I get it. You have a lot of stuff you have to do daily. Pack kids’ lunches. Do laundry. Cook dinner. Workout.

So at the end of every night you are just exhausted. You have no desire to organize your home. You just want to kick your feet up and watch trashy reality tv.

But what if I told you there is an easy way that will help you get an organized and tidy home in 15 minutes a day?

What if I told you that you can get your entire family to help tidy up with a few simple tricks?

Would you believe me?

Well, I am breaking down how you can tidy your entire home in 15 minutes! And once you get started, you will become addicted to the fact that your home is clean every morning, you will make it a daily routine!

How To Tidy Your Entire Home In Just 15 Minutes

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What Is A 15 Minute Tidy?

A 15 minute tidy is exactly what it sounds like. It is you straightening up your entire home in 15 minutes before you go upstairs to bed. Typically when the kids are still around so they can help…but more one that in a bit.

The reason this tidy is so effective is because you are doing it daily so things don’t pile up so you can “do it on the weekend”. Because, let’s face it, that never happens. You just get more overwhelmed and annoyed by the piles. So start by doing a daily tidy for about 15 minutes. Set your timer and see how much you can do.

I always suggest starting this tidy with a basket to carry around from room to room. This basket will be your carrying basket to collect things that are out of place in different areas of your home.

Start in the lowest level of your home. Straighten up the couch cushions and pillows. Fold blankets. Put toys in bins. Anything that doesn’t belong in this area should go in the basket. Then move to the next level or room of your home. Straighten up that room, then look through the basket to see what may belong in the current room you are in. Put those items away. Then move onto the next room. Continue until you have done this in every room of your home.

Then look in the bin. Anything left, really ask yourself if it is worth keeping. Because if it doesn’t have a place now, why are you holding onto it??

As you do this more frequently, you will not have to carry around the basket because things will be in their actually spaces and you may have to carry a thing or two with you instead of a giant basket!

How Do I Do This Tidy With Young Kids?

This is such a great routine to start with kids at the end of every day. This was the start of our bedtime routine when my kids were younger and we still do this every night. It helps them start to calm down and is a great cue that it is bedtime soon.

We start by playing music. I like bouncy music, which may seem odd since it is the start of our bedtime routine. But I found that the kids do really well jumping around before we would take a bath and read books to get those last minute energy balls out.

During the music time, I would have each kid pick a type of toy they were going to put away. Kids ages 2-3 can do 1 type of toy at a time. So, for example, I would say “find all the cars and put them in the bin.” This was specific and they were able to complete that one task. Then they would get another type of toy to put away.

As they get older they can clean up more types of toys. But remember, “clean up” is super vague. Be specific when telling kids what you expect them to do. “Put the cars in the bin” is specific and clear. Clean up is not.

Want more tips? Check out these posts you may enjoy:

10 Tips For Tidying Your Home With Kids

How To Do An End-Of-Night Clean-Up

How To Set Expectations For Kids So You Can Have An Orderly Home

What About My Spouse?

I get asked this question a lot, and I have a few ideas that help the spouse during the 15 minute tidy. First thing I suggest is to ask the spouse which area they want to be responsible for. So, let’s say you can help the kids clean up the toys or clean the entire kitchen. This gives him some of the responsibility since you shouldn’t have it all on your shoulders.

Also, create areas for your spouse’s things like wallets. One client’s husband always had change in his pockets that were emptied on the kitchen counter. So we simply added a jar near the garage door for him to dump his money into that jar. This way it didn’t end up on the counter and was being collected in an easy to dump location.

Finally, tell them what is bothering you. See if they can find an easy solution. Don’t nag, simply say “Hey, this is bugging me. What can we do to fix this?” It is simple but so effective. I have found when I am more direct with my husband I get better responses and solutions. He always tells me he isn’t a mind reader, so why not just ask!!

Anything Else I Should Do Before I Start My 15 Minute Tidy?

Nope!! You can start tonight if you want to make a change! But, if you feel you need something else to get yourself motivated, then grab your free copy of my 10 things you can live without checklist. This checklist is perfect for anyone who isn’t sure if you need a particular item in your home! I chat about all these items during a Facebook Live you can watch here.

Tonight I want you to take action and do a 15 minute tidy with your entire family. Be specific on what each family member is responsible for. Carry around a basket to help collect things that aren’t in the proper place. Turn on some fun music to get you all cleaning up together! Then wake up the following morning to a nice and tidy home.