Is Cleaning Before Bed The Key To A Successful Morning?
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Everyone benefits from a cleaning routine, right? It can be nice to know what to expect, what to clean, and when to do it. If you live with roommates, it’s helpful to have a chore list or spoken expectations to keep a clean and comfortable living space.
But what if you live alone? I notice I tend to leave little messes of clutter around my apartment and neglect dishes in the sink longer because I don’t have anyone living with me that I need to clean for. And while being the only one to blame when there is cleaning to do is simple, it can also weigh on you because you have to clean everything on your own. Enter the idea of saying goodnight to your kitchen: cleaning and tidying up each evening before bed so you wake up to a clean space.
Cleaning Before Bed: The Key to a Successful Morning?
I heard the phrase “say goodnight to your kitchen” a few years ago, and implementing it in my life has significantly improved my mornings. While the idea is focused on the kitchen—where you make messes every meal—it can apply to any area of your home. The pre-bedtime kitchen cleaning routine may look different in my house than yours, but the general purpose is to clean up after yourself before you go to bed, which means there is less to do in the morning.
You’ll wake up to a clean space and you can begin your day immediately, rather than needing to do the cleaning before breakfast or work. I’ve found that cleaning my kitchen in the evenings means I’m happier in the morning because I won’t have to do it when I feel groggy—or more often—hungry.
For me, saying goodnight to my kitchen includes a few consistent steps, even if I order food instead of cooking or have friends over instead of being alone. The first task is putting food away, whether it be leftovers, take-out boxes, or groceries that may still be sitting in bags from a grocery run earlier in the day.
Then I tackle dishes: putting away dry dishes from my dish rack, washing small items, and loading the dishwasher. I don’t always do all the dishes, and I don’t always put things away in cabinets—the point for me is to get a head start on cleaning and to empty the sink as best I can.
On any given weeknight, my nightly cleaning routine ends there. But once or twice a week, I dive in deeper for a full kitchen reset. I’ll move my dish rack and kitchen utensils aside to wipe the counters down, spray the stove and wipe away crumbs, and put away random items that find their way to my countertop: mail, keys, library books, garbage, recycling, and so on.
I’ll admit I enjoy cleaning, so I don’t drag my feet when it comes to scrubbing the sink or emptying my compost bin; however, it’s refreshing when even the longer cleans are quick and easy because cleaning each evening addresses most of the mess.
How a nightly cleaning routine can improve your mornings
As I mentioned, cleaning before bed makes mornings better for a number of reasons. First, you don’t have to start your day with chores, which frees up time to enjoy the quiet by reading or quietly sipping your morning tea or coffee. Second, you have more space. Instead of a cluttered counter, stovetop, or sink, you have open spaces to utilize. You can make your breakfast or pour over coffee right away rather than needing to move dirty dishes around. And with more space, comes more time.
Like many others, I also work from home. My “office” is an extension of my kitchen and living room space, so I place even more importance on starting the day with a clean area. When my home is messy and cluttered, I find that my mind is, too. I make excuses about cleaning or get sidetracked before I can begin my workday; my anxiety goes up and my productivity goes down. As someone with multiple jobs, I find it easiest to tackle the mess at the end of my day so that I can tackle my to-do list right after I wake up each morning.
If you leave your home for work, there are still benefits to cleaning your kitchen in the evenings. For one, you’ll have more time to get ready in the morning for work, as well as have space to set out your breakfast or lunch in preparation for your day. You’ll have fewer distractions, and the space will be clean for you when you come home at the end of your day. I’ve also noticed my house tends to stay cleaner if it starts cleaner, but as the only person in my apartment that may be because I can only be in one place at a time, ha!
How to make it work for you
Starting a new habit can be difficult, so I suggest pairing a nightly cleaning sesh with something else you already do. This practice, often called habit stacking, makes it easier to do similar tasks together and makes it more likely that you’ll actually complete the tasks. In the same way you may take your vitamins when you brush your teeth, consider cleaning your kitchen when you wind down for the evening.
Maybe you would like to load (or unload) the dishwasher while listening to a calming podcast, or you can tidy up the counters while wearing a face mask. You can make the routine more of a ritual by including a playlist or candle that makes your space feel cozy, and some people even love to select good-smelling cleaning products for a mid-clean mood boost. And, when in doubt, you always have the option to set a timer and race to clean, which makes the time fly by and contains your focus.
If you’re not sure where to begin, pick what’s most important to you. What chore makes you roll your eyes in the morning? Is there something you hate cleaning up that you could do beforehand instead? Try to keep the routine realistic so that you have a better chance of sticking to it, but also leave room to adapt—sometimes you may host friends or come home late and need to skip it altogether.
If you notice pain points in your space, consider items to make cleaning and keeping the kitchen clean even easier. I swear by a countertop drying rack, fridge bins, and drawer organizers to keep my space tidy. You may also find pantry organizers, spice racks, or a cooking utensil holder handy.
Time to try it out for yourself
If you’re curious about a nightly cleaning routine, give it a try for a short period of time. Try putting your dishes away before bedtime for a week, or make it a ritual to clear the countertops before turning the lights out. Committing to a smaller time period will allow you enough time to see the benefits of waking up to a clean kitchen, while also giving you time to make minor adjustments and work out the kinks with your partner or roommates.
If you do live with others, I encourage you to include them in the routine as well. It doesn’t have to be the “one person cooks and the other cleans” stereotype, though that system works for many people. Consider splitting tasks by area—one person handles food preparation and clean up, while the other puts away items that belong elsewhere in the home.
The best thing about routines is that they’re made to help you in your own life, so tweak your nightly routine to bring you more joy for the next day, even if it means doing a few dishes after a long day.
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