How to FAKE a CLEAN home (without actually cleaning) 

10 years ago I soooo wanted to move, but my husband convinced me that there is “no better mousetrap” out there. In the same way that you can adjust to only having one instead of two spatulas, you can adjust to ANY house. Now, 10 years later, we own the house in which we live and I am so grateful that we didn’t “start over” years ago with a new mortgage. It’s ok to stay where you are.

Hi Cass! From a retired realtor my suggestion is to write a list of all your wants and needs. Needs are non-negotiations but the wants are different you; will never find all your wants without building. So what to do? Write a list of everything into two categories. When going into a house check off the lists. The one that checks all you non-negotiables and most of your wants is the winner! The only caveat is “the feeling” this happens within seconds of walking in. If that isn’t there it’s a pass. Good luck!!!

This is one of the most realistic and inexpensive way to clean your home video I have seen in a long time. Thank you.

"Cosplay a minimalist"! 🤣 That fractured me. Thank you for being so real and relatable!!!! 😁

Having moved often due to work, my experience has always been that when I find the right house, even if it's not perfect, I just KNOW as soon as I step in the front door. And I always ask the Lord for direction. Thanks for all you do!

Cas shares the best tips. Agree?!

I call my Quarantine Bin my “Trial Separation Bin”! 😂

I appreciate how ADHD friendly this is. Also the kitchen counter tip is exactly what I needed; the counters have been bugging me FOREVER

Since I discovered your channel, I have completely decluttered my WHOLE house and NOW, it really does look clean all the time!

Don’t lower your expectations. Find contentment where you are while you wait for the perfect house.

I used to help struggling adult college students. In my workshop I showed the Command Center. I'd challenge them to pick one thing from the workshop to try--then call, email or drop-in and tell me about it. 100% chose the Command Center--I showed an example using a free funeral home calendar, and old dish pan, etc, to make it real world. ( I also showed beautiful ones). All of them happily shared their pictures--magazine files made from Cheerios boxes, a dish pan, a hand made calendar in one--it was all there, but guess what? IT WORKED. They solved one problem and went on to solve more and graduate. Keep preaching the Command Center--please!!!!

Retired real estate business owner here. Wish every home seller could see this video. One big thing that causes a potential buyer to hesitate during a showing, is a dirty or cluttered home. Excellent ideas. Great video.

My mom always used to say "A neat house looks like a clean house"! Wise woman ❤

Hate to be the one to say this but your kids are going to grow up and be out of the house before you know it and you will not need all the extra space. Then your going to want to size down so stay where you are and save your money . Everything is so expensive right now maybe just do some updates at your house. Besides this is where your kids have grown up this is where their memories are , so focus on what you love about this house.

Okay, I like you! You get right to the point! You provide solutions fast! Some other organizers talk too much. SHOW ME! Thank you so much!

Nice suggestions. A few years ago, I had already organised my house the way you suggested. Another tip is to buy furniture where you can put things. Avoid "open" furniture and prefer closeable bookcases or similar that avoid spending time cleaning up the dust.

Cas, If your needs are for more home space and not more land, look at the home you already own and how you can improve it to more fit your needs. You will be creating something that perfectly fits your needs and not gaining the large morgage needed to purchase a new home that needs tweacking anyway. Love your videos and thanks for all your hard work.

After viewing dozens of houses over a couple of years, we ALMOST settled for an okay house and then backed out. I was so fed up with waiting that I was convinced we'd have to build to get what we wanted (which would've been crazy expensive!), but then it happened! We walked into an open house and knew we'd found the house for us, and 8 years later I'm still so thankful to be here. Keep yourself open to possibilities and the right solution will come! Maybe make a new vision board?! ❤

You are awesome! We have taken 23 pickup trucks full, FULL! Decluttering helps me! My husband is learning. I so appreciate what you do!

“Cosplaying as a minimalist” 😂 I can relate 😂😂😂 I got so much out of this and did it as I was organizing and it ALREADY looks nicer!! I’m cant wait to implement these around the house. THANK YOU 🙏🏼 🎉🎉🎉🎉❤

Do NOT buy a house that has things in it that will bug you forever. Do not settle, the right house will come, in the meantime, you have a beautiful home that works.

