Reader Tips for Keeping a Tidy Home “Effortlessly”

Lifehacker.com surveyed readers, seeking their favorite cleaning hacks. Here are four of the best responses:

1. Fit your house to your habits. If you tend to drop your keys on the counter when you come in the house, put a basket on the counter or hooks on the wall. If you toss your dirty clothes on the floor next to the bath door, stick a hamper there. Look at where your clutter piles up and consider adding a cabinet there.

2. Listen to podcasts. If you like a particular podcast and don't usually have time to listen, kill two birds with one stone. Enjoy that podcast while scrubbing the toilet or vacuuming the house.

3. Embrace the wait time. Put toast in the toaster... get 3 minutes to clean some dishes. Turn on the computer... get 2 minutes to clean your desk. Your daughter takes 10 minutes to get ready after you tell her it's time to go...clean the bathroom mirror. Clean little things while waiting.

4. Don't put it down; put it away! Countertops and tabletops are magnets for all things. While it may seem easier to plop your items on the first flat surface you see, it only takes an extra second to return them to their rightful place.