Let me de-influence you on the 5 stifling cleaning and decluttering beliefs that are actually holding you back

If there is one thing there’s a lot of, it’s cleaning and organizing tricks, hacks and advice floating around on social media. As head of Solved here at Homes & Gardens, I spend almost every day learning about and testing their voracity. In fact, they’re so popular, and such a growing phenomenon, that a whole new career path has popped up online – being a cleaning influencer.

With that also comes a lot of unnecessary trends and cleaning ideas. Now, after thousands of hours spent personally writing, testing, and editing our cleaning and organizing articles, I can spot a gimmick at 100 paces, and sniff out the concepts that are more of a hindrance than a help.

So, let me de-influence you of the cleaning beliefs you need to let go of right now. Doing so will make housekeeping tangibly easier and help you make use of the best decluttering and cleaning tips that are worth their salt.

The 5 beliefs to let go of

1. Minimalism is the key to tidiness

Often, when people embark on a major decluttering project, minimalism can become the front running pathway for decluttering success. This is a common misconception. The reality is, minimalism isn’t for everyone, and it’s not the only way to streamline your home.

Hebe Hatton, head of Interiors here at Homes & Gardens says, ‘I think minimalism is often seen as the ultimate aim. However, for many people who have never been a minimalist at heart and never will be, trying to become a minimalist by force may actually bring you more stress than solution.’

Our interiors pro explains this was the case for her but she put a stop to it, adding, ‘I don’t even pretend to be a minimalist anymore. Actually, I have come to embrace maximalism, or more 'midimalism', where minimalism and maximalism meet, which perhaps describes me best.’

Hebe explains that minimalism doesn’t work for her design style, nor her lifestyle. ‘I like stuff, meaningful and useful items and everything in between,' she says. 'So when it comes to a decluttering challenge in my home, I am not cut-throat in my approach and I need a rational and meaningful reason to declutter – whether that’s a change in season or a cupboard starting to overflow. This way I keep my home organized more organically, and filled only with pieces I love or use.’

2. Aesthetic storage is vital

Function over form works for many areas around the home. Whilst I keep my open kitchen shelving organized with matching baskets and a set of airtight glass jars, available on QVC, inside my cabinets, where nobody is looking, I reuse containers to reduce my impact on the planet. These items don’t match, but they do the job and that’s more than OK.

Whatever vessel you choose or reuse, be sure to avoid BPA plastic and keep snacks, opened dry goods, and leftovers in sealed containers to avoid indoor pests wreaking havoc in your pantry or kitchen.

I also wash and reuse glass jars from the grocery store to store rice, dried pulses, coffee, and tea leaves on my open shelving. To reduce any visual noise that might cause clutter stress from their mismatched dimensions, I paint their lids in one color and have found this to be an economical fix that doesn’t promise over consumption. I use leftover paint samples for it to reduce wastage.

Professioanl organizer Cori McDougald of Meat and Potatoes Organizing says, 'Oftentimes, when we go through a home, we find plenty of containers or past purchases that work just as well as brand new organizing products. Don’t be afraid to get creative and reuse items that you already have but make sure you label them so everyone in your house knows where things are supposed to go.'

3. Natural cleaning products are no good

Bleach, commercial cleaners and harsh cleaning agents certainly have their place in my cleaning supplies. However, what I have learned is that the natural cleaning products lurking in your pantry, including vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice, are almost always just as effective as their more astringent counterparts for the job at hand.

Professional cleaner and operations manager at Spekless, Karina Toner, agrees. She explains, ‘Their ability to break down grime, eliminate odors, and sanitize surfaces often truly rivals that of commercial cleaning products. To me, the main difference lies in how they work rather than the results they deliver. Natural cleaners tend to require a bit more effort and you may need to scrub a bit more, repeat the process a few times, or allow more contact time before you see the full effect.

‘For example, vinegar and baking soda can lift stubborn soap scum just as well as a heavy-duty bathroom cleaner, but you may need to let the solution sit for 10–15 minutes and follow up with a scrub to achieve the same results.'

Plus, these eco-friendly cleaners are more sustainable for the planet and your wallet. My personal preferred natural picks are cleaning with vinegar, baking soda and essential oils.

I make my own DIY cleaning solutions sprays, detailed below, and they are incredibly versatile.

• Essential oil cleaning spray: 5-10 drops of pure essential oil in two cups of water with a tiny dot of dish soap such as Dawn from Walmart as surfactant to make it grab onto surfaces. I use this to clean counters, windows, stainless steel, tiles, doors and cabinets, dust and even my velvet sofas – this mix melts off even the stickiest of kids slime (which is made from glue) and leaves not just the surface but the room smelling great.
• Vinegar cleaning spray: Use an even mix of white cleaning vinegar, available at Amazon, that has a minimum of 5% strength, and water. I use this for stubborn grime, or limescale built up, sticky marks or scuffs on windows and mirrors. It is also brilliant at killing bacteria and despite its pungent smell, deodorizing – don’t worry, it dries completely odorless and takes any horrid smells with it.
• Baking soda paste: This one gets a supremely honorable mention. I use it on its own to freshen up my laundry, deodorize carpets, mattresses, sofas, shoes, fridge, and bins. For a gentle abrasive cleaning paste, combine with water until you have a thick consistency.

