How To Keep Your House Clean – A Beginner’s Guide

by

23 December 2023

Home & Garden

Your House

Starting the process of tidying up and arranging your home might feel overwhelming, but it’s incredibly rewarding.

A clean, organized space not only brings a sense of calmness but also sets the stage for enjoyable moments with loved ones. 

This beginner’s manual on cleaning and organizing equips you with the essentials to kickstart your journey towards a serene living environment.

So, let’s get started with it.

Step – 1: Begin Your Journey with Something Small

Beginning with a small area can help alleviate the overwhelming feeling of cleaning and organizing your home. For example, starting in just one room or a tiny section within a room can reduce the stress associated with the task. 

Once you’ve tidied up and organized that small space, it tends to inspire further progress. 

It’s like a chain reaction— as soon as you initiate the process, you’ll often find the motivation to continue. The sense of accomplishment from cleaning that initial space acts as a catalyst, propelling you to tackle more cleaning and organizing tasks.

Step – 2: Declutter Your Rooms. All of Them!

Before diving into organizing, it’s crucial to declutter thoroughly. 

Start with a smaller space like your fridge. Empty its content, discarding expired or inedible items. Clean all of the surfaces using a damp cloth and your preferred all-purpose cleaner. 

When clearing out various areas in your home, prioritize keeping only the things you truly need or cherish. If it’s challenging to part with certain items, remember they might serve someone else while giving you more room at home. 

Consider donating or selling belongings you no longer adore. Discard broken, incomplete, or heavily worn-out items. Items that are no longer in use—like old toys, baby gear, clothes, or furniture—can find new homes through donation or sale. 

This decluttering not only creates space for other purposes but also makes it easier to access and appreciate the things you genuinely value and use.

Step 3: Get a Cleaning Caddy for Yourself

Before starting your home cleaning routine, it’s helpful to prepare a portable cleaning kit that you can easily carry around. 

You don’t need a multitude of cleaners or tools—just include what you’ll actually use. Your cleaning kit can be as simple as a bucket, plastic bin, canvas bag with handles, or any larger container that suits your convenience. 

Whether store-bought or homemade, the key is to have a portable solution that suits your needs as you move from room to room.

Step 4: Keep the Surfaces Clean

After completing the decluttering process, it’s crucial to tidy up the space before organizing. Quickly cleaning the area will impart a fresh feel, enhancing the likelihood of maintaining its cleanliness for an extended period.

Here are some cleaning tips that you might need…

  • Create a cleaning caddy for easy access to supplies. 
  • Then clean from higher surfaces downward to catch falling debris as you progress. 
  • Utilize a vacuum attachment to clear drawers, shelves, cabinets, or closets of any remaining debris. 
  • Use a damp microfiber cloth to wipe surfaces, ensuring thorough cleaning. Remove any items that don’t belong in the cleaned area.

Step – 5: Organize Everything

The crucial element in home organization is to gather similar items together. 

Whether it’s your refrigerator, pantry, kitchen cabinets, bathroom, living room, kids’ rooms, closets, or garage, arranging items of the same kind is essential for easy access and visibility. Scattered items make it difficult to locate what you need and can lead to clutter. 

By grouping similar items, you create a clear system that helps in both finding items and guiding your family when it comes to tidying up.

I: How to Organize Your Kitchen?

It’s beneficial to begin organizing your kitchen by focusing on a small area first, as this can inspire you to tackle other spaces. The kitchen often serves as the hub of a home and sees frequent use, making it a great starting point. 

Once you’ve sorted out your kitchen, the task of taking care of the rest of your house becomes more manageable. A smart step in this process is to begin with your refrigerator. Streamlining your fridge organization can serve as a catalyst for organizing other areas.

II: Organizing Your Fridge

Arranging your refrigerator involves categorizing similar food items–together for better organization. With adjustable shelves and doors, along with additional bins, you can optimize the space quite easily. Clear plastic bins are particularly helpful as they allow easy visibility of their contents. They’re convenient for accessing snacks, packing lunches, and planning meals. 

Here are examples of foods that should be grouped together either in bins, on shelves, or in drawers for a more organized fridge…

  • Bagged fruits and vegetables 
  • Cheeses and lunch meals 
  • Fresh vegetables and fruits
  • Sauces and condiments 
  • Salad dressings

III: Organizing the Other Parts of Your House

After you’ve sorted one area, take the same approach to the rest of your house. 

Use the refrigerator organization tips as a template for each room: clear out unnecessary items, tidy up, and then arrange everything neatly. 

Remember, the key is to tackle each room gradually to avoid feeling swamped, following the same method each time.

