When it comes to keeping your home in a state that improves your life, a nightly home reset can make a world of difference.
When we ‘shut down’ our homes each night, we’re setting the stage.
We’re setting up our moods and stress levels for the next day. Laying the groundwork for how things are going to go when we wake up.
If we leave our homes in a state of distress when we head to bed, then we’re letting ourselves wake up to that distress right away.
Having a nightly home reset at all is already a step in the right direction. But making sure you’re doing it the right way is even better.
Let’s get into how to properly do a nightly home reset so that you can easily prepare your home for stress-free living in a short amount of time each night.
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First things first- figure out your starting plan
What I mean by this is figure out if this reset routine is something you can start tonight, or if you need to prepare.
If you’re new to the concept of a nightly home reset, or if your home is currently in quite a messy state, then the first few nights of doing these things may not feel like a quick and easy cleanup.
For example, if instead of only one day’s worth of dishes, you have maybe a whole week’s worth, then it may not be as simple as loading the dishwasher.
I have dealt with a good chunk of things that have caused me to not always be the tidiest person. From struggling with depression to the general messiness of an ADHD brain, my home has never been the home that’s clean 100% of the time.
So if you’re like me, and your home maybe needs a full-on clean before it can enter ‘maintenance mode’, then here’s my recommendation: take a week to prepare.
Spend the next week getting your home in at least somewhat of a tidy state. It doesn’t have to be spotless- I promise. But maybe catch up on laundry and dishes so you aren’t left trying to fit in 7 loads of laundry on Day 1 of your home reset.
Then, once you’ve gotten your home at least somewhat caught up on chores and tidying, you can start the reset routine!
Want a printable checklist copy of the nightly home reset routine? Grab that below! ↓
How long should a nightly home reset take?
The goal with these nightly resets is simply to maintain the state of our homes. To reset them, as is implied by the name.
Unless your home somehow gets in the state that it needs a full deep clean every single day, then ideally these nightly resets will only take you 30 minutes to an hour or so.
Now recognize that this may vary from person to person depending on your family and home’s uses.
My husband and I probably create less mess than a family with 6 kids would create, for example, so obviously the amount of time it takes to tidy that up might be different.
But regardless of your setup, these resets are simply for maintenance. They aren’t the setting for doing deep cleans every night or getting into new projects.
They are to pick up from the day, put your home back in a peaceful state, and head to bed.
For each task below, I’ve given a time estimate (and rounded up) just to help you kind of see what’s possible. However, many of these items may take much less time than I estimated.
How to put your home to bed (the right way)
Okay now that you know the background info, let’s get into the good part: what you should be doing in your nightly home reset.
I’ve outlined some habits below that make up a healthy reset routine and put your home back in a peaceful state.
Do one load of laundry/put away (10 minutes)
This comes from the idea that doing one load of laundry per day helps you keep up with it at all times.
Ideally, you would throw this load in the washer and switch it to the dryer throughout the day or earlier in the evening, so that when it comes time for your nightly routine, all you have to do is fold and put away.
Load the dishwasher and wash any handwash dishes (15 minutes)
Dishes are one of those things that if you don’t keep up with, pretty soon they’re an overwhelming mountain of to-dos.
One of the best ways to avoid this mountain is to do the dishes every night.
If you have a dishwasher, then I recommend unloading the dishwasher every morning, so that throughout the day you can add any dirty dishes to it and save yourself some work later.
Then when it comes time for your nightly reset, you can simply start the dishwasher, and handwash any leftover dishes from the day.
Wipe off counters and table (5 minutes)
Giving our spaces a good wipe down every night makes a big difference, especially in the kitchen. And if your family spends time around a dinner table throughout the day, making sure it is clear and wiped off is a great resetting habit too.
Bathroom counters are also a place to devote a couple of minutes too. At least in our house, it seems like the bathroom counters get dirty so quick, from water dripping or toothpaste, or soap scum.
Wiping them down each night can keep them feeling and looking clean.
Pick up any clutter that’s lying around (5 minutes)
All homes can accumulate clutter throughout the day, with things ending up where they don’t belong.
But taking care of that every evening is what keeps it from accumulating to overwhelming levels of mess.
