Our Best Advice to Have a Consistently Clean Home
Keeping a clean house may feel like a challenge, but with a few simple habits, it’s easier than you might think. From quick daily routines to easy tips and tricks, these habits will help make maintaining a clean and welcoming home feel almost effortless.
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Having a Consistently Clean Home
Maintaining a consistently clean home doesn’t have to feel like a constant uphill battle. With the right habits and a few helpful tricks, you can create a tidy, inviting space without spending hours every day on cleaning.
This post is here to guide you with practical tips and easy-to-follow routines. By establishing simple daily habits, you’ll find that keeping a clean home becomes more of a natural rhythm than a daunting chore.
We’ll share advice on building effective cleaning habits that fit seamlessly into your routine. From quick tasks that take just a few minutes to game-changing strategies for decluttering, our tips will help you stay on top of messes before they pile up.
Whether you’re a busy professional, a parent juggling family life, or simply someone looking to streamline their cleaning routine, you’ll find tips here that make maintaining a consistently clean home both achievable and stress-free.
The Science Behind a Clean Home
A clean, decluttered house provides a calm and welcoming environment that can significantly benefit your mental health. Clutter and mess create visual and mental noise that keeps us distracted and makes it harder to relax.
Studies show that people feel more at ease in spaces that are tidy and organized. These environments encourage a sense of calm and control.
One of the key benefits of maintaining a decluttered home is its impact on stress hormone levels. Research indicates that clutter and disorder can elevate cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone.
When we’re surrounded by piles of paperwork, unwashed dishes, or other unfinished tasks, our brains can interpret this as a never-ending to-do list. This can heighten stress. By keeping our spaces tidy, we can keep cortisol levels lower, reducing the chronic stress that can have harmful effects on both our mental and physical health.
Additionally, a clean, decluttered home allows us to focus better and even sleep more soundly. When our surroundings are clean and organized, it’s easier to mentally unwind at the end of the day, as our brains aren’t overwhelmed by the sight of incomplete tasks.
This sense of order and peace creates an environment where we can recharge and maintain a healthier mental state. Whether you’re aiming to create a calm space to work or simply want to come home to a place that feels serene, prioritizing a clutter-free home has lasting benefits for both body and mind.
Decluttering: Your First Step to Having a Consistently Clean House
Before diving into a regular cleaning routine, decluttering should be your essential first step. Removing unnecessary items from your living space clears both physical and mental space, making cleaning easier and faster.
When your home is free of clutter, every surface becomes easier to wipe down. Floors are simpler to vacuum, and there are fewer distractions.
Decluttering also sets a solid foundation, allowing you to maintain a tidier home with less effort, as there’s simply less to manage and organize.
Decluttering Tips
Here are a few tips to help you Declutter as a way to work towards a more easily clean and maintained home.
- Start Small and Tackle One Area at a Time
Focus on one room, drawer, or corner at a time to avoid feeling overwhelmed. This makes the process manageable and allows you to see immediate progress.
- Set Clear Decluttering Goals
Decide on specific goals for each area, like “only keep kitchen items used weekly” or “limit clothing to what fits in one closet.” These rules make it easier to decide what stays and what goes.
- Everything You Keep As You Declutter Has to Have a Home
I think this is one of the tips that will best help you maintain your home. Make sure everything you keep has a designated place in your home. It is too easy for items that don’t have a place to be set in piles to “take care of later”.
- Declutter High-Traffic Areas Regularly
Entryways, countertops, and other high-use spaces tend to collect clutter the fastest. Make a habit of clearing these areas daily or weekly to keep them manageable.
- Digitize Paper and Photos
Reduce piles of paper by scanning important documents and photos. Store digital files on your computer or cloud storage. Only keep physical copies when absolutely necessary.
- Only Keep What You Love or Need
When deciding on an item, ask yourself if you genuinely use it or if it brings you joy. Items that don’t fit either category can be safely discarded or donated.
If you need a little more help or motivation in your decluttering process, I would highly recommend the book The Minimalist Home by Joshua Becker.
Once you have done a major declutter, the work is not done if you want a consistently clean home. You need to maintain your efforts to keep your spaces free of clutter. Here are three ways to make that part of your routine.
- Regularly look at your homes problem areas, and decide if they need to be decluttered.
- Have a box or basket in your home or garage at all times where you can place items you are decluttering
- Take the items in that box to a donation center at least once a month.
Advice for Maintaining a Consistently Clean Home
Now that you have decluttered, what comes next? Here are our best tips and tricks for making habits to help you maintain a consistently clean home.
- Clean As You Go
Tidy up while cooking, get in the habit of putting things away immediately, and wipe down surfaces after each use to prevent mess from building up.
- Establish a Daily Cleaning Routine
Dedicate a few minutes each day to basic tasks, such as making the bed, and wiping countertops. Consistency keeps these small chores from piling up.
- Prioritize High-Traffic Areas
Focus on spaces that get the most use, like the kitchen and bathroom, as keeping these areas consistently clean will make the whole home feel fresher.
- Do a 10-Minute Evening Reset
Take 10 minutes each evening to put away items, tidy surfaces, and prepare for the next day. It’s a small investment that can make a big difference in maintaining a clean home.
- Use Storage Wisely
Store items where they’re most frequently used to make cleaning up faster and more intuitive. Clear storage containers and baskets can keep everything in its place.
- Practice the “One In, One Out” Rule
To avoid clutter creeping back in, adopt this rule: for every new item you bring home, let go of an old one. This keeps your home more manageable.
- Do Laundry Regularly
Avoid overwhelming laundry piles by doing small, regular loads rather than waiting for one big day. This keeps clothes and linens fresh and under control. And if you want to make keeping up on laundry even easier, consider having towels and bed lines in similar colors so they can be done in loads together.
- Stay on Top of Paper Clutter
Sort mail and paperwork daily to prevent it from piling up. File away essential documents immediately and discard anything you don’t need.
- Assign a Cleaning Day for Each Area
Divide cleaning tasks across the week (e.g., Monday for bathrooms, Tuesday for floors) to keep your home clean without dedicating a full day to cleaning. And try to pick days that make sense for your schedule. One example is, I always clean my fridge out the night before trash day so food doesn’t stink up our garbage cans, but also it means my fridge gets cleaned out at least once a week. Use our adjustable cleaning schedule to organize your cleaning tasks.
- Delegate Tasks
If you live with others, share responsibilities. Assign tasks based on preference or rotate them to ensure everyone contributes to maintaining a clean space. And teach your kids early to maintain their own rooms and spaces each day.
- Declutter Regularly
Remember to use our tips above to make sure your spaces stay clutter from since clutter free areas are always easier to maintain.
- Keep Cleaning Supplies Handy
Place cleaning supplies in convenient locations around your home, so it’s easy to tackle a quick clean-up whenever needed. I keep a spray cleaner under the sink in my kitchen because I clean my counters often. Then the rest of my supplies I keep in a basket with handles so I can easily take it from room to room.
Having a Consistently Clean Home Is Achievable
Maintaining a consistently clean home doesn’t have to be overwhelming or time-consuming. By following these tips and establishing simple, daily habits, you’ll find that keeping your home tidy becomes second nature.
The small steps you take every day add up to create a peaceful, organized space that you can truly relax in and enjoy.
Whether it’s a quick nightly reset or a weekly cleaning schedule, building these habits will make a clean home feel effortless over time. Embrace these routines, and let your home become a sanctuary where you can unwind and recharge.
Happy cleaning!
Do you wish you had a more consistently clean house? What tips or tricks do you think you will try first? Will you start with a whole house declutter? Let us know in the comments, we love to hear from you!
