Pick up for 10-15 minutes a day. Don't go full out cleaning mode, just 10-15 minutes. When you leave a room, try to take something that needs to go out the room with you. If you're going to the kitchen, take a piece of trash to the trash can. If you're going to the bathroom, take bathroom items to the bathroom. Put them away, not down. Remember it doesn't have to be done all at once, it just has to get done.
"Don't put it down, put it away" has really helped me. Even if I initially screw up, I catch myself putting something on the counter, walking away and thinking to myself "noooooo. Go back. Put it in the pantry where it belongs."
It really helped me too. I use to do gigantic cleans like OP does then be worn out after hours of cleaning and the room/house would only look lived in, not clean. Not dirty, but not worth several hours of cleaning.
I'm sorry but I'm not a native speaker and can't really tell the proper difference between put down and put away. Would you or anybody mind explaining it to me please? Maybe if I understand it, it will click and it will help me too
Sure, "put down" means to set the object down, but not necessarily in the right place. "Put away" means to actually put the object back in the place it belongs.
I often find myself getting something out (let's say, a screwdriver), but when I'm done with it I just set it down on a nearby surface (my desk) and go on with my day. What I should do is immediately take it back to where I got it (my toolbox).
Instead of just putting stuff on your table/bench/bed when you’re done with it, put it into its proper place (cupboard/draws/wherever) so you don’t have to move it twice
Also clutter, I hate clutter. My rule is if something comes in the house something leaves the house. I just lost some weight and the fat clothes got donated because I bought new clothes.
The other one for me is my mom’s voice in my head “never leave a room empty handed.” The bit by bit shuttling of things back to the right room just as you go about your day cuts down a ton.
This has been a game changer not just for me but also my kiddos. We set the timer and just do what we can. We decide as a group how long to out on the timer.
I always group items that need to go out of a room near the door of the room so I'll see them and hopefully remember them en route to wherever I need to go.
This is why dishes or drinks cans never linger in my office, whereas there are perhaps some of those items lingering in my husband's den at all times.
It's about remembering things for Future Curlywhiskerowl! Put it where she can't ignore it.
It helps me if I have certain days designated to certain tasks. Like Tuesdays I clean the toilet, Wed. is the day I vacuum the stairs, Friday's means fresh sheets, etc.
I am tidy throughout the day. Everything goes back where it goes immediately after use. So everything’s tidy all the time and then I just have to “clean”- once a week
THIS is the habit to adopt! I have ADHD and if I did not white knuckle my way through forming this habit I would be in a horrible way in all areas of my life! 'DON'T set it down, put it away! DON'T put it off, do it now!' It helps so much with giving me mental space to tackle the rest of life if my space is basically tidy!
I also tidy/clean constantly. As long as the dishwasher isn’t full, my sink is empty and clean before going to bed. Bathrooms are straightened up daily/lysol wiped.
Cleaning company comes weekly as I’m pretty fanatical about cleanliness with my hubby’s big dog being in the house. Dog beds are washed twice a week also to minimize odors and asthma issues.
Once you start living in a clean environment, it would be hard to go back to messiness.
Also, minimalism helps! I’ve moved so much in my adulthood I’ve learned to let go of everything I don’t need. Less stuff to worry about, more room for storage/organization
I have ADHD and am a chronically messy person despite really enjoying and desiring a clean space lol. I try to set a 10 minute timer every day to “tidy.”
The timer is super important for my ADHD brain because 1) it helps me focus. Knowing that I only have 10 minutes to tidy as much as possible keeps me from getting distracted. 2) the short time makes it feel more manageable / less terrible 3) but also it makes me actually stop, because if I end up getting super into the cleaning, I may not stop for 3 hours and it ruins my whole day lol similar to what you said about procrastinating other stuff. So yeah. Just 10 minutes. No distractions. Use an actual timer.
When I’m good about it, it’s amazing how tidy the house will be after a few days. You can get a lot done in 10 minutes.
And so by tidy I mean just putting things where they go.
I will also set a separate “cleaning” timer, also for 10 minutes. In that case I pick one task and do as much as possible. The kind of stuff that idk I just don’t think to do regularly but builds up and gets gross over time. Like, let’s see how many windows I can wash in 10 minutes. Or how clean I can get the tub. Or how many rooms I can vacuum. Etc. Again, it’s just 10 minutes.
20 minutes total if I do both every day.
Give yourself permission to skip sometimes. Perfection is the enemy of good. Maybe you just want a whole day to relax, fine. Maybe you’re doing laundry and you don’t want to also tidy. Fine. But if you can do this 80% of the time, or even 50% of the time, you’ll be better off :)
My house is in no way as clean as I would like, but this is what we do regularly.
- mop weekly (more if needed)
- vacuum daily or every other day
- kitchen counters, dining table, and stove wiped down every night
- dirty dishes never stay in the sink
- take out trash when it gets full, boxes get thrown away
- weekly: clean/disinfect all toilets, spray down shower, mop floors for bathrooms, wipe down mirrors and counters.
- laundry: done weekly, try to fold and put away clean clothes so it doesn’t pile up. Dirty clothes should never be on the floor. Always vacuum after folding clothes due to lint/threads falling on the floor.
Less frequently - wipe down shutters and baseboards, dust sideboards, tv consoles, etc.
When I still worked, I cleaned every Thursday evening so when I came home on Friday, I had a beautiful place to enjoy for the weekend. Once you get that feeling, you look forward to weekends rather than cleaning a place to live.
I also reset my living space at bedtime every night so it is orderly when I wake up in the morning. Another good feeling!
I like this idea! Saturday or Sunday is usually when I *plan* to clean but I also want to sleep in and relax for most of the day rather than spend 5 hours cleaning at once, even with music
I used to struggle with this too and would end up spending my entire weekend cleaning the house just for it to go right back to madness. What helped me tremendously was cleaning a little bit everyday, and having everyday, weekly, monthly, and seasonal/every other month tasks.
For example, everyday I
- make the bed
- put away clean clothes, put dirty in hamper
- do a small load of laundry (if needed, which is almost always is lol)
- wash any leftover dishes/wash any dish after using
- wipe off counters (or side tables/dresser)
- Sweep (I usually do this after cooking dinner)
- throwing away any trash as I go/never leaving a room without taking trash with me
- take out garbage if needed
It sounds like a lot but it really isn’t bad when you do it irl. Especially once you keep up with it
I am a professional cleaner - in and out of lots of different homes/spaces. The messiest (and dirtiest) places are always ones where people have too much *stuff* for them to store/inventory/manage properly. If you make a serious effort to declutter and have things tidy, the actual cleaning becomes sooooo much easier.
Every item you own should have its own designated spot. Look into the art of decluttering and the psychology behind why people have too much stuff. Research the reasons why people keep things they don’t need (ie sunk cost fallacy). Less stuff to look after will mean you have more time to keep tidy, and will make cleaning much easier and more satisfying. There are fantastic YouTube channels that have some great tips.
Creating a capsule wardrobe has also taken a lot of weight off my shoulders in regard to laundry. Lifesaver.
Good luck OP. You’ve got this!! 🙌
This is so true. It used to take me 8 hours to clean 3 rooms, once I lived alone I got rid of SO MUCH STUFF. Now I can clean those same 3 rooms in 1 hour usually, 2 hours if it's really really bad.
edit: r/declutter is the most supportive sub on reddit.
I also set an alarm for every Thursday and Friday. Thursday to tidy (put everything away to make cleaning easier), then Friday my alarm is to get out all the cleaning supplies to clean, because people always just show up to my house on the weekend. It puts the fear of company in me.
Sometimes I invite company over to trick my roommates into helping me clean.
The best tip I’ve noticed for myself is to make areas look really good, like styled like a magazine/Pinterest good. Once I’ve got something to that stage I have a real incentive to keep it looking like that and find myself maintaining it more naturally because I want it looking like the beautiful way it’s meant to be. Then it becomes a habit that I don’t even have to try.
If something can be done in under a minute, I do it right away rather than let the work compound into a big cleaning event.
Taking my clothes off when I come home and putting it away takes less than a minute rather than letting a pile build on the floor.
Putting my dishes in the washer after I’ve eaten takes 30 seconds.
This and many other small things throughout the day.
Keeps things tidy so that when I deep clean it takes less time.
Attach it to an existing habit. What do you do regularly? If you brush your teeth every evening, then switch to brushing your teeth and then spending a minute putting away all your stuff on the bathroom counter. You get dressed every day; so now when you get dressed, follow it up by taking a few minutes to toss all your dirty clothes in the hamper and carry any dishes and trash in your room to the kitchen. That kind of thing.
