Garance Galore

Hi beauties! 

I hope you are doing well. The weather is getting colder here in Malta and I am l o v i n g it ! There is something so special about this time of the year – it just screams coziness! And there is nothing cozier to me than a clean, tidy and cinnamon smelling home.

Today I’d like to share with you a few tips that have been very useful to me to maintain a tidy home (most of the time) even on my busiest days. I hope you find them somewhat interesting!

The timer method

The timer method is quite self-explanatory: You set a timer for 10-15 minutes and clean as much as you can! This helps get started, and most of the time I would turn off the alarm and keep going! 

Room by room 

I used to be such a messy child and teenager, so when I started living alone, keeping an organized house on a daily basis was extremely difficult for me. I just had no game plan. I would let the mess build up & do a huge cleaning session once in a while, but tidying room by room helped me get less overwhelmed.

In each room, I would start putting things where they belong and arrange them (folding, making the bed, arranging the pillows, etc.) & only then start the actual cleaning (dusting, vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, etc.).

Tidy as you go

This one was especially HARD for me, as I mentioned before; I am a former messy kid and had to build this habit. I would force myself to do things right away and that’s the ultimate secret.

It takes discipline & willpower, but before you even realize it, it becomes a reflex. 

Reset

Resetting my home is such a pleasurable moment for me. I try to do it every morning and every evening. This means putting the dishes away, folding the blankets, cleaning the kitchen counter… All these small details add to the overall tidiness of your home.

The nice thing about resets is that they quickly become a habit; it simply becomes part of your routine so after a while, you do it without giving it much thought. 

Make it enjoyable

I especially love to do my tidying sessions early in the morning, just a 30- minute reset before getting ready for the day. I know some might see it as a chore, but in my case,  it’s more of a ritual that helps me wake up, relax & take the time to be grateful for the memories I have in our home.

I like to put my headphones on, open the windows & light up some incense or a candle. Customize your tidying-up routine as you please and make the most of it!

Declutter 

I love cute objects, having framed photos everywhere and small keepsakes from places we’ve been to. My fiancé and I also both have a lot of clothes, so this means; more laundry, objects to dust & more mess in general! So if you know that you are messy and lack discipline in the tidying area, do yourself a favor and engage in some minimalist content to inspire you to get rid of the clutter!

Don’t be too hard on yourself

I am not a cleaning freak, and neither is my partner. Don’t take me wrong, we do thrive when our home is somewhat in order but if we are exhausted from the day we had,  we will prioritize rest, even if that means not doing the dishes for one day. Our well-being is far more important than keeping a sparkling home at all times.

There are seasons in life when it gets harder, and there is no need to beat ourselves up over dirty laundry! 

I hope that at least one of these tips will be useful to you! Have a cozy & tidy day:)

Thanks for reading xx 

Garance