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You don’t need to look far on social media to see some housekeeping page’s perfectly tidy home. The reality though, is that most of us just want a livable home. The kind of home that speaks of balance. The ones that say “come on in – don’t mind the mess”, but are still tidy enough to preserve your sanity. It’s about balance!

If, like me, your self worth is directly related to how tidy and how clean your home is, then you likely have looked up cleaning regimes before in an effort to implement something to keep your home on track.

But, if also like me, your busy life prevents you from sticking to it religiously, then maybe what you need isn’t someone else’s ultimate housekeeping checklist. Maybe you just need help with the basics. Once you have those in place, you can figure out what a more thorough, more unique checklist might look like.

Ideally one that doesn’t make you feel horrible if you fall off the wagon occasionally. – Let’s face it – life happens. I remember my mom saying often that she could have a clean oven or happy kids. Funnily enough, I don’t remember her ever cleaning the oven…

Look no further, friend.

This is the guilt free guide to getting your home in shape and keeping it there, because you have better things to do than scrub the oven.

The Housekeeping Basics

O.K. so here’s the cheat. This is the everyday, bare bones – I-can-do-this-hungover essentials. Everything after this is for whenever you feel inspired, well rested, or you’re highly motivated because you have company coming!

These essential housekeeping basic are done in two fifteen minute chunks of time. Tackle the first chunk early in the day, and the second closer the bedtime.

A.M.

• Make your bed – Your future self at the end of the day will thank you. If you do nothing else for the rest of the day, you still get to crawl into a tidy bed, knowing you accomplished that at the very least. I would always encourage you to aim higher – but the best laid plans sometime leave us with unfinished work at the end of everyday. Why not take the five minutes in the morning and make your bed?
• Empty the dishwasher – This quick five minute task leaves you with an empty dishwasher during the day. It also makes it that much easier for everyone in the house to put their dirty dishes in as they go – which makes your job that much easier.
• Empty the dryer – If at all possible, put away the laundry. This right here is the bane of my existence. I loathe laundry, and I loathe putting it away. Its something I have worked hard on since becoming a full time homemaker and its still my weakest area. Do it right away and rip that band-aid off. For what it’s worth; I’m not even saying you have to fold the laundry. All we do in our house is separate laundry by yours, mine and the kids. The kid’s clothes get shoved in a drawer and it’s a 50/50 luck of the draw if mine ever sees a hanger or not. like I said earlier – this is not my strong suit. Feel free to aim higher!

P.M.

• Sweep your kitchen – This is a chore that like everything else on this list goes along way towards maintaining a tidy home and takes very little time everyday once you get in the habit. I also set up the coffee maker for the morning ahead while I am taking care of this. I always appreciate waking up and having a hot cup ready to enjoy.
• Run the dishwasher – This is a great way to take advantage if your energy provider encourages you to use high energy appliances after hours. I actually really love the gentle hum of my dishwasher in a quiet house after the kids are in bed. It truly sets you up properly for the morning ahead.
• Run the washing machine – same goes here as for the dishwasher. Its a no-brainer once you get into the routine.

Building on the Basics: Good Housekeeping in Detail

Having the discipline and the time to maintain good, basic housekeeping habits is the key to keeping your workload manageable and a tidy home attainable. Whether you are brand new to housekeeping, or are a burnt out housekeeping veteran needing a boost, I believe these basics are the best way to get started. It’s not like anybody runs a marathon the first time they put on a pair of sneakers. Inevitably the challenges of life will take priority over cleaning. Knowing these essentials is the best way to get through bumpy seasons, and help you get back on track faster.

Check back for part 2 where we go into what a weekly deeper cleaning looks like and how to implement a routine that works in your unique home. Doing so will improve your own well-being and the way you enjoy your most important space.