WAIT until you find the house that says ‘home’ to you. Also remember, as hard as it is to consider, your daughters are going to be out on their own in a very few years so you won’t need the space you think you need now. 💝

"swoosh it so it looks like you vacuumed it" 😂 💕 When I was little, my Mum sometimes sprayed furniture polish round before guests came to make it at least smell like she'd dusted 😂😂

Oh my gosh using a bin to get ready in the morning you just solved my worst clutter problem. I don’t know why I can’t put stuff away in the bathroom. It drives my husband crazy and I have been trying for years. I’ve tried all sorts of other organizing methods in drawer, organizers everything and the minute you talked about the Caddy. I know this will particularly work for me. I actually have a perfect caddy that I love from Amazon. We’re all the compartments are adjustable and I use that for all my manicure stuff so I’m going to buy another one for the bathroom. The reason I love it is as my needs change I don’t have to buy a different caddy because I just couldn’t re-organize the one I have by moving the compartments around and I add magnets to the inside of a couple of them so I put my manicure scissors and nail clippers right there. They’re always accessible so I’m going to do the same thing with my bathroom one and put some magnets on it and I can keep my tweezers right there always handy.

Don't buy a house just to settle. You might be in it longer than you think. The home you have is comfy and you know where all the cracks are! Buying someone elses can be a surprise. I'll never have what I wanted, but where I am is warm and safe. Updates are exciting and we are not in debt. Just my thoughts!

I absolutely love that you are so real. Not the best cleaner, maybe a little lazy. That is SO me but I am learning from you so many little things I can do to be better and make it look better. Thank you, Cas. Really, thank you.

The house we bought was definitely not my dream house, but it didn't take long for it to feel like home. There were also little things I wanted, but didn't absolutely need when we were looking for a house, like a fireplace. This house didn't have one, but we installed an electric fireplace for a fraction of the price, and it still delights me.

Love, love love my Roomba, I call it Robert and it's my best helper. Saves, so much time, energy and is programmed to work every day but Sunday. Am 95 and feel forever. You are so spot on, enjoy your vivacity! 😘

I’ve been following you for over a year and this is my favorite video by far. You took all of the tricks to keeping a tidy house and put them in one video. I have stumbled upon each of these tips on my own over my lifetime but you’ve put them all together in one place. This will help so many. Thanks for what you do!

Finally a sweet person with solutions for real actual life!

You're the best, Cass! All the other "minimalist mothers", "declutter queens" and "home organizers" (is that like a "community organizer"?) don't hold a candle to you! Your videos are inspiring, the tips totally do-able and easy to understand, remember and implement. Haven't come so far as to get a rumba. Don't like strange "beings" in my house -- unless it wants to pay rent or marry me, but I might change out the corded vacuum cleaner for a cordless. The new dogs is SOOOOO cute! God bless! (P.S. Don't buy any house that doesn't speak to your heart! Don't. The right house will come along. Do this trick to free up the mind -- look at things totally and deliberately outside the box -- things too expensive, outside the area, different styles! Some will say this is a dangerous strategy. I disagree. It frees up the mind and the expectattions. A friend went to look at a house that he knew was too small and too far away. It turned out the children of an elderly couple were fighting about the inheritance of the large gorgeous house across the street and the owner sold it to my friend at a fire-sale price just to annoy his nasty children. My friend is now good friend with the fomer owner. And you never know -- the owner of the slightly too expensive house might like your dog or you or your children, or be the first love of your long, lost aunt. Who knows? That "other" neighborhood might have hidden gems or help you rethink. If every house in an expensive neighborhood has a pool but yours doesn't, it will be cheaper. Go to "undersirable" or "off the radar" neighborhoods, "non-neighborhoods" (not due to crime, of course, but say not "in" neighborhoods -- just for contrast and for clarifying what you definately don't want). It's an exercise -- a mental exercise. Keep looking, keep looking, keep looking. The right house will "speak" to you! Also, "declutter" your expectations -- that doesn't mean settle for less or buying too expensive, but you might have an expectation or two in your mind that in reality turn out to be not as important as you thought. Identify it and put it in "quarantine". Or, maybe that "unnecessary" swimming pool is more important than something else. You never know. You'll be fine!)

