Sick and tired of living cluttered and messy? Skip the cookie-cutter tips and get straight to these 10 super easy tips that’ll show you how to keep your house clean and organized. All. The. Time.

Let’s kick things off with a big, fresh dose of truth…

Getting your house clean and keeping it clean will take a little upfront work. But once you get into a good rhythm, you’ll feel as if your house is working with you to stay clean & organized. And speaking of help, if you’ve got a family, setting up your house so that it’s EASY for them to know where what goes, where they can leave stuff and where they can’t, who needs to do what and when, is also a biggggggg factor in getting your family on board with keeping the house clean. And there is a way to do it without acting like a psycho drill sergeant from the Upside Down lol. We’ll talk a litte more about this further down the post.

Since you’re reading this, I’ll bet your house doesn’t stay clean for very long because you’ve been focusing on the wrong things. And it’s time to switch things up a bit my friend.

Detox your brain of all your old thinking so you can make room for some very practical tips used by people that pretty much always have a clean house. Skim the list. See what resonates with you. And give it a try.

1. Go with easy-to-use over cute

To break through the constant cycle of mess, stop focusing on your messy house as a whole and shift gears a bit.

Turn your attention to smaller things that I’ll admit, don’t seem helpful, but are insanely impactful: like putting what you use away. Mind-blowingly small right?

You already know you should do this but obviously, it’s not as simple as it seems. Whether you’re naturally unorganized, have ADHD or dealing with an illness of some sort, putting things away neatly can be as perplexing as Game of Thrones.

So forget about making things cute and instead go the route of zero resistance if you want to keep your home clean and organized. Basically, rig your house so that it’s literally messy-proof for lazy people!

Think no lids on plastic containers or open baskets in all the right places so you can just toss stuff in. Genius right?

One of my favorite examples of this at play is using a spice basket.

I have a gazillion spices, but seriously only have 3-4 regulars. Eh, I’m a pretty boring cook. But anytime I need my roasted garlic or sea salt, I destroy the entire spice cabinet trying to pull them out.

And it’s totally not necessary… Ready for the mess-eliminating secret?

All you need is a small basket on your kitchen counter where you can keep your VIP spices. It’s also where you’ll toss them back when you’re done.

No messy spice cabinet. No cluttered counters. Ahh, what a relief…

Get more ideas – perfect for naturally unorganized people – in this post: 5 Ideas You Can Use To Keep Your House Clean & Organized All The Time!

2. Unless you’re a nudist, you’ll never have ALL the laundry done

Laundry sucks. There I said it.

When we talk about keeping the house cleaner, laundry is usually seen as a separate situation from the house. But that’s so not true. When it comes to getting your home clean, laundry is very much a part of the deal.

Point is, if you can keep the laundry managed, you can keep your house clean or under control. It’s like a gateway skill that opens the doors to wondrous magic in your life. Or something like that.

Here are a few quick tips to keep your laundry under control (painlessly):

• One load of laundry a day keeps the boogy-mountain monsters away. Not to mention, it keeps things flowing at home instead of getting stgnatOne load is manageable for even the busiest people and it takes the pressure off of trying to have all of the laundry done. Which is technically impossible anyway. Unless you join a nudist colony or something.

• Have a spare laundry basket ready for items that need to be “washed now.”  Think your workout clothing, the kids’ team uniforms or super soiled clothing in general. Just get them out the way why dontcha?

• Your jeans really don’t need to be washed after every wear.  Unless they are terribly smelly, spray them with a fabric refresher (I LOVE the Love + Home + Planet brand!) & hang them up – you can get at least 2-3 wears between washes.  

• Oh and keep a separate basket for bath towels!  Those plush high count threads have a way of making it look like you have way more laundry than you really do.

• Skip the sorting and wash all of your clothes together! Ok so for me, brand new clothes are the exception to this rule. But everything else is pretty much a go. To keep colors from bleeding, I wash on cold and use laundry color catchers. Works like a charm every time.

• Drastically cut down on your laundry time by using dryer balls! This is my favorite hack because it saves me time and money but helping my clothes dry so much faster. I alternate between tennis balls and these wool dryer balls to get the job done.

READ | 7 Epic Laundry Hacks That’ll Save You A Load of Time

If you want to learn the secrets to cleaning your entire house fast, you should check out my post: how to clean your entire house in 2 hours! It’s a game changer!

 3. A dose of minimalism will help you keep the house cleaner

The true spirit of minimalism is simply having items that bring value to your life & discarding what no longer serves a purpose in your life.  Yes, you can still keep your crazy Harry Potter mug collection – you just don’t need twenty!

