How to Clean and Organize Your House

Co-authored by Jon Gholian

Last Updated: September 19, 2024

You get home from work to see your house as it always is. Shoes strewn across the doorway, toys piled up the stairs, dishes scattered in the kitchen, your bed unkempt. Here is some help to get your house back on track.

Part 1

Part 1 of 7:

Helpful approaches to cleaning and organizing

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Take a break now and then. After you've done a lot of cleaning, but you still have a lot to go, take a break. Good job. Give yourself a pat on the back before getting back to it. ^{[1]
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- If you fail to take breaks, you may get discouraged. Move around, exercise or have a lie-down. Do whatever releases stress for you.
Make a pile of the stuff that is trash (have a bag handy), a pile for laundry, a pile for things that belong there, a pile for things that don't, and a pile of things that you'll be giving away. Sort through each pile until the room is clean.

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Part 2

Part 2 of 7:

Sorting the cleaning order out

Add some white noise or your favorite music to keep you motivated. When the house physically looks cleaner, you feel more accomplished and motivated. Start with the rooms that are seen most by the public, such as the living room. ^{[2]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 7:

Most seen areas

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Tidy the doorway. Hang up coats. Put away shoes. Bring that kite your kids broke to the dump. Mop or vacuum the doorway. Beat the dirt and dust out of and mats or rugs.
- Wipe down the outside of the front door and any door-side windows.
Change the tablecloth, set the table, repair the crack in that chair at the end of the table.

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Part 4

Part 4 of 7:

Wet areas

Start with the kitchen. Put away the dishes and wipe down the counter. Label and organize spices. Organize the pantry. Now go through your fridge. Check the expiry dates on everything and organize foods.
Let the toilet soak, spray the mirror, change the garbage, switch the soap. ^{[3]
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Darks, whites, mediums, towels. It has to be done.

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Part 5

Part 5 of 7:

Personal areas

Start with the spare bedroom. Clean the sheets, vacuum the floor, dust the tables. Then your bedroom. Make your bed, organize your makeup, dust the blinds. If you have kids, clean their rooms! They would appreciate it. Change the sheets, fold their clothes, switch the light bulb in the lamp. ^{[4]
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Travel through your basement to the attic. You never know where that sock you lost 2 years ago could turn up.

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Part 6

Part 6 of 7:

Big challenge areas

This is a big challenge area. Dust the TV screen, vacuum the floor, organize the toys, rearrange the furniture. Decluttering may be a tedious, even hard chore that takes days to complete. Gamifying your method is one way to deal with this. Decide on a plan and establish a goal for yourself.

Marie Kondo, Cleaning & Organization Expert

Smart storage can upgrade your space. "Clutter is caused by a failure to return things to where they belong. Therefore, storage should reduce the effort needed to put things away, not the effort needed to get them out."
This area needs cleaning out at least once a year. Grimy and greasy, it's a big challenge task.

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Part 7

Part 7 of 7:

Finishing up

This is one of the last steps.
Vacuum, dust, and clean mirrors and windows. Make sure to check under cushions and furniture for smaller items that need to be put or thrown away. Vacuum under the cushions.
Get organizers for paper, magazines, whatever is in each room. Sort through one thing at a time in every room, making piles and organizing, until everything is clean
See if there is anything else you can do. Part of an organized home is the chores. Go around the house checking for things you can do like dishes or laundry.
You've done it––congratulations!

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How long does it take to clean and organize a house?

Community Answer

It depends on the size of the house and how messy it is. It can take anywhere from 1-5 hours, maybe more if it's a very large house.

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How do I clean a wall that is painted?

Community Answer

Just use a light rag and soapy water, then use a hair dryer for 30 seconds only to dry. If you use it longer, you risk chipping the paint.

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How do you clean a wall?

Destiny Chidinma Nwachukwu

Community Answer

Use water and soap to scrub your wall with a clean soft sponge then you use a dry towel to wipe the water off.

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Tips

When tidying an area, you could put away the first thing out of place that catches your eye, then the next and so on.

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Split up the existing room that you are doing. For example, split your room into 4 sections.

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If you get confused over plug wires, label each plug by taping on some paper. On the paper, (before you put on the tape) write what the plug powers, for example, Micheal's phone charger, TV, Ann's bedside lamp.

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Warnings

Make sure your breaks are short, because if they are too long, you will get lazy and discouraged.

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Don't try to do the hard things first, you might get discouraged.

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How to Clean and Organize Your House

Steps

Helpful approaches to cleaning and organizing

Sorting the cleaning order out

Most seen areas

Wet areas

Personal areas

Big challenge areas

Finishing up

Community Q&A

Reader Videos

Tips

Warnings

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References

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