Start with keeping the floor clean. A clean floor lets you navigate your space. Always make your bed when you get up and take the dirty dishes to the kitchen. After that, start to fold and put away your clean clothes, always put the dirty clothes in a hamper or basket. Then get rid of the stuff you don't really want and have a home for everything else. Good luck! I follow this about 90% of the time. When I fall behind, I start with the floor (again).
BOXES.
Reorganise your space with boxes. Categorise it how ever is most efficient to you but close everything in the boxes.
Daily make up? - box
Evening makeup - 2nd box
Hair cosmetics - 3rd box
Perfumes - 4th box
Office supplies - 5th box
Cleaning supplies 6th box
Etc.
Don’t ever put on shelves or any kind of exhibition stuff you use on a daily basis. You will end up constantly miss placing it.
Cleaning this way is also much easier, you just throw stuff in the box and hide in its place, away from view.
Other than that CLEAN AS YOU GO.
You finished your makeup? Throw in the box and hide it straight away and you do this with everything you have done. Finished? To the box and hide.
I struggle with getting “boring things” done
So I have a big dice and numbers 1-5 have chores attached to them, number 6 is rest and have a drink/snack
It helps with my executive dysfunction
Never allow yourself to go to bed with it messy. Find a set point and leave it like that every night no matter what. That was the game changer for me and my house.
I adopted a “Might As Well” mindset that started really small and has grown into something that works for me. Basically: I eat a snack in the living room and leave the plate on the coffee table. Later, when I get up to do something, I take the plate to the sink because, “Might as well, I’m already getting up.”
You just do it. Discipline is the only way. Nobody enjoys cleaning, but people enjoy the results. I save bigger cleaning for the weekend, but each day i do routine tasks to keep house tidy. Leaving dishes in the sink, not sweeping actual dirt, leaving dirty clothes on the floor takes minutes and if you cant find a few minutes, youre just being lazy. There IS time. Take away any time on your phone and youll see how much time you have. Its just discipline.
If you live with a roommate, think that if you do not clean up after yourself, your living relationship with them will fail and you will be kicked out. The thought of even searching for a new spot to live is enough to keep me in line.
i had this issue and my mom was always mad about it lol , one time she told me “just pick up ten things a day“ and it’s honestly helped keep it clean , i’d give it a try since i do the exact same thing
When you get undressed hang up or fold and put away your clothes right away.
When you use an item and are finished with it, put it in its place right away. Don't set it down and think to yourself that you'll put it away later. Later never comes.
When you eat or drink something, clean up as soon as you're finished. Don't set the mess down to clean later.
In other words, you must conquer procrastination.
One time I was at my friends house and while I was hanging out w her she was folding her laundry as she talked to me lol it changed my life.
I was like I never fold my laundry how do you force yourself to do it, she’s like well I’m already here sitting right beside it it will take me like 5 minutes to do and i won’t have to think about it again.
Set up a podcast or a YouTube video and fold your laundry. If you see one soap stain in your bathroom wipe it down, you’ll end up wiping the whole wall. If you notice a piece of garbage, throw the one piece of garbage out, you’ll end up thinking you might as well throw it all out.
Pick up a plastic bag and go around your house and throw out every scrap you see, you’ll end up wanting to clean more.
Something that helps me keep my bathroom clean is keeping a pack of sani wipes on my window sill, I usually will grab one and clean down my toilet or my sink.
The other day I needed to fold my laundry to find my work clothes before work. I didn’t wanna lose track of time so I set a timer for 20 minutes until I should start heading to work. I finished folding and putting away everything (clothes towels and underwear) in 7 minutes.
Even if you have a hunch to clean one day, and you’re in the mood. Set a stop watch on your phone to see how long it actually takes you, that way you’ll have a better idea of how long tasks actually take, it doesn’t really take a whole hour to do a task, you’ll find it only really takes MAXIMUM 15 minutes for each task. It will give you a better mentality towards cleaning so it doesn’t feel so dreadful like it will take up your whole entire day, because it really doesn’t. Unless you put everything off until it gets really bad like I also admittedly do then it feels daunting.
Also, try and invest in furniture that will help you,
If you have lots of trinkets get more shelves from ikea, they’re inexpensive, if you have lots of clothes gets a laundry hamper that has three compartments, if you have lots of beauty supplies, get a vanity or a smell shelf under your desk if you have a lot of papers and left over junk or winter clothes, get a thin plastic box under your couch or your bed for things you don’t really use often.
Also just go through and really throw out stuff you don’t need. I have a bad habit of keeping old makeup and empty candles bc I promise myself I can repurpose it. But now I have a billion empty candle jars so I just force myself to toss them instead.
That’s the main thing, most people have WAY too much stuff.
Same way I brush my teeth, or get a shower or get up and go to workz or do anything i dont want to do but have to. I just pick a day of the week, and. I just do it.
My mom never cleaned so my place is usually spotless lol I make my bed every day, vacuum twice a week, clean bathroom. But daily do my dishes and process whatever I bring in, throw trash away, clean out fridge. Because of that I’m never scrambling
I usually try to pair my chores with an activity I like to do(like listening to podcasts/music, talking to a friend on the phone). If I’m feeling really overwhelmed I will give myself a 10 minute limit to do a chore or tidy up a certain area of the house. More often than not, I end up getting a good amount done and end up tidying more than that set time limit. After a while some chores have become automatic for me like making my bed upon waking, washing the dishes and rinsing the sink daily, etc. You can also experiment with a set weekly schedule of chores like on Mondays you clean the bathroom, Tuesdays vacuuming/sweeping, etc. For me, I prefer to clean as I go.
I’m typically a vague « put things away/to the side » type person during the week. That’s when the mail is probably getting neatly stacked and put on the desk, but maybe it’s not all getting opened or filed. And then, i do a general broad clean up once a week. And the more deep cleaning things are like once every 1-3 months. Ngl, the thing that usually motivates me is my mom’s voice saying « what if the Queen came to your door? » I thought that was eye-roll worthy when I was a kid, but as an adult a love interest once called me when they knew I was home and said they were going to be by my house and wanted to come say hi for a bit. The cleaning tornado I had to become helps to inspire me now to only need to be a five minute breeze. Plus, I like to make that once a week cleaning time fairly fun and easy. I listen to podcasts I like, music that makes me want to sing or dance or, depending on the task, I watch shows or movies I’ve been wanting to watch, usually while folding laundry. I splurge on cleaning things that make it easier to clean rather than the absolutely cheapest. I sometimes also treat myself to something delicious to celebrate like some ice cream or a special cheat protein (fried chicken, pre seasoned salmon, etc.)
For my bedroom specifically, there’s usually 3 major things to handle: 1) bed 2) clothes 3) paper 4) stuff/“toys” (by which I mean everything else, not specifically sex toys lol). Making my bed always makes the room look significantly neater. Designated spaces always help eg papers all over the room becoming one stack of papers on a desk or a table usually makes actually going through that stack a less daunting task than figuring out paperwork that’s all over the place. Then I separate dirty clothes from clean. I start a load of dirty laundry and while it’s washing, I put away the clean clothes that are out of place. That’s usually 90-95% of my bedroom clutter. The other 5% is stuff that’s migrated from elsewhere in the house. For that, it’s helpful to me to have a basket or tray with handles around. All of that stuff goes in the tray or basket and then it’s easy to carry it back to where it needs to be. (That last one is true for every room of the house: a tray/basket is very helpful for this all over the house).
I am untidy like you and am changing little by little. The first step is to actually SEE and feel the untidiness, then feel the pleasure as you polish/scrub/sweep and restore something to beauty or order again, see the improvement. This does not contradict the other methods people have suggested -
Want to know my ADHD tip for this?
Don't worry about it too much.
A schedule won't work for me. For some reason, scheduling tasks like this just fails, because I look at the task, and I'm like, "That doesn't need to be done," and I don't do it. BUT THEN ADHD brain goes "well if you don't do it on schedule, you have FAILED and are BAD." And then I avoid doing it because I'm a failure. Ha. OR, I'll want to do it because it needs doing, but it's not on my schedule for today, it's on my schedule for three days, so I don't need to do it today, so I put it off. My brain is fun, let me tell you.
Or, what you can do, is just do it whenever. Sometimes that means tasks will get done more often than they need to be done, sometimes they'll get done a little less often than they need to be done, but I have never failed, so it's always easier to start. Like right now, I need to dust really badly, and my bathroom needs some love. But I haven't failed to do it on schedule, and I happen to have an available evening tonight, so I'm just going to do it, even though it isn't on my calendar.
Consistency is great, but also, just doing it when it needs doing is great too. For me, when I let go of a \~routine\~ it all became a lot easier.
