From laundry to dishes and a few other things in between, I’ve been tweaking my routines and priorities to keep up with the ever growing piles and stacks.

Who Says You Have To Wait Until Jan 1?

I’m the kind of person who wants to attack a goal as soon as possible. Crossing things off of my list and getting it out of the way gives me a huge boost. The last week of 2021 I jump started my goal of reading 12 books in 2022 by starting my first book (Pride and Prejudice btw). I loved starting the new year with a few accomplishments under my belt. I ended up reading over 20 books in 2022!

I’ve started to do the same this year! One of my biggest 2023 goals is to keep our home in a more orderly state than I did in 2022. 2022 proved to be a test of all my housekeeping ideals. Determined to start the new year with a clean home, I have started thinking of pain points that need to be addressed.

2023 Goal #1: Laundry

I don’t mind laundry, it’s not the worst of all the household tasks. That is, it’s not the worst as long as you are keeping up with it. There are some household tasks that can be left undone for days and nary a minute is lost when you get back to it. Laundry however is a different beast. Left to it’s own devices it will swallow you in a single gulp.

I have found for our family that I need to wash and dry at least 2 loads every day to keep up. One thing I know about myself is that laundry must be washed, dried, and folded by lunchtime or it’s a lost cause.

I also want to be better at laundry. How do you properly take care of wool? Mend a torn seam? Remove a blueberry stain? I never really bothered to learn these skills, but I want to take better care of the items we own.

How I Plan To Stay On Top Of Laundry:

I’m a morning person through and through. I love the coziness and stillness of the morning. Just some twinkle lights and candles and me gloriously alone while my children sleep. It gives me a boost to accomplish a few tasks before the day really gets started. To set me up for success in the morning I need to be thinking forward in the evening. For me, that means getting a load washed and dried and another load in the washing machine sometime before bed.

In the morning, I pull the dried clothes out of the dryer and transfer the wet load from the washer to the dryer and get it going. Boom. Two loads finished before breakfast. That still gives me time to wash a third load if needed and have it done before lunch.

During my morning dressing routine I check the hampers we have in the bathroom and bedroom and empty those if needed. Then I sort the contents into the appropriate hampers in my laundry area so that I’m ready to get some laundry going before bedtime.

2023 Goal #2: Dishes

In the entirety of my adult life, I have never owned a dishwasher. My first experience living on my own was in a cabin with only a kitchenette. Then when my husband and I were newly married, we rented a small home that was probably built in the 30s and never updated. We didn’t even have a real countertop, let alone a dishwasher! We have lived in our current home for nearly 6 years now. It does have a real kitchen, but was never outfitted for a dishwasher. I honestly don’t mind it. However, it does mean that if I don’t keep up with the dishes, the house slowly begins to fall apart.

I love waking up to a clean kitchen in the morning. For two brief hours in the day, it stays clean and tranquil. “Putting the kitchen to bed” as the hosts of the podcast Homemaker Chic call it, has become an important ritual of my nighttime routine. However, it takes planning and intention to arrive at the end result of a clean kitchen before bedtime.

How I Plan To Keep Up With Dishes:

First off, I have to go into my day knowing that I will wash dishes at least three times every day. Maybe more if we have a lot of baking to do. I simply cannot allow it to go below that or my small kitchen becomes unusable.

One way I have motivated myself to stay up with dishes has been to cut back on how many dishes I own. We started out with enough plates for eight, but as they have broken I haven’t replaced them. We are now down to just enough plates and bowls to get us through one meal each. I know that’s not always a practical suggestion, but for where I’m at right now it works. As soon as another plate breaks I’ll be forced to buy a new set. Until then, I’m just going to keep it at the bare minimum. If I feel unmotivated to wash dishes after a meal, I remind myself how annoying it will be to frantically wash plates with congealed ketchup before the next.

I have implemented other strategies to help cut back on the amount of dishes I have to wash: set places for my children to keep their cups. There came a point in my life where I found myself asking “where’s your cup?” one too many times. This helps them to not only remember where their cup is in the kitchen, but it also keeps them from carrying it around and losing it. The other strategy has been to prepare as much of our evening meal in advance as possible. I usually do this while I am making our lunch. It has drastically cut down on the stress of the “witching hour” and made clean up after dinner more simple.

2023 Goal #3: Decluttering

Around the time I was pregnant with our second child I began to realize that we had too much stuff. I became a decluttering fiend. It got to the point that my husband began to ask if I had donated something when he couldn’t find it. It’s sad to say, but in 2022 I just wasn’t staying on top of the inventory of our home. It became overwhelming. In 2022 I had a lot to distract me. I did declutter some, but it definitely wasn’t as much as our house required. Things seemed to sneak in and breed overnight.

