As the New Year approaches, our focus shifts from celebrations to refreshing and organizing our homes.
While many intriguing cleaning trends come and go, the best way to determine their effectiveness is through personal experience. So, what cleaning methods are our home experts eager to embrace in 2026? We reached out to them to uncover their top picks.
3 Effortless Cleaning Trends to Embrace in 2026
1. Steam Cleaning for Chemical-Free Results
Steam cleaning provides an efficient solution for difficult-to-reach areas.
Punteha van Terheyden, Head of Solved, is excited to incorporate steam cleaning into her routine this year.
"I see it everywhere on TikTok, and it appears to be highly effective," she shares. "Many professional cleaners endorse it for being chemical-free — all you need is a steam cleaner and water. Given my need for adaptive pacing while cleaning, this low-energy, no-scrub method is ideal for me as we begin the new year.
"My first targets will be my oven, which will certainly need a good clean after holiday cooking, and the small spaces between my shower glass and basin. No scrubbing brush has managed to remove the grime stuck in those tiny gaps."
If you're interested in deep-cleaning your kitchen using a steam cleaner like Punteha, we suggest the BISSELL Steam Shot Omni Pressurized Handheld Multi-Surface Steam Cleaner, available at Amazon. It includes seven tools suitable for tiles, grout, windows, and more.
However, remember that steam cleaning isn't suitable for certain items, including unsealed wood floors, porous stone, delicate fabrics, and memory foam, as the heat can damage them.
2. Embracing Proactive Cleaning
Proactive cleaning means addressing messes before they accumulate.
Next, Chiana Dickson, a content editor on Solved, is committed to adopting proactive cleaning habits in 2026.
"This past year has been hectic, and I've fallen into poor cleaning habits that lead to overwhelming messes," she admits. "I plan to take better advantage of cleaning as I go and utilize automatic tools, like top-rated robot vacuums, to prevent messes from piling up and causing stress."
This shift towards a proactive mindset extends beyond cleaning; it can also help with organizing and decluttering when feeling overwhelmed. Implementing expert tips can also help manage stress responses during housework.
3. Leveraging Smart Home Cleaning Tools
Robot vacuums can help streamline your daily cleaning tasks.
Our home tech editor, Dan Fauzi, is also keen on integrating smart home cleaning devices into their routine this year.
"I'm all about minimizing effort and making cleaning as simple as possible," they explain. "Using robot vacuums, smart mops, timed appliances, and smart plugs to manage cleaning tasks are some of the easiest ways to achieve this."
"I plan to set up my smart home by connecting an Amazon Smart Plug, available at Amazon, to my best air purifier, allowing me to control it remotely without needing to turn it on and off manually."
The frequency of using your air purifier depends on various factors, such as whether you have pets or need to address common allergens. However, it's generally recommended to use it daily, and a smart plug can help automate this process.
Shopping Recommendations
Prices are accurate as of publication.
With 23 accessories
McCulloch Deluxe Canister Steam Cleaner
This deluxe steam cleaner offers a two-hour runtime for convenient, chemical-free cleaning throughout your home, and its large capacity tank heats up in under 12 minutes.
Includes deep clean guides
Home Cleaning Book
This book is filled with useful checklists and trackers designed to motivate and energize you as you adopt proactive cleaning methods in 2026.
Compatible with Alexa and Google Home
iHome Smart Plug
This Wi-Fi-enabled smart plug allows you to control your outlets from your phone or voice assistant and can be programmed to follow a weekly schedule.
Approved by our testing team
Shark Air Purifier
After extensive testing, this air purifier has been rated as one of the best, effectively capturing over 99.98% of dust and particles while automatically monitoring and improving air quality.
Self-cleaning feature
Yeedi S20 Infinity Robot Vacuum & Mop
While this robot vacuum is a significant investment, it's favored by our home tech editor for its dual vacuuming and mopping capabilities, leaving floors impeccably clean.
Rapid heating time
Yuyongr Steam Cleaner
This budget-friendly steam cleaner has a 350-milliliter water tank, providing up to 10 minutes of continuous steam after a quick three-minute heating period. It also includes nine attachments for various cleaning tasks.
Meet the Experts
Punteha serves as the Head of Solved and has been involved in lifestyle and consumer writing since 2008. With a disability that causes chronic pain, she finds low-effort cleaning strategies, like steam cleaning, to be particularly beneficial.
Chiana specializes in decluttering and eco-friendly living as the content editor on Solved and was recognized as one of the top home improvement journalists in 2024.
As the home tech editor, Dan has spent over 100 hours testing various cleaning devices and has been with the company since July 2023.
Looking for more helpful cleaning advice? Explore our cleaning library for inspiration or discover our best decluttering strategies for further ideas.
