Keep Closet Doors Closed.
Truth time. If you open any door in my (very tiny, limited storage) apartment, it looks like Monica’s secret closet. Okay, maybe not quite that bad, but you get the picture. Our living space is kept very neat and tidy, and part of that is because most everything has a place behind closed doors.
Make. Your. Bed.
Here, I’ll say it again. Make your bed! It’s such a simple chore that makes your place look so much tidier. Get in the habit of doing this daily.
Keep dishes out of your sink.
This is my number one rule. I cannot stand dirty dishes in the sink at any given time. 1) I don’t understand it. 2) In my opinion, there’s nothing grosser than dirty dishes just hanging out in the open. Even when we lived in a house without a dishwasher, I didn’t have dirty dishes in my sink. Take the extra second to place them in the dishwasher. It makes all the difference and keeps your kitchen looking extra tidy. Plus, it’ll probably smell better…just saying.
Keep your guest bathroom clean.
Okay, so these are supposed to be “tidying” tricks, but this one is important. We luckily have two bathrooms in this very small apartment. I make a point to keep the toilet, counter, and sink clean in there. That’s the bathroom your guests will see and use. We don’t have a shower curtain in there yet (I know, I know), but I will tell you to keep it drawn. It just makes the space look neater and more inviting.
So while I didn’t get around to vacuuming, sweeping, mopping or scrubbing bathrooms on Saturday morning, my home still appeared clean. Burn a fresh smelling candle, open some windows, and you’ll be good to go!
AMEN on making your bed! Amir thinks I'm a crazy fool for it, but the beds will always be made at my place 🙂 I'm totally guilty of putting dishes in the sink and leaving them there overnight, but I make sure to fully rinse them so there is no gunk or junk on them and it won't smell. Eh, one day I'll get better about it — maybe when I have a dishwasher again! Lol!
dirty dishes–omg i get so grossed out if i see these at someone's house. i only leave mine if i'm soaking it, and it's gone if there is company coming.
Awww this is so cute!! Your house definitely looked clean to me…. and I need help in the dish department. A lot of our stuff we hand wash so it ends up in the sink and then on a drying towel beside the sink. I guess the only way to avoid that is to wash and dry at the same time but I'm so lazyyyy!! Haha 🙂
Making my bed definitely sets the tone for the day…whenever I'm running late and don't have time to make it, I feel so disorganized throughout the rest of the day!
Amen to making the bed! It takes 1 minute in the morning but makes the room look 100 times cleaner! And it's so nice to get into a made bed at the end of the day! I also hate having dishes in the sink. I try and do all my prep dishes while my food is in the oven/cooking and then all I have to wash is plates and cutlery when I'm done eating.
First of all, love your new layout! And yes yes yes to all of these. Just keeping things picked up/in their place makes the biggest difference – as well as making your bed first thing in the morning!
I am big on making our bed, that is the one thing that must be done.
i just try not to have guests. hahaha. our bed right now is on the floor (no frame) so even making it doesn't help. the first thing i do is tidy up and clean the hall bath, because that's what people notice. i also try and get rid of the cat hair but it's a fight i'm constantly losing lol. your place looks amazing! love your kitchen.
I have been wanting to implement a cleaning schedule so I am not doing everything for 3 hours on Saturday but it has yet to happen around these parts. I am a firm believer in always making the bed every morning before I leave and always having the sink clear. Of course, it would be easier to keep everything cleaned if my husband knew where the dishwasher was or put away his mail and other random crap he leaves all over the kitchen surfaces. Hahaha!
These are great tips! Thanks for sharing!
xx
Lauren Elizabeth
Petite in Pearls
Love these tips! Also, your apartment is so darn cute!
xoxo
Kat
Your new blog design looks amazing! And yessss to always having cups! 🙂 xo Champagne&Suburbs
Love these tips. I need to do so much better at remembering them. Sometimes the dishes thing gets hard living with two guys who seem to never do dishes. Luckily the roommate keeps the bathroom (guest one) nice and tidy for me!
When we had a two-story house (that ONE time) I never made the bed. Now I feel like I have to.
Those are good tips! And I don't think that's faking it 🙂 That's actually having a clean home. I hate the dirty dishes in the sink too though I've been bad lately since I'm so exhausted. I used to get onto my hubby – now he gets onto me!
I definitely have a Monica's secret closet. There have been straight up avalanches.
I can't stand having dirty dishes in the sink, too! No matter how tired (or sick) I am, I'll get up just to wash the dishes! I like my kitchen spotless at the end of the day!
Jae of SCATTERBRAIN
I currently struggle with a lack of storage compared to my previous apt. It seems like nothing really has a designated space anymore (no hall/entry way closets now) so I've had to get creative. Growing up I had a friend who would throw dirty dishes or clutter in the dishwasher or oven randomly to get it off the counter if they had surprise guests. Whatever works I suppose!