Game Changing Night Time Cleaning Routine

Do These 3 Things Each Night to Wake Up to a Tidy Home!

Not so long ago, I would wake up every morning to a pile a dirty dishes, clutter on the floor and stuff that needed to be cleaned, vacuumed, mopped, dusted and washed.  As you can imagine, it was kind of a nightmare.  I would push back breakfast so I could get the kitchen in order. After all, we needed plates for breakfast!  I tried getting up early to take care of everything, but it was just an awful way to start my day. I would rush and try to get everything clean before anyone in the house woke up. By the time I was ready to make breakfast, I was exhausted and everyone would get a bowl of cereal!

Then I switched up my routine.  Instead of waking up early and my day starting with a dirty house, I started cleaning everything at night, after everyone was in bed.  But even that created an issue.  I would stay up so late after everyone, that when we woke up, I was still exhausted! I could not seem to get it together and start my day refreshed.  This is not where my coffee addiction started, but it sure did make it progress faster!  In fact, I found that I would need 2 cups of coffee one after another, just to be alert for the kids. And sometimes the effectiveness of the coffee seemed to wear off.  But, this is not a post about coffee.  Back to the house. 

I realized I could not do all of the cleaning at night.  I sat down and really thought about what I need to get my day started on the right foot without feeling overwhelmed. I came up with my 3-task nightly routine and this has worked! Since I started doing this, I can still go to bed at a reasonable time and I no longer wake up to a huge mess to clean. At first, I would forget that I completed these tasks and be pleasantly surprised when I would wake up. It felt like half of the days work was already finished. I found this night time routine created time for decluttering and other projects that would get pushed off. Complete these 3 things every night, and you will feel like half of the work has been done for you the next day!

1 – Pick up all clutter from floors in the main living spaces.

Here you are trying to pick up as much stuff that might be sitting on the floor.  Remember, you are simply picking up clutter, not organizing! Have toys on the floor?  Put them in a bin so they are not on the floor.    You can organize them the next day or when that is scheduled in your cleaning routine.  Have shoes by the door not put away?  Put them away in a closet or on your shoe rack.  Anything else just lying on the floor?  Pick it up and make sure the floor is cleared and ready for sweeping/vacuuming the next day.  We are only focusing on clutter in the main living spaces during the nightly routine.  Since everyone is most likely asleep, you can work on the bedrooms the next day.

2 – Pick up clutter and wipe down tables in main living spaces and kitchen.

Just like the floors, the idea is that the table is just clear and wiped up.  We are not taking any extra steps to organize or deep clean anything in the evening.  All of that can wait until the next day or until it comes up in your cleaning schedule.  Again, we are focusing on just the main living spaces of the home for this process.

3 – Wash the dishes or start the dishwasher.

Of all three tasks, this one may just be the most important.  When you wake up in the morning, you really want to get your day going with coffee and breakfast.  The last thing anyone wants to be doing is washing dishes from the day before.  Even if you cannot fit ALL of the dishes in the dishwasher, at least get the majority going, it will reduce the work that awaits you in the morning.  Then, all you will need to do when you wake up is put the dishes away.

*Bonus*
Clean the toilets
If you have the time or want to quickly get this out of your way for the next day, DO IT! If not, then just taking care of the 3 items listed should be enough.

The last step is going to bed and wake up refreshed.  All of this can be done within about a half an hour so there is no need to stay up late.  The next day you can wake up, make your coffee, and enjoy it, in a nice and tidy home!