One of the best parts about staying in a hotel is without a doubt how clean and fresh the room always feels. Walking into a room with a freshly made bed, sparkling mirrors and a spotless bathroom is amazing, so it’s almost disappointing when you return home and it’s not quite the same.
We don’t have teams of cleaners constantly scrubbing away in our own houses, so it’s no surprise they don’t have that hotel-clean appearance. But according to experts, there’s a simple change you can make to your routine that will give your home that hotel-style clean. And the best thing is just how simple it is to do.
If you’ve ever wished your home could feel as put together as a hotel, Zara O’Hare from Land of Rugs says it’s easy.
She commented: “You don’t need a full housekeeping team. You just need a few intentional habits that create the same feeling of calm and order.”
One of these is a method dubbed the ‘five-zone rule’ that will make cleaning your home feel a lot more manageable and stop certain tasks from building up too much over the course of the week. Here’s how to do it.
What is the five-zone rule?
According to Zara, you don’t need to set aside a full day each week to do the dreaded ‘reset’. It’s time-consuming, and it wastes a day you could be out spending time with your loved ones.
Instead, divide your house into five zones – sleeping, bathing, dining, relaxing, working – and tackle one per weekday.
“This hotel-style routine keeps everything under control without it feeling overwhelming,” said Zara.
Another easy trick to make your home feel ‘hotel-clean’ is to introduce certain scents. Hotels carefully control scent to evoke a clean, serene vibe, which you’ll know if you’ve ever stayed in one.
At home, try reed diffusers, linen sprays, or essential oil blends like eucalyptus, white tea or bergamot.
However, you’ll want to avoid artificial or overpowering air fresheners – subtle is the goal.
And if you add some white bedding into the mix, your bedroom will always feel fresh and clean just like a hotel. But keeping it clean isn’t always the easiest.
Zara recommends washing in hot water once a week, adding baking soda or white vinegar to each load, and going for breathable, high-thread-count cotton. Finish with a sharp fold at the foot of the bed for that luxe, hotel tuck.