Ever wonder how some people manage to keep a tidy house ALL THE TIME? The truth is they don’t possess some sort of dark magic, and no, they haven’t sold their souls. You can have that too. Yes, you. With a few simple tasks each day, you can keep clutter under control.

Even the tidiest of people still struggle with certain areas in their home. Sometimes life gets crazy, and things pile up a little more than usual. You aren’t a mess. There isn’t anything wrong with you.

 With a few tweaks in your routine, you can take control of the daily clutter and disorder that seems to appear out of thin air…especially if you have kids.

Below are six easy tips to keep you home tidy. The best part? Once you make these tips a part of your daily routine, nothing should take more than 10 minutes. Quick and easy, my friends!

If it only takes 1 minute…just do it:

I must admit that when my husband and I first began looking at houses, I told our agent “Anything but a ranch!”. Three houses (and more than a few years) later, I have changed my view of the ranch style home. This is especially true when it comes to raising kids and staying on top of the 1-minute task.

The beauty of our current home is that the bathroom is within spitting distance of all the bedrooms. So, each time I headed that way, I look around to see if anything needs to be taken back to a bedroom. It only takes a few extra seconds to grab a schoolbook that needs to be dropped in my son’s room, or to throw some dirty socks in my daughter’s hamper.

Now, I am not a proponent of doing everything for my children (even if they need to be reminded that I am not their maid). The reality is that I require a tidy space to maintain my focus and peace of mind. I work from home, and if something is out of place and can be taken care of quickly, it saves me my sanity in the long run.

Find a way to integrate the small things into your everyday movements. You are likely only adding 30 seconds to your task.

When I finish a magazine, I recycle it or put it in the donate bin when I head to the kitchen. When I finish my mug of ice cream before bed, I drop it in the dishwasher on my way to let the dogs out. The more you put off for a later time, the more that piles up. Take care of it and be done.

Getting in the habit of taking care of those little things in the midst of your daily routine will keep the clutter from accumulating. It may take some time to build up the habit, but believe me, it makes a HUGE difference in the state of your home.

Everyone gets a “homeless items” basket:

So, what exactly is a “homeless items” basket? It is simply a basket for all the misplaced items that get strewn about the house and need to be returned to their “homes” (usually bedrooms). Each family member gets one.

If your bedrooms are on a different floor than your living area, these baskets are an easy way to corral items that need to be taken to bedrooms. There are baskets that are made specifically for sitting on the stairs, but any centrally located area that you pass on your way upstairs, is ideal. The key is to find something that is open (no lids), so that anyone can easily drop misplaced items in, or take them out on the way upstairs.

The ultimate goal is for kids to place (at least some) their items in the basket when they are done with them. It’s understandable to not want to be running up and down the stairs all the time. You don’t want to do it, and neither do they. If the family can get in the habit of “shedding” items into the baskets, it keeps the clutter from accumulating elsewhere. This also gives kids a starting point before yelling “MOM, where are my…?!”. Who couldn’t use that?

Sort mail when you bring it in:

Paper adds up. FAST. Mail is one of the leading culprits of paper build up.

Having a system in place to quickly sort mail as it enters the house is key. This doesn’t mean that you need to address bills immediately. They just need a specific place to land, so they can easily be found when bill paying time rolls around.

Set up a wall organizer or desktop bin with a spot for “bills” and a spot for “to-do” items that require action. If your household requires/desires a more detailed sorting system, no problem. Just make sure that there is a place for any category of mail that you need to keep track of. In my home I have “file” and “shred” slots as well. If the slots get full, then I know it is time to address them. Thankfully, my kids are always happy to help shred papers.

I also find it helpful to have a recycling bin nearby to immediately discard any junk mail.

Having a system in place makes sorting mail a breeze. The other upside is that you aren’t spending time shifting paper piles that are in the way or looking for bills or permission slips that have been misplaced.

Do a 10-minute pick up before bed:

Waking up to a messy house is a terrible way to start the day. It just is. No one wants the stress of a household to-do list staring you in the face first thing.

One of my biggest weapons on household clutter, is the 10-min clean up. This is something that the whole family gets in on. The key for success here is making it a part of the daily routine. In our home, we do the cleanup right before we send my youngest off to brush her teeth.

For many families (especially when setting a routine) it helps to set a timer, turn on some music, and get to work. It’s fun for kids to set the “playlist” for the night and take turns choosing the music.

It is helpful to give younger children specific tasks, or areas to work on. Otherwise, they can become easily distracted or wander aimlessly. This is especially important when beginning the routine. As they get older and begin to understand how the family pick-up time works, this may not be necessary.

