How to Be Clean

Co-authored by Kathi Burns, CPO®

Last Updated: July 11, 2024 Approved

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If you want to be a clean person, you need to dedicate some time every day to maintaining your hygiene, clothes, and home. First, practice good hygiene by showering often and brushing your teeth twice a day. Next, make sure you smell clean by wearing deodorant and washing your clothes when they’re dirty (almost every day, use laundry detergent and bleach for whites). Finally, keep your home clean by developing good habits and maintaining a cleaning schedule.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Kathi Burns, CPO®
Board Certified Professional Organizer

Expert Interview. 31 December 2019.}

Things You Should Know

Try cleaning your home for 10-30 minutes every day instead of saving all of the cleaning for one day of the week.
Simple habits like putting dirty dishes straight into the dishwasher, keeping clutter off of surfaces, and putting dirty clothes straight into the hamper can help you keep your home clean at all times.
For a clean and neat appearance, try to shower daily, brush and floss twice a day, keep your nails groomed, and wear clean clothes.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Practicing Good Hygiene

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1
Bathe yourself daily. Regular bathing kills the bacteria that causes body odor and clears away any visible dirt on your skin. Wash yourself once a day with warm water, a washcloth or loofah, and gentle soap.^{[2]
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Research source} Choose soaps that advertise as fragrance-free or are suitable for sensitive skin to reduce any dryness or irritation.
- Always shower after exercising or sweating, even if you’ve already showered that day.
- Some people find that shaving their underarms while showering helps reduce body odor.
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Take care of your hair. Brush your hair at least once a day to remove dandruff and distribute your hair’s natural oils.^{[3]
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Research source} Additionally, only wash your hair 2-3 times a week, using a hairband or shower cap to keep your hair dry while you bathe. This will help your hair stay soft and healthy. Choose a shampoo that addresses any hair concerns you have. For example:
- Treat dandruff with dandruff shampoos.
- If your hair is dry and brittle, choose a gentle, conditioning shampoo.
- If your color your hair, use a color safe, sulfite-free shampoo.
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3
Keep your mouth healthy. Brush your teeth at least twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste. This will remove plaque and food debris that cause bad breath and cavities. Additionally, floss your teeth once a day to keep your gums healthy.^{[4]
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- Replace your toothbrush every three to four months to avoid a buildup of harmful bacteria.
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Groom your nails. Keep your nails clean and trimmed to avoid nail funguses or bacteria buildup. Wash your hands often, paying special attention to remove any dirt under the nail bed. Next, use sharp manicure scissors or nail clippers to keep your nails trimmed. If your nails are short, they won’t be able to harbor any debris or bacteria.
- Talk to your doctor if you notice a change in nail color, curling nails, bleeding, or a separation of the nail from the surrounding skin.^{[5]
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  Mayo Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  
  Go to source} This could be a sign of a fungal infection.

Part 2

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Smelling Clean

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1
Use deodorant. Apply deodorant every morning to eliminate underarm odors. You can either buy a stick of deodorant or a can of aerosol deodorant. Additionally, choose an antiperspirant deodorant to help control excessive sweating.^{[6]
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- Some people believe that deodorant can cause cancer. However, researchers haven’t found any evidence supporting this claim.^{[7]
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Eliminate shoe odor. Wear socks with your shoes whenever possible to reduce the buildup of sweat and bacteria. If you can’t wear socks with your shoes, clean your feet before wearing them. If your shoes still stink, dust the inside of the shoes with baking soda and let them sit overnight. This will help kill the bacteria that causes bad smells.
- If your feet smell bad even if you haven’t been wearing shoes, you may have a foot fungus. Talk to your doctor for a diagnosis and to learn about treatment methods.
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Wear clean clothes. If you wear dirty clothes, you won’t smell clean. In fact, sometimes an item of clothing will smell clean to you but dirty to other people. Play it safe and only wear clean clothing. When washing your clothes, follow the washing instructions on the tag.
- Wash underwear, shirts, socks, and swimsuits after wearing them once.
- Wash bras and outer clothing such as sweaters or dress shirts every 2-3 wears.
- Wash jeans and pants every 3-4 wears.
- If you sweat a lot in your clothing, wash it after wearing it.^{[8]
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Tidying Your Home

