The post-war ranch homes that line Midway's streets weren't built with Utah's high desert dust in mind, but decades later, that fine sediment finds its way into every corner, settling on baseboards and working itself deep into the original hardwood floors many of these properties still have. When you factor in the cottonwood fluff that blankets neighborhoods near the Jordan River corridor each spring and the seasonal inversions that trap everything indoors for weeks at a time, you're dealing with layers of grime that go beyond surface dirt. These mid-century homes have wonderful bones, but their smaller closets and limited storage mean clutter accumulates fast, especially in those compact galley kitchens and single-car garages that seemed plenty spacious in 1955.
Here's what most homeowners discover the hard way: running a vacuum over a cluttered floor or wiping down crowded countertops doesn't actually deep clean anything. You're just cleaning around the problem. Real deep cleaning requires access to surfaces, baseboards, and those neglected spots where dust and allergens actually live. Before you break out the heavy-duty cleaning supplies, you need a decluttering strategy that creates the space to work effectively. This means making quick decisions about what stays and what goes, then clearing rooms systematically so every surface is actually reachable when it's time to scrub, sanitize, and restore your home to genuinely clean condition.
Declutter First: The 40% Rule
Professional cleaners consistently report that homes with clear surfaces take 35–45% less time to clean thoroughly. That means a better result — or the same time spent going deeper on what matters.
Where to Start in a Midway Home
The Kitchen Counter Problem
Midway kitchens accumulate countertop appliances quickly: air fryers, Instant Pots, coffee systems, smoothie makers. The rule: if you don't use it at least weekly, it goes in a cabinet or out of the house. Goal: one clear strip of counter behind the sink and at least half of all counter space unoccupied.
The Bathroom Surface Audit
The average American bathroom has 17 items on the counter. Ideal is 3–5. Everything else goes in a drawer, medicine cabinet, or under-sink storage. This transforms a 15-minute bathroom clean into a 7-minute one.
Bedroom Floor Rules
Anything on a bedroom floor that isn't furniture is clutter. Under-bed storage with a flat lid surface is the best Midway solution for extra storage without floor clutter.
The Flat Surface Principle
Every flat surface — dressers, nightstands, coffee tables, bookshelves — should have at most 3 objects on it. Everything else creates visual noise and collects dust.
Room-by-Room Declutter Plan
Kitchen (2–4 Hours)
- Pull everything out of one cabinet at a time
- Group: keep, donate, toss, relocate
- Apply the "last used" test: if unused in 12 months, it goes
- Tackle the junk drawer last
- Clear all countertops; return only daily-use items
Closets (1–2 Hours Each)
- Remove everything entirely
- Clean the empty closet
- Evaluate each item: does it fit, do you love it, have you used it in the last year?
- Return only what passes; bag the rest for donation
Living Areas (1–2 Hours)
- Remove all items not permanently belonging to that room
- Reduce decorative items to "gallery-worthy" only
- Cable management — loose cords are clutter and dust magnets
The Donation Schedule
In Midway, these organizations accept household goods and furniture:
- Habitat for Humanity ReStore — large items and furniture
- Goodwill Industries — general donations
- Vietnam Veterans of America — furniture pickup by appointment in many markets
Maintaining It
The one-in-one-out rule: every time something new enters your home, something equivalent leaves. Applied consistently, this maintains your decluttered space without periodic purges.
Once you've decluttered, TotalCare Cleaning can give your Midway home the deep clean it deserves. Call (888) 378-7451 to schedule.