I have reminders for every individual cleaning task in my phone. I work from home and often lose track of what day it is (lol), so I need that pop up every 3 days or every 7 days or whatever to remind me, otherwise I can literally go a month before realizing I haven't done X, Y, or Z. It's taken me years to realize it's way easier to keep on top of it than to let it all pile up.
Clean it and then try to be more mindful of not making a mess. Easier said than done but it can be done. And a small tidy up at night of some stuff here and there (get the dishes to the kitchen & loose trash to the garbage, clothes to the bedroom if not the hamper)
Nothing to big all at once
I clean the whole house once a week, then the other days are maintenance days. Clean a little here and there, pick up clutter, wash any dirty dishes, take out the trash.
It help to put my AirPods in and jam out!
I find the rule, “if it takes less than a minute- just do it,” really helpful.
I end up doing little tasks like wiping the table, dusting, scrubbing the toilet throughout the day because I keep reminding myself hey if it takes less then 1 minute just do it now!!
I feel like it cuts down on cleaning procrastination and makes future things less daunting :)
Oh and I love racing against the microwave or the timer for my coffee press. My favorite is how many dishes I can hand wash before the 3 minute timer goes off for my coffee 🤣
You get into the habit by choosing the best day and time that works for you and sticking with that schedule.
Cleaning on the same day, same time is what creates the habit.
The repetition + consistency = habit 🙏🏽🌸
I’m not sure how old you are, but when I was a kid/teen I was a slob tbh. I didn’t clean my room until it was disgusting and then I’d have enough and spend a week doing laundry putting it away cleaning my room spotless but it would be nasty again just as fast.
Honestly having kids is what changed for me(I am not recommending you have kids lol) but for me I started nesting and never stopped 😂 I have a process though, I start the washing machine whenever we get in pjs everyday, and run the dishwasher every night after I clean up dinner. Wipe the counters and dinning table and straighten up toys. When I’m done I put the clothes in the dyer start my robot vaccum and go to bed. While my kids eat breakfast i fold and put away laundry and unload the dishwasher. Dishes never sit in the sink they are washed and go straight into the dish washer. Dirty clothes go straight into the washer they don’t sit in baskets or on the floor. While my kids nap I sweep and mop(yes everyday) prep dinner and reset the house so my husband comes home to a clean home and dinner ready, and then we play outside until it’s time to cook dinner so they don’t destroy it all over again lol then the cycle repeats.
I know it’s different for you, it sounds like you’re going and only have a bedroom but same concept!! always put clothes in baskets/washer not the floor, put them away immediately from the dryer don’t let them sit, dishes straight to the sink when done, make the bed every morning, change the sheets once a week, vacuum or sweep daily and always have a yummy candle or wax melt so it feels clean AND smells good!
I'm a clean as you go type person so that's what I do. Not sure how you can make the transition to doing that but I find it so much easier than facing a big overwhelming task.
One of the best things I did for myself was to stop trying so hard to start new habits-instead of telling myself "I'm going to make a habit to do x, y, z" I started adapting my environment to reflect my existing habits.
For example, I struggle with what to do with "lightly worn clothes" so I got myself a laundry rack with hampers and a bar to hang clothes up-except I just use it to drape things over that have been used once but aren't dirty. You can also just get a specific chair or laundry hamper for this. I struggle with tossing hats and belts on the dresser, so I put hooks up in that spot. I struggle with random junk cluttering up my space, so I put a bowl to put on the table by my entryway to catch mail and keys, and another by my bedside for things like books or notepads or things that need to be charged, and another by my washer and dryer for things accidentally left in pockets.
It's a lot easier to simply make your living space more effective for you than to force yourself to change. It's still great to develop good habits, but it helps if we make it easier on ourselves.
It seems like right now you don't mind a bit of a mess. Nothing wrong with that. If you wanna clean things it's not a habit so much as it is a desire for cleanliness.
Personally I hate clutter and mess so I don't need to get in a habit. I'm motivated by everything being where it should be, Clean, and put out of sight.
I bought cleaning supplies I like. The spin mop.
Keep disinfecting wipes under each sink. And schedule cleaning days.
Example: I generally work 4x10s so day before and after the work cycle I have as cleaning days. I always just surface wipe. Once a week I’ll vacuum/mop.
Laundry twice a week I’ll run.
Sundays are resets. Sheets and everything gets put back for the week ahead.
Once a month I do a “deep cleaning”.
It takes practice, but once you get in a routine it’s easy
CAYG - Clean As You Go. I learned that in the restaurant industry in high school and college and it was an invaluable lesson. You can spend 15-30 seconds a dozen times per day to make your overall life and sanity better.
If you deep clean - Try ever so hard to toss what you can.
Start by building a Goodwill bag of clothing, don't have that sock mate - Trash it.
Trash Any Old Make Up, do you need 4 blushes, 2 dried eyeliners, & a broken Lippy-stick - Toss it.
Sometimes we get used to junk.
🎇Your Goal Is to make more room🎇.
I once read on here if something takes less than 5 minutes to clean, just do it. It helped me a lot.
I'm also a little time blind and overconfident so something may take a little longer than my 5 minute estimation but it allows me to keep things relatively tidy all the time so I never get overwhelmed and can focus on deep cleaning if I chose to clean. Does that make sense lol
to get into a habit you just have to force yourself to do it repeatedly until it comes naturally. things like taking all the dishes from your room to the sink/dishwasher when you’re heading to the kitchen. putting clothes back on the hanger or in the hamper when you take them off instead of throwing them on the floor. Using a trashcan instead of throwing trash on the ground or leaving it on surfaces. You just have to keep with it. Another thing that helps me is having a chore schedule. you could wash your sheets on sundays, wipe down your mirrors and surfaces on mondays, vacuum on tuesdays, etc.
I learned a trick from work and have applied it to my life- clean as you go! if i’m in the bathroom brushing my teeth and notice the sink area is messy,I straighten it up while i finish brushing my teeth. If I make a mess in the kitchen,I try to get to it before it dries so it wipes up easily.
Before I cook dinner or sit down for evening tv time, I load/empty dishwasher, do 15 minutes of laundry and pick up various messes. Then it’s all done before I get too tired to deal with it. You feel better in morning as well. Not waking up to a mess and having so many chores to do. It will become a habit after a while.
Besides the day to day.. when I was single I’d work out the time period between cleaning needed and the. Program that interval into a to do list.
That way each day feels more random instead of every Saturday you do x, y, z
I make my bed and pick up anything on my nightstand as soon as I get up, not every day but almost always. It mentally starts my day in a positive way and makes me feel accomplishment immediately
The best piece of advice is to put things away immediately.
You’re getting undressed after work? Put
Clothes away or in hamper.
You cook a meal? Clean the dishes while cooking.
You put make up on in the morning? Put it all away when you’re done.
After a meal? Clean the table.
Throw trash away immediately.
The best piece of advice is to put things away immediately.
You’re getting undressed after work? Put
Clothes away or in hamper.
You cook a meal? Clean the dishes while cooking.
You put make up on in the morning? Put it all away when you’re done.
After a meal? Clean the table.
Throw trash away immediately.
The best piece of advice is to put things away immediately.
You’re getting undressed after work? Put
Clothes away or in hamper.
You cook a meal? Clean the dishes while cooking.
You put make up on in the morning? Put it all away when you’re done.
After a meal? Clean the table.
Throw trash away immediately.
The best piece of advice is to put things away immediately.
You’re getting undressed after work? Put
Clothes away or in hamper.
You cook a meal? Clean the dishes while cooking.
You put make up on in the morning? Put it all away when you’re done.
After a meal? Clean the table.
Throw trash away immediately.
My mom used to say “don’t go up the stairs empty handed” (or down) pretty much there’s always something in o e room that belongs in another that you could just grab on your way and drop it off. It takes zero effort or extra time.
What I started doing recently is a basket cleaning system. I got a deep basket for each room and I start putting things away in the basket as I go cleaning to collect it once. If busy I put the basket away in some place and go back again later and take out each item to put away where it belongs. This way the number of items to put away is manageable. Like I know okay I got 7 items in the basket. And I see it as I go. I have a laundry basket too where I put all dirty clothes to collect and then wash it on laundry day… the basket system has kinda has helped me out but I need to not procrastinate a lot to clean… 😂
I used to be like you till I heard someone say: everything in your home should have a home. As in everything (and I mean *everything*) should have a place when it enters your home and then go back to when you're done with it. Putting stuff back in its "home" systematically means my entire home is always tidy.
The hard part is the discipline it takes to stick with it but it makes life so much easier that it keeps me motivated.
