Cleaning & Organization
Simple routines for a cleaner, calmer home, plus room-by-room decluttering and storage ideas that keep clutter from coming back.
Cleaning routines
A cleaner, more organized home
Keeping a home clean is much easier with a routine than with occasional big cleaning days, and much easier still when you own less stuff. Our guides cover both.
A simple routine for a clean, organized home breaks cleaning into small daily, weekly and monthly jobs, with a checklist for each room and tips for sharing the work.
How to declutter your home, room by room gives you a simple way to decide what to keep, a checklist for each room, and what to do with things you let go: donating, selling, recycling and safely disposing of hazardous items.
Planning a move? Decluttering first makes packing faster and moving cheaper. See our moving checklist. Seasonal cleaning is also a good time to check smoke alarms, filters and vents, as listed in our home maintenance checklist. If you sell things you no longer need, our side hustles guide covers selling online.
Common questions
An all-purpose cleaner, glass cleaner, baking soda or a mild abrasive, dish soap, microfiber cloths, a scrub brush, a vacuum and a mop handle most jobs. Never mix bleach with ammonia or with acids such as vinegar, which creates toxic fumes.
Start somewhere small and low-emotion, such as a bathroom cabinet or a kitchen drawer. Quick wins build momentum, and you can work up to closets, the garage and sentimental items later.
Grab a basket, collect everything that belongs in another room, put away what belongs where you are, clear flat surfaces, then do a quick wipe and vacuum. Setting a 10 or 15 minute timer helps.