🗂️Keep in Mind My Favorite Apps That Help Me Keep My House Clean

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It’s been years since Apple launched their “there’s an app for that” campaign, but in that time, it's only become more accurate. Apps truly have become ubiquitous: You have apps to help you work out efficiently and apps to save money at your favorite coffee shop, and with spring cleaning around the corner, you might as well have one (or several) to help you tidy your home.

No app can do the work for you, but a good one can motivate or guide you. The one that will best serve your needs will depend on how you prefer to tackle unpleasant or tedious tasks.

If you like to-do lists: Spotless​

Spotless helps you break down cleaning tasks by room. You can make a separate to-do list for every room in your home, then set reminders for how often you want to do the tasks in each. It keeps track of when your last cleaning for each location—countertops, tubs, whatever you want—took place, and reminds you when they’re due for another spiff-up. The interface is simple and tidy-looking, not overwhelming, and easy to use. I appreciate that it has pre-loaded suggestions for rooms and tasks, like "living room" and "vacuuming," but you can also enter custom rooms and tasks that reflect the needs of your own home.

Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

Spotless is available on iOS and Android.

If you need reminders: Clean My House​

Task lists are great (and abundant across the app stores) but not that useful if you’re someone who’s just going to avoid opening your app to look at them. Clean My House is designed to remind you every day about what the day’s cleaning schedule should look like—“No more worrying of what to do every morning.” You’re in control of how often each notification pops up; once you complete it, just tap the reminder to open the app and mark it off. Be advised it's only available on Android right now and is largely supported by ads, which are down at the bottom and fairly unobtrusive.

Credit: Beth Skwarecki

Clean My House is available on Android.

If you need to delegate: Tody​

Cleaning is not a one-person job, but if you’re using an app that only you can see, it will feel like it. Tody gamifies cleaning and ropes the whole family in. Yes, it relies on to-do lists, like other apps on this list, but it also splits responsibilities among users and uses "levels" to easily identify what is pressing and what is not, so you don't get overwhelmed by what you need to do. You need a premium account to access features like data syncing between devices and "focus tasks," which costs $9.99 per year for one person, $17.99 per year for two people, and $29.99 per year for up to six people. If you want to add 12 people to the app, it'll be $59.99 per year. Even on the free version, you compete against a little dirt monster named "Dusty" to gamify your month of cleaning.

Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

Tody is available on iOS and Android.

If you like earning points: Do​

What is it about a simple point-earning system that keeps us returning to app games? If you’re the kind of person who is motivated by Snap or Duolingo streaks, Do (formerly DONE) might actually encourage you to clean your home. Set a goal and watch a pretty little bar fill up with color every time you complete your preferred task, whether it’s cleaning- or lifestyle-related. You can train yourself to get those sweet, sweet points by scrubbing out your tub or drinking enough water every day. You get a free trial for seven days, but to get access to unlimited habits, personalize your goals, and get reminders sent to you, you'll need to pay $59.99 per year after that.

Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

Do is available on iOS.

Bonus: TikTok​

If you need cleaning inspiration, maybe checklists aren’t the way to go. Depending on what really motivates you, you might be better off using TikTok. The app is full of “Cleantok” influencers who share their top tidying tips, plus real reviews, product recommendations, and hacks. Seeing others use tips and tricks to battle their clutter and dirt is weirdly inspirational and will put you right in a cleaning mood.

Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

Thanks to ongoing issues at the federal level, TikTok isn't available to download, but if you're one of the 170 million or so Americans who already have it on your phone, get your cleaning tips while you can. If (when?) it does return to app stores, it will be on iOS and Android.
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