I have been a stay at home mom for a decade! A decade, folks. On top of that, I decided to just keep on homeschooling my kids…while I work from home. Let me tell you, working from home and finding the time to homeschool doesn’t leave a ton of time for tidying up. Lucky for you, I have found some nifty little tidying up hacks for keeping the house clean when you’re home all day and I want to share them with you. Here is my list of my top 20 best hacks for keeping the house clean all day!

*This post contains affiliate links through which I may make a commission. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

1. Downsize and/or declutter

You had to know I was going to throw this one in there right? If you are feeling overwhelmed every day by the amount of stuff or the amount of space you have to clean, then just be done with it!

We downsized nearly two years ago and it has completely transformed our lives. Not only that, but I declutter my house constantly. Having children is just a natural clutter-magnet so I am really diligent at staying on top of it.

Some great decluttering and downsizing ideas:

• How to Get Cash for Your Clutter
• 6 Reasons You Should Downsize Your Home
• Plan a Big Downsize Without Moving
• Ultimate Minimalist Spring Cleaning List: Mind, Body, Home.
• 4 Ways I Could Have a Spotless Home. But I Don’t Want To.
• Kitchen Declutter and Storage Solutions

There are so many small or big ways that you can do away with clutter. You just have to find what works for you! Like I said, if you are feeling overwhelmed by your cleaning duties, especially every day, considering a downsize or a massive declutter might be the best decision for you!

2. Make your bed right away

I just started making my bed. I just started washing my face too. It’s like I hit 30 and decided it was probably time to be a grown-up.

Let me tell you, this really isn’t a shabby way to live.

Making a habit of tidying your bed first thing in the morning is a great way of kicking your body into gear. By making the bed right away, not only do you start out the day having accomplished something BUT it helps keep your bed nice and tidy so it isn’t such a pain to make!

Just a quick flip of the comforter and the tossing of a few pillows and you’re all set!

3. Re-wear your clothes

I sincerely hope most people are already doing this, but I’ll say it just in case.

If you have worn a pair of jeans for the day, there is nothing wrong with hanging them up at the end of the day again.

This goes for shirts and pajamas too.

Personally, I draw the line at socks, undies and workout clothes. No way those things are getting put back on my body without a thorough cleaning!

Doing this not only lessens your laundry load but it saves water for the environment and cuts back on your water bill!

4. Have a re-wearable bin

If you want to re-wear clothes but they usually end up laying on the floor until you get around to wearing them again, try having a re-wearable bin.

Tom and I have this in our bedroom for our pajamas.

In the morning when I get dressed, I toss my jammies into our convenient little basket and then carry on with my day!

This prevents pajamas from clogging up the bathroom floor and you don’t have to put them away! Then, when it’s time for bed, they are right there waiting for you!

5. Re-use Dishes

Just like clothes, you can easily find ways to re-use your dishes too!

Simply lick the spoon clean and then put it back in the drawer! No. I’m just kidding! Just checking to see if you’re paying attention.

First of all, we don’t use disposable dishes in our house. This tip will probably look a little different if you do. However, I would encourage you to try sticking with regular dishes.

What we do, since my two little ones and I are home all day, is give our breakfast dishes a gentle rinse and then re-use them for lunch.

This cuts back huge on the number of times we run the dishwasher and prevents the massive pile-up of dishes in the sink.

6. Make dishes a team effort

When I was a kid I remember watching my friend rinse her plates and simply place them in the dishwasher when she was done.

This was a far different practice than we had at my house where I got stuck doing all the dishes at the end of the night.

My friend’s mom was a “neat freak” by nature and a genius in my book because her kitchen sink always stayed clear!

Teaching your kids to rinse their dishes and load them correctly into the dishwasher is a great way to make sure everybody does their share to tidy up. 

7. Create a 5 minute clean up jar

I attended a course all about how to be more efficient around the house without having to actually BE more efficient. This was one of the tips that I really loved.

This mother of 4 suggested having a jar in which you write some quick 5-minute cleaning tasks. Once a day, or once a week (whatever works best for you) have each family member draw one task from the jar.

Some ideas for these tasks are:

• Tops of ceiling fans
• Dog poop scooping
• Clean the toilet bowls
• Wipe down spots on the walls
• Clean vents in (choose a room)
• Wipe down inside of the fridge

These are cleaning tasks that don’t get done very often but also don’t take that much time. This cleaning hack is very minimalist in my book.

By having a cleanup jar, everyone shares the workload and you’re done in 5 minutes! Saving energy and time!

8. Eat your food

So much food goes to waste each day because people just didn’t get around to eating it! That’s why I think it is so important to plan meals wisely to ensure that you don’t have crazy amounts of food waste at the end of the week.

I get that meal prepping isn’t something everyone enjoys or is naturally good at. If that’s the case for you, check out $5 Meal Plan. You can get healthy, customized meals for you and your family. You will also be given a grocery list of all your items. 

How is food waste messy? To me it not only is just plain wasteful, but I also don’t want to have to go through the fridge or pantry every week throwing stuff away.

If you don’t keep up with the food you already have, the cupboards tend to start to overflow with new products thus creating more clutter.

9. Use a mat in the entryway

Keep your floors and carpets clean and do it politely by having a mat in your entryway for company.

This will encourage people to remove their shoes so they aren’t tracking dirt through your house.

In Minnesota, this is just an instinct for most people. Without thinking about it, I instantly remove my shoes no matter where I am. In fact, it makes me uncomfortable not to.

10. Have a “no-toy” zone

Is nothing sacred anymore?

If you find each room in your house constantly taken over by toys, then I highly suggest setting up a room that is off-limits to toys.

