20 Tips
for a cleaner home
home.and.chaos
DIY · CLEANING
by Alissa Schow
Hi I’m Alissa!
Whether you’re here from @home.and.chaos on Instagram or otherwise,
welcome!
Did you know I started my account in DIY and renovation?
Now I’m all in on cleaning because natural cleaning, as my grandmother
taught me, is the best path to a clean home.
After moving from Idaho to Arizona back in 2019 and redoing five
bathrooms, it was important to me to find the best way to keep all of it
looking brand new and clean.
In this checklist, you’ll find 20 of my favorite tips for a cleaner home that
will get you on the path to making your home look and feel much
cleaner.
Thanks so much for being here.
LET’S GET CLEANING!
Alissa
homeandchaos@gmail.com @home.and.chaos
1 Don’t put it down - put it away
Use a timer. Set a 10/15/30 minute timer, whatever you have time for,
2 and see how much you can complete in that time. (clean a bathroom,
organize kitchen cabinets or drawers) Works great for kids, too
Before dinner, set a 10-minute timer and tidy up the main areas of the
3 home. Get everyone involved - kids and spouses, too!
Clean your shower while using it. Keep a dish wand full of cleaner in
4 your shower for quick touch-ups.
Keep a squeegee in each shower to use after every shower to help with
5 hard water build-up. I love a 12-inch squeegee.
Keep a small bin for returns in a convenient but out-of-the-way place. I
6 keep mine next to my dryer on my laundry room counter. I can't see it
unless I walk past my dryer - its not in the way, and I don’t see the mess
If you have stairs, keep a stair bin on it. Anything that goes upstairs that
you find during the day while tidying up gets put in there. Have someone
7 take it up and put all items where they belong. Or have family members
look in the bin every night before bed to put their items back in place.
After work and school, have a system for where shoes and backpacks
8 go, in bins or on a rack. Train family members to automatically do it so
they don’t need to be picked up later.
Go to bed with a clean kitchen. Start tomorrow not dealing with today’s
9 mess
Clean top to bottom, left to right. Think about your kitchen, clean
10 cabinets, backsplash, etc., and always go in the same order so it
becomes a routine.
Keep cleaning solutions under sinks where you use them. Have one
11 in each bathroom with all necessary cleaners, such as toilet, glass
cleaner, countertops, garbage liners, etc.
Go through clothes for every family member each new season (kids
12 love to help with this).
Vacuum in rows. Do the room length, move over and go right by where
13 you just were. Do the entire room and then back out of it.
Find a cleaning schedule that works for you. It should have regular
chores and cleaning tasks so that you aren’t letting it get so bad you are
14 getting burnt out with having too much when you do decide to clean.
Don’t wait for spring cleaning. It is better to do deep cleaning-type
chores every few months.
Do at least one full load of laundry each day from start to finish (yes
15 that means you have to put it away).
16 Keep your pantry and food cleaned out. Your grocery bill will be less.
Distribute chores between family members with a deadline. Daily and
17 weekly chores save a lot of clutter buildup, and it makes it easier to
maintain a clean home without it always needing an exhaustive cleanup.
Keep a donation box in your home out of the way but where everyone
18 can access it. Add unwanted clothing and items, and when it gets full,
drop off at the donation center.
Clean as you cook. I learned at a young age to clean as you go. When
chopping stuff, have a garbage bowl to put unwanted food in for easy
19 throwaway. Unload and load the dishwasher between cooking tasks so
that family members can rinse and add their own dirty dishes when
finished with dinner.
Do ONE thing you don’t want to do every day. It can be big or small!
Make your bed, clean a closet, purge old makeup and beauty projects,
vacuum the stairs, or go through a snack bin in the pantry. The point is
20 that these tasks we put off because we hate them become bigger than
they actually are. Crossing them off the list feels so good and keeps you
motivated.
Thank you for being here!
CONTACT US IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS!
homeandchaos@gmail.com @home.and.chaos
Legal Disclaimer: This eBook includes household cleaning advice, this is not tailored specifically to
your home. While we make every effort to ensure that the material in the checklist is correct, we
cannot guarantee its accuracy. It is not warranted or represented to be complete or accurate. We
also do not guarantee or indicate that using this checklist will result in any certain results.
Keep in mind that this document is copy-written to the full extent of the law. This Agreement shall be
governed under the Laws of the state of Arizona and shall be subject to the courts of Maricopa
County.
