Professional organizer Michele Delory believes a clean and organized home can inspire joy and happiness, but you’re not alone if you find that doing the cleaning is less than inspiring. So, here are Michele’s practical tips and ideas to get you started.

Just 10 minutes
Michele suggests that your house can stay cleaner by devoting just 10 minutes a day to short cleanups rather than taking on marathon whole-home cleaning sessions once every few weeks.

A dedicated 10 minutes each day to refresh surfaces and floors or tackle one room at a time can keep you actively thinking about cleanliness and its importance in your daily life.

Plan ahead
“By developing a weekly cleaning routine, you can ensure that all areas of your space get attention over the span of your schedule,” says Michele. “With a routine and maybe a list, you can also avoid deciding each day which task you might want to tackle, because after a while your routine becomes just that – routine.” Using a free online resource like downloadable habit trackers or cleaning guides can also keep you on track throughout the week.

Put it away
Studies show that you can greatly reduce messes by putting things away, not down, when you are done using them. This pre-emptive action helps you avoid creating messes in the first place and can reap big rewards.

Listen up
To help create the most positive overall experience when doing chores, experts suggest listening to music or a podcast while you work. You could check out a new album or gain new perspectives by tuning into your favourite show – in either case, you’re getting something done and entertaining yourself at the same time.

Grab and go
To make things even easier for yourself, gather all your cleaning supplies and put them in a caddy or bag. That way, whenever you go to clean anything, all the tools you need are ready for you, and you won’t have to waste time locating that brush, spray or cloth.

One of Michele’s favourite tools to have on hand is a mini vac, such as the Tineco Pure One Mini S4 smart handvac. “It’s perfect for preventing accumulation of dust, crumbs or even pesky shavings,” she says. The handvac is available at Costco and comes with a smart sensor that turns from red to blue as you clean so you know you’ve picked up all of the mess.