We have spent far more time at home in the last year or so due to the pandemic. Lockdown meant staying home and binging countless seasons of the latest Netflix series. Our homes became multifunctional, and every space had a new purpose.

As we spent more time at home, our spaces became messier and more difficult to keep tidy. After all, no one expected their home would need to be simultaneously a school, playground, gym, and office. Storage specialists, Hammonds Furniture, found that daily cleaning time increased by a whopping 36% in the pandemic.

Although lockdown restrictions have been lifted, many of us are still spending more time at home. Here are a few tips on how to keep your home as tidy as possible.

Have a place for everything

Everything in your home should have a purpose and a place. Anything related to the kitchen should be stored in the kitchen, and vice versa for all the other rooms. If it doesn't fit in that room, you either need to rethink your storage system or get rid of it. Your home needs to be functional above all else. There's no point having things and no place to put them.

Streamline your possessions

It's time to embrace your inner Marie Kondo. The easiest way to keep your home tidy is to have less stuff in it. It's difficult to clean a home when there are things on every single surface. If you like the maximalist style, try pinning things on the wall for decoration to keep them off the main surfaces.

You need to learn to get rid of things that you don't need anymore. Go through every room in your home and ask yourself, "does this item bring me joy?" Sometimes you can get stuck in the trap of keeping things just in case you need them. If you haven't used it in the last year, say goodbye and donate or sell it.

Find clever storage methods

The organization is the key to storage. You need to find organizational systems that work for you and your family. For example, instead of having all your clothing in one wardrobe – you could store your nonseasonal items under the bed. You can create more room in the wardrobe, so it's easier to put your clothes away and get dressed.

You need to think about how you use your home. You might live a busy life where you don't have time to carefully arrange the spice rack in alphabetical order. In this case, hidden storage is the best option for you. Your cupboards can be as messy as you want because there is a door to conceal the chaos.

Take a step back and reassess your home's storage system.