Can you make your house look clean without actually cleaning?

Have you been to someone's house that looks amazing, yet they claim they haven’t cleaned in a while? How come your house, which you clean weekly, does not look nearly as good as theirs? What are you doing wrong?

Those are questions most of us have asked ourselves. This article is going to explain why this is happening and if it is actually possible to make your house appear clean while not really cleaning it. The answer is both yes and no. You surely will not get away with zero cleaning activity. However, small tasks like decluttering or wiping dust can really make a difference in that case. We will give you some tips on what to focus on when you want to make your house appear cleaner without actually cleaning and scrubbing for hours. Firstly, you need to understand that there is a difference between cleanliness and orderliness. Have you questioned if those houses that appear so neat and orderly are actually properly clean? Even though both are equally important, sometimes a messy house can actually be clean or the opposite - a tidy house can in fact be far from clean.

However, talking about houses looking clean and tidy, achieving that is totally possible. You do not need to actually spend a whole day of each week thoroughly cleaning all rooms and corners. There are several tips we have prepared for you that will help you achieve that neat look without putting in too much effort. Here is what you have to keep in mind:

• The visibility rule

Not following this rule might be the reason why your house does not look so neat even after you spend hours cleaning and scrubbing. The rule is all about starting with the visible places in your home when cleaning. Even if you feel the strong urge to start at the back of your closet or garage, leave those places for later. Why would you rearrange your sock drawer when your kitchen counters are piled with dirty dishes. Always start with the places that are most visible. Spend your cleaning energy on everything that is seen and people will notice as soon as they walk into your house. Do not ignore the hidden areas forever but definitely do not focus on them straight from the beginning.

• Clean clutter

Yes, as weird as it sounds, it is a thing. These are things that make a clean house appear messy. For example - a pile of laundry left on the couch in the living room - it does not make your house dirty, not even messy. However, it gives the impression that your house is messy. Whenever you notice something like this, take 5 minutes to put it away. Same goes for glasses and dishes on the dish rack. There is a difference between taking a mug from the cupboard and the rack, same with socks from the pile. Those are simple things you can do on a daily basis. They will definitely help make your house look cleaner.

• Your house will never look like someone else’s house

Houses and people are all different. You should understand that you and this person whose house you envied have different understandings of cleanliness. You also have different lifestyles. If they can spend 5 hours a week cleaning, you maybe can’t. It is not a competition and you should not constantly compare yourself and your house to someone else’s. In the end, the thing that will help you the most is developing habits and being consistent. As long as you keep performing your chores regularly, you will not have to worry about the bigger mess that often.

The best thing you can do is create a plan. List all the chores you need to do and how often you think you have to perform each one in order to maintain the proper condition of your house. Create a different list of chores for every day of the week and make sure they are all done.

Another tip we have for you would be - Don’t leave things for later. Postponing will not do you any good and you might as well just get it over with. The issue with the laundry that we mentioned earlier could easily be resolved if you just fold and put the clothes away straight after you are done washing them. This problem mainly comes from attitude. Whenever performing chores you may get excited that you are almost done and leave the final tasks behind. That will not only cause you to lose concentration but also create this messy look in your house. Believe us, it is about the little things. That sock on the couch, the little paper towel left in the bathroom or the coffee cup left on the table in the living room - remove them and your house will look 10 times better.