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Learn these simple habits to keep your space spotless
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Some people see cleaning as a relaxing and enjoyable activity they can look forward to each day. If you've landed on this article, though, that's probably not you. If cleaning is the last thing you want to do, but you still want to live in a neat and tidy space, you're in luck! We've gathered some of the best tips you can use to keep your home clean, plus expert insights from house cleaning and organization professionals. Keep reading to get started!

Best Tips for Cleanliness at Home

  1. Tidy up as you go, rather than putting it off.
  2. Make your bed every morning.
  3. Wipe down and dust surfaces on a regular basis.
  4. Vacuum or sweep heavy-traffic areas each day.
  5. Clean the kitchen each night before going to bed.
  6. Do laundry throughout the week to keep it from piling up.
  7. Donate things you don’t need anymore.
1

Tidy up as you go.

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  1. It’s a lot easier to clean if you do it right away, instead of putting it off for later, explains residential and commercial cleaning expert Arturo Perez. “If you spill something, clean that. If something is not in its place, pick that up. Basically, clean up after yourself. That’s the best way to keep your house clean,” he says.[1]
    • Get in the habit of putting things back the way they're supposed to be after you're done with them.
    • For example, if you moved blankets and pillows while watching a movie in the living room, take a moment to fold the blanket and fluff the pillows when the movie is over.[2]
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2

Make your bed every morning.

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3

Wipe down surfaces.

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  1. This shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes and can easily be done while you're doing something else, like watching TV or listening to music. If you wipe off flat surfaces every day, your home will look a lot cleaner, and dust and grime won't accumulate.[5]
    • Get in the habit of wiping things off as soon as you use them. For example, after you've cleared the dishes from dinner, take a second to wipe down the table, rather than saving that task for later.
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5

Sweep or vacuum high-traffic areas.

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  1. The areas where people walk the most are going to get the most dirt. Sweeping every day keeps this dirt from building up and ensures no one will track it through the rest of the house.[7]
    • When sweeping, “always use smaller, shorter strokes,” recommends house cleaning professional Guy Peters. “Not only will these be more precise, but they also won’t make a mess in the process of sweeping. Trying to go too quickly with big strokes will end up pushing dust and debris around the room.”[8]
    • You might want to consider sweeping the porch or entryway outside your door as well. This limits the amount of outside dirt and debris people bring inside with them.
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9

"Close down" the kitchen every night.

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  1. Take care of the dishes, clean and disinfect surfaces and handles, and sweep up any debris on the floor. This process shouldn't take more than 10 minutes, but it can do wonders for the cleanliness of your home.
    • If you have housemates that are on different schedules, give the kitchen closing duties to whoever is the last person to use it.
    • If you have a dishwasher, try to run it each night. This way, it'll be ready for you to unload in the morning while you're making breakfast or brewing your coffee.[13]
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11

Do laundry throughout the week.

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  1. This prevents dirty clothes from piling up. You may be tempted to save all your laundry for one big weekly laundry day, but as the dirty clothes overflow their hampers, your home will start to look cluttered and untidy. You’ll also be stuck spending a whole day doing all your laundry loads, which is stressful and inconvenient, explains professional organizer Marty Stevens-Heebner. Instead, she recommends spreading out your loads of laundry over the course of the week.[15]
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12

Dust each room weekly.

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  1. Using this method means any dust or debris that gets swept off won't fall on an area you've already cleaned.[17] Accumulated dust can affect the air quality in your home and make it more difficult to breathe, so this task is as much for your health as it is for the sake of cleanliness.[18]
    • If you’d like, you can spread out the dusting over the course of the week, instead of doing it all in one day.
    • For example, you might dust your bedroom on Monday, the living room on Tuesday, and the kitchen on Wednesday.
15

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  1. Getting rid of clothes and objects you don’t use frees up more space in your home and helps you keep your space clutter-free. If you have a hall closet, that's a good place to put your donation box. If space is tight, you can also hang a bag on a hook inside a closet door. Clearly label your box or bag for donations, and put things into it as you go. When the box is full, take it to your favorite donation center.[21]
    • This is also helpful if you have children. As soon as a child grows out of something, put it straight into the donation box so you don't have to worry about it anymore.
    • If you get in the habit of putting things into the box regularly, your closets and storage areas will always look neater, and you won't have to tackle the hours-long task of sorting through things once or twice a year.
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17

Get a laundry hamper for each person in your home.