  • If there are any similar types of items available in your house, group them together.
  • Clean the area once you are done with the former step.
  • Get rid of anything and everything that you don’t want to use.

Step 6: Disinfect the Surface Areas and Countertops

Clean the hard surfaces around your home thoroughly, including countertops, appliances, cabinets, doorknobs, light switches, TV remotes, and phones. 

Disinfect surfaces that are commonly touched to reduce the spread of germs. 

Create a natural disinfectant by combining one-fourth to half a cup of white or apple cider vinegar with one cup of water. They’ll work like magic for you.

Make It a Group Activity

Collaborating as a team is a top-notch method for swiftly tidying up a house. Plan ahead with your family for a designated time and distribute specific chores among everyone. 

Joining forces not only injects some enjoyment into the cleaning process but also ensures a sparkling home in no time.

You can also opt for a reputable cleaning service that can help you with the process. It can seem a little more expensive than usual, but it’s much more sustainable per see.

Read Also:

Ankita Tripathy loves to write about food and the Hallyu Wave in particular. During her free time, she enjoys looking at the sky or reading books while sipping a cup of hot coffee. Her favourite niches are food, music, lifestyle, travel, and Korean Pop music and drama.

View all posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All Comments

Good post! We will be linking to this particularly great post on our site. Keep up the great writing

