From accumulated dishes, things scattered around the house and beds to be made: there are many simple details that make a difference and can make your house look messy.
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

You've found your dream home in Portugal, but like any home, with the rush and busyness of every day life, it can become quite a challenge to keep the house as organised and tidy as you might want it to be. There are, however, small habits that can make a big difference and help to reduce disorganisation at home, without having to spend all your free time cleaning and tidying.

With help from the Portuguese home improvement experts at Habitissimo, it's time to have a look at some simple tips to keep your home spick and span. 

Keep everything in its place

Unsplash
Unsplash

We often leave objects scattered around the house after using or even wearing them, whether they are shoes, computers or even books. This ends up leaving the house disorganised and messy. To avoid this, try to get used to tidying up after using something. In this way, you simply avoid the accumulation of objects in inappropriate places. Another good idea is to take time at the end of the day to go through all the rooms and remove objects from where they shouldn't be and put them in the right place.

Take off your shoes when entering the house

Unsplash
Unsplash

This is a typical habit in Nordic countries, such as Sweden and Norway and it's a simple  habit that you can also adopt in your home. Create a small corner to take off and tidy your shoes at the entrance of the house, take them off as soon as you close the door and have some slippers ready to put on. This is a way of avoiding bringing dust and dirt from outside into your house, also reducing the need to vacuum or sweep so often. You can use boxes you have at home or even put your shoes directly on the floor. The important thing is to keep them at the door.

Consume food and drink in designated places only

Unsplash
Unsplash

Many people have a habit of eating in bed or in the living room, but this often causes crumbs to accumulate on sheets or stains to appear on the sofa. To avoid this, create a simple rule: you can only eat and drink in the kitchen and in the dining room. This will mean that you only have to tidy up after the meal, without having to scrub sofa stains or make the bed again to get rid of the annoying crumbs. Make this rule very clear in the minds of all family members - little by little, everyone will get used to eating only in certain places and cleaning up afterwards.

Don't let the dishes pile up

Unsplash
Unsplash

When you don't have a dishwasher, it's only natural that after a long day you feel lazy and washing the dinner plates and the pots that have been used is the last thing you want to do. This tendency to leave dirty dishes in the sink is exactly what you want to avoid - not only will you have double work the next day, but the kitchen will look very messy. You'll be able to wash and dry everything you've used in no time, and the room will be clean and tidy.

Create rules and follow them

Unsplash
Unsplash

The idea of having rules in your own house may seem strange at first, but when you see that it helps to keep the house organised, you will certainly surrender to them. Think of some rules that fit the house and your family and find ways to make everyone abide by them. For example, you can create the rule that all towels should be hung after use, or that there should be no clothes spread on the bathroom floor. Another good rule to enforce is that everyone is responsible for tidying up and cleaning what they have used.

Get the whole family involved

Unsplash
Unsplash

Assigns specific household chores to each family member. If your children are still small, you can give them simple tasks, such as organising some objects and keeping them tidy. As they get older, you can increase their responsibilities and assign them other tasks.

Make the bed every day

Unsplash
Unsplash

When you're running late for work or need to take the kids to school, the last thing you think about is making your bed. But an unmade bed shows an immediate air of neglect to the room. Try and get up just two minutes earlier and get used to making the bed every morning - it's quick and it's one less job you'll have to do at the end of the day. Get your children used to doing the same as well, so you won't have to constantly worry about their beds.