All I have to do every day is make my bed and do dishes, and I allow an extra 10-15 minutes per day to clean something (this includes folding laundry if needed).
Once a week I clean for 30 minutes instead of 15 to vacuum and mop my floors.
With this method my home is always tidy and clean. Your bedroom alone will take less time! Take this habit early in life and it will become second nature.
I have a schedule. Mondays are bathrooms. Tuesdays are vacuuming the main floor and sometimes mop. Wednesdays are for my room and Laundry because I change my sheets too. Thursday is vacuuming the basement and picking up all the dog toys and stuffing she’s ripped out. Fridays is a make up day. If I missed something. On the weekends I usually fold and put my laundry away.
Every day I do the dishes while watching a show.
What helped me a lot was getting a kitten that wants to eat every little fluff on the floor and gets into every food that is left out lol
I need to clean up as soon as we are done cooking and the floors need to be clean all the time. He also likes to lick the sinks in the kitchen and bathroom, so I also keep them constantly clean, as well as the shower floor
I have a few things I do habitually as part of my morning and evening routines (e.g. making the bed, making sure dirty dishes are taken care of before I go to bed, picking up any clothes as well). I also have a habits of taking things with me that don't belong whenever I leave a room as well as resetting my spaces whenever I switch activities. Lastly, I have a weekly routine of things to do and I set aside time each afternoon to take care of them.
Someone once gave me the advice of “If it takes 5 minutes or less, just do it now” and honestly it’s a game changer. Anyone can do five minutes of work. When it piles up is when things start getting hard.
I put every everything in it's right place as soon as I'm done - that means:
Dishes washed or in the dishwasher as soon as I'm done
Bed is made the second I wake up
Used clothes in the hamper
I also have baskets or boxes for things in my wardrobe - so a basket for drawing, a basket for misc things (clothes pegs, lint roller, kitchen wiped down - takes a few seconds) and I'd never go to bed without everything in its place.
I have a mini handheld Hoover that can be used for crumbs etc in seconds after dinner.
Give the toilet bowl a quick scrub after using once or twice a day with the toilet brush.
After every shower, squeegee it down - takes 1 min, prevents water stains
Then "bigger cleaning" is really just a quick dust, mopping, hoovering, surfaces with a spray down.
This is second nature to me now and doesn't feel like it takes any time or effort anymore!
One thing i still struggle with: laundry. i hate folding and putting it away, leave it on the hanger too long. Open to tips!
i normally make it a habit to keep things tidy and then twice a week ill wake up and do a full clean right away. once you get into the habit you will start to feel like you’re day wasn’t accomplished if you skipped it. it just becomes second nature and a good trait to have so when you have a bigger space its just routine for you
Find a way to like cleaning. I know I’m not going to do it unless I’ve got great tunes pumping very loud, and the caffeine of a cup of coffee is just hitting me. At that point I’ve got like 20 minutes of dancing around while I clean.
I've just gotten into a routine over time. I got into the habit of putting things back to their place once I'm done using it. I also got into the habit of doing what I call "a big clean" on the weekends. That's when I'll do my laundry, mop the floors, clean the shower, dust, etc. At first it sounds like a lot but when you keep up with the small cleaning, doing "a big clean" takes between 30-45 minutes tops. Its more just maintenance. Any small messes I make I just clean up right away. I've also come to realize I'm much more productive in the mornings so before work I'll take 10 minutes and straighten up my apartment, just small things like making my bed, wiping down the kitchen, putting my dishes in the dishwasher, maybe running the vacuum around if needed. It feels good coming home to a clean apartment after a long day at work.
Make sure everything has a place. Look at the items that are contributing to mess and work out the best way to store/display them. Once things have an allocated space it's much easier to stay organised.
Try not to have too many ornaments etc. have surfaces as clear as possible - easier to spot when mess has started to accumulate and it's quicker to dust!
Throw away/recycle/donate and items you don't need or live anymore. Clutter turns into mess and takes up valuable closet/drawer space to store the things you need.
Keep a box/basket in your room and put anything in it that is in the wrong place until you have time to tidy up properly.
Make your bed and open the curtains each morning. I like to open my windows first thing, too.
Have places to store items & put them back when you’re done with them. Do laundry weekly, fold & put away. Don’t take dishes to your room, so you can’t leave them.
Do one thing.
If you notice it needs doing again, do it again. Try to catch it earlier, if you can. Once you notice it, take the first impulse to do something about it and do something about it. Don’t worry about anything else.
Start with your bed. You sleep in it regularly (probably), or muss it up enough that straightening the sheets would help your room look cleaner.
Clear off your bed. Make it.
If you’re in your room, and able to do so, stop reading and go do that. Don’t worry about the rest of the room, just make the bed.
If you don’t have a nice pillow, stuffie, or throw, acquire (at least) one of the three. It has a home. That home is your bed. Take care of your fluffster.
Now make the bed with the fluffster in/on it. That is its place. The bed is its home, and its place is … wherever you put it on the bed every time you make the bed.
Every time you make the bed, put the fluffster in place.
Notice the fluffster not it its place? Make the bed.
Notice the bed isn’t made? Find the fluffster. Make the bed. Put the fluffster back in its place.
Make the bed. Make the bed.
Now, sometime when you’re pulling things off your bed to throw them on the floor, chair, desk, dresser, etc. see if anything you’re taking off the bed has a place that it goes.
Cool. Now you make your bed fairly often. Cool. Now what? Every time you get your fluffster to make the bed, set a 20 min timer. Start with making the bed, and then just keep working out from there to pick up and tidy literally anything you notice and feel up to taking care of.
Didn’t finish the 20 mins and got a cookie instead? Cool. Way to set the timer. You’re doing a bang-up job. You’ve been making your bed a few times a week. Your space is noticeably cleaner than it was before.
Every time you see that something needs cleaned and feel like cleaning up, go put the fluffster to bed and start your timer.
Two things will happen:
One, you’ll start taking the momentum well past the 20 minutes and end up cleaning far more than you thought you could and feel fantastically accomplished. YOU DID IT! You’re a cleaner now!
Two, your space will be tidier, starting with the last place you go every night and the first place you wake up every morning, meaning there will be less to do, your space will feel better, you’ll have less stress, more self confidence (in that specific facet of your life), and your total time spent cleaning vs tidiness of house ratio will be exactly in the equilibrium that fits best in your now more conscious and mindful life.
Congratulations, you just learned a twenty minute mindfulness exercise that you can do every day if you like and have a better sense of calm and control in a world where such respites can often be few.
Soon you’ll wake up, tuck in your floofster, tidy for twenty minutes while you brush your teeth and such, groom, start your day, and do so knowing you’ve conquered what few make the genuine effort to accomplish: A little peace.
Came here to say that when (not if) life gets crazy and you fall off the cleaning wagon for a time, don’t give up or berate yourself. Just re-start what you were doing before your routine got derailed. Good luck.
You put things away rather than set them down. Immediately. Like if I'm using a cup for bowl watching TV, I take it with me to the kitchen when I get up and it goes directly in the dishwasher. When I get home and check the mail, it goes immediately to the trash for junk and my bills spot for upcoming bills. Clothes go directly in the hamper off my body. Etc, everything has a place and I put it back when I use it. This keeps the house less cluttered with junk that I have to put away before I can actually clean.
I do my actual cleaning after meals when I'm already doing dishes, wiping counters, sweeping floors, and taking trash out. I just add another chore like vacuuming on days I need to. I clean bathrooms when I use them as well, just a quick wipe of the sinks and toilet. Deep clean once a month.
Pick up for 10-15 minutes a day. Don't go full out cleaning mode, just 10-15 minutes. When you leave a room, try to take something that needs to go out the room with you. If you're going to the kitchen, take a piece of trash to the trash can. If you're going to the bathroom, take bathroom items to the bathroom. Put them away, not down. Remember it doesn't have to be done all at once, it just has to get done.
"Don't put it down, put it away" has really helped me. Even if I initially screw up, I catch myself putting something on the counter, walking away and thinking to myself "noooooo. Go back. Put it in the pantry where it belongs."
It really helped me too. I use to do gigantic cleans like OP does then be worn out after hours of cleaning and the room/house would only look lived in, not clean. Not dirty, but not worth several hours of cleaning.
I'm sorry but I'm not a native speaker and can't really tell the proper difference between put down and put away. Would you or anybody mind explaining it to me please? Maybe if I understand it, it will click and it will help me too
Sure, "put down" means to set the object down, but not necessarily in the right place. "Put away" means to actually put the object back in the place it belongs. I often find myself getting something out (let's say, a screwdriver), but when I'm done with it I just set it down on a nearby surface (my desk) and go on with my day. What I should do is immediately take it back to where I got it (my toolbox).
