On their websites, TikToks and HGTV shows, professional cleaners and organizers often seem as if they live in magically tidy, sparkling homes. But there’s no Disney cartoon alchemy at play; these scrub-it-up experts simply stick to tiny, purposeful tasks on a regular basis.
“My general rule is 15 minutes a day. I divide our apartment up by days of the week, and then do deeper quarterly maintenance,” says Tyler Moore, a schoolteacher in New York City who blogs and produces online content as “Tidy Dad.”
Still, these neatniks don’t claim (or aim) to be perfect. There are surfaces they sometimes neglect and home-keeping tasks they let slide. A few even hire outside help. Here are their top tips on how to scrub up at home.
Get your family to pitch in
Professional organizers teach their clients how to sort and straighten their spaces. So it’s not surprising that they’re good at sorting tasks and enlisting spouses and children in homefront battles against grime and chaos. “My family divides and conquers,” says Shira Gill, a professional organizer in San Francisco and the author of “LifeStyled: Your Guide to a More Organized & Intentional Life.” “Every night, my husband cooks, my kids do the dishes and I wipe down the counters. It takes 15 minutes.”
Moore — who just released the book “Tidy Up Your Life” — helped his three daughters (ages 4, 7 and 9) map out how to store things in their shared bedroom. “They know where the stuffed animal zone is, where the book zone is and where the clothes zone is,” he says. “We sketched it out on paper.”
Establish a baseline — then let a few things slide
Cleaning pros tend to set down rules on where things go (spatulas and spoons in a big jar) and how often they scrub down certain surfaces. “It’s about defining the minimum level of cleanliness that works for you,” Gill says. “In my case, the kitchen counters have to be wiped down, but I’m OK with clutter in my teenage daughters’ bedrooms.”
Many experts consider laundry, the giant clothing and sheet monster that terrorizes us all, a lower priority than Swiffer-ed floors and a hygienic kitchen. “We don’t have an in-unit washer and dryer, and keeping bedding clean is a huge chore,” Moore says. “Some people say you should wash your sheets once a week; if we’re lucky, I do it every month or six weeks.”
Do a little every day
Before the advent of electric washing machines, vacuum cleaners and other modern conveniences, homemakers assigned specific tasks to each day of the week. Think “mending Monday” or “laundry Wednesday.” It’s a throwback idea many cleaning experts still follow.
“I space out my tasks throughout the week, so I don’t get overwhelmed and go into full Tasmanian devil cleaning mode on the weekend,” says Caroline Solomon, a professional organizer in New York City. Because she works for herself, Solomon is able to carve out 30 minutes each morning for one chore (dusting on Monday, vacuuming on Tuesday, etc.).
Have a less flexible schedule? “I tell clients to tack a single task onto their nightly reset routine,” she says. “You might sweep the floor or empty all your trash cans after putting dishes away and resetting the living room.”
Don’t go overboard on organizational tools
Trying to harness the chaos at home? You might be tempted to raid the Container Store for boxes and wall racks or start sorting everything by color, a la the Home Edit. “But the key is using what actually helps, not just buying more stuff to contain stuff,” says Shawna Holman, an eco-cleaning blogger and the author of “A Healthier Home: The Room-by-Room Guide to Make Any Space a Little Less Toxic.”
In her Southern California home, Holman uses pared-back storage methods. “I do love a few things — glass jars for pantry storage that keep food fresh and visible, woven baskets for corralling odds and ends, and a well-placed wall hook or two to keep things from piling up,” she says.
Know your ick points
What you consider a neat and clean room might be another person’s outtake from “Hoarders.” For example, “Shoes and coats scattered in the entryway are a big ugh for me, so I’m always placing them on the shoe rack or hanging them up,” Solomon says. “It prevents that immediate shock of visual clutter.” Other common oh-noes: countertops covered in crumbs and drains clogged with hair.
It’s OK to hire help
Helping clients corral their stuff and spiff up their acts can be tiring. So, like many of us, pro organizers and tidiness content creators sometimes hire cleaners. “I genuinely enjoy caring for my home, and I’ve developed a rhythm that makes it feel less like a chore and more like part of everyday life,” Holman says. “But during busier seasons, like when I’m writing a book, I have someone come in once a week to help with the deeper cleaning.”
Having someone sweep the floors and scrub the toilets every week or two can make keeping order easier. “It’s a huge treat to have a truly sparkling home twice a month,” says Gill, whose cleaners come every two weeks. “It allows me to focus on maintenance in between.”
Own less stuff
If you spend your workdays helping others organize and get rid of possessions, it can have a Marie Kondo-like effect on how many books, shoes and coffee mugs you keep around. “It’s easier to keep your home tidy if you have less stuff,” Gill says. “The less you own, the less you have to clean and organize.”
Solomon, who lives in a tiny Manhattan apartment, agrees. “This is the trick that no one wants to hear, but — own less,” she says. “I’m constantly prioritizing space over stuff. Owning too much stuff stresses me out, so I always keep a giveaway bin in my entryway for items I no longer need, use or want. It goes to friends and family, or it gets donated.”
Writer Jennifer Barger is an editor at Consumers’ Checkbook. Her newsletter, The Souvenirist, explores the intersection of design and travel.