Thank you so much for all this great advice. While I was looking for a carry all basket in my closet, I was able to declutter the whole closet and group like things together. Funny how we go to do one thing, and it starts the ball rolling for so many other things. 😊

House: We also we’re feeling we needed a tad bit more house when our kids were early teens. We looked and stopped. Life. By the time we looked again. Kids were part time home due to college away. Now? Still here and it’s perfect. Looking at retirement. Equity will pay for our down size home in a warmer location. Won’t lie, looking back space was tight. But, we made it through.

Wait a little longer for the house you want, or buy a piece of land and build what you want. That's what we ended up doing because we couldn't find the perfect house, so we built it. Your videos are wonderful and help messy me out so much! Thank you!

This is a real gem of a video--so many practical tips! I'm bookmarking it so I can go back to it periodically for reminders & motivation. You're the best, Cas!!! I've learned so much from you & my home & state of mind are the better for it 😊

Hi Cass I love watching you & getting great tips & ideas. I have been organizing for so many years. it's just keeping it in order. I'm learning everything is a process little by little & putting the plans in action. Decluttering is getting to be fun. Learning so much from you. Thank you for being so transparent. 💓

My parents looked for a slightly bigger house for years, mostly they just wanted a garage (not a possibility at current house) because of snow. The thing was that our house backed out onto a beautiful and protected green space behind our house. We also had amazing neighbours. It turned out it was impossible for other houses to compete, as much as my parents tried. Looking at other houses made us look at our current house and make a list of all the things that we loved- non-negotiables. They had a seasonal sunroom built on the back added a second bathroom in the basement…etc. They have now been in that house since 1974. The house has felt bigger and smaller over the years depending on residency numbers and season, though there was always a way to squeeze in guests. Do not settle! Keep looking and the right house might come along at the right time, or you may end up fitting into your current house as circumstances change and creativity inspires. At least you don’t need to do any major decluttering and organizing 😉

When we moved into our current home, we definitely did some settling, because it checked the most important boxes. Eight years later, we have chipped away at making the improvements we needed to make it closer to “dream house” status. So I guess it really comes down to: do you want something that checks the most number of boxes, or the most prioritized boxes.

You are truly blessed. I have never had a house. We were military and moved often. I have had 3 brand new mobile homes but I would have loved a house. Never had a garage, basement or attic. I too am blessed. Same husband for 62 years.

Love the quarantine bin idea. Trays and caddies are helpful too. Helpful video, very helpful. Also the location of a home is one of the most important features at least to me since you cannot change the neighborhood or surroundings. Things that you won’t be able to change are important to pay attention to and they have a big impact on your life. You can change many things when it come to decor etc.

Putting garbage cans everywhere was my first Step to a Tidy Home some 20 years ago (that journey still has no end). How messy can be an apartment, when the only garbage can is in the kitchen and it's five liters. Your little helper is such a sweetie.

A: Don’t settle, wait for the one, or make your own home better. I just moved and it’s a ton of work to move all your stuff. Yes, it helped with decluttering motivation as well. B: find ways to make your home better within your budget. If you love this house still to a degree, stay and just do what you can do to make it work for you and your family!

Hi Cass. I wish you the best of luck in finding a new home. Wanted to THANK YOU for your channel. I saw one of your decluttering videos a couple of years ago and it changed my life. Today I came across your channel while surfing and can't believe I stopped watching. Staying on top of clutter and cleaning is such a challenge for me!! You inspire me to never stop trying.

Wow, you inspired me. It didn't feel like I needed to set aside a day or a big chunk of time. I just started and ended up cleaning part of my garage. I'm making so much progress. Thank you! Your method just works.

Honestly when it comes to buying a different home, the same principles of minimalism and life really apply. Don’t buy or keep something if you absolutely do not love it. Let’s face it, a house is one of the biggest objects you will own in your life, get one that is loveable ❤️ like penny ❤️🐶

My husband and I just went through the same thing with our house and it’s the third time we’ve looked over the years. We have ultimately decided to stay because of the neighborhood and we’ll just make it work. It’s a tough decision and I completely understand how you’re feeling. ❤

Thanks for your time and help. This video means a lot to me. Right now, I'm not in a position to moved and walk around all the house every single day because, of my back pain. And you opens up my options for keeping my house in shape. Loved your tips. I'm already done some of them, but you gave me the whole package for succeed.

great vlog Cass! I adapted my needs to make it easy for hubby to stop being messy - yes, trays, bins, bowls, hooks everywhere and clothes basket and rubbish bin in bed and bathrooms did the trick. I also have no lids on any of them as he doesn't know how to use one lol!

