Cleaning is a difficult task for many people but everyone wants a nice, clean home.
More people are looking for easy ways they can keep their home in order and one user on Reddit asked for some advice on what they can do to make this chore easier. They said: “Cleaning has always been a challenge for me, but some places I’ve lived have been easier to keep clean than others. What have you done to put your home on the easier end of the spectrum?”
The user explained that their home is “on the harder side” and as they will have a new baby in around a month’s time, this will “suddenly make cleaning more important, more time-consuming, and impossible to find time for.” The parent-to-be shared that they want to make some changes to lighten the load.
They continued: “My first idea is to caulk the bottom of our baseboards to make vacuuming easier. I’m also decluttering and reorganising our storage and drop zones. Am I on the right track? What changes made the biggest impact for you?”
More than 200 comments have been left on the post with people sharing what changes worked for them and the advice seemed to fall into three categories.
1. Decluttering
The most common change that made homes easier to clean based on the responses was decluttering. One user said: “LESS STUFF!!!! I have a giant plastic tub for donations in my garage-it gets filled over the course of a month, and then I take the stuff to Goodwill.
“I am challenging myself to clear off counters, reduce items on shelves, closets, drawers…” Another added: “Definitely the decluttering/organizing. It’s easier to clean when surfaces are clear and it’s easier to clear surfaces when I can easily put things away.
“I always know it’s time to reorganize/declutter certain areas when I struggle to easily put things away (looking at you bedroom closet). I usually dedicate a whole day to organizing the various zones once a year (twice for my bedroom closet) and it helps so much!
“Sometimes I’m not even purging things, just readjusting where/how I put things away to make it more efficient.”
2. Cleaning supplies in easy reach
It is much easier to clean when you have easy access to cleaning supplies and don’t have to root through a cupboard to find what you’re looking for. Having cleaning tools out in areas like the kitchen and bathroom saves time and allows you to quickly clean up messes as they happen.
This is something that several Reddit users mentioned who answered the question of what changes they made to make their home easier to clean. One remarked: “Have cleaning supplies easily accessible in every room – a trash can, paper towels, a bunch of rags and a bucket to toss them in, cleaning spray, a tiny broom or handheld vacuum maybe, a vacuum on every floor maybe, a basket for things to take out of the room on your way out.”
A second agreed: “THIS! Doing this in the bathrooms has made a huge difference for me!!” A third commented: “Agree! A favorite cleaner and some rags in a caddy on every floor of the house or in every bathroom!”
3. Consistency with cleaning habits and routines
Some people have reported success by cleaning regularly as they go, rather than letting it pile up and becoming more of a burden. Others set a certain amount of time aside in their day to clean up or plan which rooms they will clean on which days.
A commenter on the Reddit thread shared: “Not so much changes, but consistency is key. It’s amazing how little you have to do to keep your house looking reasonable as long as you do it consistently.
“You don’t even have to do it perfectly! So for example: We always make sure the dishes are in the dishwasher and we run it every single night even if it’s not totally full. We unload the dishwasher every morning so that the dishwasher is empty and ready to receive these dishes.”
Someone else shared their strategy: “Spend 15 minutes cleaning something every day or pick one room a day to focus on. Have a routine.
“I clean my downstairs first every Friday because that’s what people see when they come over and that’s where the kitchen is. Then I clean upstairs as I have time during the week.”