5 ways to keep your house clean

Assets come and go, but nothing beats the importance of your biggest investment ever -- your home. From offering you physical comfort, to giving you space to rest and reenergise yourself, a home is truly the gift that keeps on giving. As such, taking care of your home and keeping it clean and decluttered is one of the best ways of self-care. Experts suggest five ways.

A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING

Never clutter your home to an extent where there is no space to keep the things you buy. It is important to have a designated space in your home for everything and members of the family should know where things are kept. This will not only reduce clutter but also keep things organised. It may take some time to get everyone acquainted with the designated places but the payoffs are worth it.

ONE IN, ONE OUT

It may be tempting to get trinkets for one's home, especially if it's a new one. However, one must limit these purchases, especially if they see extra things in their homes, even décor pieces, that look out of place or make a space look too cluttered. A good rule of thumb is to take out one old thing, for every new thing you buy, or recycle old pieces to give them a fresh vibe. This can change up the look of the room without adding anything more to it.

DECLUTTER

This may seem rather basic and obvious but taking out one thing that you do not need each day can help you declutter much more than if you did it all at once. This is because most of us are hoarders by nature and taking out too many things altogether can make us feel jittery. Instead, pick one thing that you have not used in over six months and ask yourself if you really need it. If the answer is a no, chuck it in the bin.

TIDY UP EVERYDAY

Make your bed, tidy up the living room and put away the dishes and the laundry. Remember, tidying up is not the same as deep cleaning. Making your bed each morning can be a great way to kickstart your morning, and can make you feel calmer and more energised for the activity. It also then gives you a better view of the room and you can spot the places that need immediate cleaning up. The same goes for the other rooms and the kitchen. Even if the dishes are unwashed, as long as they are neatly piled in the sink, it can help you stake out the areas to tackle first and fast.

CLEANING TOOLKIT IN SIGHT

There is an old adage that says -- "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Cleaning up smaller messes as they occur can save you from having them pile up, requiring you to do a deep clean much sooner than you would otherwise need to. Keep a cleaning toolkit within reach so you can dust, wipe off small spills, and do the dishes every day. This can then leave you with time to tackle bigger things like laundry and vacuuming over the weekend, without exhausting you.