We’ve all been there— you look around at the state of your home and you think to yourself, “How did it get like this again?” You’re not alone. Keeping house can be an exceedingly difficult task, especially if you’re in a household with two working spouses. But don’t fear, here are 15 reasons why your house is always messy and how to resolve them.
Not Doing Your Bed Every Day
Looking at the mess you and your family have created can be overwhelming. But rather than looking at the whole, break it down into smaller, more manageable tasks. Atomic habits or small rituals you undertake every day can tremendously trim down the messes you create. Make cleaning part of your daily routine.
No Cleaning Routine
When we don’t have a plan, anything from small distractions to major life events can completely throw off the cleanliness of our home. Instead of winging it based on what you see is dirty around the house, have a set schedule to keep you on track. For instance, you can save dishes for Monday and Wednesday while you dedicate Friday to sweeping and mopping. You don’t have to follow these routines religiously, but use them as a baseline for when things should be taken care of.
Putting Stuff Down Instead of Away
You might be unintentionally feeding into the ever-growing mess in your home without knowing it. While we’re puttering about, it’s easy to take things out and not return them to where they belong. Try this simple mantra to help keep your home more tidy: put it away, don’t put it down.
You’re Not Sweeping and Mopping Enough
Sweeping and mopping can feel like a deep cleaning task. But you should actually add these tasks into your cleaning rotation far more often. It’s a good rule of thumb to sweep at least every day or two and mop once a week. This can vary based on how many family members live in your home and what kind of debris gets tracked into your home. As a bonus, sweeping and mopping forces you to pick up the clutter on your floors.
Paper Clutter
Bills, sticky notes, and a mountain of your kids’ art you can’t bring yourself to part with— all of this paper clutter contributes to a messy home. For whatever reason, the papers we hold onto seem to accumulate quickly and get put away at a snail’s pace. Instead of letting these papers pile up, find an intentional way to store them such as a folder for your kids’ art or a drawer specifically for bills.
No Family Cleaning Plan
It’s not enough for one person to be tasked with cleaning the entire home—you all share in the responsibility of upkeeping your home. Whether you just live with a spouse or you have children, everyone should be contributing to an extent. Even if you have small children, there are plenty of developmentally appropriate ways to get them in on maintaining the home. This can be a fun, productive activity for the entire family.
Not Enough Trash Cans
The average American produces 1704 pounds of trash every year. Just think of how many candy wrappers, mop pads, and dog food bags it takes to make up that much garbage. When it’s spread out over days or weeks, you might not realize how much garbage you actually produce. But the litter we create always threatens to create a messier environment in our homes. To cut back on this issue, you should place a trashcan in every room of your home.
Not Frequently Taking Out the Trash
It can be aggravating to open your kitchen trash can and see that it’s filled to the brim. You may resort to placing garbage around your trash can instead of throwing it away. If you can’t seem to fight the ever-growing mess in your home, consider taking out the trash more regularly. Your main trash cans should be taken out every day or every other day. Your smaller trash cans throughout the home should be thrown out at least once a week.
You Don’t Leave a Room Better Than You Found It
When we’re busy or occupied with our other tasks, you may think that you can’t fight the mess around you. Instead of resigning yourself to a messy environment, try micro cleaning. Anytime you enter a room, look for one area you can improve on. Even if it’s as small as picking up a hair tie off the floor, you are one step closer to cleaning that space. Leave every room a little tidier than you found it.
No Donation Bin
The source of a disorganized, unkempt home is often having too much stuff. How often do you look in your closet and see that old sweater you know you’re never going to wear again? But since you don’t have a collection of other things to donate, you just leave it hanging there. Cut down on the number of unused items you have by finding a place to store a donation bin. Your family can slowly fill this basket or box up and once it’s full, you can take it for donation.
You Have Too Much Stuff
In our society, it’s encouraged to accumulate as much stuff as possible. While a lot of the things we own help to improve the quality of our lives, much of it is just extraneous junk. If you’re constantly battling a mess in your home, consider going through all of your belongings and purging the things you do not need.
No Dedicated Deep Clean Day
Once you sit down to create a sustainable cleaning routine, you may get overwhelmed by the sheer number of tasks there are to account for. Instead of trying to fit all the areas that need to be cleaned into your weekly schedule, pick one day a month to take on a deep cleaning session. This takes off the pressure for the rest of the week while assuring you have a day to get down to the nitty-gritty.
Too Many Distractions
We are currently in the most distracted era in history. With screens and a never-ending news cycle, we are much more prone to short attention spans. We often don’t realize how much time we waste scrolling away on social media or distracting ourselves on our phones. This is a major reason why we don’t get cleaning or other important tasks done. Take time to put the distractions down, even if just for 15 minutes.
You’re Not Airing Out Your Home
From stale air to musty smells, the quality of the air in your home offers a huge contribution to its overall cleanliness. Don’t underestimate the power of simply opening up your windows after cleaning up. In the warmer months, you can even leave them open all day. You’ll be amazed at how much better your space will feel when you allow for better airflow.
Too Many “Catch-All Areas”
We all have those areas around our home that constantly house a mountain of clutter. Whether it’s a nightstand filled with cups or an entryway table littered with odds and ends, these “catch-all areas” can look sloppy and cause stress. Remember, instead of putting something down, make the extra effort to put it away right away. This will significantly cut down your cleaning time later.
