Motivate Yourself to Clean Regularly, For People Who Hate It

[downtoearth]

I thought this is fitting for me... I procrastinate cleaning until someone is coming over. Luckily we have friends and family over pretty often.

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How to Motivate Yourself to Clean Regularly, For People Who Hate Cleaning

www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-motivate-yourself-to-clean-regularly-for-people-who-hate-cleaning-220433?crlt.pid=camp.OfY4n40HdTDH

Your home is truly a reflection of yourself, and mine definitely says, "I hate cleaning"... at least it does right this minute. See, I'm more than capable of getting my home totally tidy (and I love it when I do), but keeping up a regular cleaning routine is a tough task for me. Even though I know the power of a weekly cleaning schedule, I have to resort to tricks — some that practically border on mind control — to actually do it.

Depending on how much you hate to clean, you might also be a candidate for a more, um, stringent technique to build a routine. One that requires strength, willpower, and just a little bit of self-deceit. It all starts with one question...

Just how much do you hate cleaning?

I'd rather not.
•Schedule and host a weekly get-together in your home.
•Play music/make a playlist just for cleaning.
•Trade tasks with friends: I'll clean your bathroom if you do my laundry.
•Don't ever put away your cleaning supplies: one less obstacle.

I'd rather do something else.
•Schedule and host a weekly get-together in your home and ask a friend to bring someone you don't know.
•Put cleaning on your calendar so it's easier to keep other things from interfering.
•Have a show you're only allowed to watch once the house is clean.
•Start an audio book that you can only listen to while you're cleaning.

I'd rather die.
•Put cash on the line in a pact with family or friends.
•Put cash on the line on StickK. Pledge $20 to an UNworthy cause (like the campaign of a loathed politician) for every time you don't clean. Suddenly, cleaning is mandatory.
•Only let yourself brush your teeth or your hair once the bathroom is clean. No exceptions.
•Log your clean routine on social media. Yes, it's mildly annoying to scroll by a friend's constant updates with her GPS jogging maps but those kinds of public pronouncements are great motivation. Commit to posting a photo of your home every weekend, and ask friends keep you on track.

[emoflamingo]

I hate cleaning too. But I think breaking it up daily instead of the whole house in one day will help. I started it last week and so far, it's improving. I am trying to get my H to get his stuff together so it'll be spotless* but it's slow going.

*everywhere but the living room and the boys' room.

[lilac05]

I hate cleaning.

I volunteered last year to host Bible Study here weekly. That helped for awhile...then I was like, "eh, we're close friends! I don't care if you see how we really live." It was still better than before!

Now my house has been on the market for almost 100 days. It's always clean right now! When we get moved (next week!) it'll be interesting to see if the habits stick or if I live in near filth, simply because I can.

[mrsukyankee]

This is why I have hired someone to come once a week. I try to keep things 'neat' but I hate having to constantly clean, especially with a dog.

[mrs.jacinthe]

I'm thinking the correct answer here is "hire someone". But yes, I've tried most (although not all) of these tricks and it only sort of works. ktzmoh can attest that clean only sort of happens in my house. LOL

And I'll be damned if I start putting stuff like "House is filthy, going to go dust beadboard!" as my FB status.

[ktzmoh]

Jul 3, 2015 10:37:10 GMT -5 mrs.jacinthe said:

I'm thinking the correct answer here is "hire someone". But yes, I've tried most (although not all) of these tricks and it only sort of works. ktzmoh can attest that clean only sort of happens in my house. LOL

And I'll be damned if I start putting stuff like "House is filthy, going to go dust beadboard!" as my FB status.

Your house was perfect. And yes- if my FB status is ever 'omg I MUST clean my baseboards' I hope my true friends would tell me to stfu and go play outside. lol!

In general, I don't clean much - that's why I got myself a husband.

[Deleted]

LOL. In the time it took it to set up some of those "punishments" I could've cleaned something.

Honestly. I love a clean house. I used to have one. Someday I might again.

Right now I have a Husband, a Russian and 2 kids. There is only so much sh*t that's going to get done and that's okay. I'm at a stage of life where I have more important things to. It's liberating to know actually I can have fun and my baseboards and swiffer will still be there when I get to it. Whenever get to it is.

I do try to do the basics once a day (keep the kitchen, clorox wipe the bathroom while the kids are in the tub, a load of laudnry).

[treedimensional]

@domerjen I must commiserate. (hug) (hug2)

I too am continually frustrated by my spouse's complete failure to hold up his end in housecleaning. My mother once described to me the process of becoming resigned to do all of the work single handedly: "when you ask them to do something, they do such a shitty job that you never ask them again". Sadly, I have found this to be 100% true.

In addition, my spouse does not put things away after he uses them, so then he can never find the item when he needs it again. He asks me where his screwdriver or his hammer is, for example.

The worst thing about having a messy home is that no matter what, it will never reflect badly on the man - just the woman. It is always HER shortcoming. It is perfectly excusable for a man to live like an animal, but once a woman enters the picture, the mess gets noticed and she will be (silently) held accountable.

[mcfelix]

Well we have cleaners every two weeks which is glorious. Coming home after they've been here is one of my husband's favorite things! But in between, what motivates me is having people over. I'm much more into entertaining than DH, so I always tell him that it's a win-win - he gets to see me clean and I get to have people over!

[treedimensional]

@domerjen, is yours also like mine in that he doesn't know where things go in the kitchen? He puts things in such odd places. The utensil drawer and the knife block are mysteries to him. I once asked him to watch me re-sweep the floor after him, and his eyes grew SO WIDE at the pile of debris that appeared "out of nowhere"... like a small child watching a magic trick. Another time I asked him if he thought there was a laundry fairy who found his clothes all over the floor, washed them, and made sure his dresser and closet were always stocked with clean clothes in his size (he is not the same size he was in college). After 18 years together he has no idea I do all the shit I do.