A messy home creates an even messier life. When you walk through the door after a long day of work or another argument with your partner, the last thing you want to see is clothes everywhere and a pile of dirty dishes.

This turns your already bad day into something that’s almost too much to handle. It weighs on the mind and makes your healthy habits harder to accomplish as well. The mess in your home ends up building even more as the disarray in your life continues to unravel.

If you want to turn things around, you’re going to have to deep clean.

Here’s how to deep clean your house in 10 easy steps.

1. Make a Plan

When a mess has gotten so far out of control, you can’t just dive into cleaning. You have to create a plan that makes sense, one that gets everything done in an understandable order without wearing you out.

Maybe you start in the bedrooms then work your way into the living room and kitchen. Maybe you focus on cleaning the floors and dusting the ceiling fans then tackle the furniture and the clutter.

Whatever order you do everything in, try not to end up going back over certain spaces over and over. This could prolong the cleaning process much more than you think.

2. Ask for Help

If you’re a mom cleaning up after your kids and your husband you need to get the whole family on board for cleaning. Set aside a weekend to take on the mess together instead of trying to do everything yourself.

Do the same thing with your roommates. If you live alone, call on your friends and family to help and order pizza as a thank-you.

No matter which way you organize it, cleaning is easier to do when more hands are involved. Make sure all hands are on deck before you start cleaning away.

3. Get Rid of Clutter

One of the best things to put at the top of your cleaning to-do list is to get rid of clutter. If you can’t see the floor in your room or the kitchen countertop under so much stuff, focus on these areas first.

Getting rid of clutter helps you see your vision for the room clearly. It may even inspire you to reorganize the furniture or change the decor altogether. You’d have to clean first, of course, but there’s a chance you end up with a much better room than before!

4. Make “Keep”, “Donate”, and “Trash” Piles

The thing about organizing clutter is that many homeowners (and renters) get stuck deciding where everything goes.

Here’s a tip: save the final decisions for when you’re done cleaning. Set up “keep”, “donate”, and “trash” piles first then go back through them when you have a clean space to work in.

This speeds up the initial de-clutter process and it helps you make more sense of the things you have. You may not need as many knick-knacks as you thought you did, and there’s no reason to keep worn-down t-shirts or decor items anymore.

Other people could use them, though, and the things that can’t be used need to be disposed of sooner rather than later.

5. Start High, Go Low

Another way to make the cleaning process more simple is to work from the top down. Imagine mopping/vacuuming the floors just to dust the fans and the shelves and have all kinds of stuff fall on them again.

It’s a huge waste of time.

The better way to do everything is to start with high shelves and tall fans then work your way down. This helps you clean and dust with ease, then makes the final clean-up a breeze as you focus on the floors.

6. Pay Attention to Small Details

Don’t forget about cubbies and compartments as you’re working your way down. You also have to think in terms of out and in – like inside the oven and the fridge and cleaning the outside of your sliding glass doors.

These are must-do parts of deep cleaning if you really want your home to be spotless. Overlooking such tasks would be like asking a child to clean their room only to realize they’ve stuffed everything in their closet – it hides the mess without actually taking care of it.

7. Tackle the Big Stuff Last

What if you need to clean every single appliance in the kitchen or you have stains on your couch to take care of? Leave these things for last.

When you tackle the big stuff first, you wear yourself out and don’t have as much motivation to clean everything else. But, leaving it for last means you just have this final stretch to do before you can sit back and enjoy your super clean home.

8. Make Your Own Cleaning Supplies

One way to get everything super clean on a budget is to make your own cleaning supplies. You don’t necessarily need something different for the bathroom tiles and the kitchen countertops and even the kitchen sink.

A simple, homemade solution can help you take care of all these things without breaking the bank. Plus, it’s easier to get a lot done when you’re not inhaling intense cleaning fumes all day.

9. Don’t Overcomplicate the Process

Keep in mind that deep cleaning doesn’t necessarily have to be done in one day. It depends on the size of your home and the extremity of the mess you had before you began. But, generally, it’s better to spread the tasks out over a few days than to wear yourself out in one.

10. Leave Certain Things to the Professionals

Speaking of wearing yourself out, remember not every aspect of cleaning has to fall on you. You can pass off things like cleaning the carpets (click to learn more) and pressure washing the house to the professionals.

This saves you time and stress without compromising the look you’re going for. If anything, it leaves certain cleaning projects better off than if you had tried to do them!

How to Deep Clean Your House 100% Stress-Free

Most people don’t bother learning the right way to deep clean because they think it’s too big of a task or just too stressful. That’s not always the case!

Use the tips above to help you understand how to deep clean your house in a way that is efficient, rewarding, and totally free of stress. For more home management tips and tricks, click here.