30 Micro Habits For Exceptionally Neat And Clean Home
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You know, there’s a secret about my cleaning life.
I am a micro cleaner!
And this doesn’t mean that I obsessively clean my house until every single dust is out… No!
It means that for me cleaning is in the details.
Do you ever look at someone and think that their cleaning approach is not good enough?
Or do you find yourself frustrated at how much your living companion cleans?
Well, to help you understand this confusion, here’s what I’ve recently learned.
There are two types of cleaners on this planet.
Micro and macro cleaning refers to two distinct expectations of the cleanliness of your home.
A macro cleaner is someone who likes to clean thoroughly all the surfaces and things that are in the eye-sight.
On the other hand, a micro cleaner is someone who cleans in detail – the surfaces are not the only priority, and it is essential to clean what’s hidden from plain sight as well.
So if you like your cupboards, closets, or drawers to be super neat and clean and organized, and aesthetic, this article is for you!
Here are some micro habits that will help you to achieve a really neat and clean environment in your home.
I guarantee that you forgot to clean at least one thing from this list!
30 Micro Habits For Exceptionally Neat And Clean Home
To achieve maximum cleanliness in your home, do these regularly!
1. Clean the build-up in your humidifier
Both humidifiers and diffusers tend to collect water scale quickly.
You can clean them by running a cycle of vinegar solution and it’s also a good idea to use a small brush – just gently scrub all the crevices until they’re 100% neat and clean.
2. Do an in-depth cleaning of your dishwasher
You never know what debris is hidden under the bottom rack!
Dishwashers tend to get smelly so to get rid of that problem, I recommend using the odor blasters once in a while:
OxiClean Washing Machine Cleaner with Odor Blasters
They work by thoroughly removing any odor-causing leftovers that might be breeding in your dishwasher (yikes!).
3. Clean the less accessible areas of your toilet
You know, those parts where your toilet cover meats the base – always so hard to reach, and neglected in more homes than you think!
To scrub those hard-to-reach areas, you might find it useful to use a small brush.
Even an old toothbrush can help you with this task and while it’s not the cutest one, it’s inevitable if you want your bathroom to be sparkling neat, and clean.
4. Remove debris from your coffee maker
I usually fill the reservoir with a mixture of half water, and half vinegar, just like I do with humidifiers or diffusers.
I let it brew, stop the process, and let it sit for 30 minutes to help the vinegar work its magic.
I then “rinse” the device by brewing a pot of clean water.
5. Keep your cookware neat and clean by scrubbing away any rust
Try baking soda for this task and if it doesn’t work, a magic eraser sponge will certainly do the trick!
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Original
These sponges are extremely effective at removing hard, set-in stains from various surfaces.
All you need to do is wet the sponge and all those hard-to-remove stains will be gone in seconds!
You can use these sponges to clean your walls, your bath, door handles, light switches – you name it.
For me, they work every.single.time!
6. Organize your linen shelves
Make your linen shelves look very organized, neat, and clean by using closet shelve dividers:
They’re easy to install and it’s a quick way to separate your closet shelves into sections.
7. Unclog the showerhead
A simple soak in a plastic bag filled with vinegar will remove limescale and bring back the water pressure!
Keep the showerhead soaked for a few hours (or even overnight) for extra neat and clean results.
8. Sanitize your shoes
9. Take down your shower curtain and wash it in your washing machine
This process will remove moldy spots and bad odors.
If your shower curtain is white, adding half a cup of bleach will make sure your curtain is extra white again (and don’t worry, it’s safe to use bleach on shower curtains, as long as they’re white).
Use the low-temperature setting though!
10. Wash your pillows with a mild detergent
It’s important to wash your pillows at least once in a while to make them fluffy, neat, and clean again.
11. Remove any stains from your carpet
You can easily do this yourself by using a steam cleaning device or a simple baking soda + wait 1 hour + vacuum combo.
12. Make your own all-purpose cleaner
I usually use 4 tablespoons of baking soda and 1 quart of warm water.
It is excellent for scrubbing various surfaces with a microfiber cloth!
If you want the solution to have a pleasant smell, add a few drops of your favorite essential oils.
Your home will smell amazing!
13. Remove any wood stains…
… By softly scrubbing them off with gentle toothpaste.
14. Clean your garbage disposal
Those disposals get so smelly, so fast!
Get rid of the smell with a couple of lemon rinds (just whiiiirrrr! them in your disposal) or mint leaves.
For more information, check out ARS’ guide on how to deep clean garbage disposal yourself.
15. Keep your combs and hairbrushes neat and clean as well
Use a few drops of shampoo mixed with water to soak and wash them (just make sure to remove any leftover hair first).
16. Remove wall stains
You don’t need any harsh cleaners for this, even if you need to remove color marker stains – just gently scrub them with a damp sponge and baking soda, or use a magic sponge.
