Martha’s Words of Wisdom

In line with our Fall Housecleaning Guide, I wanted to share a few helpful hints from Martha Stewart Living as inspiration (is this an appropriate word for cleaning?). I think the idea is to read about how others keep clutter and mess at bay, and to just keep these ideas in the back of your head. Superior Habitat’s Fall Housekeeping Guide is all about tying these items in together, but below you can read the words of the master…

Also, having a Martha Stewart Cleaning Kit on hand is a great idea for last minute household touch ups – and for handing to a significant other who “didn’t know where we kept the windex”.

1. Make the Bed
Tidiness begets tidiness. A crisply made bed makes the whole room seem more orderly, which makes it less likely that you’ll let other things — such as clothes and papers — pile up around it.

2. Manage Clutter
Whenever you leave a room, take a quick look around for anything that isn’t where it should be. Pick it up and put it where it belongs. Insist that everyone in the household do the same.

3. Sort the Mail
Take a few minutes to open, read, and sort mail as soon as you bring it inside. Keep a trash bin near your sorting area for junk mail. Drop other mail into one of four in-boxes: personal correspondence, bills, catalogs, and filing.

4. Clean as You Cook
Instead of filling the sink with pots and dishes, wash them or put them in the dishwasher as you prepare a meal.

5. Wipe Up Spills While They’re Fresh
Whether it’s tomato sauce on the cooktop or makeup on the bathroom counter, almost anything is faster and easier to remove if you attend to it immediately.

6. Sweep the Kitchen Floor
Every evening once you’ve finished washing up after dinner, sweep the floor. This will keep tough-to-clean dirt and grime from building up, which will make the weekly mopping much quicker.