Having a clean home can bring peace into our lives and provide an environment that allows us to relax and recuperate from the stresses of life. Conversely, a messy home can induce chaos and stress, preventing us from unwinding.
If you’re anything like me, it’s nearly impossible to relax in a cluttered space. Even in moments of downtime, my mind races with thoughts of the chores I should be tackling. No, my home isn’t spotless all the time—far from it. Living with six other people, five of whom are teenagers, our household gets just as messy as anyone else’s, especially since I’ve been battling fatigue and health issues related to Hashimoto’s disease.
Through trial and error though, I’ve discovered some tricks to maintain a mostly clean home, most of the time, allowing me to unwind after a long day. Finding balance is a continuous challenge, but it’s essential for our well-being.
In this post, I’m going to share eight tips that can help you clean your home when you feel overwhelmed. These strategies are designed to make the process more manageable and less daunting, helping you regain control of your living space.
Once your home is clean, you can check out my post, “How to Keep a Tidy House!” for tips on maintaining that cleanliness, so you don’t reach the point of feeling overwhelmed again. Plus, I’ve included a free daily and weekly checklist to help you stay organized and on track. Let’s dive in and reclaim the peace and comfort that a clean home can bring.
Make a Plan
When it comes to cleaning your home when you feel overwhelmed, one of the first things I would recommend is to start with a plan. What do you want to accomplish? Are you aiming to clean your entire home, or are you focusing on specific areas? Do you have a time frame in which this needs to be done?
Having a well-thought-out plan will help you focus on exactly what you want to achieve and when. Break down tasks into manageable chunks and prioritize them based on urgency and importance.
For example, you might start with decluttering the living room before moving on to cleaning the kitchen. By mapping out a clear and realistic strategy, you can tackle your cleaning tasks systematically, reducing the feeling of being overwhelmed and making the process more manageable and even enjoyable.
Choose a Starting Point
Choosing a starting point is pivotal when cleaning your home, especially when feeling overwhelmed. Deciding where to begin can significantly impact your overall efficiency and mental clarity.
If your goal is to clean the entire house, start by selecting a specific room to tackle first. For instance, if the kitchen is your focus, prioritize tasks such as washing dirty dishes or cleaning out the refrigerator.
By narrowing down your initial task, you avoid the paralysis that comes with viewing the entire mess at once. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the job, you can take manageable steps toward a cleaner home.
Having a concrete plan and a clear starting point keeps you motivated and prevents stress and discouragement, making it more likely that you’ll continue and complete the cleaning process.
Figure Out Your Priorities
When cleaning your home, it’s also important to figure out your priorities. This should be done when you are making a plan. What are the most important things you want to accomplish? Are you wanting to tidy things up, declutter as you clean, or deep clean everything?
Establishing your focus is essential to setting a clear path forward. By identifying the key tasks that will make the biggest impact, you can avoid feeling overwhelmed and create a more manageable plan.
Knowing your priorities helps streamline your efforts and ensures that you’re dedicating your time and energy to the tasks that matter most.
Start With Small Goals
When cleaning your home feels overwhelming, starting with a small goal can be a game-changer.
Setting the expectation to complete everything in one day often leads to disappointment and can deter you from making any progress at all. Instead, focus on one manageable task that you can accomplish, like cleaning out the refrigerator. Completing this small task can create a sense of achievement and build momentum, motivating you to tackle the next chore.
For instance, after finishing with the refrigerator, you might take a short break to recharge and then feel inspired to move on to another kitchen task. This approach not only helps you get more done than you initially thought possible but also makes the process less daunting.
Personally, dealing with health issues has taught me to set realistic, small goals for each day. Some days I achieve more, and some days less, but taking breaks in between tasks has been crucial. Whether it’s folding laundry and then resting or sweeping the floor and then pausing, these small steps make cleaning your home more manageable and less overwhelming.
Have the Right Tools
Another important thing to think about when cleaning your home is to make sure you have the right tools and supplies on hand. If you have a lot of trash to clear out, ensure you have plenty of sturdy trash bags. For scrubbing and cleaning surfaces like counters or tables, a good all-purpose cleaner is essential. Additionally, consider investing in storage containers to help organize and declutter your space.
Having all your supplies ready before you start can significantly streamline the cleaning process and help maintain your momentum.
Personally, I’ve found that having to stop mid-task to fetch something can quickly sap my motivation, making it harder to accomplish my cleaning goals for the day.
