Tidy closets, organized drawers, and a perfectly styled pantry—everyone aspires for their homes to be clean, comfortable, and always looking their best. Every household requires regular cleaning, maintenance, and organization to achieve this, though. So, we scouted out the best household tidiness tips from experts of all sorts, like organizers and professional cleaners.
Here are 47 expert-approved tips to help you work smarter, stay one step ahead of household chores, and keep your home looking its best.
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Declutter as Often as Possible
When it comes to decluttering, always take it one small space at a time. Focus on getting rid of food past its expiration date, and keep track of when you last used things like clothing and gadgets. Aside from critical items, like birth certificates or work items, really analyze what items are currently serving you daily in your home.
Kathy Cohoon of Two Maids shares that a clean space is a happy space, and decluttering is a key step to achieving that.
“Having a clean space can help with focus, as it eliminates distractions and confusing clutter,” she explains. “If you have a duplicate or something, no longer use it often, or keep it just because, then it’s probably time to ditch it or donate it.”
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Skip the Rinse Before Loading the Dishwasher
Stop rinsing dirty dishes before you put them in the dishwasher. You’ll save water and time, and you’ll end up with cleaner dishes. Dishwasher detergent powders, liquids, and tablets contain enzymes and other ingredients that are meant to attach themselves to food particles to dissolve the mess and then allow the spray action of the water to flush them away.1
When you rinse dirty dishes, the detergent is wasted because it can’t cling to anything. However, it’s still important to scrape away large amounts of food before loading dishes into the dishwasher.
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Try Following a Cleaning Calendar
Creating a weekly, monthly, and yearly list of chores will help you remember what needs to be accomplished. Schedule chimney cleaning during the spring and garden equipment maintenance in the fall when professionals will welcome the off-season work.
Polish Away Smudges on Stainless Steel Appliances
Sick of smudges on your stainless steel appliances? Skip the store-bought products and use distilled white vinegar as a homemade stainless steel cleaner. It’s all you need to keep your stainless steel appliances, countertops, and sink looking great.
Just spray the surfaces with undiluted distilled white vinegar and rub gently with a microfiber cloth following the grain of the metal. Rinse with a damp cloth and buff to a shine.
Use Zones to Organize Your Pantry and Fridge
Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin, the expert organizers of The Home Edit, know kitchen organization starts with organized food. Keep all food categories in a designated zone for easy organization.
“When organizing a fridge, the most important thing to remember is creating zones,” the duo share. “Everything should be categorized and grouped together.”
The organizing duo love using clear containers in a pantry or fridge, that way you see what you have and know when you’re running low. Adding a label also helps members of your household find things easily.
Shearer and Teplin also recommend following the same plan in your pantry. “You want your pantry to flow,” they say. “For example, breakfast items should flow into dinner, and snacks should be placed down low and accessible.”
Use Salt and Lemon Juice to Clean Outdoor Furniture
Prerna Jain, a professional cleaner and founder of Ministry Of Cleaning, recommends salt and lemon juice to remove grime from outdoor tables and chairs.
“For an extra cleaning boost, you can also leave salt-coated furniture in direct sunlight for a few hours,” Jain says. “The combination of salt and sunlight can help break down stains and enhance the cleaning process.”
To freshen your microwave, simply boil one cup of water in a bowl with lemon slices or one cup of distilled white vinegar added. Heat on high until the solution is boiling, and allow the steam to work for at least five minutes before opening the door.
Pick up Broken Glass with Ease
When glass breaks, practice safety first. Put on your shoes and keep everyone away until the glass is gone. Use kitchen tongs to pick up large shards or wear heavy gloves. Sweep up as much as you can that’s still on the floor or carpet. Then use a piece of fresh bread, a sliced potato, several layers of wet paper towels, or a lint roller to get the final tiny shards.
Don’t Skip Making Your Bed
A properly made bed can have a dramatic impact on the way a room looks and feels. Not only does it help the room appear less cluttered and chaotic, but it also sets the stage for a good night’s rest. After all, it’s so much nicer to slip into a bed with smooth, crisp sheets rather than one with rumpled sheets and a balled-up blanket.
Utilize Vertical Space in Your Bedroom Closet
To make a small bedroom closet more functional, Courtney Finley of Organized Designs recommends putting clothes and accessories in categories—and don’t forget about optimizing for vertical storage, too.
“Utilize vertical hanging space by using cascading hangers or investing in hanging organizers,” she suggests. “Install adjustable shelves or customizable modular closet systems to meet your needs, and consider adding hooks on the inside of the closet doors for additional hanging spac