A quick search on google about men and home hygiene will yield a bunch of disappointing results. Almost everyone on the internet seems to think that men are incapable of keeping their apartments clean. The sad truth is, that most single men do not pay attention to their home hygiene. And most men who are husbands and fathers don’t seem to be pulling their weight enough when it comes to home cleaning chores. We need to change this, stat. Because real men clean!
No matter what age or stage of life you are at, it is not okay to have clothes strewn around, leave dishes piled in the sink for days, walk away from a wet towel bundled up on the floor, or simply leave wrappers and takeout containers around to rot. And if you’ve been doing these things, it’s time to change them. Here are some home cleaning tips for men…
Tidy up after yourself
Leaving things strewn around will only end up with a huge pile of chores after a while. And let’s face it, no one loves chores. Instead, tidy up after yourself every day. Pop socks and dirty laundry in a basket, do your dishes after every meal and throw away dirty takeout containers before you hit the sheets. Doing these little tasks, which may take about two minutes at best, will leave you with much less to do on cleaning day. If you’re a dad, this will encourage your little ones to follow the same steps.
Pick a cleaning day
Ideally a home would be cleaned properly twice a week. However, if your schedule doesn’t allow it, pick a cleaning day and keep it fixed every week. It could be a weekend or a weekday. The idea is to get in and get out as fast as possible. To make things quick, wipe down all surfaces with a washcloth, use a vacuum cleaner to clean the floor and a steam mop or self-wringing one to mop the place quickly.
Wash the bathroom while showering
A great hack to keeping your bathroom clean and tidy is to wash it while showering. Since you’ve already got the shower going, scrub the floor and the sink, use toilet cleaner and wipe down the mirror once you’re done with your shower. And when you’ve dried off, don’t forget to hang up your towel.
Fridge cleanout
This is one of the most important and overlooked aspects of cleaning. Over the course of a few months, your fridge can get sticky and gross due to spills and food that has stayed in there for too long. So make it a habit to clean out your fridge at least fortnightly. To minimise fridge clutter, the chance of spills and dishes to clean, use lidded airtight glass containers which you can store leftovers in, pop into the microwave and eat out of.
Entry-way hack
If you end up keeping socks tucked in shoes and forgetting all about them, place a small seagrass or rattan basket with a lid and a fragrance sachet near your shoe stand and toss in your socks at the end of every day. When laundry day comes around, simply empty the basket into the washing machine.
Folding laundry
While it may be tempting to let washed laundry pile up for the weekend, tackling a single load when it dries is the best way to keep things folded and tucked away neatly. Pick two days per week to do laundry. Once clothes are dried, fold them up while watching a TV show and it won’t even feel like a chore!
Keep things organised
So many of us have heard our parents tell us to stow things back away the moment we’re done using them. Turns out, this can be a really helpful hack while adulting. Tucking things away into their places can eliminate the pile-up of clutter which would be much harder to clear at a later date.
Add an incentive
If you really hate cleaning and doing chores, as most of us do, add an incentive. Maybe reward yourself with a favourite meal while you’re done, or some down time to spend gaming or practising a hobby. The prospect of a reward helps one stay focused and gets the job done.