With Baby #2 on the way and my energy sufficiently returned, I’ve been in MAJOR nesting mode.  I’ve literally been tearing the house apart, which made me think that I should probably put all of this cleaning to good use (besides the satisfaction of a clean and organized house) and create a series for y’all.  But so as not to completely overwhelm you with my madness, I figured I’d start small and first share my daily habits for keeping a clean house.

I truly feel so much better when my living space is clean and tidy.  Maybe it’s just me, or maybe it’s because I grew up in a house run by the world’s best cleaner (aka my mom). Either way, these are some of the things that I do each day to keep our house from looking like the disaster zone that it has the potential to be.

If you’re not a naturally tidy (bordering on OCD) person like myself, don’t fear.  None of these are particularly hard or time consuming, and some of them you may be able to cut out all together if you don’t have pets or kids.

To make my nesting heart happy, a few of my friends recommended Grove Collaborative to me, which is a site that has a huge selection of all natural, organic home and personal care products. So when the opportunity arose to work with them, I jumped at the chance.  It’s super easy to use, and ultra convenient for busy moms like me.  They ship products straight to your door so you’ll never run out of your favorite glass cleaner right in the middle of a sticky-handed-toddler-touching-every-window-and-mirror crisis. Plus they carry tons of products that I can’t easily find at my local stores.

The best part is truly that the products are all safe to use around our kids and cats.  If you watch my full video tutorial, you’ll see that both parties like to be heavily involved in the cleaning process. And because I know that there isn’t any harmful chemicals lurking around, I’m totally okay with it.  The more the merrier and all that.

To make things even more awesome, Grove has partnered with me to bring you an awesome offer for any new customers who use this link and spend more than $20 in their first order.  You’ll receive the following:
– a Mrs. Meyer’s Hand Soap
– a Mrs. Meyer’s Dish Soap
– a Mrs. Meyer’s Multi-Surface Spray
– a Grove kitchen towel
– FREE shipping & VIP trial

I know it’s basically impossible to choose between all of the holiday scents.  I had this problem too, but choose Orange Clove.  Seriously.  It’s the best thing ever and the whole limited edition thing kind of makes me want to cry.

And don’t worry if you’re already a Grove lover.  We haven’t forgotten you!! You can use this link and receive a free pack of their walnut scrubber sponges that I love so much!  So whether you’re a Grove newbie or a seasoned vet, don’t pass up this offer.  Your house will thank you.

We’ve put off the cleaning long enough, so let’s just get right down to it.

DAILY HABIT #1: MAKE YOUR BED 

This task can be an easy one to overlook because is it really worth it when you’re just going to mess it all up again in approximately 14 hours? YES.  The answer is yes.  I can’t tell you what a huge impact it has on your room to take the one to two minutes to make your bed.  Plus, how inviting does that look after a long and busy day?!

DAILY HABIT #2: PICK UP CLUTTER & TOYS 

If you have kids, this one is a little bit (okay, a lot) like fighting a losing battle, but again will pack a punch.  Picking up toys a few at a time throughout the day is way easier than letting them collect throughout the day or week.  Not to mention the fact that stepping on legos or small animal figurines feels like death. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not chasing around after my kid like a human toy vacuum, but when she goes to school or goes down for a nap, I take the opportunity to tidy.  Husbands can be another source of clutter, so do yourself a favor and create a system.  We both do our best to put things away immediately upon arriving home instead of throwing down keys, purses, shoes, socks, and scarves the second we step in the door.

DAILY HABIT #3: DO YOUR DISHES

In our house, a sink full of dirty dishes is simply not an option.  It’s super overwhelming to look at because it’s just a constant reminder of a chore that eventually has to be done. This is another thing that can very easily and quickly pile up if not handled immediately (or as soon as possible). Not a fan of this chore? I love to watch Youtube videos or listen to an audiobook if I’ve got a bunch of dishes to do at once.  It makes the time go by so much quicker. Another pro tip: put your sponge in the dishwasher every time you run it. This prevents a build up of bacteria and the dreaded “sponge smell”, but doesn’t require any extra effort since you’re running it anyway.