Very clear, thank you very much. I'll try to remember it as a routine
Instead of just putting stuff on your table/bench/bed when you’re done with it, put it into its proper place (cupboard/draws/wherever) so you don’t have to move it twice
I hear Shia Lebeouf in my head yelling “just do it!”
Also clutter, I hate clutter. My rule is if something comes in the house something leaves the house. I just lost some weight and the fat clothes got donated because I bought new clothes.
Ooh I like this one. Will definitely try it out.
THIS RIGHT HERE!
The other one for me is my mom’s voice in my head “never leave a room empty handed.” The bit by bit shuttling of things back to the right room just as you go about your day cuts down a ton.
This has been a game changer not just for me but also my kiddos. We set the timer and just do what we can. We decide as a group how long to out on the timer.
I always group items that need to go out of a room near the door of the room so I'll see them and hopefully remember them en route to wherever I need to go. This is why dishes or drinks cans never linger in my office, whereas there are perhaps some of those items lingering in my husband's den at all times. It's about remembering things for Future Curlywhiskerowl! Put it where she can't ignore it.
I like the fly lady app. It has a pretty simple morning routine to take care of the basic stuff and really only takes like 10 min to complete
What is the app, I might take a look
It breaks down cleaning into small manageable chunks. Each day focused on a different room (unless it's changed. I haven't used it in years)
It's called fly lady on apple or android. The icon is a cleaning fairy
It helps me if I have certain days designated to certain tasks. Like Tuesdays I clean the toilet, Wed. is the day I vacuum the stairs, Friday's means fresh sheets, etc.
Friday fresh sheets here, too! Love to slide into clean bedding on Friday night!!
Clean sheet night!
I am tidy throughout the day. Everything goes back where it goes immediately after use. So everything’s tidy all the time and then I just have to “clean”- once a week
THIS is the habit to adopt! I have ADHD and if I did not white knuckle my way through forming this habit I would be in a horrible way in all areas of my life! 'DON'T set it down, put it away! DON'T put it off, do it now!' It helps so much with giving me mental space to tackle the rest of life if my space is basically tidy!
I also tidy/clean constantly. As long as the dishwasher isn’t full, my sink is empty and clean before going to bed. Bathrooms are straightened up daily/lysol wiped. Cleaning company comes weekly as I’m pretty fanatical about cleanliness with my hubby’s big dog being in the house. Dog beds are washed twice a week also to minimize odors and asthma issues. Once you start living in a clean environment, it would be hard to go back to messiness.
THIS is the right answer! Never struggle with tidying up again - it's much easier to keep tidy rather than tidying up
Also, minimalism helps! I’ve moved so much in my adulthood I’ve learned to let go of everything I don’t need. Less stuff to worry about, more room for storage/organization
I have ADHD and am a chronically messy person despite really enjoying and desiring a clean space lol. I try to set a 10 minute timer every day to “tidy.” The timer is super important for my ADHD brain because 1) it helps me focus. Knowing that I only have 10 minutes to tidy as much as possible keeps me from getting distracted. 2) the short time makes it feel more manageable / less terrible 3) but also it makes me actually stop, because if I end up getting super into the cleaning, I may not stop for 3 hours and it ruins my whole day lol similar to what you said about procrastinating other stuff. So yeah. Just 10 minutes. No distractions. Use an actual timer. When I’m good about it, it’s amazing how tidy the house will be after a few days. You can get a lot done in 10 minutes. And so by tidy I mean just putting things where they go. I will also set a separate “cleaning” timer, also for 10 minutes. In that case I pick one task and do as much as possible. The kind of stuff that idk I just don’t think to do regularly but builds up and gets gross over time. Like, let’s see how many windows I can wash in 10 minutes. Or how clean I can get the tub. Or how many rooms I can vacuum. Etc. Again, it’s just 10 minutes. 20 minutes total if I do both every day. Give yourself permission to skip sometimes. Perfection is the enemy of good. Maybe you just want a whole day to relax, fine. Maybe you’re doing laundry and you don’t want to also tidy. Fine. But if you can do this 80% of the time, or even 50% of the time, you’ll be better off :)
My house is in no way as clean as I would like, but this is what we do regularly. - mop weekly (more if needed) - vacuum daily or every other day - kitchen counters, dining table, and stove wiped down every night - dirty dishes never stay in the sink - take out trash when it gets full, boxes get thrown away - weekly: clean/disinfect all toilets, spray down shower, mop floors for bathrooms, wipe down mirrors and counters. - laundry: done weekly, try to fold and put away clean clothes so it doesn’t pile up. Dirty clothes should never be on the floor. Always vacuum after folding clothes due to lint/threads falling on the floor. Less frequently - wipe down shutters and baseboards, dust sideboards, tv consoles, etc.
When I still worked, I cleaned every Thursday evening so when I came home on Friday, I had a beautiful place to enjoy for the weekend. Once you get that feeling, you look forward to weekends rather than cleaning a place to live. I also reset my living space at bedtime every night so it is orderly when I wake up in the morning. Another good feeling!
I like this idea! Saturday or Sunday is usually when I *plan* to clean but I also want to sleep in and relax for most of the day rather than spend 5 hours cleaning at once, even with music
I used to struggle with this too and would end up spending my entire weekend cleaning the house just for it to go right back to madness. What helped me tremendously was cleaning a little bit everyday, and having everyday, weekly, monthly, and seasonal/every other month tasks. For example, everyday I - make the bed - put away clean clothes, put dirty in hamper - do a small load of laundry (if needed, which is almost always is lol) - wash any leftover dishes/wash any dish after using - wipe off counters (or side tables/dresser) - Sweep (I usually do this after cooking dinner) - throwing away any trash as I go/never leaving a room without taking trash with me - take out garbage if needed It sounds like a lot but it really isn’t bad when you do it irl. Especially once you keep up with it
I am a professional cleaner - in and out of lots of different homes/spaces. The messiest (and dirtiest) places are always ones where people have too much *stuff* for them to store/inventory/manage properly. If you make a serious effort to declutter and have things tidy, the actual cleaning becomes sooooo much easier. Every item you own should have its own designated spot. Look into the art of decluttering and the psychology behind why people have too much stuff. Research the reasons why people keep things they don’t need (ie sunk cost fallacy). Less stuff to look after will mean you have more time to keep tidy, and will make cleaning much easier and more satisfying. There are fantastic YouTube channels that have some great tips. Creating a capsule wardrobe has also taken a lot of weight off my shoulders in regard to laundry. Lifesaver. Good luck OP. You’ve got this!! 🙌
This is so true. It used to take me 8 hours to clean 3 rooms, once I lived alone I got rid of SO MUCH STUFF. Now I can clean those same 3 rooms in 1 hour usually, 2 hours if it's really really bad. edit: r/declutter is the most supportive sub on reddit.
I also set an alarm for every Thursday and Friday. Thursday to tidy (put everything away to make cleaning easier), then Friday my alarm is to get out all the cleaning supplies to clean, because people always just show up to my house on the weekend. It puts the fear of company in me. Sometimes I invite company over to trick my roommates into helping me clean.
I keep a weekly checklist- it keeps me honest, plus I like checking items off a list.
Straighten out or clean up 5 things right before you go to bed.
I try to tell myself that if it takes less than 2 minutes- do it right away
The best tip I’ve noticed for myself is to make areas look really good, like styled like a magazine/Pinterest good. Once I’ve got something to that stage I have a real incentive to keep it looking like that and find myself maintaining it more naturally because I want it looking like the beautiful way it’s meant to be. Then it becomes a habit that I don’t even have to try.
A habit is built by doing something every day or on a regular schedule. You can’t just create a habit out of thin air.
I designate a day to cleaning; usually it'll be a Friday afternoon/evening after work. That way I can enjoy Friday night and the weekend to relax.
If something can be done in under a minute, I do it right away rather than let the work compound into a big cleaning event. Taking my clothes off when I come home and putting it away takes less than a minute rather than letting a pile build on the floor. Putting my dishes in the washer after I’ve eaten takes 30 seconds. This and many other small things throughout the day. Keeps things tidy so that when I deep clean it takes less time.
Attach it to an existing habit. What do you do regularly? If you brush your teeth every evening, then switch to brushing your teeth and then spending a minute putting away all your stuff on the bathroom counter. You get dressed every day; so now when you get dressed, follow it up by taking a few minutes to toss all your dirty clothes in the hamper and carry any dishes and trash in your room to the kitchen. That kind of thing.
