Cleaning tips for lazy bachelors like me

I have been mostly single since my late 30’s. At the time of my divorce my 3 children were still young. One thing I really wanted in my new single life was to have a clean safe living environment. Over time I have devised a few simple guidelines for myself (and my kids when they were little) which have lead many visitors to ask if I am really a bachelor.

My cleaning guidelines boil down to a simple golden rule: Clean as I go. i.e. don’t let messes get out of control.

My kids are long grown but early on my daughter lived with me for a few years after the divorce.

Kid rules:

1. Your room is your area keep it however you want. This went a long way toward compliance to the other rules
2. The common areas are to be kept clean and picked up at all times. You make a mess, fine, clean it up right away when your done
3. Dirty cloths go directly in the washer or a hamper (sorry to hardcore house keepers, I don’t separate cloths in the wash)
4. Dirty dishes go in the dish washer, not in the sink. If its too nasty rinse it first. (if you don’t have a dishwasher, well that makes it harder)

Those few simple measures make a huge difference in day to day household cleanliness. Big cleaning days become much less frequent.

Other guidelines I follow

1. Everything must have a place where it can be stored when not in use. If that is not possible, build storage or get rid of it
2. Keep plenty of cleaning products in places where they are handy to grab for a quick impromptu cleanup of a sink shower or floor
3. Robot sweeper: I have had 3 Roomba’s so far. They do a surprisingly good job. They also promote a clean house cause they don’t work that well if their are a lots of items on the floor.
4. Hand dusting, literally with my hand: Many won’t like this but I constantly wipe dust off furniture with my hand. Hands have natural oil on them and pick up dust really well. I also have Swiffer dusters close by which work great.
5. Quick jobs I do right away: If I see something dirty that will only take 5 minutes or less to clean I do it right away. That way the jobs don’t build up too much over time.
6. Trash: I keep a 30 gallon trash can right outside the back door in the garage. If something is large and will fill up my 13 gallon indoor trash can rapidly I throw it in the larger container instead. This ends in only taking out the trash once or twice a week.
7. Windows: For outside I have a bucket and a pole with a squeegee on ones side and an applicator on the other. This makes washing windows go incredibly fast and does a better job than Windex and a rag.
8. A job is not done till the mess made doing the job is cleaned up. This includes household projects (I’m the king of DYI)

You get the idea