The art of designing (and redesigning) a home is an act of expression available to all: It’s what Remodelista is all about. Here are 10 ways to make cleaning less of a chore.
A bed, made neatly, in Steal This Look: A Warm, Minimal Guest Bedroom in Los Angeles.
As a lifelong rumpled-covers-leaver, reading the book The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg ($17.98 on Amazon) changed my life.
1. Start every day by making your bed.
I learned that daily bed making is something called a keystone habit Those routines that if you can identify them spill over to other habits According to Duhigg changing or...
...cultivating keystone habits helps other habits to flourish by creating new structures and they establish cultures where change becomes contagious A keystone habit is essentially a catalyst for other good habits
2. Do it now.
Trust me, I’m a professional procrastinator—but I’ve learned: that elusive period of time we call “later” never actually arrives. If we can push through this type of pain, we’ll arrive at the other side feeling much better (and, with a clean kitchen, to boot).
Julie rounds up our favorite dustpans in 5 Favorites: Display-Worthy, Artisan-Made Dustpan and Brush Sets.
Good design in everyday objects makes life more beautiful, more satisfying, and more fun. See a few of our favorites in Domestic Science: How to Sweep a Floor, Perfectionist’s Edition and Gifts for the Domestic Scientist.
3. Invest in beautifully designed, quality cleaning products.
If we want to, we can choose to see homekeeping as a way to express love for our housemates, our family, and our home. First, look at the living room in disarray, notice the newspapers scattered on the floor, the pillows deflated, and the blankets askew.
4. Make your home organizing a time of inner peace.
5. Put on music that you love.
Let it be a time to sing and move your body.
Photograph by Matthew Williams.
Make even the most utilitarian items beautiful, like this elegant trash can.
I learned this tip from It’s Hard to Make a Difference When You Can’t Find Your Keys by Marilyn Paul ($12.99 from Amazon), and if I could follow just one rule of housekeeping, this would be it.
6. Bring every room back to “ready” before you leave.
7. Always be pruning.
Or, what I call: 10 minutes a day, keeps the clutter-crazies away. But, if we prune, prune, prune throughout the day and toss any Haven’t Used in a Year items, we can avoid the humongous pile-up and dreaded cleaning marathon.
Take pleasure in DIY dish soap.
8. Reward yourself for cleaning up.
Another thing I learned from Duhigg’s fascinating book is that we are, in fact, creatures of habit.
As the great playwright John Heywood said, “Many hands make light work.” (Nobody said you had to do it all by yourself.)
9. If you can afford it, hire a housecleaner.
Take care of what you have, from the floorboards to the mattress.
It bears repeating, as this simple attitude adjustment is the key to changing your relationship with housework.
10. Remember that your house (your apartment, wherever you reside) is a home.