If you’re like most homeowners, you dread cleaning your living space. Even if you’re a particularly tidy individual, it’s easy to slack on household chores when you’re amidst a busy week. However, by cleaning just five areas each day you can avoid long and tedious cleaning projects in the future.

Sinks – Whether it’s in the kitchen or the bathroom, your sinks take a lot of daily use and abuse. Wipe down these areas at least once per day. In the kitchen, wash your dishes after each meal to keep them from collecting for several days. In the bathroom, wipe off hair, soap scum and other messes before they harden.

Countertops – The countertops of your home should be wiped off after each and every meal preparation. However, they may also need daily de-cluttering. Instead of allowing mail and other loose pieces of paper to stack up, go through your mail each day. Immediately discard junk mail into your recycling bin and file your bills.

Kitchen and Bathroom Floors – As the two highest traffic areas of your home, the kitchen and bathroom floors are magnets for crumbs, spills and germs of all sorts. Sweep these floors once every day and mop them at least once a week to keep sticky build up from forming under your feet.

Laundry – Doing a load of laundry every day is a bit impractical, but you should at least organize your laundry each day. Gather up discarded clothing, towels, linens and other items and sort them into the correct pile. This will cut back on your prep time when laundry day rolls around.

Toilet Seats – If you just cringed, you’re not alone. Cleaning a toilet is about the least glamorous job anyone can complete, especially if you live with other people. However, by quickly wiping down your toilet seat with an antibacterial or all natural cleaner of your choice, you can cut down on the spread of contagious sicknesses within your home.