1. Scents. When your home smells cleaner, it feels cleaner too. As the fall weather gets colder, you can’t necessarily keep windows open to freshen up the air, so use a few tricks to keep the air smelling fresh; use scented dryer sheets in cupboards that need a fresh boost. Use natural products whenever possible; for example, fill a small pot on your stove with water and add lemon peels, cinnamon sticks and cloves. Simmer on the stove for a few minutes until the delicious fall smells fill the air. Another trick is to use a few branches of eucalyptus in a closet or musty room, and replace it every few weeks.
2. Floors. Clean floors go a long way to making your house look, feel and even smell clean. Sweep or vacuum up dust every day if you can, then give your floor a good wash once a week.
3. Garbage. Empty all the garbage cans throughout the house especially any in guest bathrooms if you’ve recently had company, as those are often forgotten. Put garbage into one big bag and put it directly into the trash can outside.
4. Clutter. Even a clean home can feel messy when items are lying around, like newspapers, mail, shoes, clothes, books, electronics, etc. Every day, go through the most used rooms in the house (typically your main floor) and de-clutter the space. Have a box or cupboard in every room where you can temporarily store items until you have time to sort through it more carefully.
5. Shiny surfaces. At least once a week, go through your home with window cleaner and a clean microfibre cloth, and make all your shiny surfaces sparkle. Clean the finger prints and paw prints from windows and glass doors, buff away toothpaste splatters from mirrors, and rub away water stains from faucets to keep these surfaces gleaming.
6. Kitchen counter tops. Remove everything that shouldn’t be on your kitchen counters, then spray your counter tops with kitchen cleaner. Wipe clean, then use a dry microfibre cloth to dry your counter, so they don’t streak.
