5 cleaning routine tips I use at home

I absolutely love a clean home… who doesn’t right? It just makes your house feel so much more cozy, welcoming, and relaxing. I’m also one of those people, though, who loves to clean. There are limits of course, but it’s sort of my “quiet” time to just sort of zone out and relax. I tend to clean when I’m stressed or overwhelmed. I’m the type of person who makes the bed first thing in the morning, who puts away clothes instead of throwing them on the floor, who will never go to bed with dishes in the sink, or leave laundry sitting in the dryer overnight. I recently have been trying out a new line of cleaning products – the Home Made Simple collection you can pick up at Meijer. I love that they’re plant-based, really work, and unlike most plant-based cleaners out there, they’re biodegradable, USDA certified, and free from phosphates, gluten, parabens, and phthalates. Plus, I love the scents available too – rosemary, lemon, and lavender. Keep reading for a few of my cleaning tips that I use at home!

This post is sponsored by Home Made Simple, but all opinions are my own.

1. Make the bed everyday. This is so embedded into my routine now that I don’t even think twice about it. As soon as I hop out of bed, before heading into the bathroom or letting Winny out, I just quickly make the bed, fluff the pillows, and toss the throw pillows back on. It just gets my day started off on the right foot. An unmade bed always tends to stress me out a little bit if I’m in the room, and a made bed is so much easier to lay out/style your clothes in the morning too!

2. Put things away as you get them out. So if you can’t decide on an outfit, instead of flinging items onto your bed or floor, just either fold them back up or hang them back up instead. Or try an app like Cladwell that plans your outfits for you while you lay in bed. Cooking a big meal? I try to wash pans or utensils as soon as I’m done using them, or clean the sink and put anything I can into the dishwasher as I’m cooking. I put out containers so I can immediately put leftover food into them and by the time we’re done eating, there’s only a few things left to do!

3. Create a laundry schedule that works for you. I only do laundry every other week – I know that sounds crazy (especially you mamas with kiddos!) but I tend to rewear items frequently without washing (jeans, sweaters, etc.) and wash my camisoles, undies, and workout gear the most. I’ve been using Home Made Simple’s Laundry Detergent in Lavender. I love that you can use this detergent in cold water and it’s made with renewable energy so you can feel good about being “green while you clean”!

4. Do a 10-minute “wipe down” each day. One of the easiest ways I can get Eric to help with chores is to literally set a timer for 10 minutes (and 10 minutes only!) to do an overall “wipe” down or straighten up. We hurry as quickly as we can to pick up anything, straighten up, fluff throw pillows, put away dishes, do a little dusting. You’d be surprised at how much you can get done between two people in 10 minutes! I’ve been really liking Home Made Simple’s Multi-Purpose Cleaner. It’s safe on hard surfaces (except for unfinished wood) – so from kitchen counters to doorknobs to spills, you simply spray and wipe with a paper towel or cloth. Easy!

5. Don’t go to bed with dishes in the sink. This is SUCH an easy thing to tackle before you go to bed each night and it’s so worth doing. Nobody wants to wake up in the morning to yesterday’s mess. Like I mentioned above, I try to do dishes as soon as possible during/after cooking, but if I don’t get to them right after dinner, I’ll spend 5 or 10 minutes before bed washing dishes and loading up the dishwasher. I use a little scrub brush like this (so convenient) because you can just load it up with dish soap and quickly scrub and you’re done! Home Made Simple has a wonderful dish soap – mine’s lemon scented. My favorite kitchen scents are always citrus. They’re just so fresh and clean smelling. This soap is tough on grease, and again – 95% of ingredients are plant-derived and your dishes come out virtually spotless.

I hope you guys enjoyed my five cleaning tips! I really do consider myself a “neat-freak” but I’m also not obsessive about it. I find that the “less” there is to do on a daily basis, the more I enjoy cleaning. Staying on top of cleaning instead of letting it get behind (and having to catch up!) is truly key to enjoying cleaning your home, I think! Along with scents you love and products you really enjoy using too. It can make all the difference. Be sure to check out the Home Made Simple collection… and get excited about that spring cleaning! 😉