My Night Time Cleaning Routine

Good morning friends!  Did you have a good weekend?!  I kicked mine off by chopping off a few more inches off my hair, which feels so good!  I guess something about Summer made me want to go shorter!  It’s soooo hot and humid here!  Which is why I mostly wear my hair up.  Speaking of, I have a Summer hair tutorial coming up for you tomorrow (you can view it here!) – think messy buns and voluminous ponytails!

With summer here, most of our daily routines have gone out the window.  My Type-A personality is freaking out without the structure of the school year, but I’m doing my best to go with the flow! The kids are going to bed way later and waking up later and lounging around and loving it!

One thing that keeps me sane in the midst of our summer chaos has been my night time cleaning routine, specifically in the kitchen. I’m hearing myself say this in my head right now, and realize I must sound like I’m so much fun! ha!  But it’s true! I got into this habit at the beginning of this year and have barely missed a night since I started it!  I absolutely LOVE waking up to a clean kitchen and I can immediately start my day without feeling like the first thing I need to do is clean the kitchen.  Having the kitchen all clean in the morning has also helped me keep it clean throughout the day and while I’m cooking. #bonus

NIGHT TIME CLEANING ROUTINE | KITCHEN

Every night after dinner all of the dirty dishes are put into the dishwasher, the sinks and counters are wiped completely clean, and the floor is vacuumed.  Before this routine, I “kind of”‘cleaned the kitchen, but I wasn’t religious about it.  There would be days when some of the dishes were still in the sink or the counters weren’t completely clean and I definitely didn’t always vacuum the floors.

night time cleaning routine

PUT LEFTOVERS INTO FRIDGE

I usually do this cleaning routine right after dinner.  After we eat, any leftovers are put into containers into the fridge.  This goes for what we didn’t finish from our plates and the leftovers from cooking.  Jordan and I definitely eat leftovers, so barely anything goes to waste over here.

PUT DISHES IN DISHWASHER

Next, I load the dishwasher, and my son knows to clear his place and his little sister’s and put their dishes into the dishwasher.

I hand wash big pots and pans and let them dry on a dishtowel on the counter while I continue cleaning.  But, before I leave the kitchen, I make sure to dry them and put them away.

If the dishwasher is full, I go ahead and run it, if not, I’ll wait until it’s full to run it.  If I’m still awake when the dishwasher is finished washing, I’ll also put the dishes away before bed.  My son has started helping with this too.

WIPE COUNTERS CLEAN

night time cleaning routine

Hand Soap • Soap • Spray Bottle • Dish Towel • Paper Towel Holder

I make sure to wipe all the counters down, even the stove top and give a quick wipe to things like the toaster oven and canisters that hold our utensils. I’ll also clean off the counter area where all.the.things tend to accumulate, which generally means putting toys in the living room baskets, and the rest into the stair bins to be taken upstairs.

night time cleaning routine

Salt & Pepper Mill

CLEAN SINK

I also scrub the sink until it shines!  Something about that finishing touch in the kitchen feels extra good!  We have a farmhouse sink, so getting it all shiny clean makes it look so pretty!

night time cleaning routineLarge Cookie Jar • Coffee MakerWooden Bowl • Copper Fruit Basket

night time cleaning routine

VACUUM THE FLOORS

For the floors, my cordless Dyson stick vacuum has definitely come in super handy for this! Before I got it, I used to have to lug out the big vacuum and it’s such a pain stepping over the cord or having to unplug/replug when you’ve run out of cord length.

I was sharing on Stories how dirty our floors get, especially the areas around the kitchen counters where James and Jordan eat.  I swear, does any food actually make it into their mouths??  Some days, I wonder!  When I showed you guys how I was pulling out my big plug in vaccuum, I got flooded with DMs saying I needed the cordless Dyson stick vacuum.  You guys are a smart bunch and I love that about you!

I got mine last year and have used it every singe day since!  Sometimes more than once a day!

Dyson Cordless Vaccuum

The vacuum is battery operated and you charge it by plugging it in.  The battery lasts up to 40 minutes per use, and I’ve never had it die while I was using it.  You do have to hold the button down the whole time you’re using it, but it’s not hard.  My son easily uses it too.  He actually likes it!

Dyson Cordless Vaccuum

I have to get outside the kitchen to vacuum the kids mess, so I’ll usually do a quick sweep of the whole downstairs.

I save the stairs for about once I week, but I wanted to show you how easy it is to vacuum the stairs without having a cord dragging behind you.

Dyson cordless stick vacuum

It’s also super easy to convert the stick vac to a handheld vacuum to get in between the rails or for vacuuming the couch!

Dyson cordless stick vacuum

If you’ve been interested in the cordless Dyson stick vacuum (and I know you have based on the number of DMs I get about it!), eBay has them for up to 50% off right now!

If you’re new to shopping eBay or haven’t been to their site in years, give it a second look!  It’s not all auctions like you might remember from the old days. In fact, over 80% of their items are “buy it now” which is what I always shop.  I hate to wait!

And they have millions of ‘New With Tags’ items – things that are brand new, never been used or worn, many with fee or expedited shipping.  I always check the reviews to ensure that seller has a good reputation, but you can shop with confidence because eBay has a money back guarantee if you change your mind.

Dyson cordless stick vacuum

CLEANED UP KITCHEN

night time cleaning routine

Hand Soap • Soap • Spray Bottle  • Dish Towel • Paper Towel Holder

It’s such a good feeling to walk into an absolutely clean kitchen each morning.  It makes me feel like I’m ahead of the game instead of running behind!

night time cleaning routine

night time cleaning routine

Coffee Maker • Similar Farmers Market Sign

Do you clean your kitchen every night?!  If so, what does your night time cleaning routine look like? 