To help you get started, I’ve included a list of my favorite cleaning supplies that not only make my home sparkle but also leave it smelling fresh and inviting.
Take it Room by Room
Another thing that helps when cleaning your home when you feel overwhelmed is taking it room by room.
For me, when my goal is to get my entire home cleaned, I like to focus on one room at a time. Then, as I finish each room, it helps me feel really good knowing I’m that much closer to my goal, and I have a room that I can relax in that’s clean.
For example, I’ll focus on getting everything done in the living room before I move on to the kitchen, or I’ll clean our entire bathroom before moving on to our bedroom.
Some people would rather take it task by task, and that’s okay too.
For example, they might focus on getting all of the laundry done for the day before moving on to vacuuming floors.
You have to decide which works best for you, but again, this goes back to making sure you have a specific plan of what you want to accomplish, when you want it done, and how you plan to do it. Taking this structured approach to cleaning your home can make the entire process feel more manageable and less overwhelming.
Declutter as You Go
When cleaning your home, one of the most effective strategies to combat feelings of being overwhelmed is to declutter as you go.
This is a very important step that not only helps you achieve a cleaner space but also prevents your home from becoming as messy in the future. Clutter can significantly contribute to stress and make your home feel perpetually untidy. As you tackle your cleaning tasks, take the extra time to get rid of items that no longer serve you.
For instance, if you’re doing laundry, sift through your family’s clothing and discard anything that is holey, stained, or no longer fits. This will reduce the amount of laundry you have to deal with in the future.
Similarly, when organizing your desk, sort through the accumulated papers—discard what you don’t need and file away what you do.
When dusting, remove items from shelves and tables that you no longer want or need. Seasonal items can be packed away until they are needed again.
By decluttering, you keep your mess much more manageable, preventing it from becoming overwhelming again.
Choose Something to Listen to
When cleaning your home feels like an insurmountable task, choosing something to listen to can transform the experience into a more enjoyable and even therapeutic activity.
Whether it’s a curated playlist of your favorite songs, a thought-provoking podcast, or an engaging audiobook, having audio entertainment can significantly lighten the mental load of cleaning. For some, a beloved TV show or movie that they’ve watched countless times can serve the same purpose—providing comforting background noise without requiring your full attention.
Personally, I find cooking to be my most dreaded household chore, so I always have a favorite show playing in the background to keep my mind engaged and make the task less tedious. By incorporating something you enjoy listening to, you can turn the repetitive motions of cleaning into a more pleasant and even quicker experience.
Conclusion
Cleaning your home when you feel overwhelmed can become a manageable and even enjoyable task with the right approach.
By making a plan and choosing a clear starting point, you can break down the daunting task into achievable steps. Prioritizing tasks and starting with small goals can help you build momentum without feeling overburdened.
Ensuring you have the right tools on hand and taking it room by room allows for a systematic and efficient cleaning process. Decluttering as you go will not only make cleaning easier but also create a more organized and serene living space.
Finally, choosing something to listen to can provide motivation and make the time pass more pleasantly.
With these tips in mind, you’ll find that cleaning your home can be a rewarding experience, leading to a healthier and more comfortable environment.
*This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link! I appreciate the support!*
Cleaning Supplies
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Variety Pack-This is a must for my cleaning, especially if I’m cleaning walls, trim work. It works for just about everything though!
Seventh Generation Disinfecting Multi-surface Cleaner-I love using this in the kitchen and bathroom. It cleans so well, cuts through grease like it’s nothing and is safe to use on surfaces that come in contact with food.
Swiffer Duster Heavy Duty-I love the Swiffer duster for all dusting, including cleaning ceiling fans, lights, baseboards and blinds.
For our shower/bathtub cleaner we use a homemade one that works really well. Make it in a spray bottle-fill it 2/3 full with white vinegar, 1/3 full with regular blue Dawn. You can also add essential oils if the vinegar smell bothers you. We’ve been using it for years and it is very effective.
For mopping our floors, I’ve tried the Swiffer wet jet, and others that are similar, but I always feel like it leaves a sticky residue behind. So what I do instead is I purchased a refillable spray mop and fill it up with 6 tablespoons of white vinegar and the rest with water. I also add some citrus essential oils to make it smell better. I like to use orange or lemon. This leaves my floors feeling and looking clean.
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