Your parents just dropped you off at school, or you just scored your first apartment, and the chaotic energy of moving in has worn off. You’re probably wondering where on earth all of this stuff is supposed to go. If you’ve never been responsible for tidying and maintaining your own home, it might be overwhelming. It’s okay. It just takes practice.
Getting into the habit of cleaning up after yourself, even when life is crazy, is really one of the best life hacks out there. The floor might need mopping, but at least you’re not tripping over your shoes. It’s not about living in a pristine home; it’s about making life easier. When you think of cleaning as a group of small habits, it becomes much less overwhelming.
Chores go faster: The deeper cleaning gets done quicker when you don’t have to spend time putting away all of your stuff.
Entertaining is easier: When your mom texts you that she’s 5 minutes away, it’s easier to make things presentable without shoving everything you own into the closet (I’ll touch on speed cleaning in a later post). Last-minute entertaining will be a breeze.
Get out the door faster: When your things, like keys, wallet, phone, and shoes, have a home, you won’t spend precious minutes trying to find them.
Where do I start?
The simplest way to clean up after yourself is to clean as you go.
In your dorm: Keep your stuff contained. Wash dishes and empty food trash as soon as possible to keep odors (and bugs!) at bay. Keep your laundry in a basket and utilize the space under your bed for storage.
Cooking: Put away ingredients that are no longer needed, wipe counters, and wash dishes while you’re preparing a meal. If you have a tiny workspace, it will make cooking less stressful because you’re not fighting for space. And cleanup after your meal will be so much easier.
Post-meal: Wash your dishes and wipe the counter. It’s especially important to put food away properly. Food that’s been left out or dishes that are left in the sink for long periods of time can attract bugs, and now you have a whole new problem.
Getting ready for the day: Wipe down the bathroom sink (especially if you’ve shaved) and the floor if it’s wet. Put away your grooming products. Take any used towels or washcloths to the laundry.
Returning from home or work: Put away your coat, lunch, dishes, and other belongings. Hang your keys on a hook or clip them to your bag. Have a designated spot for your shoes. It will make leaving the house a lot less frantic.
The main idea is that if you make a mess for any reason, take ownership and clean it up. It may seem like a small thing, but it makes a big difference in making your home feel like a home and not a storage space.
What if I own an item and don’t know where to put it?
Think about the first place you’d look for it and put it there. Just make sure it’s not in the way or cluttering up someone else’s space. Things you’re always hunting for, like charging cables, can go in a drawer or a basket. Important documents can go into a safe, a file folder, or even a dedicated drawer. If you have a couple of tools but no toolbox, they can go into a drawer or an inexpensive caddy.
My roommates are slobs
Living with people who are not your parents can be really fun…until you realize you’re the only one keeping the bathroom from becoming sentient. Or maybe the nice cookware you just treated yourself to is full of your roomie’s burnt dinner. One of the harsh realities of living with others is realizing that you probably have different definitions of clean.
Unfortunately, you cannot force someone to clean up after themselves. Of course, when you live with others, life is happening to them as much as it’s happening to you, and it’s normal not to have a perfectly clean space all the time. But there are some situations where their mess becomes your problem.
How to deal
Talk About It: Try to bring it up in a neutral and non-confrontational way. Approach it like a shared problem. “I wanted to talk about how we can both keep our shared spaces clean.” Maybe suggest a chore chart to make sure they’re distributed fairly.
Make It About the Issue and Not the Person: “We should take turns washing the dishes. When they sit, it can attract bugs.” goes over better than, “You are such a slob!”
Guard Your Stuff: If your roommate is always using your dishes and not washing them or eating your chips and then leaving the bag open to get stale, it’s okay to keep them in your room.
Escalate: If conversations aren’t working and it’s becoming unbearable, you may need to involve your RA or re-evaluate your living arrangements.
In the end, you can’t change the behavior of someone who doesn’t want to change. But having hard conversations is a valuable life skill, and even if this turns into a bad experience, you will learn the important skill of setting boundaries with future relationships.
So now you have the basics. Let’s get a stash of essentials you’ll need to level up.
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