Jake always rolls his eyes when I say that my apartment is a mess. There will be a few things on my floor and a bowl on my coffee table and I think my apartment is a disaster. It usually takes us like 5 minutes to straighten up my apartment before bed and everything is back to being clean again. One trick that makes cleaning up super easy is that I am very insistent on having clear counter tops. Sure, I have decor on my coffee table and end tables, but I try really hard to keep it very minimal. Even really pretty home decor can look like clutter when there is too much of it.

My kitchen is tiny so clean counter space is a must! I try to keep only the appliances I use daily on my counters and everything else is in the cabinets. All of my spices and cooking tools are in a cabinet so they are out of sight until I need to use them which is rare. Pots and pans should have a home in a cabinet so they are not taking up valuable counter top space. . At night before bed, I will put all of my dirty dishes in the dishwasher, wipe down everything and put any food back in their right place. Just having a kitchen with nothing on it makes it look so clean!

I don’t get much mail so I can easily sort it or toss it as soon as I walk in the door. I have a little entry table with a mail sorter so anything important goes there so I know exactly where it is. Paper accumulates quickly so I try to prevent it from happening as much as possible. One thing I like to keep is coupons because I always use them when I shop! There is an envelope in my junk drawer that has all of them so I can easily grab them when I go shopping.

At night, I will do a quick walk around and put items back where they belong. It takes like five minutes but really helps keeping the place look clean all week long. My inspiration is hotel rooms because there is nothing on the counters and the rooms are always relaxing. Am I the only one who can’t go to bed when their home is a mess? My closet can have clothes on the floor, my hamper can be overflowing with laundry, but as long as all of the surfaces in my apartment don’t have clutter, my apartment looks clean!