I like to think of minimalism in terms of my spending habits. It helped me curb my impulse spending. My weaknesses? Food & beauty products. Now, instead of buying whatever catches my eye on a whim, I only buy a new product once I’m officially done with my current one. (Err, most of the time lol.) Can this approach help you too?

The real benefit of minimalism is that having less stuff means less cleaning. Pow! So even if you don’t want to be a *minimalist per se*, chunking crap more often will only help you keep your house clean in the long run.

YOU MAY ALSO WANT TO READ // The Smart Girl’s Guide To A Clean & Organized House – 5 Drool-Worthy, Must-Have Things You Need To Get Now!  Who should read this?  Anyone that wants to learn smart ways to set up their home so that it stays clean. 

4. Say yes to cleaning products that make your heart skip a beat

If you hate cleaning, prepare to hate it less! Having cleaning products you feel good about using – whether you’re into the non-toxic scene or just whatever works – will help you overcome the feeling of doom and gloom you feel whenever you think about doing some hardcore cleaning.

PURCHASING POINTERS

• Your vacuum cleaner, broom and mops, should make cleaning easier – and be able to bring a smile to your face.  Always buy wide or XL mops & brooms so you can clean more surface area in fewer passes. That means you’ll be able to clean your floors a heck of a lot faster!

• There are a lot of great non-toxic cleaners available. Something about using natural cleaners makes me feel good inside. I actually love Method and Mrs. Meyer’s all-purpose & wood cleaning products!

• The Shark vs Dyson debate has a clear answer – in my humble opinion.  If your home is mostly carpeted, get a Shark.  If it’s mostly hardwoods, get a Dyson.  Just be sure to shop around because prices for these bad boys vary wildly from store to store.     

• Get inspiration for how you are going to organize certain areas before purchasing containers. Make whatever area you want to organize beautiful by buying pieces or sets that are complementary to your home and current decor. Large baskets always come in handy!

CREATE AN EPIC FAIL-PROOF CLEANING CADDY // all-purpose cleaner + apron + bucket + caddy + disposable gloves + extension cord + floor cleaner +  furniture polish + glass towel + high duster + microfiber towels + mold & mildew remover + mop + pumice stone + scour sponges + small trash bags + soft scrub + tile & grout brush + vacuum

5. Put yourself in cleaning routine *bootcamp*

Remember, the key to having a clean and organized house is building good habits. Following routines are the intentional way to do that – basically, you’re setting aside time to do something over and over again until eventually, it becomes a habit.

Set aside 30 minutes a day to clean something in the house. Set aside 30 minutes a day to make sure everything is still organized in a particular area of the house – like your desk. Mine get’s crazy so I have to stay on top of it!

Just remember that you’ll need to perform the routine quite frequently in order for it to really “stick” and become natural. 

You may want to check out my very popular Daily, Weekly & Monthly Cleaning Schedule With A Simple Morning Routine (built into the schedule).

MAKING CLEANING ROUTINES WORK FOR YOU

• When following a routine, try it as-is a few times and see how everything flows.  From there, mold and tweak that routine until it’s a perfect fit for you!

• Don’t overload yourself with too many routines at once!  In your quest to get your house (life) together, take it one step or routine at a time.  If you take on too much, you’ll run the risk of not making any of your routines stick or worse, abandoning all the routines and making zero progress.  

READ | How To Have A Clean House For Life.  It’s a huge list of simple ideas & habits you can start using literally today to help you have a house that virtually stays clean forever!

6. Buy furniture that can do something besides look cute

It’s a great idea to buy furniture that doubles as storage, but I want to give you a word of caution.  Sometimes, having too many storage options can turn into trouble so just make sure you’re storing items that add value to your life and not junk.

However, if you approach this wisely, it is a great way to keep items in your home neat, tidy & organized. Below are four ideas for furniture & decor that are both beautiful & functional!

• Storage benches and ottomans are an absolute must-have.  Luckily there are plenty of trendy options available which means you can really have fun with these options & use them anywhere in the house!

• Storage baskets — I truly can’t live without baskets! They are in every single room of my home. Big, small, short, tall – they are the secret weapon to creating a more organized home. When in doubt about where something should go, drop it into a basket!

• Clear containers are also huge for organizing. If you’re like me and have a hundred pairs of shoes, clear containers are heaven sent! Wait, I also use clear containers in my pantry & bathroom cabinets. Ok, so I stand corrected – clear containers are life-changing!

 7. If you’re always short on time, you must become a master prepper

To keep a clean & organized house requires time. If you’re not organized – I’m talking about your life here – you probably feel like you never have enough time to do anything, but you do.

HERE ARE A FEW WAYS YOU CAN PREP TO HELP BALANCE WORK + LIFE + HOME FOR BETTER TIME MANAGEMENT

Getting outfits ready for the week, meal prepping, gathering everything you’ll need in the morning at night and planning out your days more precisely with time blocking are excellent ways to prep. Doing these things give you more time to balance work, life & home which is absolutely necessary for a clean house.

