Houses get messy. And they get dirty. Those are two different things. Messy just means that stuff is out of place. Dirty means that there’s actual filth that needs to be cleaned up, usually with the help of vacuums and chemicals.
Houses should definitely be cleaned frequently. That may be something you choose to do yourself, or you may choose to outsource it to someone else.
Straightening the house, on the other hand—putting things in their place—should not be outsourced. It’s something you should do yourself, preferably on a daily basis. If you always put things where they belong, your house won’t get messy. Of course, that’s not realistic, but picking up a day’s worth of mess isn’t all that difficult or time-consuming.
Here’s another idea: Act like you’re about to have company. Or, better yet, actually invite someone over. Think how fast you’re able to make the house look presentable when you hear that unexpected company will arrive in 15 minutes. You scramble around, folding the blankets on the couch, picking up mail, loose change, and receipts that are on the kitchen counter, quickly move dirty dishes from the sink to the dishwasher, and relocate shoes and sandals from the living room to the bedroom closet. It doesn’t take all that long, but it’s the difference between having a nice visit and being embarrassed.
So if it can be done that quickly, why not spend a few minutes each day straightening up so you don’t have to worry about the fire drill if someone surprises you at your front door?
If you do decide to clean the house yourself, it’s more fun if you can turn it into a game. Growing up, my sister and I had to clean the house every weekend, so we would make a list of everything that needed to be done—dusting, vacuuming, cleaning the bathrooms, etc.—and then we would take turns picking what we were going to do. The easy tasks always went first. Once we had made our selections, we’d shout “go” and would race to see who could finish up first. We were sure not to cut corners, though, because our Mom would surely catch us when she returned home. She kept us honest. By turning it into a competition, cleaning house was more fun and, more importantly, a quicker process, giving us more time to enjoy.
- Use or repurpose
- Duplicates or things with some value to somebody – vases, boxes
- Donate unused items. Someone else will make use of them.