In our house, this is our living room. Should a toy ever make its way in there, the owner is promptly hollered for and asked to remove said item.

Living rooms have always been a place of peace for me. In fact, I wish we didn’t even have a TV in ours. I love keeping it well maintained and clean.

Plus, this is the first room people see when entering our house. If unannounced guests should pop in, I don’t want to have to spend all my time casually engaging in small talk while simultaneously cleaning up Legos.

11. Teach your kids to clean!

When I first married Tom, I noticed that he did most things for his (our) daughter just because it was easier. I’m not judging him, a lot of parents do this. However, that left her unsure of how to do things on her own. A lot of things!

Read 7 minimalist ways to raise independent kids

I will admit, this cleaning hack isn’t really that minimalist in nature because it requires a lot of time, patience and a major effort on your part.

While it isn’t minimal right off the bat, I promise it will be worth it in the long run!

Having self-sufficient children who know how to clean up after themselves pays for itself a thousand times over.

It will be easier to maintain a clean house as they get older and will encourage them to be harder workers as they grow into adulthood.

12. Do a monthly clear-out

Every 3 months or so I grab 2 bags per family member. One bag is for garbage and the other is for donations and giveaways.

Each person goes through their rooms and/or toy room to clear out the things that are no longer serving a purpose.

Now, I don’t totally expect each bag to be filled to the brim (and I use small ones anyway) but it’s a good way to make everyone aware of the few little things they may have been hoarding for a while and do their part to clean house.

Related posts:

• 9 Frugal Ways to Create a Cozy Home that’s Unique to You
• How to Have Minimalism and Your Stuff Too
• 5 Simple Habits to Help Keep a Clean House Every Day
• Becoming Minimalist: 3 Thoughts Keeping You in the Clutter

13. Wipe counters right after messes are made

Little things like this are really what goes the distance when it comes to keeping a house tidy long term.

If you just made a sandwich on the countertop, take 15 seconds to wet a rag and wipe it down.

This will prevent your counters from becoming corroded and will save you serious scrubbing time later on!

14. Get a dog

I’m sort of joking and sort of not with this one.

As I got this post together, I thought of all the different things I do in each area of the house to make cleaning a little bit easier. Then I came to my mortal enemy: sweeping.

I have been defeated by sweeping my entire life. I feel like it is all I do. Well, recently we got a new dog. A big, black lab mix and I’ve realized…I don’t sweep as often anymore.

Though I suppose if you aren’t a dog person, there’s always a Roomba! In all honesty, they are less expensive than a dog and they still clean the floors just as good. Maybe even better.

15. Use one multi-purpose cleaner

Instead of hauling multiple cleaners from room to room during my deep cleaning days, I just stick with one multi-purpose cleaner for the most part.

We use Dr. Bronner’s Castile soaps for our own soap dispensers, cleaning the floors, counters, bathrooms, and toilets.

You can also use it for dishes, shampoo, body wash, deodorant, mouth wash, laundry detergent, and so much more.

16. Stop folding clothes

I think I just heard angels sing! The one chore that most people dread is actually putting away the clean laundry.

I’m not sure why because really it goes by pretty fast and isn’t that inconvenient. Just one of those things that get inside our heads I guess.

To make it even easier, a friend of mine, (who has 4 boys,) has found a crazy simple method to cut back on her laundry time.

In each kid’s closet, they have 3 bins. One for pants, one for shirts and another for socks and underwear.

She gets all their clothing together then has them come to take their piles and put them away. No need to fold!

Now, this method won’t work for everyone but I definitely suggest exploring ways you can make it a little bit easier on yourself!

17. Get a microwave cover

Spending time cleaning out the microwave is a fool’s game.

Get yourself a microwave cover to put over the top of your dishes before warming your food.

This will help cover splatters and spills so you don’t have spaghetti sauce covering every square inch of your microwave!

18. Get yourself an all-purpose stain eliminator!

I came upon a recipe to eliminate cat pee stains and smells and tried it out on our mattress after our son had an accident one night. It worked like magic so I continued to use it on any possible stain I could.

Throw up, dog droppings, food spills, you name it.

Now, I want to share these ingredients with you because having this recipe on hand can save you from having to rent carpet cleaners, scrub, soak up pee with your bare hands and can all around save your sanity.

Magic stain eliminator:

• 16oz hydrogen peroxide
• 1 teaspoon dishwashing liquid (we use Dr. Bronner’s)
• 1 Tablespoon baking soda

Mix all three of these together and generously apply to your stain allowing it to soak overnight. Vacuum away any remaining reside! We have used this on mattresses and carpets and have always loved the results!

19. Designate a cleaning day

If you’re like me, you look around to see 800 things to add to your “to-do” list and feel that they all need to be done now or you are failing as a human being.

Don’t do this to yourself!

Designate a day for cleaning those less than necessary cleaning items. Maybe a day or 2 dedicated to vacuuming, a day for bathrooms and a day for a kitchen deep cleaning.

Whatever you choose to select for these days, just be sure to get it on the calendar. Then you don’t have to carry the stress with you all week long and everything will still get taken care of.

20. Get hired help

Sometimes life does just get too overwhelming and there is nothing wrong with getting a little help!

Don’t be stressed about the idea of having to pay a cleaner to come to take care of your home.

The best part is most cleaners are happy to work with what you need. If you just want someone to come in once a month and do a deep clean on the bathrooms, just do that! It takes one chore off your list and is helping keep another person employed!

If you still don’t feel you can flip the bill for these services, check with some local families to see if one of their children would be interested in earning some extra cash by helping you out around the house. This could be yard work, housework or something in between.

Be honest with yourself about your limitations and never feel bad asking for help!

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