Why You Should Separate Tidying Up and Cleaning

"Today I'm going to get organized!" is a battle cry against the chaos in the household. In reality, this action consists of two completely different tasks: tidying up and cleaning.

Let's take a look at why it helps you to keep them separate in this article.

Tidying Up

Tidying up is about returning items to their proper places. From clothes that finally go back into the closet, to scattered toys, books, knick-knacks, and so on, to things that simply belong in the trash.

I swear by giving everything a designated home: notepads live in that one specific drawer, candies in another, and my leggings don’t just float around in the closet but have a specific compartment. This makes tidying up much easier: you don’t have to think hard about where to put this or that; you just know. It saves decision-making energy—and that’s exactly what our brains love!

If you regularly tidy up the clutter, it doesn’t even get to be such a big mess. "But I don’t have time for that! 🤯" you might think? Then let’s start an experiment: set your phone timer for 5 minutes. 5 minutes isn’t long at all. Then go into a room of your choice, for example, the living room, and take just those 5 minutes to tidy up. You’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish in that short time! 💪

I also just tidy up “on the side”—when I walk past a table and see something that actually belongs elsewhere, I just take it without much fuss. It doesn’t even feel like tidying up and is not tiring at all.

Tidying up is the prerequisite for being able to clean at all: otherwise, you’re maneuvering the scrubber around all the clutter, which obviously isn’t the point.

Cleaning

No matter how tidy you are, you still have to clean regularly. Things gather dust, we spill and crumble, and if you have pets and/or children, the fun really begins. 🤪

Is there a golden rule for how often you need to clean? Yes and no! 😀 I’ve gone into more detail about this in the article What Needs to Be Cleaned and How Often? I’ve also gathered some proven household life hacks for saving time while cleaning.

What works well for me are set days for specific cleaning tasks. For example, the bathroom is always on Mondays, and the floors are done on Wednesdays. This also saves decision-making energy: is it really necessary to clean something, and if so, what is the most urgent?

By the way, I recommend these set days even if you share household tasks at home and it makes sense to coordinate some work steps. Because to come back to the floors: I vacuum them every Wednesday because my friend’s daughter is responsible for mopping them on Wednesday afternoons. That order just makes sense.

Here’s a comparison of both tasks:

| Tidying Up | Cleaning | |------------|----------| | What is moved? | Items | Dirt particles | | Goal | Order | Cleanliness | | How often is it needed? | Not at all as a rush job if you have tidying routines | Depending on the area, daily/weekly/less frequently |

Why Should You Not Combine Tidying Up and Cleaning?

So, now you have a clear picture of why tidying up and cleaning are two completely different tasks. But why do I recommend tackling them separately?

The crux is feasibility: it depends on your time, energy, and motivation.

We all have pretty packed lives where we have to and want to juggle a lot. The household is just one of many puzzle pieces and probably not the one with the highest priority, right?

Both tidying up and cleaning take a certain amount of time and also require energy. Because I have multiple sclerosis, this is a crucial factor for me. But even healthy people are worn out after a long workday and don’t have much power left for scrubbing.

If you try to do tidying up and cleaning at the same time, it can quickly become overwhelming. Imagine you’re in the middle of tidying up a room. You’re sorting items, putting them in their places, and suddenly you notice the dust on the shelves. The impulse to grab the duster right away is understandable, but what happens then? Your energy and focus get splintered. You start cleaning a bit here and there while you’re still in the middle of tidying up. In the end, the room may still feel chaotic, and you’re frustrated because you don’t feel like you’ve really accomplished anything.

By separating tidying up and cleaning, you can focus on one task at a time and complete each task more efficiently. Only when everything has found its place does it make sense to wipe surfaces, vacuum, or mop the floor.

This way, you not only have a cleaner home but also a clearer sense of satisfaction because you’ve fully completed one task before moving on to the next. ☺️