This one might seem trivial, but I start cleaning by picking up the floor first. This makes it easier to move around, which is a prerequisite for almost every other task.
Sorting those out is the hardest chore for me.
It's the same thing in a codebase. If your functions mutate arguments, even a little, or if the code is not formatted consistently, the resistance to movement increases, and tasks become less pleasant. If you wait for real spaghetti code it's already too late; if you're used to chaotic code, you won't understand what I'm talking about.
I love the comparison to codebases. I just wish I could commit the perfect tidy version of the room to a git repo and then reset to that every night. :)