Clean up
10 things decent people do every day
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Keeping things organized is often a challenge. But it’s worth it because we have more time for the beautiful things in life. There are a few things we can learn from decent people.
Do you prefer to meet friends for dinner? Are you drenched in sweat when a spontaneous visitor is just around the corner? Then things might look a bit chaotic in your home.
Now imagine how nice life would be with a tidy apartment. With a few extra touches, your home would even be ready for visitors. Sounds good? Then it doesn’t have to remain a dream. Instead of getting into a panic frenzy of tidying up and cleaning every now and then, we prefer to adopt a few habits that characterize people with tidy homes.
These 10 things decent people do every day
1. Make the bed
Tidy people never leave the house without making their beds. Because a made bed visually ensures order and peace in the bedroom, since the bed usually takes up a large part of the bedroom. And in the evening it’s also much nicer to turn down the covers and hop into a decent bed.
2. Unload the dishwasher
If you empty the dishwasher in the evening or at the latest in the morning, you don’t have to store the dirty dishes in the sink first. A trick that order fans rely on. Because cereal bowls, bread knives and coffee cups can be put straight into the empty dishwasher. In the evening, after the meal, more dirty dishes are added without having to get up – tired from the day – to empty the dishwasher and then put it back in again.
If you don’t have a dishwasher, it’s best to wash your dishes right away. Because once large mountains of cups and plates have piled up, it’s harder to get over yourself and do the dishes.
3. Wash laundry regularly
Proper people don’t let laundry mountains become mountains of laundry. If you wash your clothes regularly, you prevent the mountain of dirty laundry from becoming too big at some point. Advantage: There is always enough underwear in the closet. And enough space to dry the laundry.
4. Put away clothes
Who doesn’t want to throw their clothes in the corner in the evening and lie down on the couch? But if you do this every day, you invite chaos to you. So it’s worth resisting the call of the couch and putting your clothes aside first. Practical: you can wear a hanging dress again without having to wash and iron it.
Reading tip: Learn more about storing worn clothes here.
5. Clean up the kitchen
The bed has a magical attraction. But tidy people clean up the kitchen first. Dirty dishes, pans and pots go into the dishwasher or are rinsed off. Leftovers go in the fridge. Work surfaces and dining table are wiped down. Advantage: You don’t have to worry about it in the morning when it’s harder for you, you can jump into bed with a clear conscience. Also, the kitchen (or even the whole apartment) doesn’t smell like the food from the night before. In the morning you prefer to focus on the new day anyway.
6. Take out trash
Organic and residual waste usually makes itself felt quickly. You have no choice but to take out the garbage immediately if you want to avoid unpleasant smells and nasty fruit flies (especially in summer). Paper waste and used glass, on the other hand, do not attract attention so persistently, especially if both are collected in the corner or in the closet. Tidy people regularly throw paper, cardboard, bottles and glasses into the paper bin or the paper and glass container.
7. Tidy up and clean in between
While the pasta is cooking in the pot or the vegetables are sizzling in the pan, you can throw the pasta packaging in the trash can or wash the knife and cutting board. This way you not only keep an overview and order in between, but also make clever use of waiting times and end up having to clean up less and can use the time for nicer things.
8. Organize things
Boxes, baskets and cartons help tidy people to keep the chaos under control. All the things they don’t need (e.g. catalogues, sales letters, etc.) they throw in the garbage right away, before this stuff ever feels at home. Tidy people collect important documents (e.g. for taxes) in a folder or box. Nothing gets lost and everything has its place.
9. Plan ahead
Anyone who thinks about what to wear in the morning in the evening saves time in the morning – and doesn’t have to rummage through the closet for the right outfit first. Tidy people give the programmed (clothing) chaos no chance at all!
10. Don’t put off anything!
Anyone who appreciates order gets things done right away: delivered packages are cleared out immediately and the packaging disposed of. What turns out to be a bad buy is immediately prepared for the return (this actually saves a lot of money in the end). Purchases are immediately unpacked and put away, letters are opened immediately and, if necessary, placed on the shelf, unnecessary mailings (e.g. catalogues) are immediately thrown in the trash (and canceled if possible…). If you don’t put off anything, but tackle things right away, you protect yourself from an ever-increasing mountain of tasks that will certainly not disappear into thin air on their own.