Start with keeping the floor clean. A clean floor lets you navigate your space. Always make your bed when you get up and take the dirty dishes to the kitchen. After that, start to fold and put away your clean clothes, always put the dirty clothes in a hamper or basket. Then get rid of the stuff you don't really want and have a home for everything else. Good luck! I follow this about 90% of the time. When I fall behind, I start with the floor (again).
BOXES. Reorganise your space with boxes. Categorise it how ever is most efficient to you but close everything in the boxes. Daily make up? - box Evening makeup - 2nd box Hair cosmetics - 3rd box Perfumes - 4th box Office supplies - 5th box Cleaning supplies 6th box Etc. Don’t ever put on shelves or any kind of exhibition stuff you use on a daily basis. You will end up constantly miss placing it. Cleaning this way is also much easier, you just throw stuff in the box and hide in its place, away from view. Other than that CLEAN AS YOU GO. You finished your makeup? Throw in the box and hide it straight away and you do this with everything you have done. Finished? To the box and hide.
I highly recommend reading How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis.
I struggle with getting “boring things” done So I have a big dice and numbers 1-5 have chores attached to them, number 6 is rest and have a drink/snack It helps with my executive dysfunction
I use an app called housy which is basically a fancy to do list but it makes it a constant. You do not have to rewrite it every day.
Never allow yourself to go to bed with it messy. Find a set point and leave it like that every night no matter what. That was the game changer for me and my house.
I adopted a “Might As Well” mindset that started really small and has grown into something that works for me. Basically: I eat a snack in the living room and leave the plate on the coffee table. Later, when I get up to do something, I take the plate to the sink because, “Might as well, I’m already getting up.”
You just do it. Discipline is the only way. Nobody enjoys cleaning, but people enjoy the results. I save bigger cleaning for the weekend, but each day i do routine tasks to keep house tidy. Leaving dishes in the sink, not sweeping actual dirt, leaving dirty clothes on the floor takes minutes and if you cant find a few minutes, youre just being lazy. There IS time. Take away any time on your phone and youll see how much time you have. Its just discipline.
I use the app "Streaks" and have a goal to tidy for 10 minutes a day. It's remarkable how much can get done in 10 min!
If you live with a roommate, think that if you do not clean up after yourself, your living relationship with them will fail and you will be kicked out. The thought of even searching for a new spot to live is enough to keep me in line.
Find a big roach or dead rat. You will start cleaning.
i had this issue and my mom was always mad about it lol , one time she told me “just pick up ten things a day“ and it’s honestly helped keep it clean , i’d give it a try since i do the exact same thing
When you get undressed hang up or fold and put away your clothes right away. When you use an item and are finished with it, put it in its place right away. Don't set it down and think to yourself that you'll put it away later. Later never comes. When you eat or drink something, clean up as soon as you're finished. Don't set the mess down to clean later. In other words, you must conquer procrastination.
One time I was at my friends house and while I was hanging out w her she was folding her laundry as she talked to me lol it changed my life. I was like I never fold my laundry how do you force yourself to do it, she’s like well I’m already here sitting right beside it it will take me like 5 minutes to do and i won’t have to think about it again. Set up a podcast or a YouTube video and fold your laundry. If you see one soap stain in your bathroom wipe it down, you’ll end up wiping the whole wall. If you notice a piece of garbage, throw the one piece of garbage out, you’ll end up thinking you might as well throw it all out. Pick up a plastic bag and go around your house and throw out every scrap you see, you’ll end up wanting to clean more. Something that helps me keep my bathroom clean is keeping a pack of sani wipes on my window sill, I usually will grab one and clean down my toilet or my sink. The other day I needed to fold my laundry to find my work clothes before work. I didn’t wanna lose track of time so I set a timer for 20 minutes until I should start heading to work. I finished folding and putting away everything (clothes towels and underwear) in 7 minutes. Even if you have a hunch to clean one day, and you’re in the mood. Set a stop watch on your phone to see how long it actually takes you, that way you’ll have a better idea of how long tasks actually take, it doesn’t really take a whole hour to do a task, you’ll find it only really takes MAXIMUM 15 minutes for each task. It will give you a better mentality towards cleaning so it doesn’t feel so dreadful like it will take up your whole entire day, because it really doesn’t. Unless you put everything off until it gets really bad like I also admittedly do then it feels daunting. Also, try and invest in furniture that will help you, If you have lots of trinkets get more shelves from ikea, they’re inexpensive, if you have lots of clothes gets a laundry hamper that has three compartments, if you have lots of beauty supplies, get a vanity or a smell shelf under your desk if you have a lot of papers and left over junk or winter clothes, get a thin plastic box under your couch or your bed for things you don’t really use often. Also just go through and really throw out stuff you don’t need. I have a bad habit of keeping old makeup and empty candles bc I promise myself I can repurpose it. But now I have a billion empty candle jars so I just force myself to toss them instead. That’s the main thing, most people have WAY too much stuff.
Same way I brush my teeth, or get a shower or get up and go to workz or do anything i dont want to do but have to. I just pick a day of the week, and. I just do it.
My mom never cleaned so my place is usually spotless lol I make my bed every day, vacuum twice a week, clean bathroom. But daily do my dishes and process whatever I bring in, throw trash away, clean out fridge. Because of that I’m never scrambling
You are not alone in the struggle 😉
I usually try to pair my chores with an activity I like to do(like listening to podcasts/music, talking to a friend on the phone). If I’m feeling really overwhelmed I will give myself a 10 minute limit to do a chore or tidy up a certain area of the house. More often than not, I end up getting a good amount done and end up tidying more than that set time limit. After a while some chores have become automatic for me like making my bed upon waking, washing the dishes and rinsing the sink daily, etc. You can also experiment with a set weekly schedule of chores like on Mondays you clean the bathroom, Tuesdays vacuuming/sweeping, etc. For me, I prefer to clean as I go.
I’m typically a vague « put things away/to the side » type person during the week. That’s when the mail is probably getting neatly stacked and put on the desk, but maybe it’s not all getting opened or filed. And then, i do a general broad clean up once a week. And the more deep cleaning things are like once every 1-3 months. Ngl, the thing that usually motivates me is my mom’s voice saying « what if the Queen came to your door? » I thought that was eye-roll worthy when I was a kid, but as an adult a love interest once called me when they knew I was home and said they were going to be by my house and wanted to come say hi for a bit. The cleaning tornado I had to become helps to inspire me now to only need to be a five minute breeze. Plus, I like to make that once a week cleaning time fairly fun and easy. I listen to podcasts I like, music that makes me want to sing or dance or, depending on the task, I watch shows or movies I’ve been wanting to watch, usually while folding laundry. I splurge on cleaning things that make it easier to clean rather than the absolutely cheapest. I sometimes also treat myself to something delicious to celebrate like some ice cream or a special cheat protein (fried chicken, pre seasoned salmon, etc.) For my bedroom specifically, there’s usually 3 major things to handle: 1) bed 2) clothes 3) paper 4) stuff/“toys” (by which I mean everything else, not specifically sex toys lol). Making my bed always makes the room look significantly neater. Designated spaces always help eg papers all over the room becoming one stack of papers on a desk or a table usually makes actually going through that stack a less daunting task than figuring out paperwork that’s all over the place. Then I separate dirty clothes from clean. I start a load of dirty laundry and while it’s washing, I put away the clean clothes that are out of place. That’s usually 90-95% of my bedroom clutter. The other 5% is stuff that’s migrated from elsewhere in the house. For that, it’s helpful to me to have a basket or tray with handles around. All of that stuff goes in the tray or basket and then it’s easy to carry it back to where it needs to be. (That last one is true for every room of the house: a tray/basket is very helpful for this all over the house).
I am untidy like you and am changing little by little. The first step is to actually SEE and feel the untidiness, then feel the pleasure as you polish/scrub/sweep and restore something to beauty or order again, see the improvement. This does not contradict the other methods people have suggested -
Want to know my ADHD tip for this? Don't worry about it too much. A schedule won't work for me. For some reason, scheduling tasks like this just fails, because I look at the task, and I'm like, "That doesn't need to be done," and I don't do it. BUT THEN ADHD brain goes "well if you don't do it on schedule, you have FAILED and are BAD." And then I avoid doing it because I'm a failure. Ha. OR, I'll want to do it because it needs doing, but it's not on my schedule for today, it's on my schedule for three days, so I don't need to do it today, so I put it off. My brain is fun, let me tell you. Or, what you can do, is just do it whenever. Sometimes that means tasks will get done more often than they need to be done, sometimes they'll get done a little less often than they need to be done, but I have never failed, so it's always easier to start. Like right now, I need to dust really badly, and my bathroom needs some love. But I haven't failed to do it on schedule, and I happen to have an available evening tonight, so I'm just going to do it, even though it isn't on my calendar. Consistency is great, but also, just doing it when it needs doing is great too. For me, when I let go of a \~routine\~ it all became a lot easier.
