cleaning tips & tricks for the not-so-perfect home

today let's chat about cleaning. 

i often times read cleaning blog posts out of desperation & a healthy dose of guilt. i wonder how i can incorporate a lengthy & rigid cleaning schedule into daily life so that my days may feel a little less hectic & disorganized. 

friends, life is messy & my house is oftentimes messy, too. a lengthy, rigid cleaning schedule doesn't sound fun nor an effective way to decrease my stress level. i'd rather spend time crafting or cuddled up with a good book & a cup of coffee.

perhaps this rings true in your life?

with all that out in the open & said, i do know that a clean & somewhat organized home allows our family to live better & enjoy our space more. 

so today i'm here to share a handful of tips & tricks that have helped our family keep our not-so-perfect home clean, our clutter managed & our lives a little less hectic.

my people, i must really love you because i'm sharing my outdated & non-pinterest worthy laundry room with you today. that's some love, y'all.

1. have a space designated for cleaning supplies. this is elementary, but i cannot tell you how often i go searching for the window spray or scrubby when it's not in it's place. we have a small shelf up above our antique (ahem) washer & dryer that holds almost all of our cleaning supplies from borax to rubber gloves. 

2. don't ever leave a room empty-handed. i learned this tip from my fantastic friend, erin of tweet potato pie, & it has saved me hours of picking up homeless crap. when i leave my studio, i pick up my water glass from the night before & place it in the sink on my way to finish chores in the kitchen. when walking to the bedroom, i pick up discarded shoes & place them in the closet. erin suggests doing this with your kiddos, too! 

3. i love beauty that move's imprintable for making your own (simple) housekeeping routine. it's a bare bones, no frills imprintable that i stick on my fridge & change as our schedules change. each box is small so it only allows you to write a couple of cleaning goals each day, which keeps me focused. 

4. keep those floors clean! harder said than done, yes? but worth it! there's nothing that drives me crazier than a dirty floor. from dog hair to dirt, keeping our floors somewhat clean is a constant struggle. a little tool that's helped me a lot is this dirt devil vacuum. no, this isn't an ad. it's just awesome. i like how compact it is & it makes vacuuming our hardwood floors much easier than sweeping. it's a great buy for the price. 

5. clean mama's scheduled chore days are oh so helpful. i started following @cleanmama on instagram about a month ago & let's be honest, i have a big fat crush on her. becky's rhythm for cleaning the home is comfortable for me & i absolutely love her philosophy of "aim for progress, not perfection." she posts photos of daily chores on instagram, which is the perfect little reminder for me as i am scrolling through instagram (aka wasting time & procrastinating). 

6. tweet potato pie's blog post on housecleaning tips is inspiring.  erin is a dear friend of mine & i greatly admire her for how she keeps her home cozy & clean. i wrote down some of her tips & have been implementing them (don't leave empty-handed!) for over a month. it's made such a big difference in our home & i adore her for it! 

7. epantry is awesome. i am on my second month of epantry & i love it. it saves me money & let's just face it, mrs. meyer's clean day scents make cleaning happier. pantry is a subscription-based cleaning service that allows you to hand-pick cleaning supplies from a wonderfully-curated list of home supplies & mails them right to your door. click here to sign up & you'll get $10 off your first order (i'll also get $10, which is also awesome)!

8. cut the clutter. find a place for everything you own. if it doesn't have a home or you no longer use it, throw it in your thrift shop bag for donations. we keep a bag in my closet. every time it's full, i take it to the thrift store. i love the quote, "have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful" & i try to live by this daily. 

9. if all else fails, set a timer! if you're living among chaos, set a timer & do what you can. give yourself a golden star for effort & treat yourself to a cookie!

how do you keep your home clean & manageable? i'd love to read your tips & tricks!

love,

natalie