The One Daily Task In Your Kitchen That Can Ease Back Your Weekly Cleaning

There's nothing more frustrating than clocking out after a long work week only to come home and find more work waiting for you at home. According to a 2022 time use survey by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more people engage in housework on weekends than on weekdays, but wouldn't you rather save your precious weekend time for relaxing or doing something fun? You may not think that there are many things in your house that you should be cleaning daily, but neglecting some daily chores can add up to much more time spent cleaning on the weekends — especially in the kitchen. If there's one thing you can do every day to make life easier and cut back your weekly cleaning session, it's sweep the kitchen floors before bed. 

However, you may be wondering if you're really supposed to sweep the floors every single day. Well, while individual kitchens may vary, there are several reasons why sweeping at least once per day is a good idea. This is especially true as summer heats up and pests become a more prevalent problem. Here are the benefits a nightly sweeping can bring to your kitchen and tips for incorporating the habit into your daily routine. 

By remembering to sweep once per day, maintaining a kitchen becomes much easier. If crumbs are ignored and mashed into the flooring, they'll eventually require some heavy scrubbing and mopping to remove, so it pays to sweep every evening. Your order of cleaning actually matters too, so sweeping the floors should be the last step in your cleaning routine after washing the dishes and wiping off countertops and tables. This allows you to pick up anything knocked onto the floor during the initial clean-up. Additionally, it's hard to feel calm when crumbs are sticking to your feet. A freshly-swept floor just looks and feels better, allowing you to relax at the end of the day and wake up to a clean, ready kitchen in the morning. 

Sweeping regularly won't just keep your floors spotless; it can improve the overall cleanliness and health of your kitchen as well. When floor crumbs are left out overnight, it's only a matter of time until the pests come crawling in. Roaches only need a few crumbs to sustain themselves and can live up to a month without food. By sweeping the floors before bed, you can ensure that any dropped crumbs are picked up before mice, cockroaches, and other pests become most active at night. Plus, you'll sleep better knowing that they aren't creeping around over your dishes and countertops. 

Incorporating sweeping into your nightly "closing duties" is the easiest way to keep your kitchen clean and functional, but there are some things you can do to make building the habit much easier. In his New York Times best-selling book "Atomic Habits," James Clear writes four laws for great habit building. They are to first make it obvious, second make it attractive, third make it easy, and fourth make it satisfying (via James Clear). One way to make sweeping obvious and attractive is to store a broom close by, such as inside your pantry, or even hang an aesthetically-pleasing broom on a kitchen wall. The next thing you can do is invest in a nice broom; you might be surprised how much a neat, new broom can make sweeping faster. If your old broom has bent or shedding bristles, it may be time for a new one. 

To make it easy, consider alternating the chore with a partner, roommate, or other household members every night. On the other hand, you can also toss out the idea of sweeping altogether. Switching to a cordless vacuum makes cleaning your floors not only easier but also more satisfying, as you just need to grab the appliance and go without bending and stooping to use the dustpan. Using a vacuum is especially a great idea if it has a handy self-emptying bin. Plus, a vacuum is more effective at collecting fine dust and pulling crumbs out of corners.