We’ve all been there. You’re tired. You’ve had a long day. All you want to do is zonk out in front of the TV with a bowl of popcorn and call it a day.
The one thing most of us hate is to wake up to a mess. It just puts a damper on our moods for the rest of the morning and, quite frankly, I never feel like I can enjoy my cup of freshly brewed coffee beside plates that I know I’ll have to spend an eternity scraping off the hardened leftover spaghetti bits from. That being said, I’ve definitely had my fair share of next-day dish scrubbing.
If there is anything that you will do the night before to make your life just a tiny bit easier, it’s these four things. I guarantee, they will make your life a breeze the following morning. So grab a timer…ready, get set, clean!
Here are Some Tips Before Going to Bed for a Cleaner Home!
Clean Up the Kitchen
Yes, I went there first. The task we all hate the most (well, next to the bathroom) and the messiest part of anyone’s home on a day-to-day basis. After all, they do say the kitchen is where the heart of the home is! There’s no deep cleaning here, though. On a nightly basis, we prefer to do a quick de-clutter of all the counter-tops first. Make sure all the food is back in the fridge and everything has been put back in its proper place. This will ensure a nice clean look and an easier cleanup. Follow it by emptying out the clean dishes from the dishwasher and placing in the dirty ones. Wipe down all counter-tops with a microfiber cloth (I swear, these things pick up tiny food particles like no other!) and you’re done. You can shut the lights off now and put a “closed” sign on your kitchen entrance.
Tidy-Up Family Room
Ah yes, if you’ve got kids, everything in here is probably the bane of your existence and all you want to do is to throw everything into a big garbage bag and be done with it. For me, one night of leaving the toys behind ends up in a never-ending pile of more toys the next day. By the end of the next 24 hour period, there is nothing else remaining on the shelves and everything in sight has made its way to a volcano of stuff on the floor. Even if you don’t have kids, that popcorn bowl probably made its way over to your coffee table during a marathon catch-up session of Game of Thrones but as you sleepily rub your eyes and make your way on over to your bed, make sure you pop that bowl into the dishwasher or sink so you don’t hate yourself in the morning even more than you already do for staying up too late on a weeknight. I highly recommend putting a timer on for this one – it works! Set your timer for 5 minutes and grab whatever you can as you run around placing stuff back in its proper place. Throw away any junk mail or unimportant loose papers that are lying around while you’re at it. If you don’t see it buildup, you won’t feel the sheer annoyance of clutter later. In the morning, you’ll love walking into a family room that hasn’t hit 10 on the Richter scale.
Clothes, Be Gone!
We live in a moment where we are overly busy. Time is of the essence and exhaustion comes with it. That shirt you tiredly slipped out of on Monday may still be on the floor and the pile of clothes that could be worn a second or third time before they hit the “dirty” category might be sitting in your corner glaring at you nastily. Don’t let it get to that point! I know…easier said than done. If you don’t hang up your clothes right away every night, maybe tackle that pile before it starts to compete with the fresh laundry you just popped out of your dryer. Because, then, you’ll have two loads to fold and we all know that’s never fun. Take a few minutes every night to catch stray clothes and just put them where they belong. Clean – folded in drawers or hung up. Dirty – throw em into the hamper. Wear again – put over hooks or a rack so you know you can wear them again before they have to be washed.
Quick Wipe Down of Bathroom
Okay, let’s not get too fancy with this one. We’re not suggesting that you bust out your can of Scrubbing Bubbles and start scrubbing away. No, this is to prevent that disgust you feel at the end of a couple of weeks where you really have to get down on your hands and knees to clean the bathrooms up. Just grab a lysol wipe or a wet microfiber cloth and wipe down your countertop, bathtub edges, and toilet rim. If you’re really feeling in the mood you can give the toilet a quick scrub, as well. Voila! Instant cleanliness in just 5 minutes.
And if you feel like you’re in over your head with the mess and need help – just give us a call! We offer cleaning services to organizations by the hour, as well!
