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I’m sure you have visited homes that always appeared to be clean. Do you want to know their secrets? Before you call in a cleaning service, let’s learn how to remedy the mess before it gets out of hand. Today, I’m addressing the top ten things people with clean homes do every day. Let’s get started! Plus, read more below to find deep cleaning checklists for every room.

10 THINGS PEOPLE WITH CLEAN HOMES DO EVERY DAY

10 Things People With Clean Homes Do Every Day

1. Dishes

Dirty dishes must be cleaned and put away daily to keep your kitchen clean. Resist the temptation to let dishes, pots, and pans soak in water overnight. A clean and empty sink is a welcome greeting each morning.

10 THINGS PEOPLE WITH CLEAN HOMES DO EVERY DAY

If you are not in the habit of addressing dishes daily, try to create a schedule to address this task. I personally like to load my dirty dishes all day in the dishwasher.

I start the dishwasher right before heading to bed. Then, in the morning, my first household task of the day is to empty the dishwasher and put away the clean dishes.

10 Things People With Clean Homes Do Every Day

2. Laundry

Put clean laundry away daily. Put dirty laundry in the proper place each day. That means going through your entire home and emptying every clothes hamper and carrying all dirty laundry to the laundry room.

Do not leave clothes tossed over chairs and on the bed. Hang and straighten all towels in the bathrooms for a neater appearance. Another tip to save money and time on laundry is to use the correct water temperature. I wash all colors and darks in cold water. The only time I use hot water is on my whites. My clothes still get clean using the cold water because I use a good detergent.

Creating a laundry routine is a must, especially if you have lots of people under your roof. Ask everyone to pitch in and help with this task, so it never gets neglected. Even young children can sort items by color and learn to fold washcloths and towels. I have a life skills series post here on How to Do Laundry.

3. Trash

Run through your home daily and collect and toss all the trash in each room. Empty bathroom and office wastebaskets each day into the kitchen trash can. At the end of the day, empty the trash bin outside.

Side note: My kids do not have trash cans in their bedrooms. Why? I’m afraid of what I might find (moldy cheese?) and how long they might allow food to be in there before emptying it. Instead, we have one trash can near the kids room in the shared bathroom. That can gets emptied daily. This works well for us.

4. Make beds

I’ve written about this important habit before, but it’s worth repeating. As the bed goes, so goes the room. You will be less tempted to toss your clothes on a freshly made bed. Likewise, the kids should learn to start making their beds daily.

Do not make this complicated by adding too many steps for young kids. Keep their beds simple – a pillow, sheet, and a comforter. Avoid adding tons of throw pillows.

I’ve written about this previously, but it’s worth repeating. I once read a story that said certain soldiers were trained to make their beds first thing each morning. It wasn’t solely for the purpose of neatness, but it helps to create an immediate sense of accomplishment as your first task of the day. Try it, and I bet you’ll feel more accomplished, too.

5. Floors

While I don’t expect anyone has time to sweep and mop your entire home daily, you can at least do the sweeping in the kitchen where food particles and messes are most likely to occur. Address any spills as soon as they happen. Spot clean the kitchen floor with a damp mop as needed. You can also touch up the high traffic areas as needed.

When my kids were younger, I’d do a quick wipe of the bathroom floors after bathing the kids. I would just use a fresh towel to dry off my babies and then give the floors a quick wipe with the damp towel.

I’ve mentioned my favorite shortcut to cleaning floors is my robotic vacuum. If I remember to run it daily as part of my regular cleaning, my floors and area rugs stay relatively clean, even with pets and the pet hair that is so cumbersome.

6. Straighten each room before bed

Go through the entire home with a basket and collect any household items that belong in another room. Teach the kids to clean up after themselves and give this job to them as they are able to handle more responsibility. Have them collect their toys and stuffed animals as well as their own items and put them away. Removing clutter makes a big difference and gives the appearance of a clean house. If you do this before bed each night, it means waking up to a cleaner, fresher home, which is a great way to start the day.

7. Bathroom surfaces and mirrors

This is also a job the kids can share, especially if they share a bathroom. You can teach your kids this life skill here: How to Clean House. I love using sanitizing wipes for this job. Wipe down the counters, sinks, and toilets daily or every other day, if daily is too often. You can use a spray bottle filled with white vinegar and water to clean mirrors.

