How To Keep A Clean House

My new goal in life is to figure out how to keep a clean house. Ok. Maybe not my goal, but it’s an active dream of mine. I’m low-key unsettled when our home isn’t clean. And I’m tired of always saying “I need to clean the house,” so a few changes (including some purging), and I’m on my way!

The thing is, keeping a clean house isn’t about having great products or even organization bins. It’s about not having so much stuff. It’s about having small consistent systems. It’s about having a place for EVERYTHING (even if it’s the basket of random papers from school). And it’s an approach of small, manageable tasks rather than a marathon cleaning (all the time!). I just said a lot of things in those few sentences. So, let’s break down a bit more about how to keep a clean house.

Actually, one more thing. Having a clean house isn’t related to your house not being big enough. Most of us have too much stuff and not enough mental space to tackle it all at once. Our home is 1250 square feet and we fit fine (2 adults and 1 kid). There are times when it feels small and cluttered but when I start decluttering, purging, organizing, and prioritizing spaces, our house felt as though it grew in size and happiness! It’s not about more – it’s about less!

CONTENTS

Having a clean house isn’t just about not having clutter and looking like you have it all taken care of (cuz I don’t). A clean home reduces stress and decision fatigue. It reduces overwhelm and the need to “get motivated” to clean. Let’s look to daily habits, weekly structure, decluttering systems, and maintenance strategies. These all make cleaning easy and automatic.

What Does a Clean House Mean

Here’s the thing, having a clean home doesn’t mean perfectly folded towels and exceptional design. It also certainly doesn’t mean sterile or even minimal living (though the latter helps). It’s more about clear surfaces (big and small) and designated places. Think of clean and organized as synonymous here.

What Does A Clean House Look Like

In our home, the places I really notice what a clean house looks like are kitchen countertops, tabletops (dining table and coffee table), dresser tops, and wide open areas (living room and walking paths). You may have specific areas that you notice in your home, so just prioritize those.

A clean house is also a feeling – it’s about a sense of calm. And let’s be real, small habits like how to keep your home smelling fresh help that clean feeling too- it’s not coincidence, in fact, that there are a lot of crossover tips between a fresh smelling home and a clean home (that have NOTHING to do with products and fragrances).

Benefits Of A Clean House

Truthfully. Most of us think a clean home is about how it looks, but the real goal is how it FEELS.

Faster routines

When things have places (and they’re returned to those places), there are no scrambles trying to find something. Everybody can get their items quickly and efficiently, cutting back on stress and lateness.

Less last minute stress before guests

Scrambling to clean up can make entertaining friends (or having a play date with kids) less than fun. Not having to do a reactive declutter or purge starts the event off easily.

Better sleep quality

I’m just over here promising rainbows and unicorns, aren’t I? But let’s be real, a tidier space is a stress-less place. And less stress = better sleep.

Improved productivity when working from home

If you work from home, you know all too well that seeing an unclean space is a distraction. It’s usually a mental to-do for later (or something to squeeze in to your already busy-enough day). But why waste mental space and time always having to clean up when there’s nothing to clear out of the way? Or one quick pickup is all you need?

No Accidental Overbuying

Have you ever bought something you thought you were out of, only to realize you already had some? Yeah. Me too. Now, however, I very rarely overbuy (nobody’s perfect) because I know exactly where to look for refill bottles or back ups.

Since I discovered the best refillable cleaning products, I bulk buy on those. And in the bathroom, I have two bins for our personal care items we aren’t currently using – think the replacements and even items we only use from time to time (e.g. my travel size toiletries)).

What Does A Clean House Say About You

It clearly means you’re perfect and have your life together! 🤣 Just kidding. Just like a tidy space is less stressful for you to live in, however, a tidier space is less stressful for people to visit. And if you can create that calm for others, that’s a good thing!!

How To Keep Your House Clean

Create A Daily Reset Routine

Daily routines are going to vary for everyone, so here are a variety of ideas (not a list of daily to dos).

Dishes Done
Wiping down counters
One Load of Laundry Washed
One Load of Laundry Folded & Put Away
Dining Table Clear Off & Wipe Down
Entry Area Neatening Up

Follow A Weekly Cleaning Structure

If your schedule is a little busier or erratic (hobbies, kids, and work can do that all too easily), then set up a weekly cleaning schedule for yourself with various tasks on certain days.

We like to do all of our laundry (folded and put away) on Saturdays, leaving Sunday for other things. It isn’t always perfect, but we all know that’s our norm. I will note that piles of clothes – dirty clothes or clean clothes is often a stress trigger for people (myself included). So try not to slow or stall the laundry process – it’ll only bring your stress!

Sundays are the usual toy clean up day in our home – it’s a thing, people. Most items need to be picked up and put away. And while convincing our kiddo that this is the right thing to do isn’t alway easy – knowing where everything goes is. Legos in the big baskets, Magnatiles in the under-table ‘bucket,’ and art on his desk!

Use The One Touch Rule

I’m sure there’s a good story as to where this name came from (but I don’t know what it is). This is a general rule of thumb that when you get something out, you put it away right when you’re done. If you play a game, put it away when you’re done playing.

I read in a book about the idea of being proactively lazy and it describes me to a T. I might not want to put something away right now, but I know that I really won’t want to put it away tomorrow (and I’ll waste mental capacity with it in the meantime). So then I roll my eyes, put it away, and waste zero more seconds thinking about it.

Declutter Before You Deep Clean

So, here’s maybe the sticky one. I’ve found that the less stuff we own, the less cluttered and ‘filthy’ our house gets. Again, my 6-year-old isn’t quite to this level of understanding, but we’re working on it!

But there are certainly things to do to cut back. And I’ve realized in all my years of living more sustainably – it’s a process. We’re all constantly downsizing because, in the real world, most of us can always have less. So just cut back as much as you can in each phase of decluttering.

When you’re ready, here’s how to do a closet purge! It’s seriously so freeing to have fewer clothes. You feel like you always have something to wear and you rarely suffer from decision fatigue!

With my kiddo for sure, I have an out-of-sight-out-of-mind approach to giving items away. I usually note what he doesn’t play with as much. I discreetly hide it in a closet or in my office. If he doesn’t ask for it for 3-6 months (life isn’t always on a schedule), then I give it away. He does occasionally ask about things I’ve moved along and I remind him that he really wasn’t playing with it, so I gave it to a kiddo who wants to play with it more. And he’s fine. I promise!

Clean By Energy Level

Let’s be real. Some days are more tiring than others. If you think you can basically manage doing the dishes and that’s it – great. And when you’re ready to tackle a bigger ‘purge,’ ‘clean,’ or ‘organization,’ then GO FOR IT! Again, the trick to how to keep a clean house is that it isn’t a marathon, it’s a steady practice. A pickup here, a wipe down there, a sweep here, and a purge there.