Two bathrooms, two bedrooms. Kitchen, dining room, living room, loft. And 1400 square feet of floor. This is all that I had ahead of me to clean. And let me tell you, I would have rather sipped rotten milk than do this big job. I had recently moved out and was learning how to keep my home clean. It wasn’t an easy transition and it took me some time before I discovered something that totally took away my feelings of overwhelm about cleaning an entire house!
Stick with me because I want to show you how I’ve managed to keep my home clean even when I’m busy by micro-cleaning a bit every day, and how you can easily do it too!
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What is Micro-Cleaning?
My definition of micro-cleaning is doing a one-off tiny cleaning job in the midst of your day. Micro-cleaning for me means incorporating a small cleaning task into my day when I have a few spare minutes and I’m already in the area that needs cleaning so it’s convenient.
What does this look like?
Rather than planning to clean two bathrooms in one chunk of time, try this. Wiping down one counter after you brush your teeth while you’re in that room, and the other vanity later in the day when you’re in that bathroom. Then maybe cleaning the toilet you use before bed, and the next day cleaning the other toilet after you use it. Maybe then, you clean just the floor of one bathroom before you hop in the shower, and so on.
Micro-cleaning works best when you incorporate tasks that need to be done in a certain room when you’re naturally in that room for something else.
Sometimes, after I cook, I just clean the border of the kitchen floor where dust collects, cat hair tends to get stuck, and where stray food choppings usually fall. I was already in the kitchen, and could have left the floor for the Roomba to get in a day or two, but a quick micro-cleaning task keeps my house looking tidy and only took a minute to do!
Why Micro-Cleaning Works for Busy People and Keeps you Motivated to Clean
I find micro-cleaning super helpful because I’m not waking up thinking about what cleaning tasks I have to get done today. I’m not setting aside time to clean. Instead, tasks just organically work their way into what I’m already doing.
And when you’re busy, not having to set aside a chunk of time to clean, say before company comes over, is a huge plus! When you micro-clean, your house is generally always clean without you ever having to take a precious Saturday morning to do it!
Cleaning never becomes an overwhelming task because you’re doing it in such small increments. You will typically feel much more motivated to clean. You’ll feel motivated because your house will be mostly clean already, and because it’s such a short investment of your time.
And lucky for you, I’ve even collected a handful of spring cleaning challenges so even the biggest cleaning jobs don’t feel overwhelming.
For ways to keep things from becoming overwhelming and tips for staying stress-free, read this!
I’m sure you’ve micro-cleaned in the past without even realizing it. Start micro-cleaning by doing one tiny, quick cleaning task. Add a dash of intention to up your cleaning game, keep your motivation high, and your overwhelm low.
Micro-cleaning keeps your motivation high because you feel accomplishment with every little task you complete. It keeps your overwhelm low because you’re not setting out to spend a significant chunk of time cleaning, just a minute or two a few times a day.
More reading here about how to feel accomplished!
We’re all especially busy in certain seasons of our life, and micro-cleaning can help you optimize your time well to leave time for what really matters to you, time for what brings you joy, and time for you to work toward your ideal life!
Try this Cleaning Schedule
Here’s a rough sample cleaning schedule to help you get the basics covered as you start micro-cleaning.
Monday- little tasks in your bathrooms as you use the bathroom throughout the day.
Tuesday- small cleaning jobs in your kitchen as you make meals or prepare snacks.
Wednesday- sweep the dining room floor after dinner.
Thursday- pick up things around your bedroom before bed.
Friday- vacuum the living room, and maybe put away any miscellaneous items that have accumulated.
Saturday- throw a load of laundry in/wipe down some areas that need a little love
Sunday- catch up on anything that was missed, and do it naturally and organically when it’s convenient.
See how this schedule is super loose and flexible? That’s the goal. Don’t take this as a hard and fast rule for each day. It’s just an example for when you’re in a certain room, to work a small task into what you’re already doing.
Do what works for you here and make it your own!
Bonus!!
Here’s the little product that has helped me keep my home just a little cleaner by not allowing my dog to get into rooms, but allowing cats (like for where cat litter and food is):
Adjustable door latch that changed the game for me
Let’s Bring it Home
Now that you’ve learned the basics of how to keep your home clean and tidy all the time even when you’re busy by just doing tiny cleaning tasks each day, you can beat that cleaning overwhelm and feel motivated to micro-clean!
After trial and error, and wondering how to keep my home clean, micro-cleaning was the answer!
I hope it’s your solution too!
Now: Share this with a friend who could benefit from this cleaning hack. Go ahead, share the love and send them the link to this article or use the sharing buttons at the bottom of the page!
(This helps me get valuable tips and motivation out to all who want it!)
Related Reading
The 6 Best April Spring Cleaning Challenges + Free Printables and Checklists
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