So take 5 minutes to walk around your house and pick up anything that isn’t where it belongs.
Dog toys, kids toys, your car keys, the jacket you put on your couch, all of it. Just grab it and put it where it belongs.
I’m often surprised at how quickly I can actually get things put away.
And doing this every night means the levels of clutter are normally not going to reach unmanageable.
Vacuum/sweep floors (10 minutes)
Our floors can gather so much dirt, dust, hair, and who knows what else throughout the day. Taking a few minutes each night to clean everything up can make a big difference.
We have two large dogs and their shedding alone can make our home feel so messy if we don’t vacuum daily (or multiple times/day if I’m being honest). So if you have pets, this step is even more valuable.
Grab a broom or vacuum (here is the one we just got which is great for both carpets and hard floors) and just run it throughout your house.
It will feel so much cleaner when you’re done!
Unplug from the day- literally (5 minutes)
Before heading to bed, take a walk around your house and make sure that everything that doesn’t need to be on or plugged in is taken care of.
Turn off the TV, unplug your laptop charger, any candle warmers, or anything else you don’t want left on overnight.
Doing this obviously makes your home safer, but it also just adds to the feeling of putting your home to bed.
Take out the trash (5 minutes)
If you’ve filled up your trashcan throughout the day, taking it out now will save you work in the morning and help you start off the day with a clean slate.
Bonus tasks for the overachiever
If you want to really go the extra mile for preparing for the next day, here are some additional tasks you can add to your nightly home reset:
- Prepare coffee for the next day and set up on a timer
- Pack lunches for the next day
- Pack bags for the next day
- Lay out your outfit for the next day
Added perks of a nightly home reset routine
Doing a nightly home reset does more than just help you tidy. There are so many perks!
You get better at resetting as you go
Once you get in the habit of resetting your home daily, it becomes more natural for you to just reset as you go.
Which means… what? Well, it means you’re likely to get used to just picking up things and keeping your space tidy in the moment.
So after trying on 18 shirts before work, hanging up the 17 shirts you didn’t end up wearing feels a lot more natural and easier. No more chair piles of clothes left for weeks at a time!
When we make resetting our homes a habit, we develop the mindset of doing things we need to do right away. Because after all, it’s either do it now or do it tonight, right? So we might as well get it out of the way now!
A boost to your mental health
Have you ever paid attention to how good it feels waking up to a clean home vs how it feels when you wake up and the house is messy?
If you haven’t, let me tell you- it’s a BIG difference.
Our spaces have a huge impact on our mental health, and taking a little time each day to keep our homes in order is also doing amazing things for our minds.
Less time on deep cleaning
Let’s face it, if we’re tidying up a little bit each day, things rarely get to the point where they feel overwhelmingly dirty and need a big clean.
So on the days when you do the ‘extra’ stuff, like clean the shower or toilet or wash the sheets or mop the floors, you can easily knock those things off your list without having to worry about also washing the backlog of laundry you have, or picking up the piles of clutter in the living room.
The little 30-minute tidies you do each night end up saving you hours and hours in the long run.
How to make your nightly routine extra cozy
I’m a firm believer in setting the mood, and also romanticizing every little aspect of life.
A nightly routine is no different.
If you want to make your home reset routine extra special, here are a few of my favorite ways:
- Embrace the low lights. Turn off the overheads and turn on the lamps and candles. Tidying by low light is cozy and gets your brain ready for sleep.
- Have something to look forward to. Whether it’s a cozy drink you like to have before bed, or maybe listening to a podcast or audiobook. Make this some ‘me time’ and part of your self care routine.
- Make it a part of your nighttime routine. That is, part of the routine you have before bed that has non-cleaning tasks in it. Developing a nighttime routine is healthy and crucial for good sleep. I deep dive into this in my ebook Cozy Nights, Restful Sleep in case you want some guidance on getting better rest and creating a nighttime routine perfect for you.
Having a nightly home reset that you can rely on is one of the best ways to keep your home tidy & organized day after day.
Plus, waking up each morning to a clean and cozy home is an amazing feeling that never gets old.
Don’t forget, if you want a printable copy of the nightly home reset checklist, you can grab that below!
What other cozy home tips do you want to see posts about? Let me know down in the comments!
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