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Make your bed every morning. If your bed is messy and unkept, your room will look dirty. However, if your bed is neatly made, your room will look much tidier.^{[9]
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Research source} Make this a habit by making your bed every morning when you wake up.
- Wash your bedding every one or two weeks. If you sweat a lot while you sleep, you may need to wash it more frequently.^{[10]
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Keep your kitchen counters clean. If your kitchen counters get cluttered and dirty, your whole kitchen will look dirty.^{[11]
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Research source} First, clear away any ingredients or tools immediately after you use them. Next, wipe the counters down with a damp paper towel to remove any food debris from the surface.
- Don’t let liquids or wet foods dry onto the counter. They are harder to clean and may damage the counter’s finish.
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Clean your bathroom. A dirty bathroom can harbor bacteria and make your whole home feel dirty. First, clear away any makeup or hair product clutter. Next, wipe down all of the surfaces with a disinfectant cleaner and a paper towel. If necessary, scrub the toilet with a toilet scrubber. Clean your shower with white vinegar or specialized bathtub cleaners.
- Hang wet towels up to dry after you use them. If you don’t, they will make your bathroom smell like mildew.
- Wash your towels every three to four uses.^{[12]
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Arrange clutter into neat piles. If you have a stack of bills by the door or a pile of books next to the bed, you can arrange them into a neat pile. A neat pile will instantly make the room look much more organized.^{[13]
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- While you’re tidying the stack of clutter, see if there’s anything you can throw away or donate.^{[14]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Kathi Burns, CPO®
  Board Certified Professional Organizer
  
  Expert Interview. 31 December 2019.} The less clutter you have, the easier it is to clean your house.

Part 4

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Keeping Your Home Clean

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1
Build good cleaning habits. Many people feel like they can’t keep their home clean. However, if you have good cleaning habits, your home practically cleans itself. For example, if you take something out, put it away immediately after using it to reduce any clutter. Other examples include:
- Putting dirty dishes straight into the dishwasher after using them
- Taking out the trash every night
- Putting dirty clothes straight into the clothes hamper^{[15]
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2
Clean a little bit every day.^{[16]
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Expert Source

Kathi Burns, CPO®
Board Certified Professional Organizer

Expert Interview. 31 December 2019.} You don’t have to dedicate a whole day to cleaning your home. Instead, clean for thirty minutes or so every day. This will spread the work out over the week, breaking harder jobs into manageable chunks.^{[17]
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Research source} If possible, create a routine. For example:
- Spend ten minutes cleaning after breakfast every day.
- Set a timer for thirty minutes each evening and clean until it goes off.
- While your coffee brews in the mornings, tidy up your kitchen.
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Create a deep-cleaning schedule. Many larger cleaning jobs, such as vacuuming and mopping, can be spread out over the course of a month.^{[18]
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Research source} There are many deep-cleaning schedules available online that can be tailored to a variety of homes and apartments. For example:
- If you have a lot of carpets, choose a schedule that asks you to vacuum them every few weeks.
- A good schedule should include weekly dusting to keep the surfaces in your home clean.
- Any tile in your home should be mopped or scrubbed once a week.

Expert Q&A

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Question

How can I motivate myself to clean?

Kathi Burns, CPO®
Board Certified Professional Organizer
Kathi Burns is a board certified Professional Organizer (CPO) and Founder of Organized and Energized!, her consulting business with a mission to empower people to master their environment and personal image by assisting them in taking control, making change and organizing their lives. Kathi has over 17 years of organizing experience and her work has been featured on Better Homes and Gardens, NBC News, Good Morning America, and Entrepreneur. She has a BS in Communication from Ohio University.

Kathi Burns, CPO®

Board Certified Professional Organizer

Expert Answer

Start with a small step that has significant impact. This could be your bedside table, your sock drawer, or anything where you can have a quick win and feel satisfied. After you're done, you'll feel accomplished and ready to move on to bigger tasks.

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Question

Where should I start when cleaning my room?

Kathi Burns, CPO®
Board Certified Professional Organizer
Kathi Burns is a board certified Professional Organizer (CPO) and Founder of Organized and Energized!, her consulting business with a mission to empower people to master their environment and personal image by assisting them in taking control, making change and organizing their lives. Kathi has over 17 years of organizing experience and her work has been featured on Better Homes and Gardens, NBC News, Good Morning America, and Entrepreneur. She has a BS in Communication from Ohio University.

Kathi Burns, CPO®

Board Certified Professional Organizer

Expert Answer

If you have anything that’s horizontally piled on top of each other, put those things away. Piles have a way of magically manifesting themselves. If you have one thing lying on top of another thing, even if it's just two things, you'll come back home at the end of the day and they'll be more. You can also try to focus on what's bothering you most.

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Question

What should I do if there is too much clutter in my life?

Kathi Burns, CPO®
Board Certified Professional Organizer
Kathi Burns is a board certified Professional Organizer (CPO) and Founder of Organized and Energized!, her consulting business with a mission to empower people to master their environment and personal image by assisting them in taking control, making change and organizing their lives. Kathi has over 17 years of organizing experience and her work has been featured on Better Homes and Gardens, NBC News, Good Morning America, and Entrepreneur. She has a BS in Communication from Ohio University.

Kathi Burns, CPO®

Board Certified Professional Organizer

Expert Answer

Try setting up a donation bin in your house. Anytime you find anything that you don't want, throw it in that bin. When the bin gets full, take it to a charity.

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