Related

how to harvest cilantro

The Best Time and Method to Harvest Cilantro for Maximum Flavor and Aroma

One of the most used herbs in the world, cilantro, is also referred to as Chinese parsley or Coriandrum sativum. Fresh and zesty, cilantro gives your recipes a flavor boost. Mexican, Middle Eastern, Indian, Mediterranean, Chinese, African, and even Scandinavian cuisines use it extensively. Even cilantro microgreens are grown from it! Since cilantro itself doesn't keep well and loses aroma and flavor once dried, most people prefer to use it fresh. To have cilantro on hand, you should also have a few plants in the garden. You can harvest the plant for its flavorful cilantro seeds, also known as coriander, even if you don't use the leaves in your recipes. The leaves of the cilantro plants come throughout the spring and summer. Allow them to go to seed at that time since they grow easily in the garden! You must know how to harvest cilantro properly if you want to have a steady supply. Keep reading to find out all you need to know about harvesting cilantro. Harvesting Cilantro: Overview Most people either love or hate the flavor of cilantro leaves. However, you should still think about cultivating a few coriander plants in your garden and saving the seeds for a range of culinary uses. Most people in the US grow this delicious herb for its leaves. But the tasty coriander seeds are also worth harvesting. They have a distinct flavor from cilantro leaves. This fragrant herb of the cool season, cilantro, quickly goes to seed in the long, sweltering summer months. As the plant reaches higher in the sky, its rounded, lobed leaves become feathery. Pretty clusters of tiny white blossoms quickly emerge. Many pollinators are drawn to these nectar- and pollen-rich blossoms, particularly syrphid flies and honeybees. Little round coriander seeds with a kelly green color emerge as the blossoms start to fade. What To Expect from Cilantro? The distinctive flavor of coriander is citrusy and slightly nutty. It goes incredibly well with rice, beans, lentils, and roasted or grilled veggies. You can pick the seeds while they are still young and vibrant green. Or you can wait until they start to turn brown. Since green coriander seed is only found in gardens, it is better to harvest them when they are still green because of their stronger, more distinct flavor. You will not find them in the farmers’ market or the grocery store. If the seeds are kept in a glass container with a lid, then they can be refrigerated for several weeks and frozen effectively as well. Wait until most of the seed turns brown if you want to harvest the mature brown seed for winter grinding or planting next year. Next, trim off a few inches of stalk and the seed heads, then hang them upside down in a brown paper bag. The seeds will drop out of the heads and land in the bag's bottom once they are completely dry. The dry seed should be kept in a dry, cool place in a glass jar with a lid. For optimal flavor, grind it just before using. The flavor difference between freshly ground coriander seed and the pre-ground variety typically found in stores will astound you. Try adding green coriander seeds to dressings and marinades. Frequently adding an equal amount of ground coriander to recipes that call for cumin makes the flavors of the two go particularly well together. How to Harvest Cilantro? The most exciting aspect of growing plants is undoubtedly harvesting. Pick individual cilantro leaves if you plan to use a small amount. It is best to leave at least 1-2 inches of stem above the soil's surface when harvesting larger quantities of cilantro. It is preferable to leave a few lower leaves on the plant to support the herbs until they grow back. To cut the stems cleanly, use harvesting snips, long reach harvesting snips, or sharp, sterilized garden shears. To guarantee that your herbs regrow, it is best to remove only a small portion of the plant at a time. Furthermore, when the cilantro plant blooms and sets seed, the herb may start to taste bitter. So, when wondering how to harvest cilantro, it is preferable to harvest before the plant bolts because the leaves will be less appetizing at that point. When is The Best Time to Harvest Cilantro? When the morning dew has cleared and the sun hasn't set, it's the ideal time of day to harvest a variety of fruits, vegetables, and herbs, including cilantro. This way you can lessen the stress on your cilantro plant and give the fresh stock cuts enough time to dry before dusk, which lowers the risk of illness. Before it bolts, harvest cilantro when it is 6 to 8 inches tall. The flavor of cilantro leaves significantly decreases after they have bolted. The lifespan of the cilantro plants can be increased by careful and routine harvesting. It is crucial, though, to wait for your plant to become established before beginning to harvest. The plant develops numerous long, thin stems as it grows. They are ready to be harvested when the stems are long, and the leaves have a lacy appearance. The cilantro herbs are about ten to twelve inches tall at this point. Gather your cilantro in the spring and into the first part of the summer. Your plants may bolt to seed if summertime full sun conditions prove to be too hot for them. The best time to harvest cilantro is early morning. You can either choose to harvest it once a week or source just individual leaves whenever you need them. Most of the time, it takes about 2-3 weeks for regrowth, so you must harvest accordingly. You must remember that regular cut-and-come-again harvesting is the most ideal while the plant keeps producing foliage. How To Store Fresh Cilantro? Part of knowing how to harvest cilantro is also knowing how to store them. It's best to know how much you should take from the garden before you harvest. You will need to learn how to store cilantro if you do not intend to use the leaves right away to extend its shelf life. There are several approaches to try. Storing Cilantro in Water To keep the cilantro leaves dry, wait to wash them after harvesting. For storage purposes, store the stem ends in a glass or jar with 1 to 1.5 inches of water and refrigerate for a few days. At a minimum, change the water once a day. Use a plastic bag to cover the top loosely to preserve the humidity surrounding the herbs. Storing Cilantro in The Freezer Freezing cilantro is another low-maintenance way to store it. Shake off any extra moisture and rinse the leaves to get rid of any garden soil. Tear the leaves into small pieces and stuff them into ice cube trays, covering the herb with just enough water to barely cover. You can pre-measure if you'd like to ensure that you know precisely how much is in each cube for recipes in the future. After the cubes are completely frozen, place them in a freezer bag. Add as needed to marinade, smoothies, soups, and sauces. You can freeze cilantro for up to six or eight months. Read More: Everything You Need To Know About Harvesting Basil How To Dry Cilantro? There are two methods for drying cilantro. You can use the oven to dry cilantro. Since hot air can greatly affect the flavor of the finished and dried herb, you might want to avoid using heat if you want to enjoy flavorful dried cilantro. Air drying or hanging drying is a better way to dry cilantro. Gather the stems of the herbs into a small bunch and secure them with a string. Place the bunch in a dark, well-ventilated area and hang it upside down. Alternatively, you can wrap the bunch in a brown paper bag to keep the cilantro from getting dusty. After the bunch has been hanging for about a week, begin to check its level of dryness every day or two. It's ready to be crushed or powdered and stored for later use when it crumbles when touched. Cure the cilantro ahead of time to reduce the possibility of mold growth. Put the dried cilantro in a glass mason jar to cure. Open the jar and give it a good shake every day to let fresh air into it and mix the contents. This will assist in achieving moisture content parity. If you'd like, you can also include a moisture-absorbing packet. How To Harvest Cilantro Seeds? You can harvest the coriander seeds even if you don't like cilantro leaves. The plant can grow to 20 inches when it flowers. This requires temperatures above 75 degrees. Pods will form once they have flowered, and the flowers will fade. Before being harvested, these should be green to brown in color. These pods release the mature seed when it's ready. Tie the stems with the seed pods still attached into a bunch. Next, hang them upside down in a paper bag in a cool, dry place to harvest the seeds. With time, the seeds will sprout and drop into the bag. Store your seeds in a dry, cool place in an airtight jar. Unground dried seeds can be kept for three to four years in storage. Before using dried seeds in your recipes, grind them for the best flavor. How To Harvest Cilantro So It Keeps Growing? If you sow cilantro seeds every two weeks from spring until late summer, you can be sure to always have fresh leaves available. We advise chopping them up and firmly packing them into an ice cube tray filled with water. Then, just place the tray in the freezer. These can then be added directly to hot pans when preparing soups or sauces. Or they can be dropped into hot or cold water for cooking or drinking. What To Do If Cilantro Bolts? It's time to collect and preserve your own coriander seeds once your plant produces seeds. Picture each of those tiny white blossoms turning into a flavorful spice for your cooking or seeds for the following year! In addition to being aesthetically pleasing and tasty, cilantro flowers are also excellent pollinators.  There is a short window of time when the growing seasons of cilantro and tomatoes coincide. This proves they go well together. It usually happens that my tomato and pepper plants are just starting to take off when my cilantro plants bolt, sending forth gorgeous white flowers. To maximize the amount of fruit your plants produce for you, beneficial insects that are feeding on your cilantro flowers will collide with your fruiting plants, vibrate their leaves, and assist in pollination. Ladybugs, butterflies, and bees all love cilantro flowers. It truly is a win-win! Choose Slow Bolt Seeds Seek out seed packets labeled "long-standing" or "slow bolt cilantro," as these varieties have been cultivated to endure longer in the garden. You can find your go-to slow bolt seeds that are 100% certified organic from Seeds of Change. Finding a local seed producer is another smart move. Buying local seeds means you'll be growing a climate-adapted variety of cilantro, which increases the likelihood that you'll keep it longer. Harvest Cilantro Regularly Regularly chop your cilantro leaves. This preserves the health of the plant and guarantees that the leaves of this herb are fresh when you use them. Your cilantro will continue to produce new leaves from the center of the plant if you regularly harvest it by chopping off the older outer leaves. Additionally, your chances of cutting off those immature flower stalks increase with the amount of cilantro you harvest. This will aid in postponing any bolting.  Since cilantro is incredibly obstinate, you can delay as long as you can. Cut that thick center stalk as soon as possible. After that, the plant will start to send outside shoots, giving you a little extra cilantro before it eventually bolts completely. For sun protection, surround your cilantro with tall plants. Plant Taller Plants Around Cilantro for Sun Protection Encircle your cilantro with large warm-season plants (like tomato or pepper plants) so that the taller plants can shade your herbs slightly and help keep the soil cooler as the temperatures rise. After all, four to six hours of sun is sufficient for cilantro to grow. To increase the lifespan of your cilantro in the garden, interplant it with larger plants. Wrapping Up You will need to have patience if you want to collect the seeds for your cilantro. Before seeds can be harvested, cilantro needs to blossom. Before harvesting, the resulting seed heads need to be allowed to dry on the plant for a while. Harvesting the seeds is then as simple as shaking them into a paper bag or chopping off the entire seedhead and placing it inside the bag. If you have thoughts to share or questions to ask about how to harvest cilantro, please leave a comment below. We would love to hear from you! Read Also: Asparagus 101: When, How, And How Often To Harvest? Some Facts You Need to Know About Rainwater Harvesting How to Harvest Lettuce: A Step-by-Step Guide for Fresh and Crispy Salads