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  1. Laundry is likely to pile up in a corner of a room or on the floor of the bathroom if the laundry hamper isn’t easily accessible, and this makes your home appear more cluttered. To avoid this, make sure there's at least one hamper for each person in your household, and that they're all conveniently located.[23]
    • If you're not sure where to put the hamper, look at where the laundry typically piles up. If you place a hamper there, you’ll still be able to toss your clothes into that spot when you take them off, but it will look much neater!
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18

Store cleaning supplies in every room.

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  1. This makes it easier to clean things up immediately because you won't have to go around hunting your house for what you need. For example, put bathroom cleaners in every bathroom, disinfectants and multi-purpose cleaners in all rooms, and kitchen cleaners in the kitchen.[24]
    • While this might mean that you have to buy several bottles of the same cleaning products, they'll last a lot longer because you're not using them all over the house. Sure, you'll spend a little more initially, but it'll even out.
    • If it isn't feasible for you to have multiple brooms or vacuum cleaners, put these tools in a central location where they can be easily accessed from the entire home.
      • If your home has two floors, though, it's still worth it to spring for one upstairs and one downstairs so you don't have to lug them back and forth.
19

Create a deep-cleaning schedule.

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  1. A lot of cleaning tasks only need to be done about once every calendar quarter, twice a year, or even yearly. Schedule these tasks on a household calendar and set reminders so you'll know when they need to be done. Here are some tasks to get you started:[25]
    • Wipe down inside your fridge and freezer (every 3-6 months)
    • Clean inside your oven (every 3-6 months)
    • Wash pillows and comforters (every 3-6 months)
    • Wash drapes and curtains (every year)
    • Deep-clean windows (every year)
    • Deep-clean carpets and upholstery (every year)
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What Are Your Top Three Annual Home Maintenance Priorities?


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  • Question
    When is the right time to take out the trash?
    wikiHow Staff Editor
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    This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    wikiHow Staff Editor
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    When your trash can is full, pull out the bag and put in a new one. Take the full one out immediately. If it's late at night, you can also set the bag by the door to take out in the morning. Avoid simply pushing the trash down when the can gets full, though—you'll end up with a heavy bag that might rip.
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    How can I clean my house during the winter when I'm freezing?
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    The good news is cleaning is physical work that will increase your body temperature and keeping your body moving is a good way to get warm. Throw on an extra sweater or hoodie to get started—you'll probably find you want to shed it as you work your way through the house.
  • Question
    What can I do if I don't have time in the morning, and everyone is too tired to do it?
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    Community Answer
    Try to clean up as you go. For example: when you're done with your makeup, put it back in its place, and when you're done eating, put the dishes back into the dishwasher.
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Tips

  • Delegate tasks to everyone in the home. Even small children can do their part to keep their living space clean and tidy. If everyone pitches in, no one gets overwhelmed and it's much easier to clean your home and keep it that way.[26]
  • Try listening to music or your favorite podcast while cleaning to stimulate your mind and take your mind off an otherwise monotonous task.[27]
  • If you feel overwhelmed, be kind to yourself. Changing your habits is hard and even if you just do one thing, it's better than nothing.

Tips from our Readers

  • Motivate yourself while cleaning by listening to music or rewarding yourself with a treat afterward. It will make you enjoy cleaning.
  • Keep a to-do list of chores and things that you want to clean so it's easier to keep track of what you've done.
  • Keep a waste bin in every room so that you can toss out trash wherever you are in your home.
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About This Article

Marty Stevens-Heebner, SMM-C, CPO®
Co-authored by:
Certified Professional Organizer & Senior Move Manager
This article was co-authored by Marty Stevens-Heebner, SMM-C, CPO® and by wikiHow staff writer, Annabelle Reyes. Marty Stevens-Heebner is a Certified Professional Organizer (CPO) and Founder of Clear Home Solutions, a home organizing and senior moving management company based in Southern California. Marty is the President of the National Association of Senior and Specialty Move Managers (NASMM), with certifications in Senior and Specialty Move Management, Professional Organizing, and Aging in Place. Clear Home Solutions was the first nationally accredited firm in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. Marty is the first Certified Senior Move Manager (SMM-C) in the United States and has been acknowledged as a Hoarding Specialist and ADHD Specialist through the Institute for Challenging Disorganization. Marty also hosts How to Move Your Mom (and still be on speaking terms afterward), a podcast dedicated to later life and all its idiosyncrasies. She received her B.A. in History from Cornell University and an MFA from the University of California, Los Angeles. This article has been viewed 358,976 times.
5 votes - 68%
Co-authors: 37
Updated: November 21, 2024
Views: 358,976
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 358,976 times.

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  • Christine Wilson

    Christine Wilson

    Mar 10, 2019

    "I had been sick with a lung infection for months. My house got really dirty, and I had no energy in addition to no..." more
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