Motivation to Clean

Finding the motivation to clean your home is not always easy, especially when there are so many other seemingly more important things to do. The problem with procrastinating about cleaning is that it keeps getting worse every day: floors get dirtier, dishes pile up, clutter increases and procrastinating simply never helps. Read on for ways to tackle cleaning that make it seem less like a chore and more like a fun project.

Cleaning is an inevitable part of life, no matter how you look at it. Unfortunately there is no magical formula for cleaning a house, but there are ways to put a vacuum cleaner, sponge, broom or mop in your hands without it being an excruciating task.

Finding the motivation to clean is all about tapping into ways to make it seem less like a chore and more like a fun project. Here are six creative ways to make cleaning seem “different” and to give you the motivation to tackle it:

Make It a Mental PictureIf you are like most women, your motivation to clean is based on what your home will look like after the fact, which is to say the picture-perfect ideal of neat, tidy, organized and spotless. Look at the room and picture how much better your living space can be. Once you have that mental picture in your head, it will be easier to get started.

Make It Imminently ImportantNothing will get the house cleaner faster than knowing visitors will soon be arriving on the doorstep.

So pick up the phone and invite some friends over – the cleaning will get done in no time. Regardless of whether you have people coming to stay for an entire week or just for a fun-filled Saturday night, knowing that others will be in your home and noticing the way you live is a huge motivating factor.

Make It ManageableThe best way to start a big cleaning job is to break it down into more manageable tasks or areas. Then, to stay motivated, celebrate each success. At first you may find that your motivation to clean is at a low ebb, but once you see headway being made, and give yourself a chance to celebrate each success along the way, you will soon start to feel better about the work you are doing. Keep visualizing how terrific it will look after you are done.

If you’re cleaning out the garage, for instance, you might start by first breaking it down into the smaller step of simply removing all the items that can be given away. Spend one afternoon packing them up, bringing them to your favorite charity, then coming home and celebrating that little success (a lunch out, a favorite movie). The satisfaction of having completed something, along with the mini celebration, will motivate you to take the next step, which might be to organize all the sports equipment in the garage. Once that step is done, you can tackle the used-paint shelf.

Next thing you know, you’ll almost begin to look forward to cleaning out parts of the garage every weekend, knowing there’s a great lunch or movie waiting to be viewed when you’ve completed. And you can take pride in completing each small step, which is motivating enough in itself.

The other key to breaking down large projects into more manageable ones is not to be too strict with yourself. Take breaks whenever possible. This helps you recharge your batteries mentally and physically. Go have a cup of coffee or tea, take a quick stroll around the block, read a chapter from the book you are reading, or just take a breather and to celebrate that little success. Do not overexert yourself and end up with sore shoulders, an aching back or tired hands.

Make It Fun
Sometimes finding the motivation to clean involves using creative methods, like creating a great ambiance for the cleaning. Music lifts the spirits and makes cleaning easier because you are focusing on the beat of the music and not on the task at hand. Put on some of your favorite tunes that have a fast beat. While you are maneuvering the vacuum cleaner around a corner of the living room or are mopping up the kitchen floor, you might find yourself doing a little dance step or two to the beat. If singing along to the music keeps your hands moving and encourages your motivation to clean your house then, by all means, play all the music you can.

If the fresh air motivates you, open your curtains and windows while you clean and enjoy the sound of the birds outside or the traffic going by while you flood your home with sunlight. Both will lift your mood and make you feel better about what you are doing.

Do you have a favorite scent? Scents can be a great motivator. Light a scented candle or buy scented carpet deodorizer, air fresheners or potpourri, and let the fragrant smell support you in your motivation to clean. Just make sure you do not overpower your home with scent and do not use more than one scent at a time.

You can take scent a step further and create your own aromatherapy. If vanilla is a scent that appeals to your senses, dribble a few drops of vanilla extract into a pot of water. Simmer on low heat on the stove. You can also simmer a cinnamon stick if that scent appeals to you more. The amount of time the simmering scents will take to be released into the air varies, but make sure you take the pot off the stove before it boils dry. Pleasant smells are a wonderful way to motivate yourself to clean.

Make It “New”Completely reorganizing a room can be the first step toward cleaning it. This can give you a fresh perspective and can perk up your cleaning motivation.

To get some decorating ideas, consult decorating magazines, decorating websites as well as decorating shows on television. Looking at a room with a new freshness and insight can make a tremendous amount of difference. Just having a few new decorator items – a new set of candlesticks or some pretty throw pillows – sitting off to the side until you finish cleaning the entire room can be a huge motivating factor.

Make It PermanentNow that your house is clean, there are steps to take to keep it that way. There are big cleaning jobs (such as cleaning out the basement) and small cleaning jobs (such as cleaning the toilet or washing the dishes). One of the ways to prevent yourself from being faced with an insurmountable amount of cleaning is to get into the habit of doing “mini” clean-up jobs every day. Learn to wipe up spills and messes when they happen, put dirty clothes in the laundry basket not the floor, wash dishes at least once a day, and tidy up before bed so you do not have to wake up to a mess in the morning. Doing small cleanups every day means you are not faced with a ton of cleaning on Friday or over the weekend, when you want to do other activities.

Create a cleaning plan – To make cleaning even more manageable, plan it in much the same way as appointments and meetings. Create a weekly or bi-weekly cleaning schedule for yourself.