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If you don’t have a nighttime cleaning routine, you need one.
Imagine making breakfast without staring at yesterday’s dishes. Or enjoying dinner at the kitchen table without your elbow sticking to syrup that one of the kids spilled a few days ago.
Resetting our home every single night has made our mornings so much easier, and it helped me to stop cleaning from behind too!
Today, I want to share my nighttime cleaning routine with you! These are chores we don’t go to bed without doing — I say “we” it’s become a family affair. I get my husband and kids involved too!
Do These 6 Chores Every Night
#1 Empty the sink
You should always load the dishwasher after dinner, run the garbage disposal, and shine your kitchen sink with a little Dawn Powerwash and a good scrub brush.
Related: The Best Cleaning Hack for Your Stinky Garbage Disposal
#2 Wipe down surfaces
Once you’ve cleared off the countertops and kitchen table, make sure to wipe them down with a disinfect spray or all-purpose cleaner and with a microfiber cloth. You could also use Dawn’s Disinfectant Wipes if you’re in a hurry! 😉
#3 Sweep the floors
Leaving crumbs on the floor overnight is another big no-no! Pull out a broom & dustpan if you’re old school, or use a cordless stick vacuum to get those crumbs up faster.
#4 Take out trash
Never leave trash sitting out at night. It’ll attract all kinds of insects you don’t want hanging out in your kitchen and will make your house stink. If it’s not full enough to take to the dumpster, make sure your garbage can has a lid and use it!
#5 Clear the entryway
The last thing you need happening on a busy morning when you’re trying to run out of the door is trip over backpacks, coats, and shoes. Pick these up from off the floors at the end of every day and put them where they belong — don’t forget about your purses and keys too!
Related: 7 Things I Do Every Sunday That Makes My Week Better
#6 Sort mail and paperwork
Between medical bills, junk mail, graded school papers, and coupons, paper clutter can build up fast! The best way to handle this is to tackle it as soon as it enters your home. You should be opening your mail and checking kids backpacks every night.
Cleaning At Night Changed Everything
Once I created a nighttime cleaning routine, our house went from staying cleaning for all of five minutes (with four kids under 12) to staying cleaning for 7-9 hours!
Yea, sure, we are all asleep so no one can make it messy again, but that’s not the point.
It matters more to me that I WAKE UP to a clean home because it is a fresh start!
Plus, it’s become one of my favorite ways to wind down. If I manage to put the kids to bed a little earlier, I can get the house clean without any interruptions, pour myself a glass of wine, and then enjoy the results for a little while before heading to bed—that’s my kind of self-care. 😌🍷
Share & Comment Below!
Cleaning the sink every night has proven to boost my mood. There is nothing worse than waking up in the morning, getting some breakfast ready, and being faced with a reminder of a task that should have been done the night before. I no longer feel that way anymore and I love it.
I 100% agree!! It makes such a difference. Thanks for sharing 🙂