What can I do to be motivated to clean?

Question

My place is not as bad as some people's on those TV shows. But I want to be really organized. I want everything to shine and be beautiful like in magazines. But its not happening. I have no motivation. It makes me feel bad, particularly since this wasn't how I was raised. In the family I was raised in, everything was spotless. I sometimes get depressed by the fact I can't keep my place as beautiful as the people in my family. I just hate scrubbing and cleaning so much. I get so tired. I wanted to get a cleaning lady, but they are very expensive. And I hear they use the bathroom rags in the kitchen, which is gross. What should I do to be motivated?

Answer 1

Anytime I need to be motivated to clean, plan a day to have my friends over/ casual party. I usually clean like a mad woman when my friends are over(don't want them to talk about me--lol). I also have a cleaning lady that comes every other month or so. I just asked her to throw away the rags (i bought the rags) she uses in the bathroom. She complies. Good luck, I know how depressing it can be to have a messy house.

Answer 2

Do you have a container store near by? If you enjoy shopping - you may enjoy cleaning. Go to the store and by color coordinated buckets, cases, labels and etc. This will help you organize and make it look visually appealing.

Purchase new cleaning products that make it easier. For example Clorox Wipes. I keep those in the kitchen and bathroom. I wipe down everything with those, the counters, door knobs and non wooden or non glass tables. Instead of a mop, you can purchase a swifter.

Also cleaning is not just important because of the way the house will look, but also for your health. Dust ( when put under the microscope) is actually small living micro dust mites that we can inhale, not only will dust, but dirt and and other uncleanliness cause allergies and health problems.

Also, do not feel compelled to clean everyday. Maybe once a week can be the day you clean. Also cleaning actually is great excercise.

Answer 3

There is pride in having done a good job cleaning, so that can be a motivator. And you might not get everything you want cleaned all in the same day, so just set aside a certain amount of time for those extra things, like polishing, organizing,etc... and just do the big jobs like bathrooms, kitchen, living room every other day, or week if thats your routine. And try not to compare yourself to others that seem to have everything where it belongs and sparkling too, for there is ALWAYS something to be cleaned somewhere in a house. One tip I use, is rooms such as bathrooms are alot easier to KEEP clean, if you give it a great cleaning and then just wipe it down real good after showers,etc.. to keep it that way til the next good cleaning.

Answer 4

First of all, relax. A spotless home is not the sign of a wonderful person. Basic cleanliness is important so you don't get sick. I know that we all want our homes to look like a magazine but for most of us that is not an option. We have kids, we have jobs, we have lives! So you have three choices: learn to relax a bit, make some finanacial sacrifices other places and hire a cleaning lady, or make a commitment to yourself (and keep it) to totally clean your house once a week and keep your stuff put up in between times. It might take a little more time but if it is really important to you to have a shiny home, it will be worth it.

Answer 5

I was a housekeeper for lawyers and doctors in the past and you'd be surprised at all the "surfacy" things done to look clean. Start out small, one room at a time. Like the clutter problem. Have one place for clutter like a closet and put it all in there then you can begin to clean. Windex and a roll pf paper towels works like magic in the bathroom. You can squirt any surface (sinks, mirrors, toilets, floors, even wood, ceramic, tile) just wipe as you go along. I start with the mirrors and work down from there. A bathroom sparkling clean might give you incentive to move on to the kitchen and so on & so on.

Answer 6

Hey you sound exactly like me, my first solution is to ask for help, once a month, I try to host a "Cleaning Party" the purpose of this is to get other people over to help me because as you probably know it is a lot easier to help someone else clean up than it is to help yourself. Invite about 5 people over and feed them and get to work. If this doesn't work then try finding a reasonable service like Merry Maids. I have a one bedroom apartment and 3 ladies cleaned my house literally from top to bottom and I asked them to use rags that I provided in each room. This was a little easier to maintain since all the hard work was done. Good Luck to u.

Answer 7

It is often intimidating to see the whole job before you. If you can break it down room by room or even a closet or two at a time it doesn't seem so daunting. I had a neighbor who only hired a cleaning lady twice a year. Spring and Fall cleaning it helped with those bigger projects and then she got ahead of the game and was able to keep up with it the rest of the year.

Answer 8

My wife used to clean houses and was smart enough to use clean rags in the kitchen. House cleaners are not expensive, you may have to shop around to meet your budget, and to find one you like. Have them come at least every two weeks, once a week is better. If you work a full time job, you need them, just like you need clothes to wear. If you don't work, get a part time job to offset the cost of the cleaners. You will be happy!

Answer 9

Hi, I once asked on Yahoo about something similar to your question, and someone introduced me to Flylady :)
It is free to subscribe, and you get email reminders and testimonials, but even initially, just feel free to browse through the website:
www.flylady.com

Initially I was a bit skeptical whether it could really motivate me to clean... but even after carrying out the first lesson of "shine your sink" I started to experience the effect on the whole area surrounding the sink, and the whole kitchen. Because I take pride in keeping the sink "shiny" I tend to no more leave dirty dishes there overnight. Flylady also taught me about "hotspots". Check it out, Flylady is great! She has helped me greatly. My parents were amazed when they came over to my place and exclaimed it's cleaner/tidier than their place! I used to not be able to invite people over (because of my untidiness... but now the place is usually good and beautiful enough to invite people over anytime) :)

Answer 10

Have a party. Invite friends and family over. You'll get your place spotless in a hurry to escape embarrassment. Your home might not be fully cleansed, but it will definitely get you going in the right direction. Remember give yourself enough time to prepare for the party.