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Keeping a Clean House: The 1-Touch Rule

I find my house doesn't clutter up when I follow this simple rule my husband taught me

Keeping a Clean House: The 1-Touch Rule

As I mentioned in my post on Fighting in Marriage, my husband is a bit…tidier than I am. Keeping a clean house is very, very important to him. I wasn't aware of all his tidy habits until we got married. Our first week into marriage he sat me down and said, “Hey. Can I teach you something I like to call the 1-touch rule?”

Keeping a Clean House 101: The One Touch Rule

I find my house doesn't clutter up when I follow this simple rule my husband taught me

My husband then proceeded to say:  “Let's say you come in from outside and take off your jacket. You then conveniently drape your jacket across the back of the couch and go about your next activity. Next, someone comes over and wants to sit on our couch so you quickly move it to the counter.  Later you are making dinner so you finally move your jacket to your closet.  How many times did you touch the jacket before you put it away?  3 Touches.  Let's say you come home, take your jacket off and put it straight in your closet…how many touches would that be?”  He then excitedly exclaimed “ONE TOUCH!”  And then he grinned as if he had just given me all the secrets to a successful life.

So there you have it:  “Keeping a clean house 101” straight from the mouth of my darling husband.  It sounds a little “no-brainer,” but it really does take some training for my brain to learn not to just set things in a different spot where they do not belong.  It also takes a deliberate effort to make sure all of your belongings “have a home,” a place where they belong.   Also, stop by houseoforder.com. My friend Marie Ricks updates her homepage every day with a daily cleaning task that will keep your house “up to par” year-round.  If you're anything like me, I'd much rather have a daily cleaning schedule and spend 5-10 minutes a day (sometimes less) doing one extra small cleaning task than spend two weeks spring cleaning! UPDATE: it looks like she stopped blogging, but she has some amazing tips in her book Organize as You Go. Or you can read my post on Time Management where I list all of the best ideas that she taught me (she helped me overcome my laundry problem). That woman is an incredible organizer!

My other favorite tip for cleaning is using microfiber cleaning cloths! I went to a Norwex party once and was so thrilled with everything the magic cloths could do WITHOUT using harmful cleaners, but felt the products were a little pricey. Fast forward 5 years later, I have made the switch to Norwex products with almost everything. The cost is made up for in what you save by not having to buy cleaning products and other things like paper towels, etc, and other microfiber cloths I tried just didn't compare.

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I have since ordered Norwex for cleaning everything in my house and I love the products. See current Norwex sales here.

What are your tricks to keeping a clean house?

Make sure and stop by our main Home Organizing Hub for lots of amazing ideas!

This rule has changed my life, and the feel of my home.

The Food Substitutions Bible
  • The must-have convenient reference guide for every home cook!
  • Includes more than 8,000 substitutions for ingredients, cookware, and techniques.
  • Save time and money on by avoiding trips to grab that "missing" ingredient you don't really need.
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
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