What YOU Should Clean Every Day to Keep Your House Organized

In this week's Thursday's Tip I'm going to list for you the five things you should clean every day to keep your house organized so it's always ready for unexpected guests, but more importantly, will help you live a stress-free life.  

 
Would you be able to welcome unexpected guests into your house knowing everything was organized and tidy?
 
Or would you spend those 15 minutes running around the house like a crazy person shoving things into closets and quickly thinking up an excuse as to why your house was a mess?  
 
Research has shown that living in a cluttered, unorganized house is a major source of stress and can affect your ability to focus.  

Dishes
I'm sure we all can remember our mother's telling us to not let the dishes pile up in the sink.  And she's right.  We shouldn't let the dishes just sit in the sink and pile up.  We should always either hand wash the dishes or at least stick them in the dishwasher after every meal.  Having a sink full of dirty dishes makes a kitchen look messy.  
 
Kitchen Counters
 
After every meal you should take the time to wipe down the kitchen counters...especially at night.  A few good wipes is all you need to make your kitchen look and smell clean.  
 
Bathroom Sink
 
You should always wipe down the bathroom sink when you are finished getting ready in the morning. Make sure everything is put away as well.  That means the toothbrushes need to be placed in the draw or medicine cabinet.  And your makeup also.  Keep a spray bottle of cleaner in the bathroom and every morning spray down the sink and counters and wipe clean.  Take it a step further and spray the toilet bowl and wipe it down also.  When your children are young, teach them to clean up after themselves...especially with the toilet.  
 
Make the Bed
 
This one task doesn't require much "cleaning" but if you make the bed every morning you accomplish the first task of the day.  AND it's always nice to come home from a hard day of work and have your bedroom in order.
 
The Command Center

This is the area in the house where your keys are kept...the area where you toss the mail down onto at the end of the day.  There might even be a collection of school papers piling up.  Whatever you call this area, it's the first place that gets cluttered and can be overwhelming to come home at the end of the day and look at this mess.  Go through this area and organize it completely so that when you come home at the end of the day, there is a place for everything.