A cleaner home is something that a lot of us strive for. One thing about keeping a clean home is the work is never done. There is always another mess, more dust, another round of dirty dishes and clothes. It’s a cycle project, there is no start and finish line. The unfortunate truth is that unless circumstances change, (hiring help, robots evolving, adding an additional housewife to your family, etc.) most of us will be cleaning until the day we die. Sometimes it seems overwhelming, like a consistently clean home is far out of reach, it may be right now and that’s okay. By identifying barriers that keep me from doing the small tasks, and creating systems to decrease the decision and mental load, I have found a few things that make the idea of keeping my home clean a little more possible.

A Cordless Lightweight Vacuum

https://amzn.to/4wEtdns

Sometimes it’s the thought of lugging the giant vacuum out of the closet, plugging it in , and dealing with the cord that gets in between me and fresh carpet. Due to the high ratings and reviews I landed on this Levoit model. I can’t remember the last day I went without vacuuming. The charge lasts, it’s easy to maneuver, it’s light enough to carry up and down the stairs with ease, and I love it. Oh, and the emptying is easy and mess-free!

An Air Purifier

https://amzn.to/4bjxRyC

This air purifier isn’t only ensuring I’m breathing clean air, it’s also eliminating the dust and dander that would inevitably need to be dusted or vacuumed off of my furniture and floors. This purifier is one of the sleekest models I’ve seen and that’s not even close to the top of the list of what sets it apart. The first thing I noticed was no longer smelling the dinner I had cooked the previous night the next morning. Then I noticed that my weekly “gosh I need to dust that” (50/50 on whether I followed through or not), was turning into a bi-tri weekly occurrence. I should still dust more, and dusting is still necessary, but I didn’t expect to see such visible improvement.

A Handheld Steam Cleaner

https://amzn.to/4fJTn0O

It’s a bunch of small things that make the biggest difference. The door tracks, grout lines, bath jets, you know all of those crevices that aren’t touched with the sponges and wipe downs. Then it’s the story I tell myself, “I’ll never get it completely clean, so why even try…”. This steam cleaner proved that story I’ve told so many times very wrong. I’ll admit, I’m a little obsessed. I didn’t realize how many tough to clean spots were not their original color. One week after getting this thing my house felt like a brand new place.

Step Stool

Two Step (wooden): https://amzn.to/44VJQid

Four Step (aluminum): https://amzn.to/3TwtTwr

Okay, maybe not inherently a “cleaning product”, but hear me out. Not being able to reach something for whatever reason I need too, to clean the top of the fridge, to get a cleaning supply from the tallest cabinet, to put something away in the tallest cabinet…you get it, can put a very quick halt to any momentum I gain while cleaning or tidying. Some spaces (my kitchen) require less height but more frequent access and that’s where I keep my two step stool. It looks nice, my niece sits on it, and it’s incredibly useful. For the areas that are higher and don’t need to clean or access too frequently I bring out the 4-step step ladder. The sleek design and muted blue color blend perfectly into my mud room and now I don’t dread having to change lightbulbs.

Handheld Vacuum

https://amzn.to/4z6IvD4

A total of 3 vacuums (corded, cordless, and handheld) may seem like overkill, but I promise it’s worth it. Yes, the cordless vacuum I recommended above can be converted into a handheld, but let’s be honest, the fewer steps there are, the more likely I am to actually complete a task. Plus, do I really want the vacuum head that touches all of my floors to be used on my couch and mattress? No. This Shark cordless handheld vacuum is everything I need it to be. It is powerful, incredibly easy to empty, has useful attachments, and has motivated me to actually vacuum not only may furniture, but also those annoying corners and cracks that I previously abandoned for far too long.

This is not a complete list and these products don’t guarantee a clean and tidy home. But, once I acquired this complete list I did notice a shift. Maintenance was far easier to achieve. Procrastination was far less common. My home stays cleaner and I am calmer.