A Reddit user has shared five tips that they say helped them keep on top of keeping their home clean, after another user appealed for advice on managing chores while balancing multiple jobs.
Struggling with cleaning and clutter
One person took to Reddit in a desperate appeal for help, saying they and their partner, who are both neurodivergent, work three jobs each and have three dogs, and as a result, cleaning often gets "out of hand". Posting pictures of their home, showing clothes and other items strewn around the floor, they said: "We mainly struggle with dishes and laundry, but overall dirtiness and clutter too." They added they had tried a number of strategies to keep up with chores, but found them all "difficult to keep up with".
The five tips that helped
One user, who clarified they are also neurodivergent, posted a list of five tips which they said had helped them keep on top of keeping their home clean. The first was simple: "Don't put it down, put it away," they said. "Make this your new habit with EVERYTHING."
Their second tip was to "quit buying things". They advised against buying trendy decoration items and "trinkets", adding: "Get rid of all the extra stuff you don't use or want either."
Tip number three was to do the dishes every night before bed, and to avoid letting them pile up. "Just load the dishwasher," they said. "Who cares how dirty it is - you can always run it a second time! Alternatively, empty it EVERY morning so it's ready to go that evening!"
Micro cleaning habits and extra advice
Their fourth tip involved spending five or ten minutes every evening picking up clutter while listening to music. They added: "[This means] future morning me can wake up refreshed and motivated for the day ahead - NOT overwhelmed the second I open my eyes!"
Finally, they said: "Think about your future self. Do small micro cleaning habits that your future self will thank you for. Examples that come to mind are doing my hair and makeup before an outing and coming back to a clean counter vs an explosion of makeup everywhere."
Another user added an additional pair of tips of their own. The first was: "If it takes less than two minutes to do, don't wait and just do it." The second was: "Everything has a place and purpose. I don't buy anything any more if I don't know exactly how I will use it and where it will go." Someone else suggested doing one specific chore each day rather than trying to do everything at once.
Original user's response
In a follow-up to their initial post, the original user said: "Thanks for all the tips! So many comments were very helpful and I'm taking notes (literally)! We are going to get rid of some stuff but I'm sorry, getting rid of half of our things just simply isn't possible and wouldn't bring us joy. We love our decor. We love our books. We obviously need to declutter and purge, but getting rid of everything we own isn't helpful or a solution we can get behind. Hundreds of you have suggested this. I'm happy you're all living minimalist lives but we aren't minimalist people, we just want a functional life and that's possible without getting rid of everything we know and love."