This is the time for everyone to empty their basket, tidy bedrooms, and all common areas. If it works best for your family to give each member a “zone” to take care of, that’s great. Whatever works best for your family is the way to go. The most important thing is that everyone in the family takes part. If you want your kiddos to buy in to the process, then there are no exceptions. It’s 10 minutes. All hands on deck!

You will be surprised how quickly everything is taken care of, and you may even have fun in the process. Make it a game. See if your kids can get a certain area taken care if before a song ends.

The caveat here is that if your children do not have a good organizational system set up for their toys, then they may just throw things in a drawer, closet, or under the bed to put them “away” quickly.

Children need easy, visual storage solutions, that are clearly labeled. Having baskets for broad categories of toys (blocks, dolls, cars, stuffed animals) allows them to put things away quickly and easily. The problem with toy boxes is that kids have to pull everything out to find what they are looking for. This makes a big mess (that they don’t want to clean up) and clutters any play area that they had.

Clip on labels for baskets can be labeled with words, or with simple drawings. Depending on the age of your children, they may be able to take part in writing the label categories or drawing pictures.

Stay on top of dishes:

Dishes are a tough one for me. Motivation eludes me. But you know what’s worse than taking care of a few dishes after a meal- taking care of a sink or counter full of dishes.

I have found that running the dishwasher at night and emptying it first thing helps. In the morning, I start the water in the electric kettle and put dishes away while it is boiling. With the dishes put away, I can easily load any breakfast dishes as soon as I’m done.

The kitchen is the busiest spot in most homes. Extra “stuff” tends to pile up here because people are always coming and going. For this reason, it is one of the most difficult places to keep tidy. As much as we might like, it isn’t a closet we can close and forget about. The state of the kitchen affects how the entire house runs, and a boatload of dirty dishes throws a huge wrench in how things operate.

I know it isn’t fun. However, if you can stay on top of dishes as you use them, it saves a LOT of time and headache.

One way that we combat dish clutter at the end of a meal, is by washing or loading anything that we have used during the cooking process (utensils, plates, bowls, colanders, cutting boards, etc.) as we go. This is much easier to do with two people in kitchen. One person keeps an eye on the food, and the other can work on clean up. I have certainly burned things trying to do it on my own…

Again, so much of keeping a tidy home is setting a routine. Find routines that work for your family and schedule. It can certainly be challenging in the beginning, but SO very worth it!

Keep a donate box handy:

This is a big one! So many people end up with odds and ends around the house that they intend to donate, but without a designated place to put donations, they end up in little piles all over the house.

My family keeps a box in the main hall closet. This closet is just outside of all the bedrooms, and we have to pass it to get to the rest of the house. When someone has something to donate, it goes in the box. When the box is full, it goes in the car and to the donation center.

The key to success here is making sure that the box is easily accessible. Even kids should be able to throw things in the donate box. Parents are often much more sentimental about items than children are. Let your kids decide when they are ready to let their toys and clothing go. If this worries you, just do a quick once over of the box before running it to the donation center.

It is also a great idea to challenge yourself to find a certain number of items to donate weekly or monthly. Setting a specific number of items to donate gives you a set goal, and helps you stay on top of items going out. Being intentional about donations forces you to evaluate what you are using and what you aren’t. You will be amazed at how easy it is to find 10 or 15 unnecessary items (t-shirts, towels, books, random kitchen gadgets), and how good it feels to let them go.

Tidiness tips review:

I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: the key to tidiness is setting routines. Routines become habits, and pretty soon you have tackled that clutter like a boss!

Yes, doing a major house decluttering overhaul takes a huge amount of time, but there are so many small ways that you can set yourself up for success in the overall tidiness game.

1. If it only takes a minute (or less) – JUST DO IT! You will thank yourself later.

2. Create a designated basket for “homeless items” for each family member. Having a set drop spot goes a long way to eliminating random clutter and is then easy to grab when it’s time to put things away.

3. Sort mail as it comes in the door. With the right system, this should only take a minute and saves so much time in the long run.

4. Spend 10 minutes at the end of the day, tidying up for the next day. Wake up with a clean space, and a clear mind.

5. Stay on top of those dishes. Start the dishwasher at night and empty it in the morning. Having an empty dishwasher at the top of the day makes it much easier to load dishes as they are used throughout the day.

6. Set up an easily accessible donation box. Throw things in regularly and get them out of the house when the box is full.

Small actions add up to big change. Setting routines isn’t always easy. Focus on progress over perfection. A tidy, beautiful, and functional home is within your grasp. Go get it!

If you have any easy tips that help you stay on top of your clutter, I would love to hear them! Sharing is caring!