On Saturday morning, our family cleans the house.
Minimalism has made house cleaning much easier and faster.
Last week, our two youngest sons decided to clean the house by themselves. When the kids do that, I either pay them with money or video game time. We limit screen time, and they wanted a couple of extra hours to spend on their video games.
I’m not naturally a tidy person. I wasn’t born with an innate sense of cleanliness and organization. But since I wanted a clean and tidy home, I had to figure out a way to get that, that worked with my natural tendencies of being more on the messy side.
What I found was, the more stuff I had, the messier my home was. So with embracing minimalism, my home became easier to keep clean.
Minimalism is my self-limiter.
When I only have enough dishes for one days worth of meals, the dishes HAVE to be done.
If I only have 7 outfits, I HAVE to wash clothes every week.
If I only have a small amount of craft supplies, I’m more likely to bring them out and also put them away again.
And having less stuff means I have less to clean.
I like stuff. I like trinkets and dodads, I like candle holders and vases, I love art on the walls–but do I like it enough to dust it every week?
Honestly, no.
But I do want a home that is dusted. So, I got rid of most of the trinkets and now dusting takes a couple of minutes at most.
When I kept all those things, all the beautiful tea sets and victorian decor, the dried flowers and piles of books–I HATED dusting.
So I wouldn’t do it.
And after a few years of not dusting, those decorations look pretty gross. And then something gets bumped, and you see the ring of no dust where it had been sitting for 3 years, and it looks even worse.
And I get it–lots of people that follow me say, “I will never be a minimalist; I just want a home that’s manageable.” And that’s great! You should make sure your home is manageable for you.
I found that what is manageable for me is much less than the people who were born organized.
And I didn’t just want to be capable of managing–I wanted it to take the least amount of effort possible.
I could make it extremely easy and get rid of all decor and all shelves, but I want my home to look cozy, so I learned to be very picky and ask myself what I’m willing to take care of.
I am willing to dust my art.
But I don’t have a gallery wall anymore because even though I enjoyed it, I decided I didn’t want that much to take care of.
When I only have a few things, keeping them organized is easy.
When I don’t have things on the surfaces in the living room, it’s easy to dust.
When I don’t have piles on the floor or a lot of furniture, it’s easy to sweep, mop & vacuum.
When the kitchen counters are clear of appliances, spices, or snack foods, it’s easier to wipe them down.
When there is only one laundry basket worth of clothing, it’s easier to do the laundry.
When there are only 5 items of makeup, it’s easier to keep the bathroom counter clean.
When there are only 2 bottles of hair products in the bathroom, it’s easier to clean the shower and tub.
When the kids only have a small bin of toys, it’s easier to pick them up.
This applies to every area of the home.
I know when I title an article “stupid-easy house cleaning,” some people will think I will talk about hacks that make cleaning easier.
And I am–it’s just not about what product to use or what vacuum makes it faster; it’s the ultimate cleaning hack: If you want cleaning to be the easiest and fastest possible, get rid of as much stuff as possible.
The less stuff you own, the less you have to clean.
Minimalism, to me, isn’t about the aesthetic–it’s about making my everyday life easier.
I want to have a clean home.
I want a home that welcomes visitors that I’m not embarrassed about.
After embracing minimalism, I can get my house “guest ready” in a couple of minutes easily and with minimal effort. I truly believe that decluttering your home can make you feel more content, save you time, and help you keep a clean house easily.
I hope I’ve emphasized enough that the ultimate cleaning hack is to own fewer belongings.
With that established, I am going to help you out with some cleaning routines and simple supplies lists. Because cleaning still needs to be done, even in a minimalist home.
Minimalist Cleaning Routine
Let’s go over a play-by-play of a few minimalist cleaning routines that you can follow along to.
But before we get into that, let’s talk cleaning supplies. What do you ACTUALLY need to keep in your cleaning kit?
Almost nothing, honestly. All of those cleaners marketed for certain types of surfaces and materials, “anti-bacterial,” and whatever other scam they’ve cooked up, are really a waste of money.
You’re buying the same chemicals packaged differently.
So here are some real ingredients and tools that you can use to clean any area of your house.
Minimalism cleaning kit.
Products for minimalism cleaning can be incredibly few. Here’s my bare essentials cleaning supply list.
Note: You may have special needs and prefer to use a specialized product–that’s perfectly understandable. These products are just what will work in most households.
I had an era of my life (and I occasionally dip back into it) where I struggled with chronic fatigue. The LAST thing I wanted to be doing was more work than I absolutely needed to do. So I bought the Clorox wipes. Don’t take any of this advice as admonishment–you know your life and your needs. Take what applies to you.
