cleaning tips for the home.

We know it can be hard to keep your house clean all the time. Here are 10 reasons your house still looks messy, plus helpful tips on how to get your home clean and organized! You’re in the right place for easy cleaning tips, cleaning routines, organizing your home, and more.

I bet we can all agree that a clean house is pretty high on the priority list.  My home may not always be beautifully organized and neat, but it is clean. (well, mostly clean;-) These house cleaning tips can help your house look as clean as it really is.

So WHY doesn’t it LOOK clean?!

Recent statistics show that Americans spend over 60 minutes each day with house cleaning tasks.

I don’t necessarily love cleaning…it’s one of those things that has to be done.

But if I’m going to expend that much time and energy cleaning my house, then by golly, I want it to LOOK clean!

These are the reasons your house STILL may not look clean even after you’ve scrubbed and cleaned:

10 reasons your house still doesn't look clean

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1.  Too Much Stuff

Do you have to move piles of things from the sofa just to sit down?  Do you have to clear clutter from the table in order to enjoy a family meal?

If so, you may have way too much stuff.  Take a look around and see if any of these 18 things are cluttering your home.

If you need to clear the clutter from your house quickly, then this decluttering planner will make sure you don’t miss a thing.

Less stuff = less stuff to clean

related: 7 things you might be forgetting to clean

2.  Old Outlet and Light Switch Covers

house cleaning tips:  woman turning off light switch

Our house was built in 1970 and we bought it about 3 years ago.  Many updates had been made…beautiful plantation shutters, a large office add-on, energy efficient, double hung windows, and so on.

But a seemingly simple home upgrade that had not been addressed were the old, almond colored, (some paint spattered) outlet covers and light switch plate covers.

They were such an eyesore and no cleaning hack was going to change that!

A simple solution:

Outlet covers that DO NOT require any rewiring.  These babies fit right over the old existing outlet to give everything a clean and cohesive look.

And to cover those unsightly light switches without the hassle of an electrician or having to rewire…

This was such a simple house cleaning tip to make our home look fresh and clean!


RELATED READING: 101 FARMHOUSE DECOR IDEAS FOR YOUR HOME

3.  House cleaning tips: Unfinished Laundry

I used to feel like all I did was laundry.  I tried the ‘wash a load every day’ method and was miserable!

Laundry baskets of clothes sitting around your house makes it look dirty…even if the clothes are clean.

I revamped my entire laundry routine and now I only do laundry ONE day each week (for 4 people).

It has seriously been a game changer!  

Now:

I no longer have to hang out in the laundry room every single day and no more restarting the dryer for the 4th time (surely I’m not the only one!)

I get everything washed, dried, and put away in ONE day.  I don’t even think about laundry for 6 days in a row!!

4.  Too Many Blankets and Pillows

If you have enough pillows and blankets for an entire elementary school to build forts then it’s probably time to get rid of some.

Your home will look messy if you have throw blankets and pillows scattered everywhere.  Taking a few seconds to fold blankets and straighten pillows will instantly make your home look cleaner.

You can hide all those blankets in a functional little storage ottoman and extra pillows can live in a cute basket.

free resource library with printables for mom home management

5.  House Cleaning Tips for Paper

Paper will ruin your tidy house so quickly.  Paper keeps coming in so you have to put a system in place before the paper-pest takes over.

Kaitlin at The Simply Organized Home has a fantastic post on how she organizes all of the paper in her home.

Minimalist kitchen: text reads: Best cleaning and organizing tips for the stressed out mom

6.  Splotchy Bottles

It drives me bonkers when the hand soap or dish soap bottles have soap and water splattered on them.  It can make the cleanest sink area still look dirty.

A house cleaning tip that only takes a few seconds:

Give the bottles and spouts a quick wipe down and everything will look nice and clean!

bottles of hand soap

House cleaning tips for Non Toxic Cleaning

When cleaning my house I not only want things to look and feel clean, but I want to do so WITHOUT Toxic cleaners.

There are many non toxic cleaning ingredients that you probably already have at home.

Safe, healthy cleaning is extremely important to me, but so is convenience.

I like to make life easier whenever I can!

Life has been much more simple since I began using this cleaner.

