Cleaning and organizing are two very fundamental and very important parts of maintaining your space. It can be tricky identifying the differences between the two processes, as they’re often thrown together like a red shirt in your white laundry.
Separating them, and your colors from your lights, is important. By separating them and knowing the difference, you can think clearer about the two processes and have a better understanding on how to do them both.
What is cleaning?
Simply put, cleaning is removing dirt, debris, or other unwanted things from your home. It often involves using chemical or physical tools, such as bleach, vinegar, soap and water, or brooms, vacuums, and dusters.
When done right, your home should feel refreshed after cleaning.
What is the importance of cleaning?
Cleaning is important to maintaining your and your family’s health.
When you clean your kitchen after cooking for example, you are removing germs and bacteria, in addition to the crumbs, that could harm your family.
When we cook with raw meat, we’re often told to wash our hands with soap and water to prevent the spread of infection. Cleaning our kitchen surfaces works the same way.
For people with allergies, regular cleaning can make a world of a difference in their symptoms, especially if they have carpet. Carpet and rugs trap and hold dust, mites, and other allergens because of the many fibers and layers.
Another less well-known function of cleaning is its ability to help lengthen the working condition and lifespan of your things, as well as maintain their value.
For example, when you keep your car and home clean, you’re able to resell them for a higher value than if you didn’t – when you keep your vacuum cleaner clean, it works better for longer and it’s less likely to become clogged – when you keep your refrigerator clean, your food items are less likely to pick up weird smells and grow mold.
What is organizing?
Organizing, on the other hand, is arranging the items you have in your house in a way that looks nice and allows you to work efficiently.
Sometimes this requires furniture or other items that help you keep things arranged in a particular way.
Some common examples of furniture used for organizing include shelves and bookshelves, ottomans with storage space, dressers, and coat racks.
Sometimes, organizational space can be built into your home. For example, closets and cabinetry are built and provide large, fixed storage space. These spaces often need other accessory organizational tools such as hangers, inner shelves, and dividers.
What is the importance of organizing?
When our stuff is disorganized, we can often feel more anxious or unable to access our supplies – or even see what we have or what we need more of!
Being organized is important for our health, but it is even more important in a functional sense. When we are organized, we can more efficiently use our space.
How and where can I start cleaning and organizing?
Cleaning should be done regularly and thoroughly. This doesn’t have to be a stressful or demanding task, it can be as little as 20 or 30 minutes a day. We have an article on some suggested cleaning routines here.
Many find a cleaning routine helpful as it both reminds them and helps them know what they have already cleaned.
Another approach on cleaning is to take care of tasks as you see them or are reminded about them throughout the day.
For example, when you cook a meal and notice the dishes need to be taken care of, you can quickly clean the dishes and then wipe down the countertops, and you don’t have to feel the pressure of sticking to a schedule. You should try different methods to see what works for you.
Organizing, on the other hand, only really needs to be done when you are decluttering, when you’ve acquired new items, or when you’re rearranging how you’ve organized things in your house.
You can tell if you need to change your organization if you find yourself struggling to “stay organized” or keep things where they belong.
Cleaning versus Organizing – In Summary
Cleaning is
- Physically or chemically removing dirt, germs and debris from your space.
- Maintaining the health of your home and possessions.
- Part of a routine.
Organizing is
- Arranging your possessions to make better use of your space.
- Done only on occasion or as needed.
