Cleaning Tips for Messy Students
It’s well known that students are not the cleanest people. You hear the horror stories of walking into a student house with rotting dishes on the side, trash left everywhere and a very random stain on the side of the wall. However, cleaning is a great way to improve your personal stress levels, help you relax, and has been attributed to helping you focus.
When you’re finally on your own, it’s important to get into these habits that will be carried into your adult life. If you’re having trouble figuring out how to get started, check out these easy cleaning tips for messy students!
1. Follow the 10 Minute Rule
One great tip for students who are still getting in the swing of creating good habits is the 10 minute rule. The 10 minute rule states that if it can be done in 10 minutes or less, just do it while you’re thinking about it to get it over and done with. This helps combat laziness and procrastination as it forces you to get up and get your task done.
It reminds you how quickly it takes to get a job done and you wind up feeling productive because you managed to squeeze in a little cleaning session during your day. Whether this is wiping off the countertop, cleaning your dishes, or putting your laundry away, you’ll find that most quick cleaning will take you less than 10 minutes.
2. Always Leave a Room Better Than Before You Went in
Whether you’re in the living room, kitchen or bathroom, always try to leave it cleaner than when you went in. This helps you keep areas clean without having to do a massive clean all the time. Try to clean up whatever you’ve used when you were in that room. Whether you were in the kitchen and your stove got messy or you used the blanket on the couch, make sure to leave the room either the same or better than when you went in.
One good way to start getting into the habit of this is by making your bed. You always hear people talk about making their bed and it’s because it’s a small-time investment that makes a big change in your proactivity levels. By getting into this habit, it will help you realize how easy it is to change the cleanliness of a room and motivate you to continue doing it throughout the rest of your student house.
3. Make Tidying Fun
While tidying and cleaning might not seem like the most exciting task, you can find a way to make it more exciting by jazzing it up. Blast some music. Put on a show. Or just take the time to clear your head. Tidying can be a very tedious task but it can also be very rewarding. Cleaning has been found to have very positive effects on our mental health as it helps us gain a sense of control over our environment.
If you’re having a hard time finding a way to make cleaning fun, try to give yourself little treats in between your sessions. Maybe every 30 minutes you stop and have a piece of chocolate. Or try telling yourself that after 45 minutes, you can watch that episode you’re so excited to see!
4. Get Everything Off the Floor
One thing that students tend to do is throw things on the floor when they don’t have a place for it. For example, everyone knows of “the chair”. The chair that continually compiles pieces of clothing that just can’t be hung up right that moment but needs to be put somewhere. One way to start decluttering your student housing is to get everything off the floor and placing them in their proper place.
Try avoiding areas such as “the chair” or your bed because it will most likely lead you to placing it right back on the floor. One great way to help ensure this is to have a place for everything. Know that when you’re walking into a room with a new item, you know generally that if it’s an electronic it’ll go into this area. Or if it’s a new workout top, it’ll go into the closet with the others.
Struggling to balance life as a student? Check out this video about the 5 best apps to help you stay organized!
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