Nine tips to help you maintain a clean home

Home is where we retreat after the hustle and bustle of the day. It is where we go to destress and recharge. According to Very Well Mind, a dirty, cluttered and disorganised home can add to your stress levels instead of reducing them. 

To help you destress and keep illnesses at bay, you need to have a clean home. This doesn’t mean you have to schedule hours and hours to cleaning your home. By establishing a cleaning routine where you spread out the tasks you will ensure that your home is always spotless.

Below are some tips that can help you maintain cleanliness in your home.

1. Dust your carpets and rugs regularly

Carpets and rugs are dust catchers. Dust is a common cause of colds and allergies. To prevent this, ensure your carpets are dusted at least twice a week. Doing it every day is a plus as this will prevent build up making it easier for you to clean. Invest in a vacuum cleaner to lessen the work of dusting. Should carpets and rugs get stained, a quick spot clean will get rid of the stain while it is still fresh and keep your carpets and rugs looking clean.

2. Empty the garbage

Garbage is collected once or twice a week in most homes. This means that at any given time, you will have a pile of garbage at home. Invest in a sealable dustbin that will allow you to keep the garbage and accompanying smell away. Try this hack to deal with the smell: put some baking soda and slice of lemon (or lime) in the garbage bin.

3. Organize your bedroom

Decluttering your room is a key step to achieving a clean, calming home. Go through shelves and the tops of your cupboards and throw away empty containers and dust them. Store clothes and shoes in their respective places. Make your bed.

4. Air your house

The natural flow of air into your house and direct sun rays helps to freshen the air, gets rid of dampness and helps to get rid of disease-causing germs. Draw your curtains, open the windows and allow the natural air and sunlight in.

5. Practice proper care for pets

Your lovely pet too needs to be kept clean not only to protect it from illness but also to keep you safe and keep your home clean. Therefore, clean it as often as prescribed by the vet, get their fur and nails trimmed and train it in good practices like doing its business outside, not getting into the house with muddy paws and to stay off the beds.

6. Avoid leaving water containers uncovered

Stagnant water is a natural breeding ground for mosquitoes and other disease-causing bacteria. Thus, ensure that your water storage containers are properly sealed. In the same vein, throw away any empty containers that you have no use of. This will not only keep the mosquitoes at bay but get rid of any clutter around your home.  

7. Give your home a thorough dusting

It’s not uncommon for homes to get infested by bedbugs, cockroaches, dust mites, etc. More times than not, this often necessitates the use of a fumigator which can be quite pricey. A good dusting around the house, allowing bedding and soft furnishings to air and practicing general cleanliness can help prevent this infestation. Schedule specific times within the year when you do this thorough dusting. Remember to clean event those hard to reach places like your bedframe and underneath the sofas.

8. Clean your sofa covers often

Sofas have a knack for getting very dirty. This is because they we tend to lounge in them a lot when we’re at home, eat on them and sometimes fall asleep on. And, when you have children, it’s not uncommon to find food stains on the sofa. To keep your sofas looking good as new, do a spot clean every time it gets a food stain and get your cushion and sofa covers washed once in a while. Remove the cushions once a week to remove any dirt that might have gotten lodged in between the cushions.

9. Check and repair pipes and taps

There’s nothing as annoying as a leaky faucet. The constant drip, drip, drip is enough to get on anyone’s nerves not to mention the amount of water that goes to waste. Be alert to any faucet or pipe leakages and seek the help of a professional to get them fixed. Ensure your sewage system is also in tip top shape to prevent unpleasant odours and illness.

Your health is your wealth indeed and a clean environment helps keep your health in check. Do what you can, at your best and you will enjoy the fruits of having a clean home.