Daily Disciplines That Make For A Well Kept Home

August 4, 2025

Sometimes homemaking can feel overwhelming and the home can feel chaotic, teeming with endless tasks to be completed. I know I’ve felt the agony of the dishes piling up over and over. Where do they all come from anyway? Waiting to clean until there’s a heap of laundry or the house is in utter disarray, is the least productive and functional thing to do. But how does one stay on top of it all? How do you not let yourself or your home get to the breaking point?

I know for myself, rhythms, routines, and tasks that I consistently complete day in and day out, help everything to feel manageable and controlled. I have tasks I do almost every day that keep my house well kept and orderly. Now sometimes your home may be too far gone and disorganized to the point where implementing small daily tasks won’t yield results efficiently. This is when you need to find the time and possibly some family and friends to come alongside you and get your home back to square one. This can be a refreshing and hopeful place to start, but it will take self discipline to maintain. Keeping your home is every bit as much a mind set as it is the actual work and efforts themselves. I want to encourage you to be in prayer, and ask God to grant you a spirit of joyful diligence and eager-to-work hands. It takes a change of heart and attitude to begin seeing results. Even if being a clean and tidy person has never been your strong suit, don’t believe that God can’t do a work in your life and give you the drive to change this area of weakness. And of course we mustn't use our personality as an excuse to not keep our home well; or worse yet, to not even try. God has called each woman to be the primary keeper and caretaker of her home, so God is certainly willing and capable of helping you become this woman. 

Now that we’ve established the why: the importance and possibility of keeping your home clean and orderly, let’s move on to the how. My husband asked me once on our podcast episode titled “Husband Asks Wife Questions//Motherhood”, what my “secret” is to getting everything done and managing our home. Honestly, I felt so flattered that my husband sees my efforts and thinks that I am a good enough homemaker to offer advice on my “secrets”. Because honestly there have been times where I feel discouraged or mentally exhausted and worn out. I have sometimes felt burdened by the 24/7 “job” I have. Being a homemaker can feel daunting, monotonous, and never ending at times. But do not stay here having a pity party. It’s so important to view your work as it is: worthwhile and glorifying to God. We do not labor in vain. I do not stay in a mindset of self pity for long because I know the true joy that caring for my home is, and I am convicted to return to the mentality of joyful sacrifice and a thankful heart. All of this to say, there are daily disciplines I practice that have aided me in keeping my home orderly and neat, or as one may say, spick-and-span. 

I’m naturally someone that thrives in routine, and I love having regular habits to aid me in keeping a clean home.

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Here’s 5 things I do to stay on top of things in my own home:

1. Laundry Daily: I probably wash a load of laundry a day, especially since we cloth diaper our daughter. Sometimes it’s one load every other day or two loads in one day. The point is, that I don’t let laundry pile up, or my room looks a mess, I don’t have anything to wear, and I can’t catch up. I find that laundry is the easiest because you throw the clothes in the washer/dryer and can just “forget” about it until it finishes. Also we have such a convenience in today’s world with the washing machine doing all the work for us. I take mine for granted too often.

2. Wash Dishes: I can’t stress enough the importance of staying on top of the dishes. I cook and bake often, so the dishes dirty up quickly, and we don’t have a dishwasher to take for granted, so my husband and I are said “dishwashers”. It’s the task I must do at least twice a day or things will get too backed up and things get put on the “wait list” for cleaning. Anybody else ever leave their crockpot for days before scrubbing it? Only me? I try my best to keep our small kitchen clean, so some things I regularly do are as follows: clean as I cook, rinse/soak dishes right away after using, and I don’t let the sink get too full before beginning. And to make the chore more enjoyable, I play music while washing, and recently I’ve begun memorizing Scripture I have written on notecards while washing the dishes. I would love to get in the habit of “putting my kitchen to bed” or “closing the kitchen” as they say. I think that is very commendable, but for now, I just wash during my daughter’s daytime nap.

3. Make the Bed: “If you want to change the world, start by making your bed”- William H. McRaven. I don’t have a goal to “change the world” per se, but I do want to start my day off on a productive note. Plus, nothing makes your room look cleaner than a made up bed. I don’t spend more than a minute on this task (probably because I don’t have 15 decor pillows), so it is a simple addition to my to-do list. And there’s nothing like the gratification of getting into a made bed after a long day. I guess I’ll be that mom that tells her kiddos, “make your bed!” But really, try making your bed every day for a week, and witness the change!

4. Clean Bathrooms: We have one small bathroom in our house, so it is our personal bathroom as well as the guest bathroom, and I make sure to keep it clean. I deep clean the bathroom once a week I’d say. And this includes washing the sink and mirror, scrubbing the toilet, sweeping and/or mopping the floor, dusting when needed, and restocking items. This takes me about 15 mins I’d say, and it is satisfying when complete. The key is to not let it get to the point of disgusting, or you won’t want to clean the muck and grime. Keep up with the mess!

5. Quick Pick Ups: This isn’t about having a pick-me-up snack or drink, this is about picking up your home throughout the day. If I’m going upstairs or downstairs, I take items that need to go there too. I have a stair basket that I thrifted, and I put items into that that need to be taken upstairs. If we are done eating, we don’t leave anything on the table, but return the table setting it to its neat, pre-meal, arrangement. Several times a day I do little pick ups, sweep ups, and reorganizing of the living room and kitchen. This helps me stay on top of things. A rule in my home is that everything has its own “home”, a place where it belongs and should be returned to if moved. Everything makes sense where it is, and I’m not left questioning where I should place something. Of course we have a junk drawer like everyone else, but I know what things belong in there too. Little pick ups, and tossing what you don’t need anymore, helps your home stay free of clutter and disorder. 

I thought I would include some areas I want to create more habits and routines in because I have definitely not arrived at being the most intentional and systematized homemaker. I want to get better at meal planning because sometimes dinner time rolls around and I forgot to thaw the meat or I don’t know what I should buy at the grocery store. I also want to prioritize cleaning the less than enjoyable things more often (i.e. the stove, microwave, refrigerator, and the overlooked areas). And lastly I want to better cultivate a heart of gratitude while doing daily tasks, as well as grow in my diligence and work ethic instead of procrastinating or becoming lazy as I do at times. There are many rhythms and routines to keep a home running smoothly, but these are some of my current ones. I want to encourage you to put in the effort to keep your home well. Keep it for your husband, yourself, your children, your guests, and most importantly, the Lord Almighty. Thanks for being here, friend!

“Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.” Prov 14:1