8 Easy Cleaning Tasks to Do Before Bed for a Stress-Free Morning
Wake up organized and ready to take on the day.
If you typically spend your evenings helping the kids with homework, getting dinner on the table, and prepping school lunches, the last thing you probably want to do before bed is scrub the house clean. While you can definitely save all the dusting, vacuuming, and mopping for your weekly deep-clean, a quick 15-minute reset every night will set you up for a smoother, less stressful morning. “Waking up to a clean kitchen and an uncluttered living room sets a calmer tone for the day, and it prevents the kind of buildup (crumbs, sticky counters, piled-up dishes) that turns into a much bigger job by the weekend,” says Jenni Martinez, a partner of the highly rated house cleaning service The NYC Maid. In fact, the repetitive nature of cleaning can actually help you wind down for a sounder sleep!
If you’re wondering which household areas to scour before you drift off, focus on high-traffic, high-touch areas that you and your family use throughout the day. The home’s hardest-working spaces, such as your kitchen countertops, coffee table, and bathroom sink, are common hotspots where dust, debris, and grime accumulate fast. By giving these surfaces a consistent wipe-down, you’ll go to sleep feeling accomplished and wake up feeling grounded, organized, and ready to take on the day.
To get your house sparkling without the effort, here are some easy cleaning tasks to tackle before bed. Below, we tapped Jenni and Odalis Gonzalez, owner of professional home cleaning service Cleaning Day NY, to break down the biggest priorities to tackle before you call it a night. So, grab an all-purpose cleaner and a microfiber cloth, set a timer, and let’s get scrubbing!
Create a comprehensive cleaning schedule:
Load the Dishwasher
Once you’ve eaten dinner and cleared the table, don’t let those dirty dishes sit in the sink. “Overnight food residue hardens and smells,” Jenni notes. Before heading up to bed, give the more durable dinnerware a quick rinse before tossing them in the dishwasher with some detergent. For your more delicate pieces, wash them by hand before setting them out to air-dry. By tackling the dishes at night, you’ll get to enjoy fresh utensils and a cleaner kitchen in the morning.
Scrub the Kitchen Sink
After purging the sink of dirty dishes, it’s time to clean it. To start, clear any remaining food particles in the disposal. Then, squirt some dish soap on a sponge or dish brush, and scrub the basin to banish odors and prevent pests. Rinse off the soap scum, and dry the basin with a microfiber cloth to avoid hard water stains. “A wet sink overnight invites bacteria and water spots,” Jenni explains. Don’t forget to wipe down the faucet, too!
Wipe Down the Countertops
Next up on your pre-bedtime cleaning checklist is cleansing the counters, a task that’ll zap grime and ward off pests. “Wiping down the surfaces with an all-purpose cleaner ensures you wake up to a functional space ready for breakfast,” Gonzalez says. After misting the counter and letting the solution sit for a minute or two, use a microfiber cloth to wipe down the surface, paying special attention to the hidden spots beneath your countertop appliances.
Take Out the Trash
If you prepared a home-cooked meal, chances are, your trash can is filled to the brim with smelly food scraps and uneaten bites. To keep bad odors out of your kitchen, Jenni recommends taking out the trash before bed. Toss the overflowing trash bag in the curbside bin, and replace it with a fresh one for a cleaner-smelling space come breakfast time. Handling the garbage disposal at night will also free up a few minutes in the morning.
Sweep the Floors
Sweeping the kitchen floors and other high-traffic entryways before bed will keep dirt from piling up and spreading to other rooms. Because the kitchen generally attracts the most crumbs, debris, and dust, a quick sweep at the end of the night will make a huge difference in the cleanliness level of your home. To speed up the process, you can also use a cordless vacuum, Jenni suggests.
Tidy the Living Room
Often the hub of the household, the living room is a prime spot for clutter. “Visual clutter is what makes a room feel dirty even when it isn't,” Jenni says. Before heading up to bed, do a quick walk-through the main living area, fluffing up the cushions, folding the blankets, straightening any tabletop décor, and picking up stray toys. For an optional finishing touch, add a few spritzes of a room spray. “This resets the room for relaxation the following day,” Gonzalez explains.
Do the Laundry
No matter where you are in your laundry cycle, advancing it to the next step before calling it a night will keep things running smoothly and efficiently the following day. If you spot dirty clothes on the ground, run a load before bed (as long as your laundry room isn’t next to the bedrooms, of course). Move all the clean clothes from your washing machine to the dryer, and fold and put away any dry clothes to avoid wrinkles from forming.
Spruce Up the Bathroom
While scrubbing your entire bathroom is unnecessary for an evening reset, lightly refreshing the most-used area in your bathroom, the sink, can help. After brushing your teeth and washing your hands, wipe down the sink basin, the faucet, and the countertops around it to dispel water marks, soap suds, and toothpaste foam. “A disinfecting wipe takes 30 seconds and cuts down on germs circulating through the house,” Jenni says.
Lilly Blomquist is the associate editor at The Pioneer Woman, where she writes lifestyle stories across a wide range of topics—including news, entertainment, holidays, food, and more.
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