I think it was a matter of problem solving, if you ask me. If there's a bunch of rubbish, I would sift through my collection of Things and find the ones that would clean it up. Same with things that were cold, hot, etc.
It got to the point where I would already have prepped myself for the potential puzzles that would be in a stage upon entering, which was really nice because it didn't interrupt the flow.
I don't see the issue with this play style, and I can't really see anyone playing the game differently than this. It just doesn't seem smart.