“Clean the apartment,” always a task on the checklist. But if you’re anything like me, this one is hard to get done for some reason. In the midst of the weekly chaos, sometimes cleaning your room falls off the list of priority tasks. Well, the good news is, you’re certainly not alone. Here are some tips and tricks for keeping your apartment clean during the week. Whether you have an apartment, a dorm room, or even live home – all of these tips are helpful for keeping your living space tidy.
1. Clean as you go.
Cleaning as you go is much easier than doing one big cleaning during the week. Use the time when you’re getting ready for bed or getting dressed in the morning to tidy up a few things. It’s easy to quickly vacuum a rug, put some dishes away or organize your desk when you find a quick five minutes. Another thing that’s great about cleaning as you go, is that once you get into this pattern you will never have to do one big clean! Who doesn’t love that? All it takes is a little self- discipline to be productive when you find a few extra minutes in your day.
2. Pick one thing a week that you always clean.
This one is super important and makes a gigantic difference when you start to keep up with it. There are some things in our living spaces that get dirty easily. I’m talking about the kitchens and the bathrooms. If you live in a dorm room, maybe it’s your make-up/accessory table. Making it a priority to clean these spaces once a week will keep your living space looking clean. I clean my bathroom every Wednesday when I get home from class, like clockwork. My bathroom is never dirty and it never takes that long to clean, since dirt doesn’t build up with weekly cleanings.
3. Make easy rules to follow
I hate rules but sometimes we need to make them. Making rules for yourself in order to keep your living space clean is really helpful. Some of mine include, never leave dishes in the sink, always put laundry away right after it’s done and make your bed every morning. These rules are simple and easy. Yes, sometimes we are going to have to break these rules. I’m guilty of not making my bed when I’m in a rush or leaving dishes in the sink after dinner when I am too tired to clean. What matters is that you stick to these rules 80% of the time. When you keep up with rules like this, it prevents things from getting in the workplace, which results in you never feeling like you have to do that “huge clean”.
4. Try bi-weekly rather than weekly
Some of the above ideas may not just work for you or cleaning might be something you can’t stand to do. If this is the case but you still want to live in a clean space, try cleaning every other week rather than weekly. This might be an easier and more realistic task to take on.
Keeping a clean living space is important. It keeps you organized, which makes you more productive. It’s also important to learn to take care of your living space and your belongings. At the end of the day, cleaning stinks – but it feels great to have a nice living space. Soon enough, if you can afford it, you can hire a cleaning service if you really hate it that much.