17. Clean your windows with vinegar
You will be amazed by how long they will remain clean!
Vinegar is very powerful on anything glass, and it leaves a wonderful shiny finish.
I’ve found that the best cloth to clean glass is microfiber cloth – it gets rid of stains and doesn’t leave any lint or paper scrapes.
18. For pet owners – you can deodorize areas in your house by sprinkling baking soda
Just let it sit for 25 minutes and vacuum the place as usual!
19. Throw away all expired or old products
They tend to sneakily pile up in your bathroom and your fridge.
Keep things neat and clean there too by regularly going through the bottles and removing anything that’s already empty.
20. Clean your drains
You can clean, unclog and prevent drain clogging with a mixture of ½ cup baking soda and ½ cup of vinegar.
If the clogging situation is really bad, first pour a few cups of very hot water to dissolve soap and grease.
21. Remove the hard water scale from your towels
Easily descale your towels by washing them in hot water with 1 cup of ammonia.
Hard water is one of the main reasons why your towels feel so hard once they’re dry, so getting rid of mineral deposits makes them soft and fluffy again.
AmazonBasics Quick-Dry, Luxurious, Soft, 100% Cotton Towels
22. Eliminate stains from your cutting board
Ah, those nasty board stains!
Make your kitchen boards neat and clean again by scrubbing them with a lemon cut in half.
If you want to be extra thorough, pour a tablespoon of salt and then scrub it in with the lemon.
Let it sit for 15 minutes and wash.
23. Clean your serving spoons, forks, and knives
Our eating utensils get stained as well.
Sometimes, you don’t even notice how stained they are until someone comes over and you suddenly become super aware of how nasty they look.
To make your forkies neat and clean again, scrub them with baking soda & water mixture for instant sparkle.
If you use a dishwasher, put a few rolled balls of aluminum foil with your dishwashing cycle – your utensils will look like new.
24. De-grease your kitchen cabinets and cupboards
I recommend doing it both in and out!
Now, getting rid of grease is not an easy task.
The only way that ever worked for me is using a steam cleaner.
A good steam cleaner can help you to deep-clean and sanitize your whole home because hot pressurized steam easily eliminates grease, grime, mold, stains, scale, and bed bugs without harsh chemicals.
It also gets rid of harmful bacteria (some can even destroy viruses!), so it’s a perfect choice for people who want their home to be exceptionally neat and clean.
PurSteam Handheld Pressurized Steam Cleaner
I wish there was a way to fully degrease your kitchen without using steam, but I have to be honest – I haven’t found a cleaner that’s powerful enough yet.
Grease (especially baked-in grease in your oven) is just too tough for basic cleaners!
You either have to steam it away, or order a professional cleaning service.
The first option comes in a lot cheaper.
Plus, it’s so fun to clean with steam!
I especially love steam cleaning our mattresses to make them look brand new.
No more dirt, no more sweat stains, and I’m assured that all those little bed mites are gone too.
25. Remove scratches from your furniture
Here’s a super quick fix for those scratches!
Simply rub a walnut (shell removed) on it.
It will get the damage out of the view in seconds.
26. Prevent bad odors in your wardrobe
The easiest way to do it is by adding an open box of baking soda inside.
This will make your closet smell neat and clean and it will definitely make your mornings more pleasurable.
If you want an actual smell (not just neat and clean air) in your wardrobe, add a few drops of citrusy essential oil to the baking soda and leave it in the closet.
It will smell magical for days!
27. Clean coffee and tea stains from your mugs with baking soda
28. Iron clothes when they’re still damp to sanitize them and finish up faster
29. Clean your household plants
It’s important to gently remove any dust that’s been collecting on the leaves of your beautiful house plants.
Even a thin layer of dust makes it harder for your plants to fully soak in the sun’s rays and it can leave your plants getting sick and unhappy.
30. Make your mirrors amazing again…
… With a coffee filter.
Yes!
Coffee filters are lint-free, and they will swipe the debris away without leaving any traces.
If you’re out of microfiber cloths (which are terrific at cleaning glass), a coffee filter will easily do the trick.
Neat And Clean Homes Are SO Satisfying
Nothing beats the feeling of stepping into a squeaky clean home…
And you can make your own home exceptionally neat and clean with these cleaning micro habits!
If you want the extra benefits of doing these things, I must note that following these micro habits can also save you a lot of time.
It takes a bit longer the first time, but once you do a round or two of these around your home, everything gets a lot easier to clean, and it takes less energy every time.
For maximum cleanliness, I recommend you to pay close attention to those hidden spots in your home that don’t usually get the deserved attention.
Once you catch them all, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much cleaner your home feels when all those nooks, corners, and detailing are neat and clean as well.
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