I know I can’t be the only one that feels like the house cleaning chores seem to never end. Life became an endless cycle of work, house-tidying, sleep, repeat – it’s exhausting and I was always wishing for more free time! I suppose I could just give up on chores completely but a messy home weighs more heavily on me than doing chores does. So, I haven’t eliminated chores completely, BUT I have made them more manageable for myself to make house cleaning easier. I now feel proud and productive doing the housework AND still have plenty of time off from chores to enjoy life and do the things that make me the most happy.
If you feel trapped in an endless cycle of chores – I hope I can help!
I have one simple tip (yep, really! Only one!) to make house cleaning easier once and for all! And here it is…
*drumroll, please*
Own less stuff.
Easier said than done – I know. BUT, it really can be that easy and I’ll let you in on all the details.
THIS ARTICLE:
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO OWN LESS?
Owning less doesn’t have to mean owning as little as possible. It just means trying your best not to own ‘too much’. ‘Too much’ will look different for everyone and that’s okay.
What we’re aiming for is to try and only own what is necessary to live and what brings us happiness. To make house cleaning easier it is best to keep clutter down and focusing on only ‘necessary and happiness’ items will help us reach this goal!
3 CRITERIA FOR KEEPING AN ITEM IN YOUR HOME
I have essentially 3 rules for keeping something in my home. If it doesn’t meet one of the 3 criteria I give that item the chance to be useful or bring happiness to someone else. 🙂
Keeping these questions in mind when going through your things or when deciding to bring something into your home will help you keep less stuff and ultimately, make house cleaning easier.
- Is this necessary?
This one is relatively straightforward – it’s all of the items you need to live day-to-day. If you use an item around once per week it’s probably necessary and a good item to keep.
I try not to keep ‘duplicates’ of items if I don’t really need them like ‘special china/plates’ or multiple of the same item, for me, it’s not necessary.
- Does this make me happy?
If an item brings you happiness then it’s worth keeping in your home no ifs, ands or buts! I want to keep less BUT I want to keep less of what I don’t need and happiness or joy isn’t one of those things. If an item is merely around or something I’ve just had for ‘so long’, I’ll graciously pass it on. It’s not currently bringing me happiness but maybe it can for someone else. 🙂
- Will I need this in the near future?
This is a loose rule so you can adapt it for your personal situation. I specifically don’t give a timeframe like 3 months, 1 year, etc and use ‘near’ because each item you have may serve a unique purpose in your life that you might have a continued need for and there’s just no strict set timeline that fits.
So, do what you feel is right. If you feel you need to keep it for the future – do that. If you feel you can let it go or repurchase it later – do that too.
Some examples: Seasonal clothing – you obviously won’t use it in the off season but you will again soon. Baby gear – this stuff can be expensive ($!$!$!) and maybe, you want to keep it for your next baby.
WHY DOES OWNING LESS MAKE HOUSE CLEANING EASIER?
- IT REDUCES STRESS
Owning less stuff brings many mental benefits that can make house cleaning easier. One of the best advantages is the reduced stress on the mind that comes with managing fewer items. When you have less possessions, there’s no need for constant reorganization and rearranging. This frees your mind from the never-ending task of keeping things in order and makes house cleaning easier.
I had a flow of stuff in my house, I’d bring the item in, it would hang out in my main living space for a while and then get shuffled upstairs and then get lost in my ‘stuff collection areas’ – my work desk, a forgotten shelf, the back of a closet. I was in a constant state of shuffling items around – what a waste of time! - IT CREATES CALM
When you own less you have a much more simplified environment which creates a sense of calm and mental clarity – it creates visual ease by reducing clutter. Easing this burden on your mind allows you to focus on more important aspects of your life. With fewer items and distractions, you can enjoy a more peaceful home which makes the cleaning process less overwhelming. - IT SAVES TIME
Owning less also has physical advantages when it comes to cleaning your house. With fewer possessions, you have less items to clean overall, saving you time and effort. Instead of navigating through cluttered spaces and dealing with piles of objects, you can focus on cleaning essential items and spaces in your home. - IT STAYS CLEANER
Dust tends to accumulate on surfaces and objects which typically requires regular cleaning to maintain a tidy environment. By reducing the number of belongings in your home, you can minimize the surfaces that gather dust, resulting in a home that stays cleaner with less effort.
After a while of living in my home, every object I brought into it gave me a bit of stress – every item started to feel like just another ‘dust collector’ which is not the feeling your possessions should give you! So, I figured why keep a lot of these things if they don’t hold a purpose or special meaning to me and are just another thing that gets dirty AND that I have to clean. I’d much rather make house cleaning easier and have more time doing something I love. - IT CLEANS EASIER
With fewer items around, there are a lot less obstacles to get in the way of your cleaning routine. You don’t have to shuffle all of the items off of every surface to wipe it down or move so many objects around to sweep or mop. You can easily access the areas of your home for cleaning without (well, at least less) moving or rearranging. This streamlines the cleaning process to make house cleaning easier.
I hope you can see some of the ways ‘owning less’ makes house cleaning easier – more and more people are truly seeing the value of their time and their relationships over the value of material things. We are letting go of needless items to make room for what we see as the most important – truly loved items, free time, etc – it’s unique to you! Always remember, the ‘journey’ of owning less is a personal one and you should find a balance that works for you. Start small, getting rid of only a few items at a time if you need to. Over time you can gradually embrace the freedom that comes with owning only what you truly need to.
Give yourself the gift of more time and make house cleaning easier for yourself by simply owning less! Let me know in the comments if you found this helpful or if you have other tips to save some time on those dreaded house cleaning chores! I’ll happily trade time spent cleaning the home for time spent searching for bugs with my son.