Use a damp microfiber cloth to spot clean the mirrors. You can simply use water on microfiber or glass cleaner for all the bathroom surfaces. It is refreshing to wake up to a nice, clean bathroom each morning. It sets a great tone for the day. It makes it far easier to do some quick house cleaning if you leave some cleaning supplies like an all purpose cleaner in each bathroom.

8. Wipe kitchen counters and sink

I empty the dishwasher each morning as we are in the habit of starting it before bed each night. Each morning after I put the clean dishes away, I usually put out a fresh dishcloth and towel. Before doing that, I like to use the dishcloth to wipe down the counters and the edges and interior of the kitchen sink.

You’d be amazed at how much longer your sink stays looking clean if you practice this habit daily on a regular basis. Make sure to wipe down the kitchen counters before bed, also. It’s the little things that you do out of habit that will keep your home looking it’s best.

9. Restock Toilet paper

I go through my home daily, usually as I’m gathering dirty laundry, and check to see if there is enough spare toilet paper in each bathroom. I try to keep 2 spare rolls in each bathroom. If I didn’t do this, I don’t think the kids would ever have toilet paper in their bathroom. This is a quick task, but it can be frustrating if you overlook this habit.

10. Pet care and Odors

If you have odors in your home, you likely don’t even know it. We tend to get used to the way our home smells, so much so, that we don’t think it has a smell. But, if you have kids in diapers or pets in the home, you likely have some odor issues you aren’t aware of. If you have a cat litter box, scoop it daily.

Other odor filled spaces are the refrigerator and the kitchen trash can. Check for spills in the bottom of the trash can and on the lid. When you wipe down toilets, wipe the exterior and the floor surrounding the toilets. This should help eliminate bathroom odor. Sprinkle some baking soda on your carpet and rugs before you vacuum.

 Also, consider keeping an open box of baking soda in the refrigerator to absorb odors. In the bathrooms, run the vent whenever you use the shower or bath. This absorbs the moisture and eliminates odors by drawing them up and out of the room.

I like to leave the fan running for a while even after we shower to continue to draw the moisture out of the room. For refreshing the air in your home, try some scented solutions. 

You can boil water with lemon and cinnamon on the stovetop to add a nice scent to your entire house. I also like using scented candles and wax melts. I have a wax melt warmer that makes our home smell like a bakery. I usually run this before we have company over to freshen the air. Look at Pinterest for other ideas on making your home smell amazing.

While this is not an exhaustive list, these are my top ten priorities I do daily to keep our home looking clean and our lives running smoother. I hope you have found this information on 10 THINGS PEOPLE WITH CLEAN HOMES DO EVERY DAY beneficial. If you like reading this type of material, subscribe to my blog for more ideas and tips on cleaning and organizing everything in your home. You can also find my deep cleaning tips and my cleaning schedule below.

You can get your printable Daily Housekeeping Routine and Cleaning Checklists here. This 15 page printable kit is delivered digitally to your email for you to print and personalize. It includes a daily schedule, calendar pages, and deep cleaning checklists for every room and area of your home. Below is a sample page of what you’ll get.

Emergency Clean: If you have company coming over and you have been given little notice, you are going to want to just do an emergency sweep of your home. This is just a surface clean, and it will make your home “guest ready” in a short time.

To do that quick sweep, grab an empty laundry basket or a large box and go throughout the living area grabbing anything that is out of place and tossing that into you basket. This is just a temporary fix, but it is intended to give you some immediate satisfaction just by clearing the room of clutter. When you have time to deep clean, I have checklists below.

Next, grab some multi-surface spray and wipe every counter top and toilet seat from the kitchen to the bathrooms. Then, make each bed. Don’t have time to make beds? Just close the bedroom doors. If you have time, focus on the floors.

If you have guests coming over for a visit, just focus on the main living area floors. Don’t do a “full sweep, vacuum, and mop job” if you are in a time crunch. Instead, just sweep and spot clean.

Again, this is just a quick fix. When you have the time, I have some deep cleaning checklists below.

Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email. It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and checklists to help you declutter every room in your home. You can sign up here.

Struggling with the daily housekeeping chores? Check out my ebook on this topic, entitled Make Over Your Homemaking. Use this link to get it at a discounted price. Better yet, get it free when you subscribe.

10 THINGS PEOPLE WITH CLEAN HOMES DO EVERY DAY

Need to deep clean? I have lists for you to guide you along.

My How to Deep Clean Your Kitchen list can be found here.

My How to Deep Clean Your Bathroom list can be found here.

My How to Deep Clean Your Kids’ Rooms list can be found here.

My How to Deep Clean Your Living Room list can be found here.

My How to Deep Clean Your Bedroom list can be found here.

Also, to keep up the general housework, you may need to create a daily housekeeping schedule that suits your specific needs. To do so, I have created a helpful series you can read here.

Need some Inspiration to Declutter? Join us for the Year Long Through Declutter Series by subscribing by email below. To subscribe, just leave a comment below. You can sign up here.

First, I though it might be thought provoking to look at some statistics on clutter.

  1. US consumers buy 40% of the world’s toys, but bear only 3% of the world’s children.
  2. Most people wear 20% of their clothing 80% of the time. (source )
  3. 9.4% of U.S. households rent a storage unit. (source)
  4. People do not look at 80% of the papers and information they keep.(source)
  5. The average American house is double the size it was in the 1950s–and getting bigger. (source.)

Need to Declutter Every room? I have declutter checklists for every room and every space in your home to guide you along below.

Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email. It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and checklists to help you declutter every room in your home. You can find that here.

Struggling to decide if an item is clutter? Use these questions below to help you determine whether to keep or toss any item.

How to Declutter the Guest Room or Your Kid’s Room checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Laundry Room and Patio checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Coat Closet/Hall Closet/Linen Closet checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Home Office checklist can be found here.

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How to Declutter Your Attic checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Garage checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Living Room checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Kitchen Checklist can be found here.

10 THINGS PEOPLE WITH CLEAN HOMES DO EVERY DAY

How to Declutter Your Entry/Foyer/Mudroom checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Clothing checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Bedroom checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Bathroom checklist can be found here.

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Happy Decluttering!

To Subscribe to this Declutter Series, drop me a comment below. Your email will be sent to me but will not be posted publicly. You’ll receive a daily declutter task via email for the daily task we are working on. You can unsubscribe at any time. You can find that here.

New to deemiddleton.com and don’t know where to start? I recommend going in this order:

Step 1: Check out this post on the 1st step you should take to get organized. If you don’t have a calendar, you can grab my free weekly printable calendar page here. It is in my shopify store, but it is totally free, so you won’t be prompted to put in any payment information. It is a free download and will be delivered straight to your email.

Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email.

It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and checklists to help you declutter every room in your home. You can find that here. You can see sample pages below.

Step 2: Create a daily Housekeeping Schedule. You can use this series to start to set up your own schedule. You can also use this simplified weekly schedule.

If you often ask: What is the fastest way to clean a dirty house? Or, if you struggle to get organized and have tried and failed time and again, you can likely find out which of these 11 reasons cause you to fail to get organized.

Step 3:   How do you remove clutter?.…Sign up for the Declutter Series and get your entire home decluttered in just 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.”Declutter Your Home” checklists are provided in each email.

Step 4: What is the fastest way to clean a dirty house? Use a timer and use the Deep Cleaning Checklists above. They will help you get your home sparkling after you’ve decluttered. 

Interested in becoming a full-time blogger like me? Check out my blogging series. At the top of every page on my blog, you’ll find a drop down menu. Just select the BLOGGING category.

Check out the most popular posts on deemiddleton.com: 

14 Things That Make Your Home Look Cluttered

How to Do A 1 Day Declutter

How to Create a Daily Housekeeping Schedule

How to Clean House When You Are Completely Overwhelmed By Clutter

What is Preventing You From Getting Organized?

Also, check out a great post on decluttering over here from becomingminimalist.com. Joshua Becker has some great tips on decluttering and minimalism.

For further reading, check out the fly lady here. She has some great cleaning and kitchen decluttering ideas plus excellent organization tips to get you started.