For many of us, cleaning is one of those jobs we just don’t love. The trouble is, we don’t love a messy house either. If you want to create a good habit around cleaning, a nightly cleaning routine can help.
Let’s take a closer look at why a nighttime cleaning routine can be useful, how to make the process feel easier, and all the steps to include in your routine. I promise, it’s not as challenging as it sounds!
How a nightly cleaning routine can help
Having any kind of routine can help you establish good habits, and a nightly cleaning routine is no exception. It’s a great way to get a shortcut to a clean home, without the energy and time investment required with a deep cleaning or spring cleaning session or waiting for your Sunday reset.
Here are some of the best reasons to adopt a nighttime cleaning routine:
- You can enjoy a cleaner, tidier home more often
- It makes those tough cleaning tasks feel easier
- It creates positive habits around cleaning
- You can feel prepared for the next day
- It helps you feel more relaxed at the end of the day
- You can simplify or reduce your morning cleaning routine
- No more super messy house!
A nightly cleaning routine can be a great idea for anyone — whether you work from home, or a stay at home mom/dad/carer, or struggle with not enough spoons. It’s designed to help you stay on top of keeping your home clean and tidy through tiny, everyday tasks.
How to make your nighttime cleaning routine feel easier
Picking up a new cleaning routine isn’t easy, but there are some ways to make it feel more effortless. These are my favorite ways to ease yourself into your new nightly cleaning routine, so it becomes a positive habit and not one that you want to avoid.
Make it a habit
The first step is to make your new nightly cleaning routine into a habit. Make this something you dedicate time to every evening, even if you’re tired and just want to head to bed. Add your fresh new house cleaning schedule to your evening routine to form a new habit around it.
Listen to music
I always find that listening to music or a podcast helps time go by quicker, especially for those unexciting tasks like cleaning or household chores. Grab your headphones or turn the speaker on, find your favorite playlist or podcast, and listen to something feel-good while you get your clean on.
Ask others to help
If there’s simply too much on your to-do list and you live with others, ask them to pitch in and help with your new nightly cleaning routine. Each task only takes a minute or two, so between two (or more) of you it’ll be faster to get through everything. Some of these tasks are great for kids to get involved with too, if you have them.
Reward yourself
One of my favorite hacks for making cleaning feel easier is to give yourself a reward when you’re finished. Choose a reward that motivates you and fits with your overall goals. This might be sitting down to write with a nightly journal prompt, a handful of your favorite candy, or an episode of a TV show you love.
Create a nightly cleaning routine in 9 steps
Ready to get started? Here are the must-have steps in my night time cleaning routine. Use these steps to create your own cleaning checklist — add to them, move some to the morning, or use this list as it is.
1. Quickly tidy each room
Before you can clean up, you first need to pick up. Set a timer for 5-10 minutes and walk through every room, picking up anything that doesn’t belong and putting it back in its place. Focus on spaces you’re using now or in the morning — like the kitchen, the bathroom, and the living room.
This isn’t the time for a big declutter, so try not to get too distracted! If you notice that you have way more stuff than you need, make plans one afternoon to have a declutter session. I find this works great as part of a self care Sunday, but you can do it on any day.
2. Wash your dishes
One of the first things to tackle as part of your nightly cleaning routine is the dishes. If you’re anything like me, you can quickly end up with a pile of dishes by the sink. Wave goodbye to this habit and say hello to the new you where you wash your dishes before bed.
Grab some dish soap and wash up your dishes, or load them into the dishwasher to run now or in the morning. If your dirty dishes have been sitting a while or have baked-on grease, prepare ahead by soaking them in your sink so they’re ready for the evening.
3. Clean the kitchen sink
After you’re done washing the dishes, your sink should be nice and empty. Now is the perfect time to give it a good clean. Scrub your sink and faucet and make sure they’re sparkling clean. This only takes a moment or two at the end of the day, but it’s a great mood-booster knowing that it’s fresh for the next day.
4. Wipe down kitchen surfaces
With your surfaces tidy and the sink clean, it’s time to tackle the countertops. They end up covered in crumbs, dirt, and mess all the time if you’re preparing, cooking, or reheating food.
Kitchen cleaning doesn’t have to be complicated. To wipe your kitchen counters down, all you need is some water and a microfiber cloth. Invest in some high quality natural cleaning products if you like to use them, but they’re not an essential for your nighttime cleaning routine.
5. Take out the trash
Next, take a look at your kitchen bin. If it’s full, it’s time to take it out. If not, save this task for tomorrow. This doesn’t need to be part of every nightly routine, but it’s a good reminder to check it everyday even if it doesn’t need doing.
6. Wipe down the bathroom
When you’re done with the kitchen, head to the bathroom. Give the sink, toilet, and surfaces a quick wipe down. This only takes a few moments, and you can even do this after you shower or when you head upstairs for your evening routine before bed.
What’s great about adding a quick bathroom clean to your nightly routine is that it doesn’t become a big task. Sure, it’ll need a deep clean every now and again, but it’ll always be clean enough for everyday use or for when you want an indulgent self care bath or shower.
7. Sweep the floors
One area that often gets overlooked is keeping the floors clean. I’m definitely guilty of this. While getting the vacuum cleaner out as part of a daily cleaning routine might feel like too much, a quick sweep of any hard floors is a great way to keep them clean and tidy until you have time to vacuum.
8. Put clothes in your laundry hamper
Unless you’re super organized, chances are there are clothes somewhere in your home where they shouldn’t be. Whether you have a floordrobe or a chair that’s home to your worn clothes, now is a great time to get into the habit of putting them in a hamper. It can make a huge difference to the space.
If you notice that your hamper is full, take this as a sign to put a load of laundry in the washing machine. Put it on now and hang things out before bed if you head to bed late, or put the timer on so the cycle starts in the morning.
9. Fold or put away clothes
Finally, it’s another clothes-related task — putting away fresh laundry. This is one of those things that ends up getting forgotten about in our home, so if it’s the same for you then this is a useful reminder.
Fold any laundry that has dried, and put it away in the right place. If you’re guilty of shoving everything in a drawer (like me), take time to put everything where it belongs. This makes getting ready the next morning so much easier.
Create a better morning by cleaning up the night before
Establishing a nightly cleaning routine feels like a big deal, but the reality is there aren’t too many steps to work through. With each task only taking a minute or two, you can massively improve the way your home looks and feels every evening with the right cleaning tips and routine.
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