Jennifer Hunter

If your favorite part of cleaning is when it’s over, then listen up, lazybones. You can do less work and still have a clean and tidy house if you set up these strategies ahead of time to diminish dirt, wrangle clutter and keep yourself on track. It’s sooo much easier to prevent dirt from coming inside than it is to clean it up afterwards.

I’ve mentioned before how much I love splurging on getting my house professionally cleaned. I like to think I know just how to get the best cleaning experience, but to make sure, I asked my awesome house cleaner to share the biggest things she wished her clients knew. Cleaning is hard work. Hard work makes you thirsty. Be respectful of the person doing that hard work in your home and get them some water already! Your house cleaner is a professional, but not a magician.

Oh, you're not interested in getting happier?

We all work so hard to make our homes beautiful, relaxing spaces where we can host our friends and family. So what if I told you that by merely uttering one little word, you could derail all the positive, beautiful attributes of your home in the eyes of your guests? Please, I beg you, never say this! “Sorry about the mess.” “Sorry it’s so hot in here.” “Sorry, we’re out of milk.” Sound familiar?

Who wants to spend less time doing the dishes? What’s that? All of us? There’s no need to overthink it. Sometimes the answer is simply to create fewer dishes in the first place. But how? Try this simple tip. One person gets one drinking vessel a day. Period. None of this one cup for water in the morning, another one for iced tea in the afternoon, another one for more water later. Just rinse the glass between uses and keep it with you all day.

Are you an introvert who’s sworn off entertaining after too many exhausting events? Not everyone is cut out for every kind of hosting, but just because you’re not a social butterfly doesn’t mean you can’t have a good time with guests; you just have to do it the right way and play to your strengths. Here’s what you can do.

Who wants to be tidier? It’s not as hard as you think. Those people with effortlessly clean kitchens just know a few rules that you don’t — and we’re here to spill. Tidy people wouldn’t dream of going to bed with dishes in the sink. They know that doing a quick sweep for out-of-place items every night before bed will help them and their kitchen get a fresh start in the morning.