Love the tip about the magazine holder. As soon as you said that, I jumped up and grabbed one for my desk -- perfect solution!

I love the magazine holder idea. I have a bookshelf by my chair that collects books, patterns, papers, etc that just looks messy. Organizing all that stuff in magazine holders is such a great idea!!! So simple, yet so great. Your puppy is absolutely adorable too!!! Thanks for all the suggestions. I too HATE to clean.

This video is freaking brilliant. As a chronic clutter-er, these tips will help so much.

This is one of the most helpful videos I've seen in a long time. I have watched some videos that were about really, really heavy cleaning, but how often does a person really do that. This is perfect for just everyday living.

I added a hanging laundry bag in my living room because there would always be socks and kids' clothes on the floor. It's been life changing! There's even a zipper on the bottom, so it's super easy to empty when I do laundry.

Cas!!! Thank you for such GREAT DOABLE tips and for your positive encouragement ❤

This video has heaps of great tips for keeping our homes clean and tidy. As I have back injuries along with other thing’s it’s very difficult for me to do much cleaning and I have to really pace myself your tips are awesome for me. I don’t really make my mess anywhere else in the house but my bedroom lol. I’ll be in there today putting some of your tips ti good use. Thank you. Please don’t settle for any house the right one will come along and you will know as soon as you enter it. Good luck in your search. Looking forward to your next video.

Thank you for this!! Im disabled with chronic daily migraine and have great difficulty keeping up a neat, clean home. I have clutter everywhere and i hate it!! Ill definitely try these awesome tips!!! They are so simple and doable!!!

Love this! There are some really great ideas here. My kitchen sides always feel cluttered, so I'm heading off to tackle them right now and add a box to catch the bits.

You are awesome. Awesome tips and as always, love your happy way. 😊 My kids are now 23 and 25 and getting ready to move out. It goes fast. Now we are looking to downsize. With that said, if you love your location and can’t find anything that you love, I would stay because in the blink of an eye you won’t need the space 😢

I love the idea of the quarantine box. I think that would be a perfect one for my craft stuff that I feel like I will do but haven't got to yet :) I also think it's great for other things that I am not sure I should get rid of :)

Home suggestion: What if you bought a home that was a less expensive but actual fixer and did a sponsored series called "Cas's Dream Home Renovation"? You have 3/4 million subscribers already. People love renovation stories! You are a great story teller and lots of people would absolutely tune in to find out - what's happening with the house this week? And it all builds to the Big Reveal, when you get to show all of the Before and Afters. The viewers are happy, you likely have a bunch of new subscribers, the sponsors are thrilled because more people are buying their products and services, and you get your dream home! And hey, your friend Melissa from Clean My Space probably has an idea or two I'd start by asking her what she'd do differently... 🏡😍

This is seriously the most helpful video ever. I'm going to come back to it over and over to really absorb

When we went looking, after 30 years in the same house, we walked into our house and we felt a welcoming sense right away. Although it sits beside a walk way to a college, which I wasn’t wild about, the sense of warmth, if that makes sense, was what pushed us to buy it. I want to change some stuff, but that sense of warmth we felt has never gone away. This house was a good fit for us. I hadn’t felt that in any of the other houses I had gone through. Oh we could have made other houses work for us, but this house spoke to us. I know it sounds corny, but that was what both my husband and I experienced.

You are so honest and lovely. I am recovering from health issues and our house became so disorganized because I had systems set up that wouldn't work without my working my arse off. I appreciate you and all your ideas.

You will love it. It took me 3 years, and it was frustrating at times, but so worth it in the end. It's been 15 years and I still love my house. It was definitely worth the wait.

I think there’s something about having a tray tricking your brain into reading the multiple items as just one thing (which is more simple to the eye). Love all these tips Cas!

