“Clean code always looks like it was written by someone who cares.” — Robert C. Martin

“And deterministic cleanups show they cared every day.” — You

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🌱 What Is Hygiene-Driven Refactoring?

Hygiene-Driven Refactoring is the practice of making small, consistent, and intentional improvements to code—not just when features demand it, but as a habit. It treats code hygiene as non-negotiable, like brushing your teeth: you don’t do it only when there’s a cavity.

It’s not yak-shaving. It’s code stewardship.

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🧭 The Deterministic Principle

Deterministic Cleanups are predictable, repeatable, and reviewable.

• 🔁 Predictable: Everyone knows when and why the cleanup is happening.
• 🔍 Reviewable: It produces low-noise, high-trust diffs.
• 🧩 Repeatable: It’s not a “drive-by” refactor, it’s part of your sprint hygiene.

Think of it as DevOps for your code quality.

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📜 The Manifesto

1. Refactor with Purpose, Not Panic

Don’t wait for tech debt to cause pain. Eliminate mold, not just termites.

2. Small Is Strategic

One rename. One extraction. One fix. That’s hygiene. That’s momentum.

3. Automate What You Can

Use linters, formatters, code analyzers. Determinism loves tools.

4. Treat Hygiene Like Testing

Hygiene isn’t a “nice to have”—it’s a pillar of reliability.

5. Leave the Campground Cleaner

You don’t need to fix everything—just fix something.

6. Codify and Share Patterns

Create refactoring checklists. Write before/after examples. Make it a team sport.

7. Make Hygiene Trackable

Track refactoring PRs. Measure code churn vs. quality. Give hygiene visibility.

8. No Feature Left Behind

Every feature PR should include a hygiene pass. Just like writing docs or tests.

9. Refactor Out Loud

Say what you’re cleaning and why. Reviewers will thank you.

10. Celebrate Cleanups

A great refactor deserves a high five. Or at least a GIF in the Slack thread.

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🔧 Starter Kit: Hygiene Practices You Can Adopt Today

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🧠 Remember: Hygiene ≠ Perfection

This isn’t about “perfect” code. It’s about continuously cared-for code. The goal is not to rewrite everything—it’s to keep the system in a perpetually healthier state than yesterday.

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👥 A Call to Teams

Let’s normalize a culture where:

• Hygiene commits are praised.
• Cleanups are part of every sprint.
• Refactoring is routine, not rare.
• New team members inherit clean baselines, not messes.

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🧭 Your Hygiene-Driven Workflow

1. Start feature branch
2. Refactor (if needed) → Commit: “chore: hygiene pass before feature”
3. Implement feature → Commit: “feat: implement user avatar upload”
4. Final hygiene sweep → Commit: “chore: tighten API naming & remove unused imports”
5. Submit PR → Include hygiene summary 

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🧼 Make It a Habit, Not a Project

Because the best time to refactor was yesterday. The second best time is every day.