Cleaning Routines for a Tidy Home

When it comes to keeping a clean home, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. Not only with finding the time to tidy up, but being able to stay on top of the mess that so quickly accumulates. In this article, I will share some tips as well as the cleaning routines I use to keep my own home in order on a regular basis.

Stress-Free Cleaning

Focus on one task at a time
Focus on one room at a time
Set a cleaning schedule

We often look at the big picture mess of our houses which leads to us feeling overwhelmed. Instead of approaching the chaos as a whole, you should look at your home in parts. Start with one room. I usually recommend starting with a main room, such as the living area or kitchen.

Next, focus on one part of the room, one task at a time. Act if that that one thing is all you have to do, without letting other clutter distract you. This method can quickly give you a sense of accomplishment while incentivizing you clean more of your home.

For example, let’s say your kitchen is a wreck. Start by putting away any clean dishes. Once every dish is tucked away, you can wash all of the dirty ones. Next, put away any pantry items, then clear off the counters. Now wipe down the cabinets, appliances, and counters as needed. Lastly, clean the floor. With a one-task-at-a-time mindset, you can compartmentalize the room into manageable chunks. Before you know it, the entire space will be clean and checked off your to-do list.

A Quick Tidy Up

Having a daily tidy-up routine is key to keeping a stress-free home. Don’t worry, this is a simple few-tasks-a-day process. If you decide to implement it, it will save you a lot of time in the long run. No one wants to feel like they have to dedicate an entire day of their weekend to cleaning!

Easy AM Routine

Make the bed
Wash dishes after breakfast (or rinse & place in dishwasher)
Wipe down countertops & clean sinks

Easy PM Routine

- Tidy up living spaces
- Meal prep for the next day
- Wash dishes
- Wipe down countertops & clean sinks
- Hang up/put away clothes
- Put dirty clothes in the hamper

If you’re really ambitious, you can add sweeping the kitchen to the list to keep up with the day’s crumbs.

Having a daily cleaning schedule only needs to consist of a few small habits to keep your home tidier. These take very little time and can easily become a habit when done right after a task that is already part of your regular routine. For example, you already have a habit of eating dinner every night. Right after you eat, wash the dishes. After the dishes are clean, wipe down the counters and clean out the sink.

Cleaning Room by Room

By having daily, monthly, and quarterly routines, you can easily keep up with your home. Having an organized cleaning schedule is key to keeping a stress-free and tidy house.

Here is an outline of some recommended cleaning tasks by day, week, month, and season. Of course, you may want to alter it to fit the specific needs of your home and family. For us, we do laundry once a week. There are just 2 of us and we can usually wash all of our clothes in one or two loads. Doing laundry daily would be impractical for us, but might work well for your household.

These are the routines that I follow for my own home. As stated earlier, be sure to tweak these as needed for your personal cleaning needs. If you need tips on how to clean certain items in your home, I recommend checking out Clean My Space on YouTube, she has a video for everything!

Daily Cleaning Routine

Kitchen

Put clean dishes away
Wash dishes
Clean countertops & stovetop

Bedroom(s)

Make bed
Put away clean clothes
Put dirty clothes in the hamper

Bathroom(s)

Wipe down sinks after use

All Spaces

Tidy up

Weekly Cleaning Routine

Kitchen

Meal plan, grocery shop, meal prep
Clean out fridge and pantry

Bedroom(s)

Laundry
Wash sheets

Bathroom(s)

Clean counters & mirrors
Wash towels
Clean toilets

All Spaces

Vacuum/sweep/mop
Dust

Monthly Cleaning Routine

Bedroom(s)

Wash mattress cover

Bathroom(s)

Clean tub & shower
Wash shower liner

All spaces

Wipe down cabinets

Seasonal Cleaning Routine

Clean curtains
Wash blankets
Wash shower curtains
Organize closets and dressers
Wipe down walls and baseboards
Clean under furniture
Clean behind and inside appliances
Clean windows
Dust blinds and ceiling fans
Wipe out and organize cabinets and drawers
Clean garage
Declutter & organize all rooms

I love embracing the changes that each season brings to my home. (check out how to decorate with the seasons), but before I allow myself to enjoy this time, I make sure to do my quarterly cleaning routine. It seems easier to accomplish these tasks when I know that the fun part comes next!

Deep Cleaning

Is your space in need of a little TLC? If you are looking to deep clean a room, or all the rooms in your house for that matter, here are a few tips. This is also a good method to use for seasonal cleaning.

Start at one end of the room & work your way around
Clean from top to bottom
Have a trash bag for garbage
Have a box handy for things to get rid of
Have another box for what doesn’t belong in the room

This strategy can be applied to any room of your house. Before you enter the room, gather up the supplies you will need. A trash bag for any garbage. 2 boxes or baskets – one for things to get rid of and another for items that belong in a separate room. Gather up all of your necessary cleaning supplies. You’ll likely need cleaning cloths, all-purpose cleaners, glass cleaner, plus the mop/broom/vacuum.

Keep in mind that your intent is not only to clean but also to declutter. Do not hold on to unused or unnecessary items as this will only add to the mess in your home. Throw away any trash or unwanted things that are not fit for donation. All other items that no longer serve their purpose should be given away or sold. If you are struggling with clutter, read this post on simplifying your home in 4 steps.

Remove all items that do not belong in that room and place them in their proper location. Next, you want to clean from top to bottom. After you have tidied up a room, begin at the highest points (such as dusting the fans) and work your way down to the floor. All cabinets and counters should be wiped down before you vacuum, for example. This well prevent you from having to reclean any surface.

Tack Your Cleaning

You will want to separate out what you need to do daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonally. Then set up a method for reminders that works best for you.

Recommendations:

Daily Planner or To-Do List (perfect for daily & weekly tasks)
Phone Reminders
Calendar (great for monthly & seasonal tasks)

Creating Habits

Like any routine, it will take time for these to become habits. No one wants to spend their weekend trying to catch up with from the work they neglected to do during the week. Breaking down these tasks not only makes each day a little easier but you will find that more of your weekend can be enjoyed with the free time you will gain by implementing these routines.

Once you have incorporated these lists into your life, I am confident you notice a difference in both your stress levels and the cleanliness of your home. I believe that breaking cleaning down into manageable pieces and setting a regular rhythm is the best way to keep a space tidy. Once these new routines become habits, they will begin to flow seamlessly into your daily life. Then you will see that keeping a clean and mostly stress-free home is an achievable goal after all.

Now that you have a clean home, let’s make your home smell as great as it looks!