READ MOREDetails
kitchen renovations

Kitchen Renovations Must be Done at Regular Intervals

Investing in decent quality kitchen renovations goes far in keeping up your workspace. You require a ledge that is solid and in addition simple to clean. Security: make beyond any doubt all your energy supply focuses are all around covered to keep up a sheltered space for children. The ledge edges ought to be fixed to maintain a strategic distance from any wounds to anybody. Flooring: The deck additionally has the imperative impact; go in for an against a slip ground surface to maintain a strategic distance from mischances while exciting visitors if anything spills on it. Additionally, as the ground surface ought to be anything but difficult to clean of the considerable number of stains and waste which will guarantee your kitchen dependably looks like new. Kitchen Renovations Must be Done at Regular Intervals: Get the most innovative kitchen renovations done in your city Dispose of single old hardware: Many individuals tend to clutch apparatuses or kitchenware to either cut expense or for nostalgic reasons. On the off chance, your apparatuses are old you have to contribute new machines to maintain a strategic distance from any likely mischances because of poor attachments or loose wiring. Kitchen Renovations Melbourne will make your kitchen look amazing Regular repairs in kitchens are necessary Get advice from experts regarding renovating your kitchen Less expensive cost and creative ideas must be considered Collect the right information before repairing your kitchens Put resources into a decent advisor: This is an essential angle you have to remember while remodeling your home. A decent advisor will offer you some assistance with understanding your space better way and aide you in the right bearing. A decent expert will likewise offer you some assistance with working inside of your financial plan and make your experience of revamping your home an anxiety-free one. There are also virtual kitchen design tools available such as this one that can help you to get ideas, and allow you can see how different treatments, surfaces, cabinets, and even colors, work together. Is it true that you are considering kitchen rebuilding? Possibly the deck is old, recolored, breaking in a wide range of spots making it look unattractive. Maybe your ledges are starting to look like something from the ice age or much more terrible, your cupboards don't match; the entryway pivots are drooping and the drawers simply need to drop out when you open them. Ask a few questions and get the right advice for renovating your kitchens You will be excited each time you stroll in and see the delightful new look of your kitchen. Also, how you'll feel when your loved ones are in amazement of your most recent creation. Read Also: Installation of Kitchen Cabinets: Best Way to Give Your Home a Perfect Facelift Kitchen design can be great with a totally revamped floor-plan or basic little upgrades to machines or equipment. Possibly you simply need to re-confront those old cupboards, or put in a new deck for the time being yet genuinely a complete re-try of your kitchen is going to give you the most fulfillment and have a greater effect on the worth included. The most solid option is to go for the most astounding quality items for kitchen renovations, if conceivable in light of the fact that you need this redesign to keep going forever and additionally look fabulous. Read More: List Of Most Durable Kitchen Flooring Installation Of Kitchen Cabinets: Best Way To Give Your Home A Perfect Facelift 5 Factors To Consider When Buying A New Garage Door

