Most people prefer their homes to be reasonably neat and tidy at all times. However, if you have a job, a family and a social life, it can be very difficult to keep on top of household chores. Here are some tips which will enable you to maintain a perfectly pristine home, regardless of how busy you happen to be.

Clean as you go

Like most people, you're probably quite familiar with the feeling of dread that comes with facing a week's worth of filthy dishes or a living room covered in a mountain of clutter and thick layers of dust. Having to devote hours upon hours to cleaning up this type of mess can be both mentally and physically exhausting. It also consumes a lot of your spare time, preventing you from socialising, relaxing and enjoying yourself during your days off work.

Adopting the 'clean as you go' approach means you'll never again have to experience the stress and exhaustion that accompanies cleaning up an enormous mess. It also ensures that, even if you live a very hectic lifestyle, you can keep your home in good condition. If any visitors pop round unexpectedly, you won't have to endure the panic that comes with frantically trying to tidy up before they arrive or the embarrassment of them seeing your house when it's extremely untidy.

To employ this method, simply get into the habit of doing a little bit of cleaning each time you make any type of mess. So for instance, rather than leaving the breakfast dishes on the table in the morning, spend just one minute or so putting them into the dishwasher. If you accidentally spill coffee grounds on the floor, sweep them up immediately. If a bit of sauce spills onto the hob when you're heating up a meal, wipe it away before you sit down to eat.

Another element of this approach is to make the most of those free moments when, for instance, you're waiting for your food to heat up in the microwave or for the bath to fill up with water. Instead of just standing around, spend those five minutes sweeping the kitchen floor or giving the bathroom sink and mirror a quick wipe down with a damp cloth. The cumulative effect of these seemingly small actions will become evident after just a few days of adopting this method.

With the smallest amount of effort on your part, your home will begin to look significantly better, and you'll get to spend your days off having fun, rather than doing chores.

Outsource your laundry

Laundry is arguably one of the most time-consuming and tedious household chores, particularly if you have a large family. The constant sorting, washing, drying and folding can be very tiring, especially for those who have demanding jobs or a lot of other responsibilities. This task gets even more complicated when there are stains that need to be removed or wrinkled garments that need to be ironed.

Many cleaning experts recommend doing at least one load of laundry each day; however, if you've already got a daily to-do list that's longer than your arm, this simply isn't practical.

If you'd rather not wake up an hour early every morning just to get some clothes washed before you get on with the rest of your day, it may be worth outsourcing your laundry, that is, hiring someone to handle this chore for you. If you usually do several loads a week, this could free up a huge amount time.

Furthermore, the money you spend on a mobile wash & fold laundry service will most likely be offset by the savings you'll make from not having your washing machine and dryer running for several hours each day.