 8. Get a really, really good stain remover

No matter how clean or messy your house is, stains will always stick out like a sore thumb!  The next time you get a stain on your shirt, sofa, carpet or where ever, be ready by always having a stain remover ready to grab.  Stains scream dirty so let’s make sure we don’t let stains hang around! 

TIP | PREVENT STAINS BEFORE THEY HAPPEN

• Do yourself a huge favor and pretreat upholstered furniture in the home with a stain repellant so that stains don’t get a chance to set in!  The application process is usually pretty straightforward and will greatly extend the life of your furniture or carpets.  A mega win in my book!

• Here is a great, 5-star option for a stain guard product that you may want to take a look at called Trinova Stain Guard from Amazon. I have three kids running around so this or a little 3M is always close by.

9. A house without rules is a headache that never ends

Your home is your castle, but that doesn’t mean you can live without order, your majesty!  If your house is unorganized and dirty, you can easily get it cleaned once you know where to start.  But in order to keep it clean and organized, you’re going to need to set some rules! 

A FEW GOOD HOUSE RULES TO HELP KEEP THE HOUSE CLEAN

The people you see that have seemingly perfect homes don’t get them by wishing for them – they work for it but it’s easier to do than you think!  Here are a few good rules to follow:

• Keep shoes at the door to help cut down on dirt and grime tracked throughout the house.

• Limit eating & drinking to designated areas. This cuts down on the chance of stains and other avoidable messes.

• Make your mornings easier by making sure dishes are placed in the dishwasher or hand washed every evening before going to bed.

• Personal items in common areas at the end of the day is a no-no. Take your crap to your room.

• Toys are a pain to clean up so limit them to bedrooms or toy rooms. And make sure your kids get into the habit of picking up after themselves.

10. Let’s go label crazy

Creating new habits to create a clean & organized house is exciting & fun – until you get busy, start to forget, lose enthusiasm, forget it was even a goal, and then wake up one day with the goal to get your house clean & organized once and for all – again lol.

Regardless of what anyone else says, the #1 key to keeping a clean and organized house is labels – oh and signs too.

WHY YOU NEED LABELS ASAP

When you see that label, not only will it stop you from dropping an item in the wrong place, you’re going to want to find the perfect home for it. Thus a spot will be picked & a new label will be created just for that item.

If you want to get in the habit of turning on the dishwasher every evening at 7pm, make a sign & plaster it everywhere. Want to get into the habit of making the bed every morning? Make signs & you guessed it – plaster them everywhere! Labels and signs are powerful hacks that will help you keep your house clean & organized all the time.

IDEAS FOR USING LABELS & SIGNS TO KEEP YOUR HOUSE CLEAN & ORGANIZED

Use a paint pen to quickly & easily label containers – this is so cute!

Easily recreate this super cute look even if you’re short on time! All you need are Paint Pens + Glass Jars With Airtight Lids!

Who would think that one of the wildest places in the house, the linen closet, could be tamed with chalkboard labels + baskets!

This is a fabulous example of doing more with less! You don’t need a ton of baskets & containers to tame your wild spaces. To pull off a look this look, all you need are chalkboard labels + small square baskets + large square baskets + a hamper + an over-the-door hook!

If you want an idea of how to use signs, boom! Create attention-getting signs anywhere in the house with chalkboard or dry erase boards. I’ll do this when we move into our new house.

What I love about chalkboard signs is that they go with almost any decor & they have a way of making your house really feel like home. If you want to recreate this look you can try chalkboard paper so that you turn any surface into a sign or just grab a chalkboard sign – oh, and don’t forget to get chalk markers!

I’ve counted the coins & these are the best selling items for this week from this blog /

• Dye Catchers Cut down how long it takes to do laundry with these! Toss everything into the washing machine and get on to all the other things. Without worrying about those whites turning pink.
• Scotch Brite Non-Scratch Scrubbers If I have to choose between these & my husband, I’m definitely taking the scrubbers. They seriously do allllllll the work when it’s time to clean. Unlike him.
• Window/Glass Cleaning Cloths Ok, if you believe it’s impossible to have streak-free mirrors or glass, prepare to be impressed. You don’t even need window cleaner with these things. Just a little water & shizam. All clear.
• The Roboroc Robot Vacuum It sweeps, mops and is soo smart, it avoids both cat puke & dog terds 🤯. If you have pets, you know that’s huge. It’s also $30 off right now.

Good things are meant to be shared! Save this to your Pinterest account so you can actually find it later and so others can see you’ve got all the good stuff!