I love the tray idea! I’m shopping for trays for all my stuff ❤ Thanks Cass! You are so amazing

omg this video is too realistic and too relatable I love it and I love how naturally sweet this lady is and she doesn't spread any perfection stress 💗

For some reason this video hit home!! It was everything I needed to hear!! I've watched so many organization videos but this one made so much sense!!

Love the tray and the tall thin basket idea. Plus the declutter box. Great stuff!!

Love the quarantine box. I’ve been doing it but but now that it has a name, I love it even more! Thanks for the ideas

Cas you're amazing. I loved so many of these strategies. Love waiting to the end for what's going on in your world and usually a funny story, I always watch to the END! Love your shirt, love you. Don't settle if you buy a house, settle where you are the right place will come along and make your heart thump!

I make my bed most days in my day. Today was too early a start lol However for most rooms a bed is a large portion of a bedroom if not the majority of the bedroom itself. So when you make it tidy its like having 60% of the room in order. It makes a difference

Awesome tips 👏! I've always hated cleaning so "Let's be lazy together" is the best saying I've ever heard 😂! I don't mind organizing though so I'm definitely going to try these 👍

Your tips are always SO great! And I will also agree that the Roomba was one of the BEST purchases I ever made!! Never regretted it even once.

Thanks Cass! By far my favorite video so far! Have a great week!!

Classic Cass: 15:59 Quarantine method of clutter-clearing to "cosplay as a minimalist." ; - D Thanks as always for life-changing tips delivered with positivity and humor! 😄👏❤

I've only bought one house...it's NOT perfect, but we def waited for that "feels like home" feeling. Trust your gut!

"when everything's visual, nothing's visual" that's so true. I've literally been LOOKING for things I know I have and digging through places I think I would or should store them if they were stored, only to do a big tidy up/declutter and find the thing hiding in plain sight!

The ONLY cleaning/organizing video that has ACTUALLY WORKING down to earth tips❤ thanks a lot fot it. I’ll probably rewatch it again a few times👍🏼😊

Short and to the point! Like combined several of your videos into one , a summary of sort 😊

This was amazingly helpful; I’m watching it again!

I absolutely love your energy and your contagious attitude ❤And, of course, your quick tips for tidy organization!!!

"Clutter catchers," sheer genius! Especially love the tall narrow basket and magazine holder ideas. Caddy system is great too. Just a great video overall, thanks!🎉😊

A big thank you for those tips today! ❤ Definitely will put them to good use!

Wow, your end story(and all of the tips) were right where my husband of 35 years and I are. We are in retirement, allegedly looking to downsize, and the lure of a chef level kitchen is what drives my husband to like a home(I do most of the cooking). Do we commit to a historical home(possible money pit) or go with walk in ready and fix what we want? Since we are in retirement we have decided to go with what makes our life easier, but keep our eye out for our dream home(historical already fixed up). What made our choice easier was, this is not forever. We set a goal, 5 years, then see where we are. Think how many more years of kids in the house or coming home(we have 3- 31-25year olds-they still come home and with friends). Good luck, it is tough, but keep looking and you will refine your choices.

These tipps are literally lifesaving, thank you so much 💐

Good tips. I'm in Melbourne Australia and about 6 months ago I opened a business with my sister after being a stay at home mum for 20 years and it's been so hard to clean and keep it that way. Hubby does help alot but it's hard. Thanks I'm definitely gonna try these things

THIS is how inspiring you are... BEFORE the 2 min mark, I had already spotted a box for my clutter catcher,(in my craft area which is the only place I need this for),and covered it will pretty paper(duh,craft space,) and am ready to continue watching and see waht else you can inspire me with! thank you, I cam over from Melissas channel :) :), ps I am in new zealand and we don even et half the flour sorts you have there haha