Okay, without further adieu:
Cleaning supplies
- Isopropyl alcohol
- White vinegar
- Baking soda
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Dish liquid
- Essential oils (optional)
Cleaning tools
- Mop and bucket
- Vacuum/broom and dust pan
- Rags
- Scrub brush
- Razor scraper
- Spray bottle
The items can replace all of the following cleaning products and much more:
- Drain cleaner
- Fabric softener
- Kitchen disinfectant
- Tub and shower cleaner
- Window cleaner
- All-purpose surface cleaner
- Toilet solution
- Mopping liquid
- Paper towels
- Oven cleaner
- Mold/mildew solution
- Carpet stain remover
- Pet stain remover
The daily reset.
Making a few tasks solid habits can greatly reduce the time and effort spent on cleaning routines.
Here are some things you might think of doing every day that take practically no time at all.
- Make beds immediately after waking–get the whole family in on that.
- Wipe bathroom surfaces after morning routine–again, everyone should be on board.
- Clear kitchen surfaces after each meal.
- One load of laundry (if needed).
- 10-minute evening tidy (floors clear, surfaces wiped).
- Run dishwasher/wash dishes before bed.
And that’s most of your cleaning routine done. Now let’s get into checklists for deeper stuff.
Minimalist cleaning checklists.
Let’s start with a by-room system. This is the routine you use when the whole house needs a clean and you’re buckled down on a day off to get it done.
Bathrooms
- Gather dirty clothes and towels (preferably to put them washing immediately–you could also consider a hamper or system that keeps laundry off of the bathroom floor in the future)
- Wipe mirror and light fixtures
- Clean sink and counters
- Scrub shower/tub
- Clean toilet
- Empty trash
- Sweep and mop floors
Kitchen
- Declutter countertops
- Wipe down appliances
- Clean stovetop and backsplash
- Clean sink and faucet
- Wipe down fridge and microwave
- Empty trash
- Sweep and mop floors
Living Room/Den/Rec Room
- Declutter and return items to their homes
- Dust surfaces and screens
- Vacuum sofas, furniture, and floors
Bedrooms
- Clear floors and surfaces
- Dust surfaces and mirrors
- Empty trash
- Vacuum floors
- Change bed linens
The above list should get your home in perfect order! Now here are your daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning checklists, if you prefer.
Daily cleaning checklist
Refer to the daily reset above. Never mind, I won’t make you scroll:
- Make beds immediately after waking–get the whole family in on that.
- Wipe bathroom surfaces after morning routine–again, everyone should be on board.
- Clear surfaces after each meal.
- One load of laundry (if needed).
- 10-minute evening tidy (floors clear, surfaces wiped).
- Run dishwasher/wash dishes before bed.
Weekly cleaning checklist
Kitchen:
- Wipe fridge shelves, toss/use aging food
- Wipe out microwave
- Deep clean stove top
- Deep clean sink
- Take out trash and clean the bin
- Sweep and mop
Bathroom:
- Full clean inside and out of toilet
- Scrub shower/tub
- Deep clean sink and counters
- Clean mirror
- Empty trash
- Sweep and mop
Bedroom:
- Change sheets
- Dust surfaces
- Vacuum/sweep
- Clean mirrors and windows
- Catch up on laundry
Living areas:
- Dust surfaces
- Vacuum/sweep
- Wash throw blankets
Monthly cleaning checklist
Bathroom:
- Clean grout
- Descale showerhead
- Clean exhaust fan
- Wash shower curtain
- Clean inside cabinets and drawers
Kitchen:
- Clear and clean fridge
- Deep clean oven
- Descale coffee maker/kettle
- Declutter and clean inside cabinets
Living room:
- Clean baseboards
- Wash windows
- Clean light fixtures
- Spot clean upholstery
Bedrooms:
- Rotate mattress
- Run pillows in the dryer (removes dust mites and fluffs)
- Clean baseboards
- Declutter closet and under bed
It all comes down to dirty laundry and that dish pile…
Honestly, the heart of the matter is that you wash dishes, do laundry, and give your house a quick once over every evening to replace things to their proper homes.
Beyond that, a dusting, sweeping, mopping, cleaning the toilets day every week or two.
The best of tips to save time on chores is to do them on a regular basis. You don’t have to spend an hour scrubbing soap scum once a month if you take ten seconds to squeegee your shower every few uses.
Create a routine, keep it simple, and do chores more often to spend less time cleaning overall.
Read more about simplifying your home routines.
