As we near the second half of 2021, it’s a good time to track the progress you’ve made since the beginning of the year. Have you been able to stick to those cleaning resolutions? Did you slip up along the way? Is your home nowhere near the level of cleanliness you vowed to maintain at the end of 2020? Well, if you haven’t lived up to your expectations, you’re probably not the only one.

For many homeowners, ‘how it started and how it’s going’ seems to have developed into a pattern of ‘one step forward and two steps back’ (where cleaning is concerned, that is). Realistically speaking, it’s tough to stick to a home cleaning schedule when you’ve got a work schedule and personal schedule taking up all of your time. So, if your 2021 cleaning resolutions haven’t gone as planned in the first half of the year, Simply Maid is here to share some valuable tips to get back on track just in time for the second half of 2021! 

#1 Start With Small Cleaning Tasks

Little achievements make big impacts and motivate you to keep going. After all, some progress is still progress and that’s a step in the direction. Tackling small cleaning tasks first is the equivalent of taking baby steps; bigger steps are ahead. For example, if you decide to organise your nightstand and are happy and satisfied with the results, you might feel motivated to do the same for your cupboard.

To really get back into a cleaning routine, you need to start with less time-consuming cleaning tasks so that you don’t give up midway through (especially when you’re running late for something or the other). These small cleaning tasks can be as little as dusting the coffee table and straightening out the sofa cushions, taking a broom to the kitchen floor, spot cleaning stains, wiping down the bathroom sink, etc. 

#2 Reduce Clutter in the House

It’s been said time and time again, and for good reason! Clutter is every home’s (and homeowner’s) enemy! It causes the place to look messy, accumulates dust/dirt, and makes cleaning 10x harder than it should be.

The good news, however, is that decluttering your home is easy. Again, all you need to do to ease into making your home a clutter-free space is to start small. Perhaps, begin with one room or just one part of the room; for example, to curb clutter in your bedroom, tidy up your desk, and organise it on the weekend. After that, you could move on to your dresser, nightstand, and so on.

#3 Commit to 15 Minutes of Daily Cleaning

When you think about it, 15 minutes is a tiny amount of time to take away from a 16 hour-long day (or 18 if you wake up early and sleep late). In those 15 minutes, you could probably vacuum an entire small house or apartment! Regardless of what you choose to do, the point is that you CAN do some cleaning.

When you commit to daily cleaning, even for as little as 15 minutes every day, it’s a good idea to keep a schedule or a list of ‘cleaning tasks to do’ for each day of the week (weekends can include more tasks and a longer time slot, perhaps). This will help you stay on track knowing exactly what you have to do in those 15 minutes of your entire day. 

#4 Control the Urge to Procrastinate

Collectively, many individuals spend an average of 1-2 hours procrastinating each day! While it’s only natural to get a little distracted from time to time, just think about all the things you can do in that spare time. Yes, cleaning your house is one of them!

For many people, it may be difficult to break away from the habit of procrastination, however, there are some things you can do to keep it under control as much as you possibly can. For example, your smartphone is typically the biggest distraction there is so it’s important to refrain from using it when you should be cleaning or working instead. The best way to do this is to keep it out of reach or in the next room. That way, you won’t be tempted to get up every now and again to check notifications but will still be able to hear it if there is an incoming call.

#5 Spot Clean the Bathroom When You Shower

What better time to clean the bathroom than right before you shower? You’re already in there, everything you need to clean or spot clean is too, so, why not make a habit of it? More often than not, a clean bathroom is incredibly easy to maintain because all it really needs is spot cleaning.

Every day, before you shower, take a look around and spot what needs to be cleaned. If there is more than one thing to clean, there’s no need to do them all at once. Particularly if one or more cleaning tasks are time-consuming, consider doing one per day instead.

#6 Invest in Efficient Cleaning Tools/Products

When you’ve put together the perfect cleaning kit for yourself, you will not only feel more motivated to clean, but you will be able to clean more efficiently, too! Cleaning supplies are continually evolving to make the work easier, quicker, and more effective; therefore, it’s up to us to invest in them!

When you’ve got the right cleaning tools and products at your disposal, you’ll see just how pleasant household cleaning can be. For example, by trading in your traditional dust cloths for microfibre dust gloves, cleaning your furniture will be a breeze and therefore, is more likely to be done on a regular basis.

#7 Start the Day With a Little Cleaning/Tidying

While you’re probably thinking that cleaning or tidying is the last thing you want to do when you wake up in the morning, starting your day off on the right foot really matters. Moreover, cleaning and tidying bring about a feeling of self-accomplishment which motivates you to do more as the day goes on.

Something as simple as making your bed, putting washed dishes away, or tidying up the coffee table can all have a positive impact on your day. Again, it’s all about starting small and developing these good habits to keep your home neat and clean!

#8 Don’t Put Off Cleaning You Can Do Today

One of the most common reasons why homeowners neglect house cleaning is simply because there is too much to do. That happens when you allow chores to pile up, all while dust, dirt, and grime build up in your home. At this point, cleaning your house seems like a very overwhelming task and, sometimes, it truly can be.

If you want to avoid this and maintain a clean home, the trick is to act now. When you have an opportunity to do some cleaning, seize it; don’t put it off till later or tomorrow because we all know how that goes – you get caught up with something else and so, yet again, cleaning is forced to take a backseat.

#9 Make a Week-to-Week Cleaning Schedule

The thing about weekly schedules is that they don’t seem to add as much pressure on you as a daily schedule does. Rather than looking at a list of things to do every day, a weekly cleaning schedule should realistically list down tasks/chores you would like to get done within each week of the entire month; that way, you give yourself enough time to actually do them.

Of course, it’s important to check off tasks every day, otherwise, they will pile up and keep you preoccupied on the weekend (that’s exactly what you want to avoid). To understand how to make a week-to-week cleaning schedule for yourself, think about the cleaning tasks/chores to be done on a weekly and bi-weekly basis. For example, doing laundry, vacuuming carpets, and deep cleaning the bathroom can be listed on alternate weeks while dusting furniture, cleaning the floor, and tidying up surfaces can be included every week.

#10 Hire a Professional Cleaning Service 

Even if you don’t want or need a regular house cleaning service, consider a catch up cleaning service or hiring a professional cleaning team when you really need some help. The best part about bringing in a maid service to clean your home is that it gives you a clean slate, or so to speak. 

When your house has been cleaned by trained professionals, you will have a much easier time keeping it that way. They take care of the hard part, leaving you with the responsibility of carrying out the basic cleaning tasks to maintain your desired level of cleanliness and neatness.

So, don’t let slip-ups or lack of progress in the first half of 2021 determine how the rest of the year is going to go. Let today be the day that you decide ‘how it started and how it’s going’ are a spitting image of each other! At Simply Maid, we imagine that picture to be a perfectly maintained, clean, and tidy home!

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Karen Saunders

Content Manager at Simply Maid

Karen Saunders is a full-time Content Manager at Simply Maid. Her 8+ years of writing experience spans the fields of copywriting, sales copy, blogging, editing and paraphrasing. Some of her areas of expertise include house cleaning, health and fitness, lifestyle topics, home décor and interior designing, travel tips, dog-related articles, and product descriptions and reviews.

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