Want to know how to use the Scandinavian Cleaning Method? These are the 9 steps you need to follow to master the way Scandinavians keep their house clean.
Have you always wanted to have a home that actually look like a Pinterest photo, but even when you have invested and decorated, it ends up being messy 99% of the time? Then you are not alone. The stress of everyday life tends to get out of control fast, and suddenly your home is a mess again.
But this was never the case in the home I grew up in. I therefore started paying attention to what my parents were doing and that they were leveraging the Scandinavian Cleaning Method.
This post is all about mastering the Scandinavian Cleaning Method.
1. Tidy while you are moving around
Never miss out on an opportunity to tidy while you are moving around in the house to tidy. Make any movement into an opportunity to do something extra. My mom is brilliant at this. If my mom was going up the stairs, she would always bring something with her that needed to be in another place. This led to items like plates, cups, coats or a phone charger to never be out of place for long. The key is to not even think about it as tidying, let it just be an automatic behaviour. Always look for something to move when you are leaving a room.
2. Leave the bathroom unchanged
Another habit my parents have, is that they always makes sure that the bathroom is left behind exactly in the same condition as when they entered it. No clothes is ever left behind, you take them back to where they belong or straight to the washing. Even personal towels are removed straight and hanged up where clothes are put to dry. No personal items are left behind in the shower or around the sink. Instead, they put them straight into boxes in the drawers. They even do a quick wash over the sink if used for more than washing hands. If the shower has been used, they use a squeegee to remove all droplets right after they are done.
3. Wash up straight away
The kitchen also has the same rules as the bathroom. No dishes are allowed in the sink. You wash up, put into dishwasher and took a swipe over counter even before you start eating your breakfast or lunch. At dinner, my parents wash up as much as possible while cooking and then tidy up straight away when dinner is over. Nothing is allowed to be left behind on the counter when leaving the room. Dishwasher is always emptied early in the morning, ready for a new day.
4. Keeping hallway clothing to a minimum
Another cleaning example my mother is living by, is to only have one pair of shoes and one jacket per person in the hallway. Not even that sometimes. When guests are expected, all of their personal items gets removed. This leads to a clean first look when entering into the home. All jackets and coats are stored in a storage room, not visible at all. This also helps with minimize dust.
5. No toys outside of the kids room
My mother was always super focused on that kids items was not going to take over the entire home. Not even school books. Growing up, the only place to find kids items after I were done with using them, was in my bedroom (and playroom). I remember clearly how my mother would place all my stuff at the bottom of the staircase for me to take with me when I went up to my room. It was a perfect way to instruct me to take part in keeping the home tidy.
6. Clean on Saturday mornings
My childhood was also filled of memories of my parents both cleaning the house on a Saturday morning. They woke up and got to work straight after breakfast. Both leaned in and divided the chores equally. They washed the bathroom, vacuumed all the rooms and did a couple of cleaning items that was outstanding, like polishing the silver or organising cupboards. It was the perfect way to start the weekend in a productive way and get the most out of your Saturday and Sunday. And it normally did not take too many hours since their habit was so well developed.
7. Everything has its place
Another habit that I’m pretty sure my mother got from her own parents is that everything has a place it belongs. Even leftover buttons and old string. It all has a box and a place that makes sense. Having a place for everything makes it easier to have an overview of what you have and make it available when you actually need it. It also makes it easier to live a more minimalistic life, since you have an overview of your items and that makes you more aware of what you use and not use. If an item does not have a place, then why do you hold on to it?
8. Annual storage clean
Normally in early spring or fall, my parents would always do a storage clean. This is normally an entire weekend used to tackle something big that needs attention. It could be a basement storage, an attic, the garage or a shed. They always tends to address this topic on a yearly basis, sometimes even twice a year and could in many ways remind you of Swedish Death Cleaning. My parents do not like to hold on to items that’s not serving them anymore and this is a great opportunity to go to the tip. It was like something therapeutic for them to go there and get rid of items.
9. Make tidying entertaining or into a workout
Another habit my mother definitely have, is to make tidying and cleaning multifunctional. She always has an interesting podcast turned on while tidying. Tidying or cleaning can also be looked upon as a workout or a challenge to conquer. Shovelling snow is for example a great workout in the winter and you can clearly see the results of your labour.
These were some of the cleaning habits that I observed when growing up. My parents used a lot of the Scandinavian Cleaning Method in their process, but they also have small everyday behaviours that make sure that you can always stay on top of the everyday mess. At the end of the day, it’s the habits that will make a home look extraordinary.
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