Karina Toner very much champions natural cleaners. She says, ‘I haven’t laid eyes on dried hard water stains on my shower glass in years, thanks to natural cleaning products. After every shower, I squeegee off any excess water droplets first. I then spray my homemade vinegar-and-water solution, and let it sit for about 10 minutes or so as I get dressed. Finally, a quick wipe with a microfiber cloth has always left my shower glass spotless.’

Karina continues, ‘Aside from personal experience, several scientific studies back up the efficacy of natural cleaning products. Some studies have proven that vinegar can kill many household germs, including some strains of E. coli and baking soda is widely recognized for its deodorizing properties. These findings reinforce that natural products aren’t just cheap and convenient – they’re powerful, reliable, and a safe alternative to commercial cleaners.’

4. Your house should be immaculately tidy

I grew up in a maddeningly messy house that was only really tidy when guests were coming. And at that point, it was all hands on deck to hide all signs of life and the reality that human beings lived there with a robust pre-guest cleaning checklist that had zero wiggle room. When I moved out, I kept my own home painfully tidy, whether guests were coming or not. I wouldn’t so much as leave my notebook and pen on the coffee table and honestly, it was exhausting and made me never feel quite at home.

After I became a mom, and my daughter was old enough to run all over the house and play, I became enamored with what my husband and I lovingly called the ‘Proof of Squaff.’ Squaffin was her nickname and seeing her little toys, trinkets and other belongings misplaced here and there was confirmation she’d been in every nook and cranny of our home and living her little life, even when we weren't looking. I loved finding her rogue Lego builds in my en suite bathroom, or her favorite cardigan discarded on a dining room chair.

It was proof of life – a little life we loved so much – and I didn’t want to erase all evidence of it ALL the time. I began feeling the same about my husband and then myself. We still keep our home tidy and orderly, and above all clean with a housekeeping schedule that works for us, but it doesn’t bother me anymore if my daughter’s teddy bear spends a day face down on the corner of the sofa, or if our sliders were on the door mat by the kitchen door.

And, it certainly doesn’t matter if the odd thing is out of place when guests come over. I figure if they love us the way we love them, they’ll take pleasure in our company and enjoy seeing proof of us living happy lives in our happy home.

My little pile of the latest magazines by my side of the sofa are evidence of all the time and energy I’ve poured into turning my passion into a career. My husband’s Arsenal scarf over the banister is proof of a lifelong loyalty to his favorite soccer team and colorful highlights of our daughter’s knick knacks dotted here and there are the signs of a real family who love each other unconditionally.

Professional organizer Cori McDougald of Meat and Potatoes Organizing adds, 'It is 100% okay to “live” in your home and it does not necessarily need to be “show ready” at any point, unless of course, you are selling. When clutter starts making you feel anxious, overwhelmed, or simply depressed, then it is time to consider the organizing systems in the home.'

Cori explains that she has two small children but they all 'live big' on the daily. She says, 'They make messes all day, which is normal, by the way. However, when I want to do a weekly or Sunday reset or put everything away, our things have a place to go. The systems are in place when I need the house to return to calm from chaos. This helps keep things easy and stress free if I decide I want to clean up the house.'

Professional organizer Cori adds, 'I use these Container Store Cambridge bins in my mudroom and my family members can just kick off their shoes into them. We’ve tried many systems and this is one that is cost effective and works well for us.'

5. Robot vacuums are a gimmick

I’m going to play an Uno reverse card on this last one because yes, the best robot vacuums are pricey, but they are packed with amazing technology that truly makes life easier.

I have fully tested and reviewed a number of the latest robot vacuums for Homes & Gardens and the eufy S1 Omni Pro reduced my canister vacuum use by a whopping 90%. It’s actually been lifechanging for me as I am disabled, limited in mobility and cannot stand up for more than a couple of minutes without pain or injury.

Instead of feeling frustrated that I couldn’t get the vacuum out for a daily clean, I now have this awesome little bit of tech doing the heavy lifting for me instead.

Dan Fauzi, our home tech editor says, ‘For a long time, even the best robot vacuums were a luxury that did very little to actually deep clean your floors. Now, newer models, included our top rated eufy S1 Pro Omni are beginning to clean as well as your traditional vacuum.

‘They can take so much chore time off your hands, and after speaking with dozens of pet owners about how to best keep on top of the never-ending fur mess around the house, the most common solution I found was investing in a good robot vacuum.’

Whilst Dan agrees they are an expensive luxury, good robot vacuums are ‘absolutely worth it if you want your floors to be vacuumed (and mopped!) daily – and it can even do this while you sleep.’

Dan advises caution in one area, however. ‘Be wary of gimmicks,' they say, 'as some models like the Samsung Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI are so pricey because they can speak to the family while you're out or look out for intruders, which a simple indoor camera can do to the same effect. The eufy Indoor Cam S350 is a strong choice, which I've tried out in person and its picture and audio quality are top notch.

Now you have some food for thought on the cleaning and decluttering beliefs it may be time to let go of, delve into our decluttering library for inspiration on the methods we’ve tried, tested, loved and organized for you by person type and time needed.