How to keep your house tidy – top tips

By this, we don’t mean taking the bins out and generally keeping on top of throwing out mouldy things in your fridge or freezer. What we mean is, regular clear-outs of clothes you don’t wear anymore, old magazines, toys your children don’t play with, books you won’t read again and general clutter that you’re fed up of seeing.

Get a charity box. Every time you come across an item that you know you won’t use, pop it in the box and take it to your chosen charity at the end of each week.

Don’t let laundry pile up. If you have a timer on your washing machine, fill it and set it to a time when you know you will be back home, ready to put it out on the line or tumble dry it. Alternatively, put a load of washing in the machine before you go to work, so all you have to do is turn it on when you get back home.

Cleaning as you go is so simple, it will save you time and it’s a good way to keep on top of mess. If you take responsibility for the spillages and dirty dishes after every meal, it’s likely that you will adopt the same positive attitude over to other aspects of your life. So once you’ve prepared your meal and it’s either in the oven/on the hob, wash up those peelers, spoons you used to taste, jugs used to measure and knives used to chop.Then once your meal is ready, you will only have to wash up a few things rather than a huge mound that might not fit on the drainer.

Whether you live on your own, with friends, pets or an entire family, dirt can accumulate in your carpet and on wooden floors. It’s easy to overlook the floor because it’s not something that immediately comes to mind when thinking about tidying. Just because it’s not immediate clutter, skin particles, hair, dust and dirt from the outside can become a breeding ground for bacteria and make your home not only look drab but become unclean, too! Vacuuming weekly will ensure that your carpets and wooden floors are free from filth, keeping the lustre throughout your house.

Not only will purchasing fewer items be good for your bank account, but it will be good for your home, too. Buying less will make you more aware of when you really do need something as opposed to being partial to a little retail therapy. Be mindful when you go out, think carefully whether or not you’re going to use the item and whether you have the room to house it.

Your aunty got you another bad gift for your birthday and you’re about to add it to the pile of weird ornaments, ugly jumpers and that DVD you really weren’t interested in. Don’t feel guilty, the gift-giving has passed and it’s likely she won’t remember what she has got you anyway. Take it to the charity shop and relieve yourself of this endless burden of clutter.

Get rid! So what if it’s your favourite jumper? It’s not fit for purpose anymore and if you keep it, it’s just another thing that’s filling up your home. Be ruthless when it comes to tat, worn out items and general rubbish.

If you’re sorting through your entire home, consider making three piles – items you wish to keep, ones you definitely want to throw away and a pile for those items you’re not sure about. Once you have sorted each room in your home into these three piles, get rid of the things you don’t want, put the things you do want back in their normal place and for the items you’re not sure about, place them in storage. Come back to this pile at a later date, and if you haven’t needed any of these items or missed them whilst they’ve been in storage, it’s time to either sell them or send them to charity.

If you have a dishwasher – use it! Instead of leaving your dirty dishes on the side, fill up the dishwasher as you go, so when it’s full all you need to do is pop in the cleaning tablet and turn it on. Turn it on just before you go to bed so that it’s ready to unload in the morning.

This policy is simple and will stop your floors getting so dirty. Leave the grass, mud and water by taking your shoes off in the hallway. This way, there will be less urgency to wash your wooden floors or vacuum your carpets.

If you live with other people, get everyone to do their fair share of the housework. Whether you live with housemates or family, we can all be appointed at least one job to ensure everything is well maintained.

Cleaning becomes a chore and an unpleasant activity when you’re sorting through a months worth of mess but if you clean little and often, it will only require a quick 5-10 minutes at the end of the day. Get yourselves into the habit of doing little positive actions towards cleaning up, wipe down the kitchen after dinners, put the plates straight into the dishwasher and put your linen away once it has been cleaned and dried.

When you get back home, put your shoes away and fold or hang those clothes that still have some wear out of them before being put in the wash. As for dirty socks and pants, place into your washing basket or put them into your washing machine, ready for on an eco wash. Placing a load of clothes on the back of a chair is not the answer if you want a clean and tidy home!

Instead of leaving your bills under the coffee table, sort out a filing system to organise and keep your paperwork safe. Bin old flyers or junk mail and place all of your important things together – so you know where to look when you need to refer back to them.

If you’re struggling for space, turn to Vanguard Self Storage. We are a family-run company you can trust – with over 50 years of experience you can be sure that your belongings are in good hands. For an impeccable comprehensive service, call your local branch today either in West London, East London, Bristol, Oxford Circus or Manchester – we’re happy to help.