What's the house job that makes a home look clean and cosy?

[JustOneLastThing]

A bit 1950's housewife but have spent the day unpacking from holiday a week after coming home , doing washing and sorting stuff out. The house is cleaner but doesn't feel as organised and sorted as i'd like.
What can I do to bring this place make look cosy as well as clean? I am a slattern but do like to live somewhere where people don't wipe their feet on the way out .

Have a clean and tidy hall, with fresh flowers or a plant on display.

agree with no clutter at all, windows opened for a bit of breeze and flowers.

If you decide to put your home on the market tomorrow, what would you change today for the photos/viewings? It's usually a good guideline for things that need done but people don't bother.

Finnystory be nice to him. Have you seen the episode of Life in Pieces where Joan's robot Hoover commits suicide by throwing itself down the stairs because Joan, who is mortally afraid of it , has failed to realise that it is depressed. And her a psychologist!

I have managed to convince myself that if I have cleaned the fireplace with slate oil until it gleams it will somehow make the rest of the house gleam too.

Having all the labour saving devices/services.

Dishwasher
Washing machine
Tumble dryer
Robo hoover
Window cleaner
Lawn man.

It is much harder to keep tidy with cups to be washed up, wet clothes on an airer, crumbs on the floor, grubby windows. Not impossible but you can spend all day doing housework and it’s undone in 5 minutes because you’ve got to wash up again.

@CarrotPuff

No clutter is the answer. You can have the cleanest house in the world, but if there's stuff strewn on sofas, beds and clutter on cupboards and tables, it will look very untidy.

Agree with this. Put stuff away, deal with paperwork as it comes into the house - pay/shred/recycle/file.

Hoovering is good, and mopping the floors. If I make the effort to pull out furniture and clean thoroughly the house always feels a lot better.

I find houses more cosy when everything has a place

side eyes hoarder husband

Vacuuming.

Laoughing at the pillows/cushions karate chopping! Reminds me when I was little, my gran would not allow anyone in the living room except for exceptional occasions. Then she would cone in whilst you were sitting and make you stand up so she could give the cushions a pad and sort the sofa! Her room was always immaculate ( no wonder). Nothing out of place, hooverwd, dusted, windows open for fresh air. God I miss her💐

Start with a smartly painted front door and a clean step or porch.

Hallway clear of junk, shoes and old mail etc.
Kitchen worktops clean and clear.
Laundry sorted even if not done.
Beds made
Boxes or storage for everything and things having a clearly defined home so they can be easily put back and found.
Bins emptied regularly.
Nice smells.

And clean, obviously.

I think it's a combination, honestly.

Vacuuming.
Tidying/straightening up.
Making sure everything has a place.
Open windows and a clean smell.
No dirty dishes in the sink.

Basically, keeping on top of it and doing a little bit everyday.

Hoovering here, too.

Probably because you have to clear the floor of all the rubbish tidy up a little before you can do it.

Beautiful cushions, cashmere throws, glossy plants, myrtle oil in the diffusers, sparkling windows, shiny taps and a clean front step.

Vacuuming, dusting, getting rid of all the clutter. I make sure my bookcases are tidy and all the books in height order (drives my DH batty, he says they should be in publication order - so basically all higgledy-piggledy!!!) I would artistically place cushions but the blasted four legged fiend dog thinks they are all his toys. Fresh flowers.

I used to own a decluttering business. I loved my work and I wish I could still do it but life changed.

The single biggest impact you can make is to put everything away properly, or get rid of it. Paperwork, keys, shoes and coats are the items most often left messily on display in a house. Find them a home.

My second tip is to make sure your windows are letting in as much light as possible. Clean windows, with curtains pinned back when open, make a room look instantly better.

@FinnyStory

How do robot vacuum fare In small spaces with single steps and a mix of carpet and hard floor?

@ByTheStarryNight would love to hear more about your decluttering business. Similar idea to Marie Kindo?

I totally agree you need a place for everything (which I don’t have). I keep saying I need a cleaner but it’s a tidier I need! And someone to put all of the washing away, that’s half my battle in the house!

@ByTheStarryNight ooooh yes I would also love to hear more about the decluttering business! You could do an AMA

This thread is cheering me up and making me feel there is stuff I can do even in my rather tired little rented house with bubbling wallpaper, to make it feel a bit nicer.

Hoover and no clutter!

We have a cupboard named 'the cupboard of shit' especially to minimise clutter. It really is completely full of shit but it means the house (downstairs anyway) never has general 'stuff' out on kitchen sides / tables etc. I think that helps.

Clean and tidy, no clutter, nice cushions.

My mum comes to my house and displays my mess in neat piles angled in just the right position so it looks like I have displayed everything.

I think doing down the stairs always gives a house a 'lift'. It looks good when you come in.

Just put everything away!
Then if everything is away run the hoover and duster around !

3 steps: (in reverse chronological order)
3) Flowers
2) Hoover (and plump up the sofa cushions)

1. Bucket of Chaos (put any unsightly clutter in a large box/crate/whatever, and hide it in a cupboard )

The dark