There are times — when you're sick, nursing a broken heart, in a work crunch — when keeping the house clean is just about the last thing on your mind. But, whether you live alone or have other people who depend on you to keep things running smoothly, keeping your home clean and beautiful is good for your soul. Here are some ways to motivate yourself when you'd rather throw in the towel and add it to that growing pile on the bathroom floor!
- Clean in bits & pieces. When I'm feeling particularly overwhelmed, I use a timer set for 10 or 15 minutes. It's usually just enough time to get us going and there's a surprising amount you can get done in a small amount of time.
- Clean while you're doing other things. Cleaning while talking on the phone or during a commercial (if you're watching live television) is a good mindless way to multitask.
- Hire help. Sometimes it's worth it to bring in a professional to tackle the big jobs — washing the floors or windows, vacuuming. It's easier to keep it clean once it's been cleaned by someone else.
- Put things back after you use them. Even if you can't get to the big jobs, like laundry, tackling a small job, like washing pots as you use them, can bring a little bit of order to your home.
- Keep one thing in each room clean. There's one thing in each room that can give the rest of the room a semblance of order. In the bedroom, make the bed. A clean and clear coffee table can make an otherwise chaotic living room feel serene. A sparkling sink can work maginc in the bathroom and kitchen.
- Use your landing strip. It's at times like this when those small systems you've put in place can make the difference between calm and chaos. A well-thought out landing strip, an organized closet, a functioning junk drawer, a schedule for house maintenance — can all keep your home running smoothly when you're brain is otherwise occupied.
- Treat yourself to something for your home. Flowers, a room spray, a scented candle, a new pillow — spoil yourself with a touch of pretty and make yourself feel well-cared for.
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Just the post that i needed!!! I get overwhelmed at home pretty fast with cleaning all the time..... Putting things back after you use them is a big time saver and helps you keep organised.. I occasionally buy flowers, it just makes me very happy!
Upbeat music gets me motivated for a fast pick-up session. (Failsafe pick: live recording of Daniela Mercury)
Lately I have to distract myself with TV when sweeping and dusting. And maybe reward myself with homemade ice cream afterwards ;)
Tip # 8- turn off the computer & get to work! As I sit here typing & ignoring my laundry to be folded, lunch dishes to be cleaned up (it's 5:20pm), school supplies sitting out, etc....
I finally broke down and got a maid. She only comes every other week but I cannot explain the difference it makes. It is SOO much easier to maintain the level of cleanliness. I work a lot and this is awesome.
The other useful thing I have found is just to get rid of things I don't use to make room for better organization of the things I DO regularly use. I went through all of my shoes and got rid of the shoes I don't wear (i have/had a lot of shoes). Now all of my shoes are well organize. I come home, take off my shoes, and put them in the closet in their designated spot.
Music.
Also, knowing that germs lurk.
I used to leave piles of paper, etc. on my desk and clothes on the floor. And my mom used to tell me that that's where the spiders like to hide. She has a point because a couple of times I did find a little spider or too hiding in the shadow of my piles. THAT alone makes me want to have a clean place now!
@ Throndale- ha, that's the only thing that works for me!
Not turning on the TV works for me.. once I lay down, it's over.
*emailing post to boyfriend right now*
Take out a bag of garbage every time you leave the house and pass the outdoor bin.
Go through your laundry or bathroom cabinet early in the morning when you are still in a sour mood (if you are not a morning person or you have to get up at 4 or 5am like me) from having to leave bed and you will have no mercy. :)
Great post! Thanks!
I always follow tips number 1, 3, 4 and 7!
But I have to agree with TallSara on the computer thing... :)
I'm another only truly motivated by company. My biggest problems are paper and clothes. I have a complete block against putting clothes away.
I try to remind myself about how much better a clean apartment feels (a messy room can just add to your stress). Also, usually some really basic cleaning, like putting clothes away, takes far less time than you think it will. I put on an episode of Gilmore Girls, and before the episode is halfway over I've done my cleaning task.
I never used to make the bed daily, until about 2 months ago. That does make the room look great, even if it isn't made perfectly and there still dust on the nightstand, and everywhere else for that matter. I also fold and put away laundry, for just a few minutes, most every morning... that has worked wonders.
I have people over every week or two. I host meetings at my place and things like that, not always big things, but enough to remind me to look at my house through an outsider's eyes. That's motivation in itself.
I agree with the "keep on thing clean" rule. I recently discovered cleaning is a lot more satisfying if you focus on one object (like the coffee table) and only concentrate on cleaning that.
Can't believe I only realised that now.
Also, my trick with the washing is: As soon as one load is hung up, to put in the next load immediately, along with the soap. Also, loading the dishwasher.
I don't wash it immediately, but it makes life a lot easier when I can just get home from work and switch those on.
