How to Make Cleaning Your House Almost Enjoyable
Why is spring cleaning a thing? Seriously, who invented this? I’m guessing I am not alone in not liking to clean my house. Fortunately, along the way, I’ve discovered some tips on how to make cleaning your house almost enjoyable.
I’m always amazed and impressed with people who mop their floors daily. I find it shocking that real people actually do this. Everyone has their hated chores.
For some it is laundry, for others (me) it is mopping. I’ve at least found ways to do those chores where I dislike it slightly less.
How to make cleaning your house almost enjoyable:
Have less stuff
One of the best ways to make cleaning your house easier is to have less stuff. I had to say it. Check out methods for decluttering your entire home and fill out the form below to get the free Declutter Plan of Attack worksheet to create a simple step by
You will find it so much easier to clean the counters and top of furniture when there are fewer items to remove. It’s also easier to clean the floors when there are fewer things left out. I’m certain there is an equation that could be created to go along with this.
>stuff = >cleaning (my mathematician father would be so proud)
Decluttering and maintaining a less cluttered home is the most effective and long lasting solution to making cleaning easier and thus less painful and almost enjoyable.
Involve family members
Get your husband and kids on board if possible. While teaching children how to do cleaning tasks requires some extra patience, it eventually will pay off when they master cleaning the baseboards in your house so that you no longer need to bend down to do that.
For my family, everyone is expected to help so there are some chores or tasks each person does because that’s part of being a family member and living in our household.
However, we also offer payment for doing additional cleaning tasks. If my kids want to earn money, there are cleaning jobs they can choose from that are different than their daily chores.
Make it fun
Turn on some upbeat music and dance while you clean. Make it a game or race to see how much you can get done before the timer goes off in 15 minutes.
Listen to an audiobook or podcast that you’ve been wanting to check out. Distracting yourself with something enjoyable while you clean makes it less painful and perhaps even enjoyable.
Cleaning supplies
I am a huge fan of things that smell good. That said, I will never be able to clean with vinegar regardless of the 101 reasons it may be the best choice. Let’s be real, that stuff stinks…like a lot. Zero joy is sparked for me with vinegar. In fact, it sparks disdain.
What I do enjoy
Be aware that when you order from them, you are also getting a VIP membership trial. If you do not want to be charged an ongoing fee to retain your membership, make sure you set an alarm on your phone to cancel before your trial expires.
My favorite scent right now is Peony as you can see from my recent order above. It smells so sweet and light. It does make cleaning less painful and the scent is definitely enjoyable.
Checklist
Is there anything more satisfying than checking boxes off a list? Do you ever write down something you did after the fact just so you can check off another box? Yeah, me neither. I created a free template you can use for your cleaning tasks…boxes included! Just sign up on the form below 🙂
All pumped up to do your Spring cleaning now? Or at least Google who invented it? Having to clean is a reality whether we are excited about it or not. Figuring out how to make cleaning your house almost enjoyable or even actually enjoyable is what I’d consider a victory.
I think one of the things that makes cleaning the most painless is to have a system. Just like the title of your blog, it helps so much to have a cleaning habit! And which system you use is not so important as actually having one. For instance, your checklist. In the last year I found The Organised Mum Method and her routine has been a huge help to me. If I have a habit of using my routine, I don’t need to use so much time and thought to figure out what needs to be done and it makes my life a lot easier.
That’s so true! I created some worksheets that are part of The Simply Scheduled workbook that are exactly for that…creating a cleaning routine. I think it’s hard to have a one size fits all approach to anything. Finding a system that works for you where it becomes habit makes it so much easier. Thanks for your comment, Hannah 🙂
I was at a writing retreat for a couple of weeks in July, a gorgeous place to work, relax, recharge. I did my own cooking. The owner used Dawn dish detergent. I didn’t bring gloves. Dawn destroyed my skin. It stripped every bit of natural oil from my hands, making them raw and chapped and itchy and just awful. Once home I ordered a month’s supply of Mrs. Meyers dish detergent and sent to the retreat, along with Mrs. Meyers hand lotion. I’m certain her other guests would appreciate it. As for me, recently I found Koala Eco. Lovely scents, eco friendly, reasonably priced, and soothing to my eczema irritated hands. Check out their website. (“Our mission is to create safe, powerful, plant-based products using natural ingredients, while aiding people’s wellbeing by connecting them to nature.”) As for spring cleaning? It’s almost that time again.