Tidy Home

Neat Freak Cleaning Tips

Not everyone is a neat freak, and many people may not even want that title. However, if your home leans toward the messy or cluttered end of the cleaning spectrum, you could benefit from some neat freak cleaning tips.

Learn how to keep a clean house by following the habits of some of the tidiest of people around.

Pick Up Regularly

Neat freaks know that clutter can get out of control quickly, which is why they make it a point to routinely tidy up after themselves. Follow their lead by putting things away as soon as you’re finished using them, washing dishes immediately after meals and making the bed in the morning.

Stick to a Cleaning Routine

Once you get into the habit of doing something, it seems like a part of your day that you can’t live without. Think about making your morning smoothie or working out. It’s just something you do, right? The same goes for wiping down counters, doing a load of laundry or other tasks you'd find on a daily housekeeping schedule. Stick to a routine for a while and a little regular cleaning will seem like nothing before you know it.

Organize Closets and Drawers

Out of sight doesn’t equal out of mind for a true neat freak who finds a sense of peace in a neatly organized drawer or an orderly closet. Dividers can wrangle everything from silverware and food storage containers to socks and underwear. Additionally, knowing how to arrange a bedroom closet, linen closet or pantry can be downright life-changing.

Have a Place for Everything

When thinking about how to keep a house clean, neat freaks swear by the saying, “A place for everything and everything in its place.” And having a set area for everything from tablets and earbuds to shoes and hoodies can really make a difference in eliminating clutter and helping you quickly tidy up.

Store Food Properly in the Fridge

A refrigerator can get pretty chaotic if you have no system for arranging your condiments and other food items. Knowing how to properly organize your refrigerator can make it much easier to keep the inside tidy and can also help the appliance function more efficiently.

Toss Out What You Don’t Need

The more stuff you have in your home, the harder it is to keep it clean. And this rule applies to household items ranging from clothes to books. A good rule of thumb is to get rid of something for every new item you bring into the house. In addition, apply this mindset to your fridge and pantry: Check for expired items every week or two and toss out any leftovers that you know you’ll never eat.

Learn to Love Storage

Boxes and bins can be used to stow a variety of items, such as seasonal clothes, extra blankets, crafting supplies, certain cleaners or important paperwork. Labeling each container so that you know exactly what’s inside can make a world of difference. That way you’ll know right where to find what you’re looking for at any given time.

If you think learning how to clean like a neat freak will never be for you, that’s OK. The world would be a dull place if every person were the same. Let the professional housekeepers of Merry Maids clean your home for you, so you can spend time doing the things that make you happy.