The Differences Between Cleaning & Organizing

​A gentleman at the Home & Garden Show approached my booth in January and said, “So you clean people’s houses?” and I realized how many of us were told to go “clean our rooms” without ever dusting or sanitizing anything. In today’s episode, we’re going to discuss cleaning and organizing as separate and complimentary practices that BOTH serve you and your home.

I was a messy, messy kid. I am aware of the irony of this as I now literally coach people on organization. But in all of the mess, I wasn’t outwardly a dirty kid. I hated dirt, mud, grime, stick, and above all mold. I still don’t understand why kids these days love slime, and I will always relish that I got on the radio for hiding my Christmas presents in the middle of my untidy room. But raise your hand if you’ve ever used “clean” and “organize” interchangeably! Most of us have at one point or another.

When I talk about offering organizing services to people who are unfamiliar with this particular niche of home services, I explicitly talk about creating systems that help your belongings serve you in the way you intend. Organizing personal belongings helps reduce the time you spend looking for items, helps you assess the frequency of use of items, and potentially saves you money from re-purchasing items that you already purchased but lost in the slew of stuff.

Most people think of organizing as a task for closets, and they aren’t wrong! The space we hang our clothes is typically built to lend itself to items that are hung like shirts, pants, and skirts, and items that need to be stored on a shelf, such as accessories and sweaters. Most people even keep their shoes on the lowest level, keeping the dirt low and making for easy access for those shoes that can be slipped on. Many of us naturally do this as we get dressed every single day and we subconsciously know that we need to make this system as efficient as possible. Even the least tidy of us will typically have some items on hangers, some items on the shelf, and some items on the floor with a brush of intention.

But how many of us actually clean our closets regularly? I’m always a little shocked and amused that cleaning checklists often skip cleaning the closet. Sure, maybe this is a less heavily trafficked area and needs fewer runs with the vacuum or the duster. But still, even those of us with organized closets don’t usually clean them. Cleaning is a task most often associated with the bathroom. I don’t know about you, but when I think cleaning, I think toilets. I think applying a chemical disinfectant under the rim, letting it set to do its job, and then scrubbing free all evil and terrible growing things that could potentially make me sick. And while cleaning a space like the bathroom can certainly help you utilize your systems (nobody wants to shower in the space with the multi-colored corners), a really clean bathroom could still have hair, skin, and toothcare products all stored in one drawer together, making the morning and evening self-care routines more of a chore than a treat. In order to have a highest functioning bathroom, we need to organize the things we have so that we can even get to the things that need to be cleaned. In fact, this applies to most of our spaces. Where items have piled for periods of time, there needs to be a serious wipe-down to follow setting up of systems.

A room where most people blend the two? Kitchens. Most people keep all of their plates together in the kitchen and wash the dishes at some point or another. Without systems in place to efficiently put dishes away, they pile up and you don’t have anything to eat off of. Without systems in place to effectively clean your dishes, they’re caked in yesterday’s food and you don’t have anything to eat off of. The purpose of the room is to provide you…. well, stuff to eat. So for your kitchen to best serve you, it must be both organized and clean.

Ideally organizing services are implemented and effective, allowing you to call on us less frequently. Cleaning services often need greater frequency of hire to be effective as you maintain your home. Both are valuable investments in the way you live and experience your home day to day!
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I hope this has cleared up some of the differences between cleaning and organizing and provided you with food for thought on a few spaces in your home where you could give a little love through one system of care or the other!

P.S.: Check out this episode for 5 Organizing Goals to inspire you!