how to clean your house after covid

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1. They put away their clothes every night.
When you're changing into your pajamas, it might be tempting to just toss your clothes on a chair or even on the floor, but don't fall prey to that lazy trap. It takes a couple of seconds to put them in your laundry hamper or return them to your closet. You'll be thankful that you won't have to spend extra time rounding up stray socks all over your room when it's laundry day. Same could be said when you're trying on an outfit or when you've just finished doing your laundry.

2. They don't own extras.
What are you going to do with a dozen sets of sheets or five cheese graters? If you don't need it: Edit, edit, edit. You'll be saving much more space.

3. They keep a paper trail to a minimum.
It's easy to leave stacks of junk mail, delivery menus, and old newspapers on every surface of your house. Create a good filing system to save the important documents and toss the rest.

4. They wipe down every surface after use.
Let's be real, the less grime build-up, the easier it is to clean. Mildew, grease, and food stains are not a good look for your house.

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5. They don't have beds piled up with too much stuff.
Sure, it's nice to have some decorative pillows and throw blankets to maintain a perfectly styled bed, but let's keep it to a minimum. The fewer steps it takes to make your bed every morning, the more likely you'll actually do it.

6. They put their shoes and coats away.
It's common for an entryway to have a shoe pile-up or for coats to be haphazardly placed on the entry bench, but it sure doesn't look tidy. Put your shoes in your closet or place a shoe rack near the door. Make sure to hang your coat as soon as you take it off.

7. They never let dishes pile up.
This one's pretty much a no-brainer, but taking a few minutes to do three or five dishes is way better than doing 15 at the end of the week.

8. They put things back where they came from.
If you do this, you won't have a precarious stack of DVDs, magazines, books, and toys on your coffee table. This habit makes the panic-filled, 5-minute clean-up before guests arrive a little better.

9. They dust and vacuum on the regular.
A few minutes of dusting or vacuuming at least 2-3 times a week will save you from doing a deep clean on the weekend when you could be relaxing.

Sarah Yang Web Editor I'm a web editor at ELLEDECOR.com, Housebeautiful.com, and Veranda.com.

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