What to Clean First in Your Home, According to Pros

The Highest Parts of the Room

The last thing you want to do is spread more dust, crumbs, or other mess back onto surfaces you’ve already cleaned, so start at the top of each room and move toward the bottom (vacumming or mopping the floor last). “Imagine that dust is falling, and work in that order,” Rapinchuk says. In kitchens, Rapinchuk starts with the walls and corners, followed by light fixtures and cabinets, then the counters, and finally, the floors. 

The Hardest Rooms or Parts of the Room

We all have that one spot in our home that hasn’t gotten any cleaning love in a while. But you shouldn’t procrastinate on those tough-to-do tasks—so put them first the next time you’re doing a cleaning session. “I always start in the ‘harder’ areas because I lose momentum, and would rather have the harder rooms out of the way,” Rapinchuk says. Once you’ve tackled that mountain of papers or your kids’ bathroom, you’ll be able to move much more quickly through the rest of your to-dos.

The Sink

The sink may feel like a “do it last” kind of thing, but Ballentine swears by doing it first, especially if it’s full of dirty dishes that need to be cleaned or loaded into the dishwasher. “If there’s a sink in the room, I usually aim to clean the sink first. That way, you’ve got a place to get water for cleaning and/or wash your hands if you come across anything gross.” Plus, you can always give it a last quick rinse after the work is done.

The Toughest Stains and Stuck-On Food

The logic here isn’t to scrub those stains into submission. You aren’t tackling it first, but simply spraying it down when you start on the room and letting your cleaning product work its magic before you try to scrub it away. “Spraying counters and the sink and even the stove and letting it sit will soften up any stuck-on food,” Rapinchuk says. You can do the same in the bathroom, allowing cleaning products to work on soap scum or other ick while you clean the rest of the room.

While you’re waiting for the cleanser to do its thing, you can dust the walls and other surfaces and handle less dirty to-dos before you head back to wipe the cleanser—and the stains—away.

The Largest Horizontal Surface

If you’re working on a room with a lot of clutter, Ballentine recommends starting by making space, which will provide room to take on your other tasks. “I tend to go for a large horizontal workspace like a tabletop or a desk. It’s a jumping-off point for the rest of the tasks.”

The Biggest Mass of Clutter

Getting rid of the biggest mess in the room can cut back on visual clutter, Ballentine says. Think sorting a big pile of laundry, picking up a scattering of kids’ toys, or moving a party’s worth of dishes into the sink or dishwasher.