First off, I'll say that my house is a "lived in" house. Used to, I worked myself to death to try to keep it clean all the time, only to turn around and find that my bunch had managed to make it all a mess again. It takes everyone doing their part to help out. I just hated it when I had just mopped and waxed or steam cleaned the carpet only to find that someone had tracked grease from the front door all the way to the bathroom. Somewhere in all that I decided to back off and worry more about what absolutely needs to be done. If they didn't care enough to make my job easier, then why should I work myself to death for nothing. I still try to keep the kitchen as clean as possible. After all, cleanliness is next to Godliness my grandma always said. Especially where food is prepared and consumed. On the baking issue, since hubby is baking bread so often and we aren't buying store bought now, it makes the house smell soooo good.
Dust? We live on the north side of a county dirt road. It's impossible to not have dust here. My mom tells me we get more dust here in 1 day than she did where she lived before in 6 months. Bad for the allergies too. Not much I can do about that I'm afraid. The only time I can open the windows is after a rain.
I think trying to keep down clutter is one of the most important things we can do.
I had an aunt who kept her house absolutely immaculate. Just like a good housekeeping photograph. Hated going over to visit her because it made me uncomfortable. I want people to feel comfortable at my house most of all.