I am really frustrated atm because my house is in flux - my sister just moved out and her crap is still everywhere, plus all my stuff that I couldn't organise properly because her stuff was in the way. So I don't have a system. And I've somehow gotten really busy, plus I've been sick, so I'm REALLY not keeping up with the house, let alone making headway with organising.
I seem to be able to keep one room decently liveable at a time. I find that if I can do that, I'm not too bugged by it. Even if the clean room is my bedroom and I am sitting in a trashed living room, just knowing that there is order SOMEWHERE keeps me calm.
I discovered that keeping things tidy and keeping things clean are actually two different things. I tidy as I go along, so I only clean once a week and even then it takes under an hour (and it only takes that long because I have lino floors everywhere so I have to hoover and mop all the rooms).
For keeping things tidy the best way is to adapt your surroundings to yourself - so wherever you throw your coat when you come in, that's the place to put a coat-hook, not some other place that you would like yourself to hang your coat. I never used to hang my clothes up at the end of the day because my wardrobe was kind of awkward to access, but now I have a properly accessible wardrobe where I can see everything and it's easy and quick to hang my things up every night, so I do.
Wow, see breaking up with a guy usually puts me into MANIC housecleaning mode. I guess it's the need to be frantically busy and to get the bad juju out, but my house is never so neat and tidy as at the end of a relationship.
Good motivation for really cleaning the kitchen is to have people come over to cook in it occasionally. I teach some friends new cooking skills every-other week and man am I motivated to scrub that room from floor to ceiling.
Other than that, the timer thing helps a lot, even if you only do it mentally. I'm a grad student and I run the timer when I'm anxious about balancing housework with studying. 45 minutes of reading, then 15 minutes of cleaning, repeat. It allows me to focus on the task at hand because I know that time is scheduled for the other.
I watch "Hoarders"! That show forces me into cleaning/organizing mode.
If I'm quick getting ready in the morning, or get up a little bit before my alarm, I set a timer to go off 5 minutes before I have to leave the house and start doing the dishes. It always feels like a lot to do, but I'm almost always done before the timer goes off, then I get ambitious and start wiping surfaces down too. Coming home from work is so much better when you're not walking into a disaster area.
My motivation?
Knowing that my roommate's parents (and Tiny Roommate's grandparents!) are moving back to Minnesota from Nevada, and will be visiting their grandbaby frequently.
Last time they were in town, I felt like a slob. So this time, I'd like to have a clean house when they come by!
Not that anyone asked me, but:
1. If you really can't deal with dirty dishes, half-fill the sink with hot water and a big squirt of dish soap. Submerge the dishes in question. When you finally get to them, amount of elbow grease required will be considerably decreased.
2. YMMV, but my domestic priorities if it looks like I'm going to be swamped for a few days, is to make sure I've got clothes and food for the duration; do the laundry, go to the dry cleaner, make sure components of work outfits are findable and wearable; and go to the market.
(2a. Similarly: If you realize that you're coming down with something, there's frequently a window of an hour or so before you really feel like a dog's breakfast, during which you can do some things to make yourself more comfortable. Go get some food for a couple of days [whatever you like to eat/drink when you're sick] and supplies [aspirin, tissues, Nyquil, flowers, a trashy novel, etc.] Move a wastebasket next to your bed, change the sheets if you're up to it, empty the trash [and otherwise deal with anything that smells funny]. Then take a quick shower, brush your teeth, crawl into bed and collapse.)
It's so weird,but when I'm sick, that's when I can't stand for my house to be a wreck. Other times, it doesn't bother me as much! I should never, ever bring in junk mail, it makes itself at home for weeks.
Within 30 minutes of cleaning I can start to build a mess again! }:(
My rule is that if I see something out of place / untidy / disorganized and it would take less than a minute to fix it I fix it right away. Clothes on the floor? Put on a hanger. Scrap of paper lying around? Move to wastebin. Shopping finished and there are paper bags left over? Take down to recycling.
I'm finding more and more that clutter is less overwhelming if you don't give it time to build up.
One thing I seriously hate to do is dishes. And it's seems that they never stop coming - even with a dishwasher and just two people, it can be daunting.
But, this is so funny, when I use my pink rubber gloves I don't mind doing them as much. I think I really hate that my hands get so dried out and gross when I have to clean without gloves - even if I use Palmolive. Who's old enough to get that??
Those pink gloves and my iphone make it doable:).
doing dishes in the summer heat is the bane of my existence. I am all about all-hot-water-washups, so unless it's a cool evening things pile up. sometimes I actually look forward to our ridiculously cold montreal winters- the prefect incentive to get those dishes done. often.
I see lots of these lists but my problem lately is that my apartment is such a mess and it never gets all the way clean, even doing one little thing just isn't enough. I have often wanted to hire cleaners just once to come in, clean it all up, and then hope I can maintain it. I never used to be such a slob. :(