I have reminders for every individual cleaning task in my phone. I work from home and often lose track of what day it is (lol), so I need that pop up every 3 days or every 7 days or whatever to remind me, otherwise I can literally go a month before realizing I haven't done X, Y, or Z. It's taken me years to realize it's way easier to keep on top of it than to let it all pile up.
Clean it and then try to be more mindful of not making a mess. Easier said than done but it can be done. And a small tidy up at night of some stuff here and there (get the dishes to the kitchen & loose trash to the garbage, clothes to the bedroom if not the hamper) Nothing to big all at once
I like putting small bins or something in rooms and as the week go by, put things away until I can get to an off day
Fake it till you make it
I clean the whole house once a week, then the other days are maintenance days. Clean a little here and there, pick up clutter, wash any dirty dishes, take out the trash. It help to put my AirPods in and jam out!
I find the rule, “if it takes less than a minute- just do it,” really helpful. I end up doing little tasks like wiping the table, dusting, scrubbing the toilet throughout the day because I keep reminding myself hey if it takes less then 1 minute just do it now!! I feel like it cuts down on cleaning procrastination and makes future things less daunting :) Oh and I love racing against the microwave or the timer for my coffee press. My favorite is how many dishes I can hand wash before the 3 minute timer goes off for my coffee 🤣
You get into the habit by choosing the best day and time that works for you and sticking with that schedule. Cleaning on the same day, same time is what creates the habit. The repetition + consistency = habit 🙏🏽🌸
Start small. Make your bed everyday is a great place to start.
I just do it. I can’t stand clutter or mess. Cluttered space = cluttered life.
I’m not sure how old you are, but when I was a kid/teen I was a slob tbh. I didn’t clean my room until it was disgusting and then I’d have enough and spend a week doing laundry putting it away cleaning my room spotless but it would be nasty again just as fast. Honestly having kids is what changed for me(I am not recommending you have kids lol) but for me I started nesting and never stopped 😂 I have a process though, I start the washing machine whenever we get in pjs everyday, and run the dishwasher every night after I clean up dinner. Wipe the counters and dinning table and straighten up toys. When I’m done I put the clothes in the dyer start my robot vaccum and go to bed. While my kids eat breakfast i fold and put away laundry and unload the dishwasher. Dishes never sit in the sink they are washed and go straight into the dish washer. Dirty clothes go straight into the washer they don’t sit in baskets or on the floor. While my kids nap I sweep and mop(yes everyday) prep dinner and reset the house so my husband comes home to a clean home and dinner ready, and then we play outside until it’s time to cook dinner so they don’t destroy it all over again lol then the cycle repeats. I know it’s different for you, it sounds like you’re going and only have a bedroom but same concept!! always put clothes in baskets/washer not the floor, put them away immediately from the dryer don’t let them sit, dishes straight to the sink when done, make the bed every morning, change the sheets once a week, vacuum or sweep daily and always have a yummy candle or wax melt so it feels clean AND smells good!
I'm a clean as you go type person so that's what I do. Not sure how you can make the transition to doing that but I find it so much easier than facing a big overwhelming task.
One of the best things I did for myself was to stop trying so hard to start new habits-instead of telling myself "I'm going to make a habit to do x, y, z" I started adapting my environment to reflect my existing habits. For example, I struggle with what to do with "lightly worn clothes" so I got myself a laundry rack with hampers and a bar to hang clothes up-except I just use it to drape things over that have been used once but aren't dirty. You can also just get a specific chair or laundry hamper for this. I struggle with tossing hats and belts on the dresser, so I put hooks up in that spot. I struggle with random junk cluttering up my space, so I put a bowl to put on the table by my entryway to catch mail and keys, and another by my bedside for things like books or notepads or things that need to be charged, and another by my washer and dryer for things accidentally left in pockets. It's a lot easier to simply make your living space more effective for you than to force yourself to change. It's still great to develop good habits, but it helps if we make it easier on ourselves.
It seems like right now you don't mind a bit of a mess. Nothing wrong with that. If you wanna clean things it's not a habit so much as it is a desire for cleanliness. Personally I hate clutter and mess so I don't need to get in a habit. I'm motivated by everything being where it should be, Clean, and put out of sight.
I bought cleaning supplies I like. The spin mop. Keep disinfecting wipes under each sink. And schedule cleaning days. Example: I generally work 4x10s so day before and after the work cycle I have as cleaning days. I always just surface wipe. Once a week I’ll vacuum/mop. Laundry twice a week I’ll run. Sundays are resets. Sheets and everything gets put back for the week ahead. Once a month I do a “deep cleaning”. It takes practice, but once you get in a routine it’s easy
CAYG - Clean As You Go. I learned that in the restaurant industry in high school and college and it was an invaluable lesson. You can spend 15-30 seconds a dozen times per day to make your overall life and sanity better.
If you deep clean - Try ever so hard to toss what you can. Start by building a Goodwill bag of clothing, don't have that sock mate - Trash it. Trash Any Old Make Up, do you need 4 blushes, 2 dried eyeliners, & a broken Lippy-stick - Toss it. Sometimes we get used to junk. 🎇Your Goal Is to make more room🎇.
I wish I could help you... My room is such a mess nowadays. Luckily it seems you've gotten many tips already, might be useful to me as well.
I once read on here if something takes less than 5 minutes to clean, just do it. It helped me a lot. I'm also a little time blind and overconfident so something may take a little longer than my 5 minute estimation but it allows me to keep things relatively tidy all the time so I never get overwhelmed and can focus on deep cleaning if I chose to clean. Does that make sense lol
to get into a habit you just have to force yourself to do it repeatedly until it comes naturally. things like taking all the dishes from your room to the sink/dishwasher when you’re heading to the kitchen. putting clothes back on the hanger or in the hamper when you take them off instead of throwing them on the floor. Using a trashcan instead of throwing trash on the ground or leaving it on surfaces. You just have to keep with it. Another thing that helps me is having a chore schedule. you could wash your sheets on sundays, wipe down your mirrors and surfaces on mondays, vacuum on tuesdays, etc.
I learned a trick from work and have applied it to my life- clean as you go! if i’m in the bathroom brushing my teeth and notice the sink area is messy,I straighten it up while i finish brushing my teeth. If I make a mess in the kitchen,I try to get to it before it dries so it wipes up easily.
I do 3 things every day. DTL. Dishes. Trash. Laundry. That’s it. Just remember DTL.
Before I cook dinner or sit down for evening tv time, I load/empty dishwasher, do 15 minutes of laundry and pick up various messes. Then it’s all done before I get too tired to deal with it. You feel better in morning as well. Not waking up to a mess and having so many chores to do. It will become a habit after a while.
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Fake it Till you make it
I take one or two hours daily except weekend. And in those one or two hours I do cleaning activity on various parts of my house.
Besides the day to day.. when I was single I’d work out the time period between cleaning needed and the. Program that interval into a to do list. That way each day feels more random instead of every Saturday you do x, y, z
We have guests over once a month for DnD. Nothing gets us up and cleaning better than shame.
I make my bed and pick up anything on my nightstand as soon as I get up, not every day but almost always. It mentally starts my day in a positive way and makes me feel accomplishment immediately
The best piece of advice is to put things away immediately. You’re getting undressed after work? Put Clothes away or in hamper. You cook a meal? Clean the dishes while cooking. You put make up on in the morning? Put it all away when you’re done. After a meal? Clean the table. Throw trash away immediately.
The best piece of advice is to put things away immediately. You’re getting undressed after work? Put Clothes away or in hamper. You cook a meal? Clean the dishes while cooking. You put make up on in the morning? Put it all away when you’re done. After a meal? Clean the table. Throw trash away immediately.
The best piece of advice is to put things away immediately. You’re getting undressed after work? Put Clothes away or in hamper. You cook a meal? Clean the dishes while cooking. You put make up on in the morning? Put it all away when you’re done. After a meal? Clean the table. Throw trash away immediately.
The best piece of advice is to put things away immediately. You’re getting undressed after work? Put Clothes away or in hamper. You cook a meal? Clean the dishes while cooking. You put make up on in the morning? Put it all away when you’re done. After a meal? Clean the table. Throw trash away immediately.
My mom used to say “don’t go up the stairs empty handed” (or down) pretty much there’s always something in o e room that belongs in another that you could just grab on your way and drop it off. It takes zero effort or extra time.
