Inside: Use these daily cleaning habits to keep your home clean all year round!
Building daily habits into your routine can help keep your home cleaner and get rid of some of the stress caused by home maintenance.
Rather than waiting to do all of your cleaning on a particular day, developing daily cleaning habits makes cleaning your home more manageable.
From reducing clutter you have to clean up later to smart habits that make your home feel like it is cleaning itself after you master them you can use these habits to keep your home clean with less work.
Read on for the twelve daily cleaning habits to help keep your home clean.
Daily Cleaning Habits to Keep Your Home Clean
Adopt some of these daily cleaning habits to keep your home clean with minimal effort.
1. Wipe down counters
Take a few moments each day to eliminate countertop clutter in your kitchen and bathroom. Do a quick wipe down to remove crumbs and any sticky substances that have made their way onto your counters.
If you live with children this can be one of the best moves you can make to keep their messes from taking over.
From spilled drinks in the kitchen to painting with toothpaste in the bathroom, a simple wipe with a damp rag can make cleaning these spaces easier by getting it done before the mess is completely dried out.
2. Do a quick floor cleaning
Floors can get dirty quickly, especially if you have small children or pets. Adding the daily cleaning task of vacuuming or sweeping will help keep your space clean.
If you happen to have a robot vacuum, which is a great cleaning tool that saves you time, then you really don’t have to do anything for this daily task other than let it run.
A quick daily clean is a lot easier than a weekly clean because there is no time for things to really build up.
3. Make your sink shine
Washing dishes and cleaning out your sink at the end of the day before bed can make starting your new day all that much better.
Often we wake up and start our day making up coffee and realize just how much we really need to do for the day when we turn and see the sink.
Doing dishes right after the meal works better for most people than saving up all the dirty dishes to deal with at the very end of the day.
By going to bed with a clean sink and your dishes done your home will stay cleaner and you can feel better when you start your day off on a better foot without having a big chore looking you in the face.
4. Clear flat surfaces
Look around at the top of your kitchen table, coffee table, dresser, nightstand, and any other flat surface in your home.
Are there things that have been placed on them that don’t belong? Take just a minute to put them away.
Build a daily habit of keeping misplaced stuff in check to help keep your home cleaner and less cluttered with only a few minutes of your time.
5. Clean up messes immediately
Cleaning up messes right away is a great habit to teach your entire family. This habit can be a hard one to stick to because most people do not want to go hunt down the things they need to clean up the mess.
One great trick is to keep a cleaning kit with things like rags and a multi-surface cleaner on hand. Try using a cheap shower caddy to hold cleaning supplies in every room to make quick clean-ups easy.
Cleaning up messes immediately can also apply to kids getting toys out and adults leaving out various items rather than putting them away. Work to build the habit of putting it away instead of putting it down. Help your kids learn the habit of putting games and toys away before getting new ones out.
6. Create a paperwork system
Work to break the habit of leaving things on to the counter to deal with later when you bring mail and other papers into the home.
Instead, take the time to clear out the paper clutter and put it into the recycling bin right away.
Anything you need to keep, place it where it belongs immediately, either a bulletin board or a file folder rather than letting the clutter take over your home as easily as paper does.
7. Do a load of laundry every day
If you have a washer and dryer in your home you can help to make laundry easier to manage and less stressful by opting to do a load of laundry start to finish every single day.
Folding and putting away a single load of laundry only takes a few minutes and doesn’t use nearly as much energy as doing an entire week’s worth of laundry in one day requires.
If your household is on the smaller side, doing laundry every other day or even just once a week may make more sense. The goal is to keep the pile to a minimum so it’s an easy cleaning task rather than an overwhelming one.
8. Run the dishwasher each evening
Other than just cleaning the sink every evening also make sure to run your dishwasher each evening. It’s really frustrating to waking up to no clean dishes left and a full dishwasher you forgot to run…ask me how I know.
Again if you have a very small household, it may make more sense to do this every other day or so if your dishwasher is nowhere near full.
Creating the daily cleaning habit of running your dishwasher each evening will ensure you have clean dishes the following morning.
9. Make your bed
This may seem really simple but a made bed can make your space look really clean compared to a messy bed.
Making your bed is a great way to make your room look and feel cleaner. This is a great way to start your day off on the right foot and a wonderful way to make your evenings more relaxing so you can unwind from a long hard day.