DAILY HABIT #4: WIPE DOWN BATHROOM & KITCHEN COUNTERS

Why let food and toothpaste splatters build up for days or weeks at a time?  This just makes it more difficult and time consuming when it comes time for a deep clean.   Wiping down counters daily helps to keep the room feeling fresh and hardly takes any time at all.  I just use my multi-surface spray for both the kitchen and bathrooms to keep things simple, and the Mrs. Meyer’s Orange Clove scent makes my whole house smell like fall.  It’s magical.

DAILY HABIT #5: USE A DAILY SHOWER SPRAY

We only started doing this when we moved into our new home in February, but holy moly does it make a difference.  Since your shower/bath is the most damp and humid place in your whole house, it is so easy for bacteria, mold, and grime to build up.  We no longer get the pink gunk that tells me it’s been a little too long since I last deep cleaned.  I also love using this in Gracie’s bathtub because the bubbles and colors that make bath time so fun can literally create a ring with one use. This drastically cuts down on that and makes the weekly scrub so much easier.  We use the Method Daily Shower so that I know it’s safe to use around her and the cats.  Do anyone else’s cats like to play in bathtubs?!

DAILY HABIT #6: WIPE DOWN FREQUENTLY USED TABLES

Crumbs, finger/paw prints, drink spills, food spills.  You name it, we’ve got it.  Our kitchen and coffee tables are so well used and loved that they require a daily wipe down.  Luckily, I’ve been able to pass this chore on to Gracie.  It’s not child labor.  She loves it.  We’ve just bred another generation of cleaners over. We use our handy dandy multi-surface spray or the Method Wood for Good Daily Clean (mom tested and approved!); both of which are safe for her to handle and use.

DAILY HABIT #7: VACUUM THE TRAIL

Vacuum daily?! And what is this trail you speak of?!  Yes, yes.  Vacuum the trail. Every. Day.  I whip out my cordless vacuum and do a quick pass through all of the areas used most often — the hallway, the family room, the kitchen, and our bathroom.  Because I’m not messing with cords, I swear this takes no more than 5 minutes. Less if you don’t shed a pound of hair a day like me, and less still if you don’t have cats that leave a trail of food, litter, and fur everywhere they go. I also take this opportunity to clean up the cat food area in our bathroom.  This mostly entails vacuuming the crumbs, but I’ll also wipe down their food tree with a baby wipe.

DAILY HABIT #8: CLEAN MINOR FLOOR SPILLS 

This doesn’t actually happen daily if it’s not necessary, but when it is, I like to handle it right away.  But let’s be serious I am absolutely not about to whip out my steam mop for every minor spill that happens on our tile.  Talk about a losing battle.  Instead, I like to cheat and just use my multi-surface spray (are you seeing a trend here?!) and a dust mop. Spray the spot and then take a few passes over it with the dust mop.  Use your foot if it’s needing a little extra elbow grease, and then flip the mop to dry the area.  This works like a charm every time and takes just a minute!

Those are my daily tips and tricks for keeping a clean house!  If you’re new to the daily cleaning thing, the list may seem daunting at first, but I promise that it only takes about 20 min to do them all.  And I don’t do them all at one time either, so these quick tasks spread throughout your day will hardly cut into your normal routine at all. If you have other daily tasks that you do around the house, I would love to hear about them in the comments!

Don’t forget to check out my favorite, family-friendly cleaning products at Grove and take advantage of the awesome offer!  It’s only a matter of one use until you’re an addict like me.  I’ve already got my list going for what I want in my next shipment.

Thanks for cleaning with me today!  Don’t forget to subscribe to my channel for more lifestyle videos like this one.  We’d love to have you as part of the family!

 

*FTC Disclaimer: Thank you to Grove for supporting this post and video! We love you so! As always, 100% of the opinions expressed here are honest and my own.  This post contains affiliate links to help support my channel, but feel free to look up linked items on your own if you prefer.