It doesn’t take long for our little farmhouse to get messy, cluttered and dirty. When you live on a farm, the smells and “sights” of the farm sneak into the house on a daily basis.

A clean home shouldn’t take an entire day of work. Just a couple minutes each day, actually.

And I wouldn’t consider myself a clean freak by any means, but I do like a clean, warm and sweet-smelling home (think warm apple pie without actually cooking a pie). Who doesn’t really? So early on in our marriage, I began to clean the house on a daily basis, so I wouldn’t spend an entire weekend cleaning. I’d much rather spend my weekends spending time outside with family and friends or chilling by the warm fire watching the 100th re-run of Cinderella. Let’s face it, I’m a sucker for Disney princess flicks.

So, how about five quick tips to a cleaner home and a happier you!

1. Keep an extra set of paper towels and cleaning solution under your vanity. After you brush your teeth and wash your face before bed, make a quick swipe of the bathroom vanity, edge of the shower/tub and top of the toliet. The next morning, you’ll wake up to a shiny, cleaner bathroom.

2. After dinner, give your dishes only a couple minutes to “soak,” and then unload the dishwasher and load the dishes BEFORE you sit down for evening television or reading. I know once I sit down for the evening, I am out and I don’t get too much accomplished after that point.

3. Are your floors cluttered with kids toys? Don’t let your kiddos start bath and bedtime without teaching them to clean up first. Even if they only pick up a couple toys, themselves, it’s a great opportunity to teach them the responsibility of cleaning up. At our house, we sing a fun little clean up song together (courtesy of our big purple dinosaur friend – Barney).

“Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere”

Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share”

“Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere”

“Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share”

4. Make your bed every morning. I know, I know. But not only will it keep your home looking tidier, but it’s a matter of leading by example. If you want your kiddos to make their beds, it’s helpful to make your own first. It takes about 2 minutes to throw the covers up and a couple pillows at the top. It doesn’t have to pass the Army bounce-a-dime-test, just so the sheets aren’t visible. Limit the number of unnecessary throw pillows to reduce bed-making time.

5. While dinner is cooking, take a quick swipe of the broom, vacuum or Swifter over one room of your home each night of the week. Again, it would take less than 5 minutes to clean the floor of one room, spread over five days, you could cover a good majority of your home.

So just in case, the cleaning fairy doesn’t show up tonight while you sleep, hopefully, these five quick tips – five quick minutes of cleaning a day and you’ll have a cleaner home and a happier you today!

For more tips on keeping your home fabulous, be sure to check out my blog over at www.hoosierfarmbabe.com