If it seems impossible to have a clean home without feeling like you are supposed to be cleaning it all day long. I promise you that cleaning all day isn’t the reality in anyone’s life. It’s systems, strategies, prioritization, and boundaries. Let’s talk more about them.
Boundaries/Limits
The first secret to many clean homes is the boundaries/limits people set inside their homes to help foster a tidy home regularly. When we overlook something as simple as boundaries, it can create chaos.
We have boundaries in our home to help control where things go, where things are done (physical spaces), and how they are done. The beauty of boundaries is that you set them according to your own goals and home management style, so you don’t have to follow anyone else’s rules.
We have some hard boundaries in our home and some loose ones. But we teach our kids to respect our home and each other things and the importance of taking care of the things we have. Here are a few examples.
1- We only eat at the dinner table or kitchen counter
For us, eating all through the house is a hard boundary that we stick by. This means no eating in bedrooms, basement play/TV room, or on the couches. We have one exception to this rule, and it’s about a handful of times a year when this will happen. Maybe we can have popcorn and water for a family movie night.
But when it comes to cleaning less, food messes and dirty dishes all around the home, they are a hard no.
If you are collecting dishes throughout the week or finding food plates and wrappers around your home, and this is frustrating, maybe new boundaries must be set.
2- No shoes inside the home
We have a strict no-shoes inside-the-house policy. Your shoes track more dirt and bacteria in than anything else. And if you want to keep your floors clean for longer, leave the dirt and gross stuff by the backdoor. Studies have shown the high levels of bacteria that your shoes bring in could also make you sick.
Also, this forces you to create a system for shoes when you walk inside the home. So that way, you aren’t searching for lost shoes in the morning rush.
I have three landing zones for shoes in our home because we have three doors and each spot has a place for shoes.
3-Most toys stay in the playroom
If you have a playroom great! If not, make a play area and rule is that MOST toys must stay in that area. This is one of our loose ones. My kids are free to play anywhere but inside our bedroom and master bathroom.
Toys can be played around the home, but most are bound to the basement area where they have the most space to play freely and where the toys permenatly live. This helps get toys back to their homes more often then not.
Everyone must clean up after dinner
I have seen videos on social media where, on Mother’s Day, the family cooks for the mom and then leaves the kitchen a mess—dishes left out on the table and dishes in the sink. This is a hard boundary for us. Everyone must clean up their food mess after eating each meal.
This means putting dishes in the sink, helping to clean off the counter, and looking around where they sat to clean up messes. Sometimes, my kids vacuum or sweep up under the counter/table.
Maybe you ask your family to put all their dirty dishes into the dishwasher once done. That way, you can start it after loading the pots and pans.
We must put back things before we move on
One of the simplest yet most powerful habits for keeping a clean home is to put things back before moving on to the next task. It’s easy to leave items out “just for now” while we deal with something else, but this quickly adds up, creating more clutter that will eventually need to be tackled. And then makes you fall into the (cleaning all day routine) because you end up dealing with the clutter before you can actually clean.
I like to use what I call the SNAP method, which stands for see it, now act: put it away.
In our home, we typically take a moment to return each item to its rightful place as soon as we’re done with it. It means a little more work from me with gentle reminders, but you’ll prevent the mess from piling up.
This small habit saves time in the long run and keeps your space clear, making it easier to stay organized. Think of it as a quick reset, giving you a clean slate to move forward with a little less on your plate!
Never leave a room empty-handed
As you walk about your house daily and see something in the wrong room, take it with you. I try to do this each time I move from floor to floor.
It has become second nature to see an item that isn’t on the right level of the home, and I just grab it and take it with me. And if I can’t grab everything, I will try to get it the next time.
I am in tune with what my kids are doing on a daily basis, so when I see them headed in a new direction inside the house, I will ask them to kindly grab the toy or clothing article and put it back on their way to wherever they are going.
Have daily non-negotiable tasks
Daily, I have morning non-negotiable tasks that I do each day. I also have my kitchen reset as a non-negotiable. I do it before I sit down to relax, which includes doing the dishes, wiping the counters, and sweeping the kitchen floor.
I discuss my five non-negotiable tasks in this blog post. However, to keep the house tidy, you must set daily tasks that are separate from your cleaning routine. This means doing the dishes isn’t part of cleaning, and doing a daily load of laundry is a task.
Cleaning doesn’t have to take over your life. By adopting a few simple habits, like putting things back right away and focusing on what matters most, you can keep your home looking great without spending endless hours on upkeep. Remember, a clean home is meant to serve you, not the other way around. Try implementing these tips one by one, and give yourself grace as you find a rhythm that works for you. Here’s to less cleaning, more living, and enjoying a home that feels both peaceful and manageable!