9 Simple Habits That Keep Your Home Clean

Taking just a few minutes a day to tidy up countertops, rooms, and sinks can make the difference between a messy home and a clean one.

Daily vacuuming, however brief, helps maintain cleanliness and reduces the need for more intensive cleaning. Kokosha Yuliya/Shutterstock

Keeping a clean and tidy home can be easier said than done. The hustle and bustle of daily life tends to take its toll on our physical spaces. When a deep clean is not in the cards and time is tight, maintaining simple systems and routines can be the difference between a stressful mess and effortless order.

Here are nine habits that, if made non-negotiable, can keep your home humming along even in the busiest of times.

Leave Every Room Better

Every time you’re about to exit a room, take a few seconds to look around and see how you can improve it. Fluff a pillow, bring a dirty dish to the sink, wipe a counter, and put an errant item in its place. You’re not trying to clean the entire room; just do what you can in under a minute. If you’re always doing this, your home will be tidier.

Complete One Load of Laundry

First thing in the morning, put on a load of laundry, no matter how little laundry you may have. Completing one small load of laundry each and every day ensures that you’re not overwhelmed by a giant pile at the end of each week and that those regularly needed clothing items like sports uniforms or work attire are always cleaned and ready to go.

A daily load of laundry prevents buildup and keeps the task from becoming overwhelming. Zivica Kerkez/Shutterstock

Set Out a Donation Receptacle

Maintain a system for getting rid of items that are no longer of use to you. When you come across an item of clothing, an unused kitchen gadget, an old vase, or whatever other piece of clutter has built up, toss it into your donation receptacle and move on with your day. When it’s full, transfer it to your car trunk and take it directly to your local donation center.

Listen While You Clean

When tackling a larger cleaning task, perhaps one you’re not looking forward to, make it more enjoyable by coupling the work with a podcast or audiobook. Putting away laundry, cleaning the bathroom, washing the dishes, and prepping meals can all be done while listening to something educational or entertaining. You might even find yourself looking forward to cleaning.

Pairing cleaning tasks with podcasts or audiobooks can make even the most mundane chores more enjoyable. Caterina Trimarchi/Shutterstock

Make Your Bed

Making your bed takes only a minute or two but starts the day with an easy win and makes the entire room feel put together. Do not underestimate how great a made bed feels every day. Make this one of the first things you do in the morning.

Keep a Clean Sink

Set the standard in your home that dishes do not pile up in the sink. Whether they need to be washed by hand or put into the dishwasher, never leave them sitting in the sink unless they legitimately need to soak. A clean sink makes the entire kitchen feel better.

Run Your Vacuum

If you’ve got a robot vacuum, run it every day. Otherwise, take a few minutes to run your vacuum quickly around your home each day. Even if done imperfectly, the act of vacuuming cuts down on dust and dirt significantly.

Process Mail Upon Arrival

As soon as the mail arrives, take a moment to parse through, shred, recycle, and manage whatever has been delivered. Do not allow mail to pile up in your home.

Tidy Nightly

Before settling down for your nightly relaxation, set a timer for 10 or 15 minutes and race around your house tidying as much as you can. This is a great time to give countertops a wipe, take out the trash, put items in their place, and tackle whatever you can get to before the timer goes off. You’ll wake up the next morning to an improved space, and the momentum will continue.