İstanbul
We all have various responsibilities throughout the day, many of which are essential tasks. And one of these is cleaning! If you work during the week, even managing to cook dinner after work can feel like an accomplishment. Generally, cleaning is saved for the weekend, but honestly, spending at least half a day cleaning every weekend seems a bit much. I believe I’ve found a simpler way to manage it. If you’re a very meticulous person, my approach might not be for you, as I’m talking about a basic level of cleanliness — just enough to keep things going!
After university, I lived alone for a while and had a designated “cleaning day” once a week (a habit I picked up from my mother). I used to dread cleaning days! But since I don’t like messy or dirty spaces, I forced myself to stick to them. Then I got married, and with a larger home — and some encouragement from my mum — I started having a cleaner come once a week for a half day on Wednesdays. It was wonderful coming home to a clean house midweek, but there was always something we couldn’t find, or things wouldn’t be quite the way I liked them. We continued this for nearly three years until our cleaner left her job. Since we’d built a rapport over the years, we felt it would be hard to start fresh with someone else, so we decided not to look for a replacement. From then on, my husband Savaş and I took over the cleaning job. We decided to set aside Saturday mornings for cleaning. We thought it wouldn’t be too difficult with two of us, but it didn’t work out as we’d hoped. Some weeks we’d get busy and skip it, sometimes we just didn’t feel like it, and other times we’d only do a half-hearted job. It was frustrating to see dust bunnies floating around all the time.
Then we moved to London. For the first three months, we stayed in a single room with a bathroom. The room barely got messy — fewer belongings, fewer responsibilities! This was when I discovered minimalism. We didn’t really need a designated cleaning day. Later, we moved into a place with a bit more space — one bedroom, one bathroom, and a kitchen — but still managed without a cleaning day. We were able to maintain the habit of keeping everything tidy from our first home. After that, we moved to an even bigger place, and while the responsibilities grew, we still managed to keep the house reasonably clean and tidy. I think the principles of fewer belongings and constant tidying helped us maintain it to some extent.
Then Zeynep was born, and we completely lost track! With no outside help, we were handling a baby, work, meals, cleaning… Something had to give, and cleaning naturally fell by the wayside. For nearly three months, our entire life revolved around our bedroom. We did what we could to keep Zeynep’s area clean, but that was all. Then as Zeynep grew, we realised we had to take cleaning more seriously. With her crawling and me back at work, it became essential to create a cleaner environment, especially for her health. I mentioned in my “The Power of 20 Minutes” article how I approached this task. A designated cleaning day was out of the question, and even a cleaning hour was impossible. So, I returned to the principle of constant cleaning!
Today, I’ll share my 5 golden rules for keeping things clean!
Rule 1 — Constant Cleaning!Our first rule is simple: instead of dedicating one day a week to cleaning, use any small gaps during the day to tidy up. Making coffee in the kitchen? If it takes five minutes to brew, use that time to wipe down the counters. After brushing your teeth, give the sink a quick wipe. After a shower, give the stall a quick scrub. Make the most of every moment to tidy and clean!
Rule 2 — Keep the Kitchen Clean!For me, if the kitchen is clean, the house feels clean! The kitchen is, in my view, the quickest to get messy. With both of us working from home and always eating at home, the kitchen can easily get out of control if left untended. Put the dishes in the dishwasher immediately after meals, and quickly tidy up the kitchen while the food is cooking. This will make your life incredibly easier. If there’s a pile of dishes and I have a short break, I aim to wash at least 10 items and leave it at that. It often ends up being around 15, and I manage to tackle what initially seemed like a big job.
Rule 3 — Do One Thing for the House Every Day!I set this as a rule for myself over a year ago. It’s essentially in line with the constant cleaning rule, but it’s about building a habit. If you make it a habit to do at least one thing each day for the house, you’ll never need a big cleaning day again. Every day, I ask myself, “What have I done for cleaning today?”
Rule 4 — Keep Clutter Away!The key to this whole process is fewer items, fewer responsibilities, less cleaning! Regularly decluttering your wardrobe is one of the best habits you can develop. If you don’t know what’s in your wardrobe, chances are you have more than you need. Make sure that anything new you buy is genuinely needed and that the old one is beyond use. This applies to kitchen tools and anything else you bring into the house. Only buy something once you’re certain it’s essential and that you don’t have a similar item already.
Rule 5 — Be Generous with Cleaning Tools!Having the right cleaning tools makes the job easier. Invest in a good vacuum, the best tool for window cleaning, and high-quality cloths for dusting. Since our aim is to clean efficiently, these investments will save time and effort in the long run. I splurged on a pair of dusting cloths last year, and they were worth every penny — they make tidying up quick and easy.
Finally, remember that cleaning isn’t solely a woman’s responsibility. Everyone in the household should pitch in. If we’re making a mess together, we should clean it up together. Yesterday, Zeynep and I tidied her room together — we started it as a game and ended up with a spotless room. Start them young!
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