Hi Cas! Love your videos, endless ideas and warm positivity. You are a treasure. My advice for your house hunt is a couple of tips. I made a list once in an apartment search in my single days. It was a crazy list full of features I thought were impossible to ever find, including a deck, fireplace, parking, in unit laundry, big kitchen, even access to a backyard. I actually found a place with all those features. Never could believe it could be done in my low budget in Chicago. Make a list, laugh at yourself for it, but keep it with you and meditate on it. You NEVER know what surprises the universe has in store. That apartment was my last one bc my husband knocked on the door as a blind date one night. Great karma there, hard to move as it was a dream that made other dreams come true. Then our house hunt together: it was the feeling but also not settling. LIGHT is one of the most important elements in any house purchase. Find the house with the best light, usually the one with best southern exposure bc that’s the path of the sun in our hemisphere. Also remember that times and trends and styles change. You will want to redo any kitchen, any bathroom, repaint with different colors eventually. But a home that is well-laid out for your lifestyle. Everything else changes over time, including you and what your tastes are. One thing that I needed was bedrooms on one floor for all of our kids so I can know when they are coming and going. No bedrooms in basements, which I see very commonly now. A master suite with our own bathroom, very important. Wish I’d gotten a bigger laundry room but it’s livable. And my two most important features: a kitchen sink that faces our wide wall of windows into our backyard to watch kids/ birds/ clouds/ sky as I work AND our library/family room/ tv watching zone that doesn’t look at all at the kitchen. So I can get away from “obligatory work” on the regular. It’s a getaway. FULL OF WINDOWS and LIGHT. All of the house is open concept, except for our nightly refuge where we watch tv and the kids get nightly back rubs. Also highly recommended. Ok. Too much info. Follow the light, ignore the trends, trust your instincts for your sense of home and make a ridiculous list that makes you giggle. You might just find it. Oh also, we bought a house that was gut-rehabbed 25 years ago but had no fireplace. This was my deal-breaker. But we pledged to each other by our 10th anniversary we would add one back in. And we did. 25 years almost now happily in the same house with my blind-date-found husband. Pure Bliss. 3 kids in college, empty nest in August. I hope I’ll never move. If you want to decamp to Chicago, I’d LOVE your help Decluttering!!! 😉😂😂😂😘😘❤️🕊 Great Luck and Huge Blessings on your home search!! 🙏🏻🕊🙌🏻

What great advice!.You and Minimal mom are assisting me with setting up a licensed guest house owned by a friend next door . One thing you taught me is that less is betta. Blessings from Belize!

Hey Cass, I have just moved into a new house. I have used many of your ideas. It sure helps keeping it clean and not take a lot of time

I"m totally with you on that - and yes it works IF the rest of the people in the house participate. I keep telling everyone "every object has an address and needs to live there" - well, it works most of the time, not all the time I find myself being the chief person returning objects to their designated 'address'. Hubby and kids, have a tendency to leave stuff around until I tell them to return them to where they need to be. God, I hate stuff!

I love cleaning! I just can’t when there’s too much clutter in the way! 😂 Thank you for this awesome video!

Yes! Life is messy and busy. Love the tall basket! Thanks for acknowledging this. 💖

10 Stars Clutter Bug. Out of sight out of mind for now. Thanks so much.

So when we bought our home I settled for good enough. Now I love it! We’ve slowly redone our home. Every time we redo something I love it more ❤️ You’re the type of person to make spaces into what you want any ways. Would you be happy with something that seamed to be everything you wanted already done?

I was telling my mom just yesterday that, ever since getting my roomba 4 weeks ago, I have - no exaggeration - vacuumed more than I usually do in a year, and that the very last thing I did yesterday morning as I went out the door to go on a trip was turn the roomba on. And I absolutely 100% agree with Tina about making lists of "non-negotiables" and "wants" before going house hunting and not being willing to compromise on any of the "non-negotiables" - it will make it so much more straightforward. I did that the last time I moved, and (granted, I'm renting and was basically forced to move - the house I lived in was being sold, so I wasn't kicked out, but was still given notice rather unexpectedly, but still had the normal 30 days) that list is what helped me realize that all the places I looked at online were not going to work but that the last place I looked at (where I live now) was basically perfect, and the only things it was really lacking were some of the "wants", and I've since come to the realization that if those do end up becoming non-negotiables in the future, my landlord would be willing to help me make those changes (all pretty basic stuff but that will do absolute wonders toward making my house more accessible - the only tough part would be figuring out what to do with the dishwasher because it would be about 6" too tall for the space if we did make one of the changes).

That was one of the most helpful videos I've seen on the subject. Truly inspirational. Thank you so much!

This really helped me to see some things I can do that will really help make my place look better and it will keep me from beating myself up and feeling overwhelmed all the time, especially the quarantine box idea...Thanks so much for this!