How to Keep Your House Clean and Tidy

Daily maintenance and regular decluttering can make all the difference in the amount of time and energy you spend keeping your house clean and tidy. It helps to understand the difference between cleaning and tidying. Tidying is removing clutter, organizing your belongings and straightening up. Cleaning is the act of actually removing dirt and grime.

Before you can get to daily maintenance, you have to get your house in order. Often, you’ll need to do some level of tidying before you can actually clean. These tips will help you get organized.

Two laundry hampers and a pillow sitting on beige carpet.

The first thing you need to do is clear your surfaces and floors. Knowing how to get organized may seem daunting, but if you break it down into steps, it’s much more manageable.

Grab a trash bag and walk around each room picking up every piece of trash you can find. Any paper scraps, broken toys and items the vacuum can’t pick up need to go.
Now, go around every room and gather all of the dirty dishes and take them to the sink.
Next, gather up all of the dirty laundry in each room. Carry a laundry basket with you so you don’t need to take several trips to the laundry room.
Once you’ve cleaned up all of the garbage, dishes and laundry, you can spot your belongings much easier and see what’s out of place. One room at a time, use your laundry basket or another tote to gather items that belong elsewhere while you put away the items that do belong in that room.
While you’re putting things where they go, you should also decide if you can donate anything. If something has no place of its own and you don’t need or want it, let it go — even if it was a gift or cost a lot of money. Getting that space back has its own value. Place donated items directly in a designated bag or box.
Move on to the next room and repeat the process. When you’re finished, take out any bags of trash and put donations into your car.

Tip

If decluttering the entire house in one day seems overwhelming, try doing one room a day.

Now that everything is in its place, you can clean.

Start with things that require little effort. Throw in a load of laundry and start the dishwasher if you have one. Set a reminder on your phone to switch the laundry from the washer to the dryer.
Grab a duster and go through the house to remove any cobwebs and dust from door frames, wall hangings, etc. Work your way down to shelves, tables and baseboards. You may need to use a damp cleaning cloth to dust some surfaces.
Vacuum, sweep and mop as needed.
Spray down the bath and sink with a multipurpose or bathroom-specific cleaner and put toilet bowl cleaner in the toilet. Let it sit for at least five minutes while you scrub and rinse the shower and sink. Scrub the toilet bowl and then wipe down the outside of the toilet and the seat with disinfecting wipes.

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A woman using an upright wet mop on a hardwood floor.

Now that you have a clean slate, you can implement these house cleaning tips to keep your home clean day to day.

Run the dishwasher or do the dishes every night. If washing dishes by hand, try to wash them after each meal or rinse them well and place them in a dish rack on one side of the sink. This way they won’t trap dirty water between them and in the bottom of the sink and they’ll be easy to load in the dishwasher or wash later on.
Wipe the counters and table after eating or preparing food. Wipe up spills right away and throw out wrappers and packaging as soon as you’re done with them.
Place a garbage can in each room so it’s easier to keep trash off the floor. Gather them all the night before garbage pickup. Go through the fridge and discard unwanted foods and leftovers before taking the trash out.
Have a laundry basket for each person in the house and do a load of laundry each day.
Consider using a stick or handheld vacuum for quick daily cleanups to manage crumbs and dirt.
If you have a cat, scoop the litter box daily. A small trash can with a lid next to the box makes this a simple task.
If you have pets, use a lint roller or vacuum to clean furniture weekly.
Run pet dishes through the dishwasher regularly.
Declutter often. If you find something that’s always in the way and you never use it, ask yourself whether it’s serving your home or if you can donate it. Take note of the things that are always out or in use. Those are the things you want and need. Things in drawers that you never open are just taking up valuable space. The same thing applies to clothing.
Create homes for things where you use them or where they normally pile up. If spices always end up on the counter by the stove, put up a spice rack there or dedicate a drawer to spices so they’re easier to put away.
Use labels and bins to keep everything organized. Labels with words or pictures make it easy for everyone in the household to maintain the system.
Use a soap-dispensing dish brush in the shower to give the shower and tub a quick scrub while you’re in there and then squeegee the walls and shower doors after each use. For shower curtains, use a leave-on shower spray and keep the curtain extended so it can dry.
Do a quick room reset each evening before bed. Put away anything you’ve left out and straighten items on end tables. Dust anything that looks like it’s getting dusty.

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Tip

If a task seems overwhelming or daunting or you think you might not have time to complete it, time yourself doing that task. Once you see that it takes you 10 minutes to unload and load the dishwasher or two minutes to scrub the shower and squeegee it, the task will seem less daunting. Try doing as much as you can while waiting for the coffee to brew or while dinner is in the oven. Every effort adds up.

How to Keep a Tidy Home

How to Keep Your House Clean and Tidy

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