5 Habits for a Cleaner Home!

Making lasting change is all about forming good habits. The philosopher George Santayana said, “Repetition is the only form of permanence that nature can achieve.” And it’s repetition that will turn a new behavior into a habit, and give your home a (somewhat) permanently better state!

The best thing about a habit is that you (eventually) don’t feel like you’re making an effort to do something at all—you just do it. It does take time to establish a habit, but if you commit to doing something regularly, after a few weeks it will start to feel habitual. That’s what you want! (Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day; you can always pick right back up where you left off.) You’ll get hooked on the good feeling, and your old ways will be the ones that start to feel uncomfortable.

Here are 5 of my key habits to adopt for a noticeably cleaner and better-looking home.

Make the bed each day.

Your bed takes up such a huge amount of space in your bedroom, so if it looks like a wreck, basically the whole bedroom looks like a wreck. But not only does making the bed make your room look better, there have been studies (studies!) that prove that a made bed makes for a happier, more productive day!

Wipe kitchen counters at night.

Like the bed in the bedroom, the kitchen counters dominate the space in the kitchen, so if they’re greasy and crumby, guess how you’re going to feel when you walk in the kitchen? (That’s right, you’re going to feel greasy and crumby. Or maybe crummy.) It takes 30 seconds. Make it the last thing you do after washing up from dinner. Wipe down all the crumbs, then do a second round with all-purpose cleaner and a microfiber cloth to make it really shine.

Put clothes away as soon as you take them off.

Tossing your clothes on the floor looks awful, and let’s face it—it’s basically postponing a decision you’re going to have to make eventually. When you take clothes off, make up your mind: Will you wear it again? Then fold or hang it and put it away. Will you wash it? Then into the hamper it goes. Was that so hard?

Put dishes away after eating.

I know Netflix is calling, but that stack in the sink will just make you want to cry when you see it in the morning. Take the time to wash the dishes now, whether that means loading the dishwasher or doing it by hand, so that you are greeted with a clean kitchen the next day.

No cluttering the entryway when you get home!

I know, you just walked in, so the pull is strong to just drop everything and start relaxing. Control yourself! A cluttered entryway makes the whole house look like a disorganized disaster. Designate a place to put shoes, coats, bags, and anything else that should not be on display here, and make it a habit to use them.

I’d love to know: What habits are you going to try incorporating into your day? What habits do you have that you recommend others try?

Let me know in the comments down below!