READ MOREDetails
Landscape Lighting Tips

Create A Stunning Outdoor Space With These Residential Landscape Lighting Tips

When you think about landscaping, you probably think about visiting a nursery to pick out plants or planting flowers to create a beautiful accent garden. Flowers, plants, and trees are only one part of the equation, however. You also need to think about how your landscape will look after the sun goes down. Residential landscape lighting can enhance the look of your home after dark, drawing attention to key architectural details of your house and highlighting the beautiful plants that surround it. Use these tips to boost your home's curb appeal today. Understand that landscape lighting goes beyond solar path lights Lighting up your landscape involves far more than just sticking a few solar lights along the edge of your sidewalk and calling it good. Instead, it is about creating a specific feeling in your yard after the sun goes down. When done correctly, landscape lighting can transform your outdoor space, turning it into a beautiful accent for your home. This type of lighting is not only meant to be functional but also to enhance the look and feel of your home. Decide what you hope to achieve Before you start picking out lights and deciding where to place them, come up with an overall plan for what you hope to achieve. Are you trying to make your yard safer by lighting up your sidewalk or patio area? Do you want to create a well-lit area where you can entertain? Do you want to draw attention to certain areas of your home, highlighting its unique architecture? Are you trying to improve the security of your property? By identifying your objectives before you begin, you can do a much better job of designing a lighting setup that will help you achieve your goals. Take care of an essential lighting first There are certain parts of your yard that should definitely be lit. Here are some of the key components that you should include in your overall design: Pathway lights. Any sidewalks, pathways, or entrances should be well lit to make it easy for people to see. Driveway lighting. You should incorporate plenty of light in your driveway area so that you can get to and from your car with ease. Stairs. If you have stairs leading up to your home, make sure that they are well illuminated so that people don't trip and fall. Patios or decks. Any outdoor gathering area should incorporate lighting so that it can be used after dark. Trees. If you have any trees that you want to highlight, you can easily do it with lighting. Key architectural features. You can use lighting to enhance the architecture of your home. If you have any water features on your property, you should also consider lighting them.  Choose LED lights Rather than going with halogen bulbs, opt for LED lighting. Not only do these bulbs last a long time but they are extremely energy-efficient. A single bulb can last as long as 100,000 hours. That means that you won't have to replace them often - an important consideration since outdoor lighting fixtures are not always easily accessible. LED lights can also stand up to the elements, making them perfect for use outdoors. No matter how bad the weather gets, you shouldn't have to worry about your lighting. Another advantage of LED lights is that they are extremely versatile. You can change everything from the color of the light to its intensity. This can allow you to create a completely customized look for your outdoor space. Read More : Secrets To The Perfect Bedroom Light Incorporate multiple types of lighting to create an interesting design Your residential landscape lighting design should include ambient lighting, which is lighting that shines over the entire space. It should also incorporate task lighting, which is used to provide illumination for tasks like cooking. Finally, it should also include accent lighting, which is used to draw attention to certain features of your yard. For instance, you could put a spotlight on a tree to draw attention to it. Incorporating all three types of lighting will help create a balanced, professional look that will set your yard apart from others in your neighborhood. Read More: Give Amazing Look Using Balloon Centerpieces In Wedding Smart Fun Gardening: How To Take Care Of A Money Tree Seven Simple Ways For Achieving Cozy Bedroom Environment: For Perfectly Night Sleep Using Feng Shui In Your Bathroom Design Experts Recommend: Top Interior Design Trends For 2017 Mirror Decorating Ideas To Style Your Bathroom  

READ MOREDetails