Prevention Is the Key to a Clean House

Coming home to a clean space is a great feeling. Even those who aren’t bothered by a bit of clutter, dust, and grime can probably appreciate being able to sit down and relax in their home without being surrounded by a mess. Plus, when you don’t keep up with basic household chores, things will eventually get gross.

Ultimately, taking some preventive measures is the key to keeping your home from getting to the point that it disgusts you. Here are a few strategies to consider.

Preventive measures to keep your home clean

Our homes, like our health, benefit from preventative care. And when it comes to cleaning, the idea is to stop messes before they happen—or at least minimize their impact. This, in turn, should cut down on the amount of time and effort you’ll need to put into dealing with them later.

Here are some strategies to consider implementing in your own home, courtesy of cleaning experts with the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) and Merry Maids, among others:

Squeegee after showering

Keep a squeegee in your shower and ask the members of your household to spend 30 seconds using it to wipe the shower walls and doors either from top to bottom, or left to right. This will keep soap scum and hard water stains from building up over time.

Use your kitchen exhaust fan

If you’ve ever had to scrub grease cooking marks off your kitchen walls, cabinets, or furniture, you probably don’t want to do it again. Turning on your stove’s exhaust fan while you’re cooking will trap some of the grease and oil that eventually turn into that sticky film coating your kitchen.

Put mats or rugs at all entry points

When we walk into our home with our shoes on, we’re potentially tracking dirt, pollen, fecal matter, and who knows what else inside. One option is to ask members of your household, as well as guests, to take their shoes off as soon as they enter your home.

But if that’s not feasible, you can do the next best thing: Placing mats or durable rugs (that you don’t mind getting dirty) at all of your home’s entry points—including from the garage and/or basement—and asking people to wipe their feet before coming in.

Don’t leave surfaces wet

The countertops surrounding kitchen and bathroom sinks are prone to getting wet. Allowing that water to pool and then sit there leaves the area prone to mold, mildew, and moisture-loving bacteria.

Rather than having to deal with that later, keep a clean, dry towel next to the sink, and ask the members of your household to immediately wipe down wet countertops, walls, or any other surfaces they managed to get wet.

Put rubber or vinyl mats under the sinks

Between leaky pipes and spilled cleaning products and other liquids, the areas underneath the various sinks in your home can get pretty grimy. By placing a mat made of rubber, vinyl, or another waterproof and washable material in that spot, you’ll avoid having to deep-clean the cramped space on your hands and knees. Instead, you can simply remove the mat and hose it off.