How I plan to Declutter:

Decluttering sounds simple enough: If you don’t need it/use it/want it get rid of it. It basically is that simple, but it also takes awareness of your surroundings and intention to deal with all the stuff. It takes time and patience. One of my biggest strategies for decluttering in 2023 is to keep a continual donate box open. Once it is filled, out the door it goes to the nearest thrift store. I’m always surprised at how quickly it gets filled and what it gets filled with.

I have also chosen two “hot spots” in my home that continually get filled with clutter. I must be determined to clean those spots up on a daily or semi daily basis. If I can’t clean those places up in 5 minutes or less it means I need to declutter. Hot spots just accumulate stuff because we are too busy to put stuff away, too lazy, or maybe the place where that thing goes is overcrowded and won’t fit. Hot spots accumulating clutter too often mean something in our system is broken. Knowing this helps me to identify when something needs attention.

Decluttering with children:

I’m making this its own section because it’s one of the first questions people ask. How?

First off, my children get just as overwhelmed with a cluttered home as I do. They are happier and take better care of their belongings when our home is in “maintenance mode”. If I begin to notice that they are paralyzed when it is time to clean up I know we need a decluttering intervention.

The first thing is to notice what is being played with and what is always out because it was in the way of the thing they wanted. Just because belongings are always out doesn’t mean they’re being used. I take these things and put them into a “quarantine” box or bag. I don’t have hard limits on how long they have to stay there before donating, but usually it’s about a week or two. If they don’t ask for me to help them find it in that time frame, it’s gone. There have been one or two occasions where a child has asked about something after its gone, and I just tell them that it may have found a better place to live. They usually don’t bring it back up again.

My other strategy for decluttering with children is to have a policy about picking up. When a child doesn’t have an interest in picking something that belongs to them and I find myself constantly putting it away, it’s a strong contender for being donated. I usually put the item in the quarantine box if I notice it’s a continual fight to get it picked up. If the item is a family heirloom I put it away for another time or child. I give them a couple of chances to pick up. This isn’t about anything they’re in the middle of playing with of course! Only if it’s been sitting out for along time, or it’s in the way of something I need to do.

2023 Goal #4: Journaling

I used to be an avid journal keeper. From the time I could write at about 8 I had kept a semi continuous series of journals. It’s amazing how therapeutic writing down your thoughts as an angsty preteen can be. Once I got deep into motherhood (more than one child in my personal experience, its different for everyone) I found myself writing less and less. Other than keeping a commonplace book I haven’t regularly written down deep thoughts and emotions. I decided that 2023 will be the year I re-institute writing down my personal thoughts.

How I Plan To Journal

Journaling is going to look different for everyone. For me, I know it needs to be simple and it needs to spark joy. If I don’t have anything I feel I need to write down, I won’t make myself sit down and write. However, sometimes it’s the little things in life that go unnoticed when we don’t have time to reflect. Especially when our children are young. I do want to write nearly everyday, but it isn’t a hard rule for myself. Setting time aside each day to write down a quote, thought, or emotion is a priority for me though! I can usually find a little time in the morning before my children wake up.

One thing I decided to do this time around is to use beautiful stickers to decorate the pages of my journal. It’s a little silly, but this child of the 90’s can’t pass up a good sticker. I bought a beautiful sticker book by an illustrator named Julia Rothman and I am so glad I did! It makes me so happy to see her beautiful artwork next to my words. Another thing is to have a great pen. I love the sharpie pens. I buy the 6 packs of them and hide them from my family. I’m not usually a stingy person, but when it comes to sharpie pens, my family knows not to mess around.

That’s All, Folks!

With the new year bringing us a new family member I made sure my 2023 goals reflected that. My goals really don’t have a measurable component to them, but they will allow me to improve and grow, and have something to reach for. Will I stay on top of dishes and laundry 100% of the time…goodness no! Will my home be peacefully decluttered every month? Maybe. My journal may not be completely full by the end of 2023, but it’s about the personal growth. If we have nothing to aspire too, we will never grow.

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”

― Norman Vincent Peale

That’s all my dears! I pray that in 2023, you remember how much our heavenly Father loves you, guides you, and protects you. May you be full of the love of Jesus and rich in His wisdom and discernment!

Shalom,

Olivia

Having a tidy home is something we all enjoy, but sometimes feels unattainable with busy schedules. Whether you work away from or at home, these 5 easy habits can help start you on the right path to achieving your goal of having a clean home.