*Post sponsored by eBay

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Meet Megan

Hi! I’m Megan, mom to a thoughtful teenager and spunky young girl. We call Houston home and recently moved into our dream home. I traded my lawyer hat to become a full-time blogger in 2010. I love sharing my passion for affordable fashion, home decor, organization, & fitness to help inspire you to take care of you!

38 Comments

  1. I like to say I “put my house to bed” each night – clean the kitchen, pick up, throw pillows back to their rightful position on the couch, etc. It just helps me feel so much better to start the next day. Type-A’s unite!

    1. I love that! I do something similar with ‘preparing my bedroom for bed’ by dimming the lights, turning on my diffuser and bringing my hot tea upstairs!

      1. Hi, what diffuser do you use ? I have been looking into a brand called young living . “Apparently very organic”

  2. Which dyson vacuum are you using? I’ve been looking at getting one but there are many different models!

  3. This how I was taught to clean! My Mom always told us that you never know what the morning could bring so cleanup every evening….besides I don’t like waking up to ANY roomof my house being dirty.
    I pick up EVERY room in the house before bed. The bathroom is throughly wiped down and beds are made as soon as I’m up! I did this routine while single, married, working and raising kids. Now that I’m retired I STILL have this routine. My married daughter does the same.
    While you should be comnended…. This isn’t anything new! Wishing you continued success as you raise your family!

      1. Okay I’m loving this idea of making the bathroom part of the nightly routine….I think that’s a great idea. I may try to incorporate that.

  4. I’m the exact same way. I have household chores that I still doing daily; after waking up and eating. However, I don’t have much to do because I pick up and such before going to bed.

  5. Hello! I love those rugs in your kitchen! Actually I LOVE your whole kitchen, but was wondering if you had a link for the rugs?? Thank you!

  6. Love this! Cleaning and organizing routine posts make me giddy! When my first child was one, I started looking after another little boy for a few months when my friend went back to work. At that point I started cleaning the kitchen every night because when the day was starting early with two one year olds I needed to feel like I had a clean, organized slate to start the day. That was 9 years and several kids ago and I’ve never looked back. I can count on one hand the number of times we’ve skipped the nighttime cleaning routine since then…it’s just not worth it to wake up to a mess. Of course it helps that my husband is fully on board and will help/do the nighttime kitchen clean up too!

    1. Wow, that’s almost 10 years!! I’ve only missed when I was sick lately! I’m working on getting the kids more involved too- James does like to help vacuum!

  7. This post is great. I do the same thing in our house too. I always clean the kitchen every night prior to going to bed, and usually let the dishwasher run overnight and then put the dishes away first thing in the morning. It’s such a great feeling having it all done and waking up to clean! Totally sets your mood for the rest of the day for sure! We also always fluff the throw pillows on the couch before bed, and make our beds as soon as we get up in the morning (especially me, after my workout and shower, it could be so easy some days to crawl back into bed!).

    A little work goes a long way for sure! I need to look into that Dyson, I have a feeling it would make my life a lot easier. We have quite a bit of carpet too, can anyone comment on how it works for that?

    1. I use it on my rugs, but we have all hardwoods downstairs. I’ve heard from lots of people that they like it on their carpet though.

  8. Good for you! These things can be done in such a small amount of time, and as you said much better feel to start the next day

  9. Love how you kept up with the inspiration you got from the How Jenn Does It Youtube channel you introduced me to!!!

  10. Walking into a messy kitchen is soul-sucking, haha! I keep up with mine too, my family thinks I’m crazy, but they love me anyway!

  11. Kind of looking forward to the routines of school too! My kitchen is definitely measure and dirtier in the summer with my four boys especially now that the baby feeds himself and makes a mess! Need to get a mat for his chair. Good timing on your posr, it will encourage me to get back to being more orderly!

  12. I just discovered your blog and am in love with it — really an inspiration. I, too, have a routine for cleaning the kitchen after dinner. I find I’m not tempted (as much) to go back into the kitchen for an evening snack when the kitchen cleaned for the night! I was wondering what cleaning product you use on your kitchen counters and sink. Do you use it full strength or dilute it? Love going back and reading some of your older posts.

    1. Oh I never thought of that benefit- ha! But I do know on Fridays when our whole house is all clean, I prefer to order out or go out to eat! Don’t want to messy that kitchen! I usually use products by Grove or just a gentle soap and water and soft cloth on our marble counters. That seems to work best. Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to write!

  13. I do all the same things every night! I can’t stand to wake up to a cluttered kitchen or step on crumbs before I’ve had my coffee!

  14. I love that you shared this routine on your blog! Ever since you mentioned the YouTube channel How Jen Does It & how she inspired your cleaning routine (I think you mentioned it on insta stories?!) I’ve fallen in love with her channel and all her cleaning routines, they’re so motivating. This post definitely gave me some motivation as well 🙂

    xoxo, SS

    Southern and Style

  15. Love this post!!! I was wondering about the two tiered copper fruit basket. I have struggled on where the heck to put onions and potatoes. I have put them in the frig, a drawer and even the drawer that is a warming drawer LOL….I love the copper basket, how is that working out for you??

    1. We keep our onions and potatoes in there, along with garlic and sometimes tomatoes since it’s okay to not refrigerate them! Works well!

  16. Love your blog! Thanks for sharing your routine. I do the same thing, even if I’m up late doing it. With 3 kids under 6, it’s the only time I have a measure of control over the house! Question: you mention stair baskets. What do you use and what’s your routine for your stair baskets? Thank you!

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