If you feel like your home is in a constant state of chaos and that you’re always cleaning, you might need to put a little order in the mix. These five daily tasks will help you maintain a clean home with minimal effort. Start with one every day for a week and add a new task every week until you’ve mastered them all, or do all of them from the start.

MAKE BEDS
Set the tone by making your bed daily. Teach your kids to make their beds and this job is even easier. I find that by keeping the bedding simple and  It will instantly make your bedrooms look more put together and in reality it takes under a minute to complete.

CHECK FLOORS
Most days I need to at least do a quick sweep of the hardwood floors on our first level. Sometimes I grab the vacuum cleaner and do a little touch up, but most of the time it’s just a quick once-over with my broom or a microfiber floor duster. My kids are in charge of crumb clean-up under the kitchen table with a little mini broom and dust pan.

WIPE COUNTERS
I wipe the kitchen counters after each meal and I check the bathroom counters daily and give them a quick wipe if they need it. I use this method for kitchen counter clean up and keep bar mop towels in a cute jar for easy access and great wipe-down capability. I love keeping soaps and sprays contained on the counters with this dish.

CLUTTER
Clutter can be toys on the floor, stacks of mail or papers to file, or just stuff that should be put away or tossed. Some things that work for us: toss any flyers or unnecessary mail at the door, open and file any bills that need to be paid, and bins and file folders in a filing cabinet for kid papers. In our house we toss (recycle) most worksheets and keep the special artwork and papers. Clutter is different for every person and family. If you have a big clutter problem you could use this item on your list to get some decluttering done every day. Make a list of all your little clutter areas and then every day spend 10-15 minutes knocking them off your list. For me, I use this time to sort through daily mail and papers. I need to deal with paper clutter every day to keep up with it and not let it get out of control. If you struggle with paper clutter, check out this post.

LAUNDRY
I do at least one load of laundry every.single.day. I know it sounds annoying and monotonous, but for me it’s the only way to stay on top of the potential piles and piles of laundry. What’s the key to making one load a day work? Actually starting AND finishing a load of laundry every day. Don’t let it pile up in a corner or on a table or couch or bed or outside the laundry room. Start and finish it. It’s a great process to master because you will have clean clothes at the ready at any time and you shouldn’t have to iron as often if the clothes are put away right away. If laundry every day sounds daunting, check out this post for more ideas on Laundry Day vs. Laundry Every Day.

If you are trying to get into a cleaning routine (or better yet, my cleaning routine) and are just struggling with the daily stuff, clutter, and mess, stop the cleaning routine and work on these things until you feel like you’re getting on top of the dailies. Are you following me on Instagram? I post my weekly cleaning routine there too!

This post is a good one to get you started – you’ll find links to 3 free printables too!

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