How To Start:

Identify “hot spots” in your home that tend to attract clutter and make a point to clear them once a day (you will learn more about hot spots below)
Empty laundry hampers and wash at least one load of laundry each day.
Keep up with dishes: fill your dishwasher throughout the day and wash them at night. Empty and put away each morning. (tips for those without a dishwasher below)
Use your time in the bathroom to tidy up.
Have yourself and family members perform a “clean sweep” once a day.

1. How to identify “hot spots” and what that even means

“hot spots” as I call them, are simply areas of your home that tend to collect clutter throughout the day. One way to identify these hot spots is to look around a room or area and think about what purpose the room is supposed to serve. Are there used dishes or cups on the living room coffee table? Does your dining table have stacks of books or laundry sitting on it?

How To Take Action:

Decide on a time in your daily routine that you will commit to checking and clearing these areas. As you become more consistent in checking these spaces, it becomes easier to clean and less clutter accumulates. Once you remember that the table or chair will have to be cleaned off later, you tend to avoid placing items that don’t belong there in the first place. Dedicating five to ten minutes each day to clearing these areas will help you establish habits for a clean home.

2. Empty Laundry Hampers And Wash At Least One Load Of Laundry A Day

Keeping up with laundry can seem overwhelming sometimes and seems to be the number one housekeeping item that always seems to pile up. Everyone needs clothes to wear each day and yet there seems to never be enough time to have them washed, dried, and folded!

How To Cure The Laundry Blues:

Keeping your dirty laundry in smaller hampers makes it easier to remove the laundry and put it in its final destination. Especially if you have multiple hampers throughout your house. Using smaller hampers helps keep unwanted smells and mildew at bay because they must be emptied frequently.

Find a time in your day when you can easily start a load of laundry. Perhaps start a load of wash as soon as you wake up and commit to having it in the dryer before breakfast. Another great option is to load the washer before bed and dry as soon as you wake up. Folding the clean laundry right out of the dryer helps keep the time you spend handling the laundry to a minimum.

3. Keep Up With The Dishes

This one is pretty self explanatory, however it can sometimes be one of the hardest habits to learn and implement. Clear countertops and an empty sink is a welcome sight for yourself and your family. It is an easy way to quickly feel accomplished and once you form the habit, continues to motivate you.

Practical Tips:

If you have a dishwasher you have a head start! When it takes a day or so to completely fill the machine, find a way to remind everyone that the dishwasher is being filled up. If your dishwasher is magnetic, find a pretty magnet and place it on the dishwasher when the contents inside are dirty. Not magnetized? Place a command hook and make a sign to help remind your household what is inside.

No Dishwasher? Let’s talk

Not having a dishwasher may sometimes seem inconvenient, but it doesn’t have to be. It may be taboo, but I still find it easy to have a clean home without a dishwasher and I think you can too!

If washing dishes after each meal is overwhelming, set times in your day that you wash the dishes. I have made a habit of washing a load of dishes after lunch, mid afternoon, and right after supper. Having a dedicated spot for dishes waiting to be washed is helpful as well. I hate having to remove dishes from the sink before I can wash, so we set the dirty dishes on the side of the sink. When that small bit of counter is full I know it is time to wash. Having a sink of soapy water ready while you cook is an easy way to encourage washing as you go.

4. Tidy Up The Bathroom While Getting Ready

Part of creating good habits to have a clean home is finding ways to sneak in cleaning while going through your normal routine. Keeping cleaning supplies in each of the bathrooms makes it easy to quickly wipe down any surfaces that need attention. I like to take a laundry basket into the bathroom with me to collect dirty laundry and items that belong elsewhere.

5. Perform A Clean Sweep Once Each Day

Choose a set time each day for members of your household to clean up after yourselves. Focus on tasks that quickly overwhelm if not tended to regularly. Most of the tips above fit into that category. Use this time of day to go through the list above and check if you have started or completed any of them. My family generally does this twice a day: once before my husband returns home from work, and again before bedtime. My children clean up toys and books that were used during the day while I fold a load of laundry and put dishes away. I also use this time to quickly make my bed and sweep the main living areas of our home. Setting a timer motivates you not to get distracted.

Pinterest Graphic: 5 Easy Habits For A Clean Home by girlfromcedarhollow.com

I hope that implementing these 5 easy habits for a clean home will be a blessing to you and your home! What are some habits or routines that have helped you achieve a cleaner home? Share below so others can learn!