Before you tell me all of the reasons not to make your bed in the morning, I am aware of them. Feel free to air out your bed for an hour before making it.
I still stand by making your bed helps you to feel more productive and the benefits outweigh the negatives.
10. Reduce clutter
Build a habit of getting rid of clutter often. This simple task of decluttering different areas of your home can help make it easier to clean.
When you have a lot of extra stuff in your home you end up spending more time cleaning your home simply because there is more stuff to be out of place.
Make decluttering easier by having easy access donation containers in one or more places in your home.
Make a habit of dropping off your donations once a month or more often as needed. Another great option is to give items via your local Buy Nothing group.
Further reduce clutter by being very selective with the items that you bring into your home.
11. Tidy high traffic areas
There are certain areas in every home that become clutter hotspots. Look for where yours are and pay special attention to tidying them each day.
A common one is your entry way or mudroom. Anywhere that becomes the typical drop zone for purses, backpacks, coats, shoes and keys are ones that can get cluttered quickly.
If you don’t already have an organizational solution for that area, such as shoe racks and hooks, set it up now. It will help to keep those items contained and your home looking cleaner.
12. Plan regular cleaning days
Making a cleaning day a simple habit and part of your weekly routine is a great way to help keep your home cleaner.
This when combined with daily cleaning habits a single cleaning day can go a long way in helping to make your home easier to clean and more relaxing for your whole family.
You can either assign a specific area to focus on a a more thorough cleaning each day or plan one day per week where you do a bigger cleaning. Choose what works for your schedule.
This will help to ensure you clean the areas that are commonly forgotten and get a good deep clean done in your home.
What daily cleaning habits do you have in your home? Share it in the comments section.
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Thank you for the useful tips. Especially the cleaning day. Merry Christmas!
I learned from some wonderful tradesmen that one can create “zones” of order – ie the areas that one uses. These are like little oases when there have to be areas of mess. Eg, if one keeps kitchen, desk and bedroom in very good order, then the messy zone in which one is decluttering can be visited in short working bouts.
Thank for the tips. Happy Holidays
I run the dishwasher every night and
it is a game changer for a fresh start every day.
All great tips!
I have a small spreadsheet 🤓 that has the very main items I need to complete each day to feel like there’s some resemblance of control. 😀 I have to add dinner to the list. It sounds stupid, but if I jump into work right away, then I completely blank out the fact that something needs to be out (we have most meats on hand in the freezer as we buy from a local farm) that needs to be thawed or in a crockpot. If it’s not on my list, all of a sudden everyone is hangry and we have nothing to work with.
Great idea Trinity. Gonna do this.
I don’t want to brag. but I really saved on my pay check to buy a robotic mob and a vaccume. I think if you put aside $ 10 a week you can make it work. It made my life so much easier. Try cutting down on your shopping spree. Your back will thank you. my floors are really clean. Except for the carpets. But they are not bad. But clean. Away from dust. They look older.. at least no dust. make life easier for you DON’T buy anything you don’t need. STOP going places there’s merchandise if cannot manage your cravings. Keep your Credit Cards home. or lock them. or put a security lock on them. Don’t carry more than $5.00. I know it’s insane. if you like to shop. And treat you. Just try going to a dollar store. Just get ONE item. Just ONE. DON’T make it a habit. too. Things pile up. try to be a minimalist. Less stuff less clutter. you will be amazed what you can do without all those gadgets. Stop hoarding. DON’T buy decore, just because it’s there. And it’s the trend. Add something worthwhile to your life. Try learning a new skill Brail, ASL anything that will help you or see another world that you haven’t noticed. Volunteer.. if you can. if you have free time in your hands. And Library is a wonderful place for burrowing books. Books too accumulate over the years. Save for a rainy day. it will come handy. Try reading. Good books. Get your young baby into the habit of reading. It’s okay to read to your baby when you are pregnant. Add something new each day to your life. learn a new skill. Being OCD or neat and decluttering is much better than being messy and dirty. Keep your bathrooms as clean as your living room. cleanliness is a way of life. Make sure you clean your Kitchen when you waike up. your mind will Thank You. Make your bed when you wake up. (First thing). If you invest on equipments that canake your life easier..you can do away with cleaning ladies, also unwanted people in your house also save money and make life a lot easier. If no one appreciate your efforts .. you will be happy. You will have a clear conscience and most of all God cannot live in a dirty space. God doesn’t live with dirty. Not when you are not making an effort to keep your space neat and tidy just because you are lazy. And you don’t have to join the gym. House work is also exercise.