For the first time EVER, I’m able to easily clean my home without becoming ill and without compromising my family’s health with toxic chemicals.

7.  Nail Holes in the Walls

Why your house still looks dirty and 10 Ways to Keep Your Home Clean and Organized - Easily Conquer the Mess with These cleaning and organizing Tips!

These unsightly little holes can sabotage the cleanest of homes.

I like to rearrange my wall hangings and wall decor from time to time but can’t stand the look of a hole left where a nail used to be.

So, I would rarely change my wall decor to prevent having to deal with holes in the walls.  Or, I would hang things in weird places in order to COVER the ugly hole!

Luckily, it’s not at all that difficult to cover nail holes in the walls.  All you need is some spackling,  small putty knife, small paint brush, and paint to match.

8.  House Cleaning Tips for Kid’s Stuff

If you have kids then you know exactly how quickly the house can go from clean to disaster!

Make sure to have systems in place for all of the kid’s things.

Placing a basket or shoe shelf next to the door for shoes can prevent dirt from being tracked onto your clean floors.  Put step stools at the sink so kids can easily wash their hands before dirty little fingerprints are all over everything.

It’s never too soon to begin teaching children how do chores and clean in the home. Not only will it help your home look and feel clean, but your kids are learning valuable life skills they will need forever.

House cleaning tips:  shoe rack with shoes next to the front door

9.  Dirty Light Covers

Even with regular vacuuming and dusting, the glass light covers and globes can still look dingy.

Once a year I take all of the light covers down and give them a soapy bath.

They look sparkling clean and the whole house looks brighter!

10.  House Cleaning Tips for Grungy Grout

When we first moved into this house, I scrubbed the grout on our tile floors with just about every cleaner out there.

And it still looked terrible.

I knew it was clean, but I still cringed every time I saw the discolored, stained grout.

It was going to be awhile before we could redo the floors, so I had to figure out a way to live with the ugly grout.

Luckily, I found an affordable solution!

Grout Refresh is a grout colorant and sealer.  It comes in many different colors you can choose from and is incredibly easy to apply.

Talk about a transformation!

This little house cleaning tip makes all of your cleaning efforts shine!

What’s preventing your home from looking clean?  Be sure to let me know in the comments! 

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11 thoughts on “House Cleaning Tips: Why Your House Still Doesn’t Look Clean”

  1. Mary Lancaster

    I like to use my dishwasher for cleaning all the glass globes in my home, and disinfecting toys for kids (I put them in a lingerie bag for the smaller ones.) Saves time and money.

    1. Angela Evangelist

      Mary, what a great idea! I’ve used the dishwasher for toys but never thought to do the glass globes in the dishwasher! I will most definitely be doing this!
      xoxo,
      angela

  2. You can also wash your shower curtains(plastic and fabric) in the clothes washer on a delicate cycle with hot or warm water setting and using appropriate soaps, bleach for clear or white l, pine soil or laundry detergent for colored.. air dry on low in dryer or hang dry elsewhere. You will be surprised at the amazing difference it will make!

  3. Great ideas! I hadn’t even realized that the switch covers and outlet covers could make a house look old, but you’re right…they do! And this isn’t a very expensive upgrade.

    1. Angela Evangelist

      Thanks so much, Derek! It’s amazing what a difference a simple *switch* can make!

  4. Abeida rashid

    Thanks i have learnt alot unforyunately i dont have a dishwasher i always wash my utensils as soon as i finish cooking,eating even after dinner. How much switch covers its better to use them

  5. What is the best way to clean an old cast iron sink with white enamel paint. I rent so it has to stay…..I’ve looked into repainting it but it’s quite and expensive process. Help,

    1. Angela Evangelist

      Hi Rhonda! I’m assuming the enamel isn’t actually scratched…just has marks on it? At our previous house, my white cast iron sink would get black marks from pots and pans. I was always able to easily remove with a bit of Barkeeper’s Friend (the powder, not the gel) and gently scrub with a cloth. Magic erasers also work well without the chemicals of the cleaner. Good lucK!

    2. I spread soft scrub with bleach all over mine, let it sit for a few minutes, then scrub and rinse.

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