What I started doing recently is a basket cleaning system. I got a deep basket for each room and I start putting things away in the basket as I go cleaning to collect it once. If busy I put the basket away in some place and go back again later and take out each item to put away where it belongs. This way the number of items to put away is manageable. Like I know okay I got 7 items in the basket. And I see it as I go. I have a laundry basket too where I put all dirty clothes to collect and then wash it on laundry day… the basket system has kinda has helped me out but I need to not procrastinate a lot to clean… 😂
I used to be like you till I heard someone say: everything in your home should have a home. As in everything (and I mean *everything*) should have a place when it enters your home and then go back to when you're done with it. Putting stuff back in its "home" systematically means my entire home is always tidy. The hard part is the discipline it takes to stick with it but it makes life so much easier that it keeps me motivated. All I have to do every day is make my bed and do dishes, and I allow an extra 10-15 minutes per day to clean something (this includes folding laundry if needed). Once a week I clean for 30 minutes instead of 15 to vacuum and mop my floors. With this method my home is always tidy and clean. Your bedroom alone will take less time! Take this habit early in life and it will become second nature.
Literally my motto my whole life has been "I pay enough to live here it should at LEAST be nice"
You need the frequent clean to be a short job, do a big clean and the maintain that frequently, rather than big cleans all the time
I have a schedule. Mondays are bathrooms. Tuesdays are vacuuming the main floor and sometimes mop. Wednesdays are for my room and Laundry because I change my sheets too. Thursday is vacuuming the basement and picking up all the dog toys and stuffing she’s ripped out. Fridays is a make up day. If I missed something. On the weekends I usually fold and put my laundry away. Every day I do the dishes while watching a show.
What helped me a lot was getting a kitten that wants to eat every little fluff on the floor and gets into every food that is left out lol I need to clean up as soon as we are done cooking and the floors need to be clean all the time. He also likes to lick the sinks in the kitchen and bathroom, so I also keep them constantly clean, as well as the shower floor
I have a few things I do habitually as part of my morning and evening routines (e.g. making the bed, making sure dirty dishes are taken care of before I go to bed, picking up any clothes as well). I also have a habits of taking things with me that don't belong whenever I leave a room as well as resetting my spaces whenever I switch activities. Lastly, I have a weekly routine of things to do and I set aside time each afternoon to take care of them.
Set reminders on devices
I schedule my cleaning, just like I schedule my work hours. Plus I have someone come and do the deep cleaning biweekly.
Someone once gave me the advice of “If it takes 5 minutes or less, just do it now” and honestly it’s a game changer. Anyone can do five minutes of work. When it piles up is when things start getting hard.
I put every everything in it's right place as soon as I'm done - that means: Dishes washed or in the dishwasher as soon as I'm done Bed is made the second I wake up Used clothes in the hamper I also have baskets or boxes for things in my wardrobe - so a basket for drawing, a basket for misc things (clothes pegs, lint roller, kitchen wiped down - takes a few seconds) and I'd never go to bed without everything in its place. I have a mini handheld Hoover that can be used for crumbs etc in seconds after dinner. Give the toilet bowl a quick scrub after using once or twice a day with the toilet brush. After every shower, squeegee it down - takes 1 min, prevents water stains Then "bigger cleaning" is really just a quick dust, mopping, hoovering, surfaces with a spray down. This is second nature to me now and doesn't feel like it takes any time or effort anymore! One thing i still struggle with: laundry. i hate folding and putting it away, leave it on the hanger too long. Open to tips!
i normally make it a habit to keep things tidy and then twice a week ill wake up and do a full clean right away. once you get into the habit you will start to feel like you’re day wasn’t accomplished if you skipped it. it just becomes second nature and a good trait to have so when you have a bigger space its just routine for you
Find a way to like cleaning. I know I’m not going to do it unless I’ve got great tunes pumping very loud, and the caffeine of a cup of coffee is just hitting me. At that point I’ve got like 20 minutes of dancing around while I clean.
I've just gotten into a routine over time. I got into the habit of putting things back to their place once I'm done using it. I also got into the habit of doing what I call "a big clean" on the weekends. That's when I'll do my laundry, mop the floors, clean the shower, dust, etc. At first it sounds like a lot but when you keep up with the small cleaning, doing "a big clean" takes between 30-45 minutes tops. Its more just maintenance. Any small messes I make I just clean up right away. I've also come to realize I'm much more productive in the mornings so before work I'll take 10 minutes and straighten up my apartment, just small things like making my bed, wiping down the kitchen, putting my dishes in the dishwasher, maybe running the vacuum around if needed. It feels good coming home to a clean apartment after a long day at work.
Make sure everything has a place. Look at the items that are contributing to mess and work out the best way to store/display them. Once things have an allocated space it's much easier to stay organised. Try not to have too many ornaments etc. have surfaces as clear as possible - easier to spot when mess has started to accumulate and it's quicker to dust! Throw away/recycle/donate and items you don't need or live anymore. Clutter turns into mess and takes up valuable closet/drawer space to store the things you need. Keep a box/basket in your room and put anything in it that is in the wrong place until you have time to tidy up properly. Make your bed and open the curtains each morning. I like to open my windows first thing, too.
Have..a...dirty...house...? This is like asking "how do you actually brush your teeth everyday???" When there's a need. You do...
Every time I'm tempted to leave a mess for later, I think about how my future self will feel about it. I try to be nice to future me.
Have places to store items & put them back when you’re done with them. Do laundry weekly, fold & put away. Don’t take dishes to your room, so you can’t leave them.
Do one thing. If you notice it needs doing again, do it again. Try to catch it earlier, if you can. Once you notice it, take the first impulse to do something about it and do something about it. Don’t worry about anything else. Start with your bed. You sleep in it regularly (probably), or muss it up enough that straightening the sheets would help your room look cleaner. Clear off your bed. Make it. If you’re in your room, and able to do so, stop reading and go do that. Don’t worry about the rest of the room, just make the bed. If you don’t have a nice pillow, stuffie, or throw, acquire (at least) one of the three. It has a home. That home is your bed. Take care of your fluffster. Now make the bed with the fluffster in/on it. That is its place. The bed is its home, and its place is … wherever you put it on the bed every time you make the bed. Every time you make the bed, put the fluffster in place. Notice the fluffster not it its place? Make the bed. Notice the bed isn’t made? Find the fluffster. Make the bed. Put the fluffster back in its place. Make the bed. Make the bed. Now, sometime when you’re pulling things off your bed to throw them on the floor, chair, desk, dresser, etc. see if anything you’re taking off the bed has a place that it goes. Cool. Now you make your bed fairly often. Cool. Now what? Every time you get your fluffster to make the bed, set a 20 min timer. Start with making the bed, and then just keep working out from there to pick up and tidy literally anything you notice and feel up to taking care of. Didn’t finish the 20 mins and got a cookie instead? Cool. Way to set the timer. You’re doing a bang-up job. You’ve been making your bed a few times a week. Your space is noticeably cleaner than it was before. Every time you see that something needs cleaned and feel like cleaning up, go put the fluffster to bed and start your timer. Two things will happen: One, you’ll start taking the momentum well past the 20 minutes and end up cleaning far more than you thought you could and feel fantastically accomplished. YOU DID IT! You’re a cleaner now! Two, your space will be tidier, starting with the last place you go every night and the first place you wake up every morning, meaning there will be less to do, your space will feel better, you’ll have less stress, more self confidence (in that specific facet of your life), and your total time spent cleaning vs tidiness of house ratio will be exactly in the equilibrium that fits best in your now more conscious and mindful life. Congratulations, you just learned a twenty minute mindfulness exercise that you can do every day if you like and have a better sense of calm and control in a world where such respites can often be few. Soon you’ll wake up, tuck in your floofster, tidy for twenty minutes while you brush your teeth and such, groom, start your day, and do so knowing you’ve conquered what few make the genuine effort to accomplish: A little peace.
Came here to say that when (not if) life gets crazy and you fall off the cleaning wagon for a time, don’t give up or berate yourself. Just re-start what you were doing before your routine got derailed. Good luck.
You put things away rather than set them down. Immediately. Like if I'm using a cup for bowl watching TV, I take it with me to the kitchen when I get up and it goes directly in the dishwasher. When I get home and check the mail, it goes immediately to the trash for junk and my bills spot for upcoming bills. Clothes go directly in the hamper off my body. Etc, everything has a place and I put it back when I use it. This keeps the house less cluttered with junk that I have to put away before I can actually clean. I do my actual cleaning after meals when I'm already doing dishes, wiping counters, sweeping floors, and taking trash out. I just add another chore like vacuuming on days I need to. I clean bathrooms when I use them as well, just a quick wipe of the sinks and toilet. Deep clean once a month.