For years, New Yorkers have adapted to living in tight footprints — studios carved out of brownstones, walk-ups with minimal storage, high-rise apartments that pack more life into fewer square feet.

And in a city that never slows down, cleaning often becomes reactive: wiping what’s dirty, grabbing what’s dusty, dealing with clutter only when it grows impossible to ignore.

But cleaning doesn’t have to be an emergency response.

A simple, room-by-room checklist gives you control. It turns chaos into clarity. It makes cleaning feel less like a chore and more like a rhythm — something doable, repeatable, and surprisingly grounding.

When each room has a purpose and a plan, the whole apartment shifts. The space feels lighter. You feel lighter. Even in a 400-square-foot studio, order becomes a luxury you can actually keep.

You don’t have to renovate to make your kitchen feel bigger. You just have to reset it.

What to focus on:

• Clear and wipe all countertops
• Clean stovetop + remove burner grates
• Degrease backsplash
• Scrub sink and polish faucet
• Wipe cabinet fronts and handles
• Empty trash + disinfect bin
• Check fridge for expired items
• Wipe outside of appliances

A clean kitchen changes how you cook, how you eat, and how you move through the rest of the apartment.

It’s the first domino.