How do people get their houses so clean?

Author: Jaeden Gulgowski  |  Last update: Thursday, February 26, 2026

Establishing a regular house cleaning schedule is one of the top secrets of keeping a home clean. Aside from regular cleaning routines like sweeping, wiping, and vacuuming, people with clean homes also schedule regular deep cleaning sessions for specific areas of their house.

How do some people keep their houses so clean?

Downsize and reduce the amount of stuff you have. Have a designated place for everything that you keep. Have a good supply of cleaning tools and products. Have duplicates of some cleaning supplies (eg A second roll of paper towel under the bathroom sink), for easy access. Have a little bin in every room. EVERY room.

What is the 20 minute rule in cleaning?

Name Your Task

One of the main rules of this method is that you don't have to complete your task within twenty minutes. You can simply see your ten minute break as a pause to rest and reset. But I also know how my brain works, and I tend to struggle with leaving things unfinished once I've started.

Why do I struggle to keep house clean?

Why Is It So Hard to Keep My House Clean?
  • 1. Too much stuff
  • 2. No proper spot to put things
  • 3. You don't know where to begin
  • 4. Not enough time or help
  • 5. You're too hard on yourself

How do old people keep their house so clean?

Here's where to start to help seniors declutter:
  1. Get rid of hazards. ...
  2. Dispose of expired food in the fridge and pantry. ...
  3. Donate items that are not being used. ...
  4. Give old rooms a new purpose. ...
  5. Designate set days for certain cleaning tasks. ...
  6. Hire a monthly cleaning service. ...
  7. Repair anything that is broken.

The Layers of a Clean House (Why Cleaning Feels so Hard)

What is the secret of keeping the house clean always?

Clean a Little Every Day

So, consider tackling a single room or set a timer for a certain amount of time each day to maintain your home. You could also create a daily or weekly cleaning schedule to keep you on track, task by task.

Why do older people stop cleaning?

Understanding Why Seniors May Neglect Cleaning

Physical limitations: Health issues like arthritis or impaired mobility can make cleaning physically challenging. Vision problems: Poor eyesight can result in missing spots while cleaning or not noticing dirt and clutter.

What is messy house syndrome?

Messy house syndrome presents in older adults, usually 60 and over. People with messy house syndrome cannot maintain a healthy household. They hoard large amounts of useless objects within their homes. Often, their homes are so cluttered that they are inhabitable and unsafe.

Is it normal to always have a messy house?

Some people simply do not place a high priority on having everything clean, organized, and in its place. In this case, messiness is simply a normal state of affairs. If the house is cluttered and it's just fine with you, then it's probably more a sign of your personality and preferences.

Why do some people not clean their house?

Most people do not clean their homes because they don't have time. Their schedules are filled with full-time jobs, extra activities, taking care of their children, social gatherings, etc. The spare time that they might have will be allocated for resting.

What is the golden rule of cleaning?

Follow the 'top-to-bottom' cleaning direction

Every time you start cleaning a room, start from the highest point and work your way towards the bottom. In doing so, you will ensure that any dust that falls off from higher points will eventually end up on the lower levels, where you will get a chance to clean it later.

How often should you clean the toilet?

The answer is that you can't really clean your toilet too much, but Lysol® recommends you clean your toilet weekly. What to use to clean a toilet? Before you tackle the task, make sure you have everything you need to clean a toilet with: A toilet brush.

What is the 80/20 rule in housekeeping?

This by-the-numbers decluttering strategy is simple: Only take up 80% of any given space in your home with stuff, and leave the other 20% empty. Generally, that means getting rid of about 20% of the items in your house to ensure your home is comfortable and has a feeling of spaciousness.

How to help someone who doesn't clean their house?

Offering general support
  1. Use respectful language. Don't refer to their possessions as 'junk' or 'rubbish'. ...
  2. Don't focus on a total clean-up. ...
  3. Listen to what they want. ...
  4. Think carefully about gifts. ...
  5. Don't pressure them to let you into their space. ...
  6. Let them know you are there. ...
  7. Include your loved one in calls to authorities.

How to get your house spotless?

How to Deep Clean Your House
  1. Declutter Before Deep Cleaning. Find a new place for (or better yet, get rid of) any visible clutter that does not belong in the room. ...
  2. Start High, Go Low. ...
  3. Deep Clean Windows. ...
  4. Spruce Up Window Treatments. ...
  5. Remove Dust from Surfaces. ...
  6. Deep Clean the Floors.

What defines a dirty house?

The short answer here is that you have a dirty house if it is unsanitary, meaning there is mould in the home, unwanted pests are being attracted, or there are lingering unpleasant odours. This is different from a house that is simply messy, meaning that there is a lot of clutter or disorganization.

Do depressed people have messy homes?

One of the many symptoms of depression is lowered energy levels, and lack of motivation, which makes it hard to manage your daily tasks and responsibilities, making even simple chores feel impossible, and keeping a tidy home environment becomes very challenging.

What is crisis cleaning?

Essentially, a Crisis Clean is usually a one-off cleaning of a home that is not safe or healthy for the person living there to return to; where an individual would be at risk due to the conditions they are living in.

What does a messy house say about a person?

'Mess can mean different things to different people. A messy space could indicate creativity or someone who is too busy but a messy space could also indicate further issues like anxiety or ADHD.

What is Noah's syndrome?

Noah syndrome is a variant of Diogenes syndrome that presents as hoarding a large number of animals. Predisposing factors for developing this disorder are situations of psychosocial stress and loneliness.

What does a level 1 hoarder look like?

It is often unrecognized by outside observers and the hoarder. Indicators include difficulty parting with redundant items, excessive shopping for items already in the home or not needed, accessible stairs, doors, and windows, no noticeable odors in the home, little to no visible…

Why do older people look washed out?

One of the primary reasons our color vision gets worse with age is because the lenses in our eyes become yellowish, which appears like looking through a yellow filter. This distortion can disrupt yellow and blue vision, preventing us from differentiating yellow from green and blue from purple in some situations.

What happens when you never clean?

You get physically sick

Bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi, molds, pests, and other dangerous and gross organisms thrive in dirty, stale environments. A home that doesn't get the cleaning attention it needs will eventually become a hotbed of disease.

Why do seniors not bathe?

Perhaps the most common reason for elderly people to stop bathing is fear of falling or injury. For seniors with decreased mobility, this can fundamentally change their showering and bathing habits. Taking a shower can be a daunting prospect.

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