My house is a total wreck and I don't know where to start to get it cleaned up.?

Question

What do you do to get your self started and keep going till you've finished. I know I'd enjoy the holidays more coming home to a clean house and I want to tackle it tonight. I need motivation! Hepl!

Answer 1

Start with the kitchen. When you have the dishes done and everything put away, look around. Do you have things on the counter you don't use, or won't over the holidays? Find a place to tuck them away so you have more space for entertaining. Next, the living space. Gather all items that are tossed around. Sort through the pile, toss, put away, etc. Once you have your piles, do what needs to be done, toss, put away, etc. (Have kids? get them involved! even young kids can take a pile to the room where it should be, that way, you can tuck it where it belongs after everything is cleared.) Then, clean the bathrooms, the one guests would use first, then yours. Then, the bedrooms. Use the same method as in the living space.
After you accomplish each room, sit back and have a cup of whatever you like, non-alcoholic, to treat yourself before doing the next room. When everything is complete, then you can have anything you want to drink or whatever. Now that it's clean, every evening before you go to bed, spend 1/2 hour or so going through and picking things up to put away, this will keep the house looking good and ready for any company that may drop in. Do dishes after each meal, or load them in the dishwasher and wipe everything down. A clean kitchen and neat living space makes the whole house look clean. For a fresh smell, put 1/2 cup of baking soda in a small bowl and leave on the counter to absorb oders. For a holiday smell, do the old orange trick. Get an orange and put whole cloves into it and leave on the counter on a plate. This will last for months and add a nice spicey smell to the house that won't bother anyone's allergies.

Answer 2

Do you have financial resources that you could afford to pay for outside help? As a former single mom of 5 children, working in a demanding position outside the home, I found that it was cost effective for me to hire a cleaning person for $20.00 for the hour that they would come in and do one room for that hour just to get started. Some services don't work like that, but some will do that. Also, use the commercial machines at a laundry mat to do all the laundry in one afternoon. Depending on how much has piled up, that shouldn't cost more than $30.00, but its done at once.

To start tonight, start either in your own bedroom or the room that you see when you first walk in the door. The logic is that the one place is the first thing you see when you arrive, so it sets your mental tone about your environment, and the bedroom is the last place you are before sleeping, so if the last thing you see is a mess, you might not rest as well. I would set a time limit to start, say 2 hours, the goal being one room (two if you can get it finished). Once you start feeling the sense of accomplishment, and appreciate how your home looks, you will become self motivated.

Answer 3

I agree, list is essential. I not only list but break it down to a time factor.For example, kitchen: 15 minutes for dishes, 10 min. to sweep, 15 min. to clean all counters, 10 min. to clean stove and 10 min. for windows. Now on to the next room. Some require more time than others, some less. Start with the room you enter when you enter the house. Next the livingroom where you would invite people should they drop in unexpectantly, then the bathroom, again, for those unexpected visitors. Now the kitchen, dining room and lastly the bedroom. The bedroom is last because that is your private space and no one should enter there. When you get to your bedroom, make the bed first, it'll make you feel like something major has already been accomplished since it generally takes up the majority of space.
Hope this was helpful.

Answer 4

For me, I have to turn the TV OFF!! Put music on, pick a room to start in and go to it. Don't think about the rest of the house that needs to be done, just the 1 you're working on. As each room is completed, you'll be motivated to do the next. Think short term goals, 1 room at a time, then it's not so overwhelming. But seriously, if the tv's on, I'm not moving. So I guess I'm a visual person, either that or ADD, lol!!
Good luck! oh yeah! turn the computer off, too!

Answer 5

IF it truly is a total wreck, you may have more things than you have places to put them.
Like someone else said, put in a load of laundry, get a sinkful of dishes in to soak, and spray down your tub to be scrubbed later.
1. Start by putting away the things that have obvious "homes" (eg. clothes, books on a shelf, pens/pencils in a drawer or on desk, etc.)
2. Set a timer when you do a task, such as washing dishes. It amazes me how much I overestimate it will take me to accomplish a task. I tend to put it off because there is not enough "time" and yet, doing this has helped me gain a sense of how little time it really takes
3. For all your mail and papers (this was the biggest hurdle for me), get yourself several large manila envelopes, a 3-ring binder, a 3-ring hole punch, and tab dividers. Label the envelopes: "to pay" "to file" "to sort through" and "misc" or whatever you think applies to you. Later project: After your big cleaning, sit down with the tab dividers, and label them according to whatever bills you pay that you save statements of, such as: "credit cards" "bank statements" "student loans" "utilities" etc. Three hole punch the statement, write the check number, amount paid, and date sent on the statement, and keep your bills organized this way.
4. Once the clutter is cleared and the surfaces are clean, then get to cleaning. After your big cleaning, you might start with either tackling one room a day, or doing each room for a short period of time per day. You do have to try different things to figure out what works for you.
I like the merry maids idea, and the if you haven't touched it in 6 mos, get rid of it idea. You could keep a box to put the things you are wanting to get rid of and if you don't miss it in a month, it is time to say goodbye. (but I do this and I still have not been able to part with it)
Good luck!!!

Answer 6

We are messy cluttered type people. It's overwhelming to get started. I have two things I do to help.

I set a timer. I clean for 1/2 hour and then read or watch TV for 1/2. hour. It breaks it down. You can get a good burst of cleaning going for 1/2 hour. (if you have less time give your self only 15 minute breaks)

I also get out laundry baskets and designate one for each family member and one for certain rooms. As I work in each room I drag those baskets and toss things into the appropriate basket. When they are full or I am done. I carry the basket to the correct room and put the stuff away. Saves multiple trips to different rooms while cleaning one room. I make my kids put away their basket.

Good luck!

Answer 7

Take it a room at a time. Do the kitchen. Wash the dishes, clean the window, clear the clutter off the table, clean out the refrigerator. Sweep and mop the floor.

Do the bathroom. Laundery outta there. Bathmats down to the laundry. Clean the window. Do the tub / shower, the sink and counter, clean the mirror. Sweep and mop.

Same deal with the bedrooms.

Get a load of laundry going. Take the trash out.

Take a break and crack a beer. You earned it!

Answer 8

It's easy to get overwhelmed...so take baby steps. First go around with a basket and put everything in it that isn't where it belongs. Dust, vacuum, and straighten up a room so it looks presentable...I am a fan of chests that open and closets, you can store the excess in there for the time being...save straightening those for after the holidays. Once you get your house in decent shape...then you can go around this weekend and do a more thorough job. Good luck and happy holidays!

Answer 9

The basic rules of house cleaning are: throw away everything you can stand to get rid of, then put away remaining clutter, then work top to bottom, bathrooms and kitchens last. So get your home to where you can move around without bumping into things or stepping in garbage, then start with the top. Dust from the top down, wash down the walls, then vaccuum, sweep, and mop. Then details like windows and doorjambs. Then kitchens and bathrooms. Good luck.

Answer 10

Start with the kitchen and bathrooms - once they are clean, the rest of the house is a breeze!

I have fun with it, and celebrate after each room is finished by lighting a candle in that room.

Mine's a huge mess as well, as we pulled out all our decorations out of storage, and half of it's up, the other half is spread all over the Great Room -- boxes everywhere -- BUT, my kitchen and bathrooms are clean, so I'm not spazzing!

Merry Christmas, ya'll!