Tips For Keeping A Small Living Space Clean

Living costs are at an all-time high and it is tough to even afford a decent living space in major cities of the country.

If you’re a student or a young professional, it is most likely that your living space is pretty small.

While such places seem easy to clean and maintain, that may not always be the case.

In theory, you have very little ground to cover but in reality, small apartments are usually cramped with tons of overflowing boxes and storage spaces because of the crazy ratio of square footage to stuff.

Smaller spaces have to deal with the onslaught of all your cherished belongings – some of which could be simply of emotional value – with small nooks and crannies crammed with things of little or no use. Stuff tends to overflow out of the cupboards and storage bins.

Do you relate to such problems of space and cleanliness?

Keep reading for an effective guide of how to keep small apartments and houses clean!

Keep The Clutter To A Minimum

The biggest problem with living in smaller spaces is keeping track of all the clutter you have around you.

Are you the type who always ends up bringing something back home if you step out? There are many of us out there who may be collecting things we don’t need.

So the first step in keeping small spaces clean is to declutter. If you don’t need something, it should go.

If you don’t like something, that should go too! Ask yourself these questions and get rid of the extra things.

This will help you free up space and also reduce the places that will otherwise collect dust and make cleaning tougher.

Secondly, you must stop buying things you don’t need. You can make this a habit once you start to remove clutter, which is immensely satisfying!

Clean As You Go

It is easy to feel lazy if you spend your days at work. Once you are back, you just want to kick your feet up and relax. Who is going to care if you skip cleaning for a day?

No, that’s where you are wrong!

If you keep cleaning as and when things get dirty, you will have less piled up for later.

For example, if you try to make sure that your dishwasher or sink is clear before cooking, you can wash the dishes as you cook.

This will help you as after you’re done eating, you won’t have to clean up all the pots and pans you used to prepare your meal. Just wash the dishes you ate in!

Similarly, if you use something, clean it and replace it at the same place so that you don’t have the stress of running around later.

Invest In A Small Vacuum Cleaner

Small places get dusty as easily as big spaces do but they cannot be cleaned using large industrial sized vacuum cleaners.

Therefore, if you have a restriction of space, a small yet powerful vacuum cleaner is a great investment.

Some great examples of small vacuums are the Dyson V8 Cordless Stick Vacuum, Shark Rocket Ultra-Light Upright, BLACK + DECKER Cordless Lithium Hand Vac, Miele Compact Pure Suction Canister Vacuum and the Shark Cordless Pet Perfect II Hand Vac (especially useful if you have pets), amongst others.

Read More: The best small vacuum cleaners in the UK

Start A Labeling System

A great way to keep things organized and simplify your cleaning process is to start labelling.

Another good way is to colour-code things. This does not need to be to make things look good. The main purpose is to assign a space to everything.

Once such a space is assigned through labels, you will know exactly where what goes and how it has to be kept.

This also makes the process of cleaning so much easier as everything in the household has space that is meant specifically for it.

Keep A Cleaning Day For Weekly Maintenance And A Day Each Month/Quarter For Deep Cleaning

Everything in the house can’t be cleaned every day. You neither have the will and energy nor the need to do so.

Instead, keep a day in the week that is specifically assigned for cleaning.

This can be a cleaning day for weekly maintenance when you do all the vacuuming, change your towels and bed sheets, dust the house and clean the bathroom.

There are some things that are easily missed during the weekly cleaning day, mostly because they do not need to be done so regularly.

For such things, you should keep a day every month or quarter (whatever suits your needs better) and carry out a deeper cleaning.

Move the furniture around to get to the dirt under it, clean the ceiling above the stove and clear the drains.

You can also use this day to change toothbrushes, throw out old groceries and makeup, vacuum the mattresses and change the filter of your vacuum.

Invest In An Air Filter Or Ceiling Fan

With the rise in pollution and temperatures, dust tends to reach everywhere.

A trick to keeping it to a minimal level is buying an air filter or ceiling fan that can help the air circulation in your small space, making it tough for the dust to settle on things.

This has multiple uses as it also makes the air cleaner or room cooler, depending on what appliance you choose to invest in.

You can also get any of these best tower fans and place it at the corner of the room. They are easy to move around and help tremendously with keeping the air clean.

Keep Your Furniture Pieces Small And With Good Storage Space

Putting things away into cabinets and other multiple-use furniture pieces is a great way of keeping dust out.

It can be a table that doubles up as a bin, a bed that has closed storage space under it or simply small baskets with lids.

You can label them all or colour-code things in a way that you know which piece of furniture has what stashed in it.

Doing all these things may seem like a task now but if you make them a part of your day-to-day life, it makes cleaning a very easy activity.

You will not be struggling with overflowing cupboards or dusty side tables if you manage your time wisely and clean a little as you go!

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