when it comes to your home, you might find little piles of clutter start accumulating and you become in desperate need of a cleaning service Brooklyn to come and do all the chores for you! Maybe a couple of toys get left on the floor, or perhaps you leave a stack of laundry on the side rather than taking it upstairs and putting it away. Sometimes, the whole house gets messy and it seems like an endless list of things to do.
While not major issues, these kinds of things can all contribute to a home that looks a bit messy. If the doorbell rings, or you get a text from a friend saying they’ll be popping around in ten minutes, it can fill you with dread if you know your place looks chaotic! If this sounds like you, here are a few ways you can keep on top of everything and ensure your home is always visitor-ready.
Choose The Right Storage
Kids toys on the floor is something you’ll be all too familiar with as a parent. It’s a quick way to make any room look messy, and so to solve the problem you could invest in a toy box that matches the decor in your living space. Then if you need to tidy in a hurry, everything can go straight into there without having to lug it upstairs. Something like a wooden chest will just look like a decorative piece, but gives you a quick way to stow away toys when you need to. The same applies to things like books, magazines, and throws that can get left around the room. Having storage boxes or baskets for them to go in means everything can be put away in a matter of minutes, without them cluttering up the room.
Choose Low Maintenance Decor
Do you have a sofa that shows up every little mark or spill? Does your coffee table show every smear, or does your rug highlight every crumb or pet hair? Do you have tons of decorative items that act as a dust trap? Switching out these things for low maintenance, easy to clean items could be a smart move. Leather sofas and wooden floors for example are both easy to wipe down and clean, which is useful when you have children and pets. Low-pile rugs, especially those which are dark in color will show up every spec, and so swapping them out with something else could be a good idea. You can still keep a stylish home, but just make better choices and go for pieces that are more suited for your lifestyle. You’ll find all kinds of furniture and decorative items from Plum Goose and other similar interior stores. So have a browse and decide what will work best for you. Once you have the right pieces in your home, keeping them clean and in good condition will be so much easier. That way you’re never caught short when guests come to the door!
Teach Children To Put Their Things Away
You can encourage children from a young age to put things away when they’re finished with them. This could be putting their shoes into a shoe cupboard when they get home. You could hang a hook in a cupboard which is low enough for them to reach and ask them to hang up their coat. Encourage them to have one or two toys out at a time, and put them away after each use rather than pulling out everything. The same applies after they’ve eaten or had a drink, to put their dishes in the sink. While they probably won’t be perfect with this, depending on their age it’s a good habit to get into. It saves you time from picking up after them all day and means if anyone does drop around short notice then it’s fewer things you have to clear away.
Do A Little Housework Each Day
Deep cleaning takes a lot of time, and is best done when you’re not run off your feet. However spending just a little time each day doing chores really does stop things from mounting up. A quick clean and tidy each day can do wonders. Loading the dishwasher, picking up stray items from rooms and quickly vacuuming floors, for example, will probably take you twenty minutes maximum. But helps to keep on top of things rather than leaving you with a bigger job later down the line.
Regularly Declutter
Decluttering is an ongoing process, it’s something you’re probably going to need to do at least every few months. Getting rid of things that are no longer useful frees up space for the things you do need and love. Without loads of useless items everywhere, cleaning up and keeping the place neat will be so much easier. That way items that you don’t need won’t get dragged out, and when you’re tidying you only have to tackle essential things.
Use Plug-In Air Fresheners
Cooking smells, bins and pets can all add to a not so pleasant aroma in the home. Regularly airing out the house by opening windows can help. But having plug-in air fresheners dotted around means everywhere stays smelling nice with no additional effort from you. No need to run around spraying air freshener or Febreze when a house guest is on their way. Alternatively you could go with timed air fresheners which spray automatically for a similar peace of mind. While they’re usually a bit more subtle, reed diffusers and potpourri are also a good option.
None of us are perfect, and our homes aren’t either. But these tips and tricks can allow you to keep on top of things as much as possible, so you’ll gladly welcome guests that drop by rather than feeling embarrassed about your home!
Are you good at keeping your home visitor-ready? Or does the idea of an unannounced guest fill you with dread?