Why is poorly done code such a big deal anyway? Well to put it simply, sloppy code can spread around the Web quite easily. As chunks of code are copied from one place to another, the spreading can continue really easily.

Each of us need to do what we can to ensure that the CSS and HTML that we are using is as clean as possible. This helps to keep the Web litter free. Besides that, poorly done code can cause viewing issues in some browsers anyway.

There’s been a lot of talk about the broken window theory — and rightfully so. It’s hard to dispute that the evidence of decay leads to more decay.

This theory also applies to your HTML/CSS. If you let your code get messy, you’re a lot more likely to continue to take shortcuts and apply hacks. Inline styles lead to more inline styles lead to more inline styles. And before you know it everything is a mess. It’s like your code is rotting — it eventually gets so bad you don’t want to go near it (or you pinch your nose, inch closer, and then just throw it all away).