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At your earliest convenience (I’ll give you a few minutes to finish reading this article, of course), you should do a quick trash sweep of your home. It’s something you probably do already throughout the day, but a more formal trash sweep is the foundational part of any cleaning method: Even if you don’t have time to follow through on a more thorough clean afterward, it will make a quick and immediate improvement, and it might even motivate you to clean more later.
Why do a trash sweep right now?
A trash sweep—where you go around and discard anything you can classify as junk—can be a jumping-off point for getting into a cleaning technique like the “Five Things” method, which asks you to do multiple room sweeps, first grabbing trash, then laundry, dishes, things that have a place, and things that don’t. It’s also how you do the “calendar” method, which has you throw out a certain amount of items depending what day of the month it is.
It can also just be an easy way to make a quick, noticeable difference in the state of your surroundings, even if you don’t launch into a fuller cleaning session afterward. That can give you a sense of accomplishment, which can motivate you to keep cleaning, but it can also be effective on its, making you feel more comfortable right away. When you have too much stuff cluttering the space around you, it competes with other things for your brain’s attention, so you might feel overwhelmed or unfocused and not even be able to pin down why.
Whether your home is messy right now or it’s chugging along in terms of maintenance, a trash sweep is something that requires little effort and can have a major impact. But you still need to find a little spark of motivation to do it. Personally, I find that I’ll do a trash sweep at the most unpredictable times. I’ll be chilling on my couch and then suddenly decide this moment is the moment, pop up, and get to work. Do I end up launching into a full-blown cleaning fit after that? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It just feels good to harness that momentum when it strikes me. By now, I’ve figured out that I do this when I’m feeling overwhelmed or unfocused. Getting some stuff out of my way frees me up, in a way, so I can work more efficiently on other things, whether they’re deeper cleaning or other work—or even just relaxing better.
So, maybe getting told semi-aggressively by this post that you should pop up and get to work right now could be a spark for you. Maybe you’re not in a position to do it right now, but this will plant a seed in your brain and you’ll be inspired to do it when you can. You have other options, too. Try setting a few random reminders in your phone, for instance, choosing days and times you’ll likely be home. For a more structured approach, add a trash sweep into your existing schedule, vowing to do it, say, every Monday afternoon.
For me, trying to plan this out doesn’t work, so I just keep in mind that I do need to do it and always hop to it when the urge hits me. You can do your trash sweeps however works for you, as long as you keep in mind that they’re the building block of a better cleaning routine over all.
But what is a trash sweep?
Let’s tie this up with a definition so you can get started. A trash sweep is what it sounds like: You don’t focus on cleaning or organizing. You just move through a room, gathering up anything that can be thrown out. Old paperwork or bills, empty containers, broken and old items—anything you see that can be gotten rid of, chuck it.
It might sound a little obvious at first since you probably don’t keep actual trash everywhere. But look around and you might be surprised. Do you store broken-down pizza or Amazon boxes next to the garbage can but forget to bring them out to the recycling bin? Did you buy some flowers last week that are looking a little crusty in their vase? Are there spice containers on your counter that are nearing the end of their useful life? What about things your dog bit up that you just left on the floor? And, yes, real trash, like birthday cards you know you won’t look at again, water bottles on your nightstand, or packaging you set aside when opening something new—that all counts, too. Sometimes, you can get distracted or forgetful and not even realize there’s plenty to throw away staring right at you.
What helps me when I do a trash sweep is adopting a sort of vicious mindset. I remove sentimentality and assess everything I look at from a “yes” or “no” perspective. No, I do not need those birthday cards. No, I do not need those empty boxes. No, I do not need those mismatched socks whose partners are never coming back from the laundromat abyss. With a hard-nosed attitude and an understanding that my focus and happiness will improve in just 10 or so minutes, I throw things out like a fiend. Now it’s your turn!