I’ve long wondered how Tidy House People do it.
Do they, like me, live in a rough state of disarray and then ten minutes before someone comes over, tear around the house and throw sh*t into cupboards, light scented candles, fan their hands furiously above the wick hoping the scent will carry, and pray no one uses the bathroom?
Do they, like me, use low-level lighting to disguise dirt, then liberally spray Glen 20 above the front door so that, on arrival, guests enter a clean-smelling house, and their brain is tricked into thinking clean thoughts?
No, they don’t. They’re better than me.
I want to be one of these people so I’ve enlisted some house rules and astonishingly, they’ve actually worked.
This isn’t a plan to be Monica-from-Friends level neurotic clean. I’m not quite at the level of using coasters under drinks, vacuuming the vacuum cleaner, and sweeping under guests feet as they try to “relax”.
Instead, these are rules to eliminate that low-level anxiety and the irritable feeling that things are unravelling. Where your house feels nice to come home to, not another thing to deal with on your to-do list.
These rules that are basic, simple to follow and become habitual. And because they are the “house” rules, and not one person’s cleaning standards over another, it eliminates fights. You just shrug your shoulders and say “well, they’re the rules”.
Top Comments
I've got 2 kids of my own, I also foster my half sister and have one on the way. My house is always spotlessly clean, does it take time away from me spending more time with the kids? ABSOLUTELY! Do I care? Well, yes I really do but if the house is a mess, I'm a mess and I don't cope. It does drive me mental having to clean so often, but if I don't it would be chaotic!
I'm a big fan of 2 and 3. I also like to clear away/wash up anything from breakfast and lunch before starting dinner - can't stand cooking in an already messy kitchen. I wash up as I go so there is maybe one big pot to wash after dinner - sooner to sit down and relax. I also have a lounge in my work area that the kids sit on to read and mess up the pillows and throw rugs. If I tidy this up at the end of the day it makes me smile as I "go" to work the next day. The little things count.