I do a quick clear up in the evening, so everything looks tidy, but when I get up in the morning it’s more thorough. I start in the bathroom, load the washing machine and wipe the counter. Then I collect the water-bottles from the bedroom, and the big thermos from the dining room and refill them. Back to the bedroom to deposit bottles and fold the quilts. Take clothes off the drying rack and put them on the bed for folding. Put waterbottles ready to refill from the filter. Put away dishes. Wipe the counters. Fill the waterbottles. And now I can have that cup of tea, see the papers, before I fold the clothes, make the bed, and make breakfast!
I always had a large amount of shoes in my front hall. I got a piece of furniture that is made to hold about 30 pairs of shoes. It has two doors to open together to the shoes. This way people just think it is a regular piece and shoes. Are hidden. I can put one pair of my shoes in one slot. My husband and son can fit one shoe in each slot. It has made the front hall neat. I put season runner on the top and it looks great. With my bedrooms upstairs it makes it easier too store the shoes we use all the time there. We take always taken our shoes off when we come in the house. This solved our problem.
i had too many shoes. I kept a few. I tried them on for size. I kept the once that I thought will be wearing and returned that I thought I might not. but donating to the thrift store is also good. But go there and try to return empty handed. you don’t want exchange. The idea is to return. I didn’t needed that many shoes.
Best cleaning advice from my mom “never leave a room empty handed. “This helped me create a Great habit of grabbing at least something that needs be put put away on my way upstairs or in kitchen etc“ I also run the dishwasher at night & every morning while coffee is brewing I always empty the dishwasher so daily dishes are immediately put inside it all day long.
I must have adapted your mom’s advice about never leaving a room empty handed! 😊 … It really does help and saves a lot of energy and wasted time!
We actually do all the things on the list and have a fairly streamlined home. However, we do not do your dishwasher/washing machine load a day. we luve in a high drought area and you pay extra for each amount over a certain tier. each dishwasher load and wash load has to be filled, to conserve water.
yes, it’s a balancing act between neat/tidy and conserving resources like clean water
Our dishwasher uses 4 gallons per use, which is less water than washing dishes in the sink. We do not do laundry every day, either, as we, too, live in a drought area. We do three full loads a week, and hang most of our clothes either outside or in front of the fireplace to dry to make up for the electricity we use for the dishwasher.
I actually clean my entire kitchen before I go to bed. we bought this house about 9 years back. it was a junk yard. A garbage pit. But I saw potential. I had a project going on everyday. I love decor. but now the value of the house has doubled. I take pride in it. It’s an oasis. a five star hotel like space. But I don’t own the house. But it doesn’t matter. The Buddhist monks doesn’t own their temples. Some keep it clean. It’s your living space. you need to have your environment clean. Cleanliness bring purity. I am not perfect. My closet is not Kon Marie. But I try to improve my self. My battles are not against anyone. But my self. I try to be a better person than yesterday.
I use the two minute rule and what a game changer that has been. If it’s a job that will take a minute or two, do it now. My house always looks clean and neat. Stopping procrastinating changed everything.
Good advice! 😊 … I agree! It’s a good rule to follow!
I developed this mantra many years ago when raising children. “Let’s all do our part to keep our house clean and tidy as if company was coming!” 😊…(Not that I live for others approval) But it was something that really worked and still does today. I make it a point to always have the kitchen Clean, swept, And everything put away so when we get up in the morning for coffee it says need a pin! And Always Get up and make the bed every morning. I feel like I have started the day on the right foot. I also like dealing with things on the spot for example: mail. We do receive our bills electronically so there’s no wasting paper and excess mail to go through but I do not let paper accumulate making a mess for later. This is a huge time saver!
Oops! No place to edit. I meant to say “My kitchen always stays neat as a pin! “
Great tips! I clear my sink every evening (put dishes away too) and take out the trash, wipe down stove, quick vacuum and mop if necessary.
I learned these habits from the FLYLady several years ago. Great advice.
I don’t have to scramble about or stress out when we have company. Our home is company ready always, because we clean as we go and we’re just as good as any company we can have.