I hated cleaning most of my life, you can ask my mom. I gave her such a hard time when it was time for chores, I always had a headache.
At the time, I didn’t understand why I got headaches so conveniently when asked to sweep the kitchen. My mom always thought I was faking.
Turns out I was giving myself headaches. I hated cleaning so much, the stress would boil up inside me and cause a tension headache.
This hatred stuck with me into adulthood, into motherhood. I never liked to load dishes, fold laundry, clean toilets or mop. And because I didn’t like it, I didn’t these things as often as they need to be done, which inevitably resulted in my house being a disgusting garbage pit all the time.
Clear Out The Clutter
I’m just gonna say it: cleaning sucks and I never want to do more than the bare minimum. You won’t regret clearing out the clutter in your home.
You know what happens when we have more stuff than we need? We have to clean more stuff than we need to.
Don’t like doing dishes? Don’t have more dishes than you’re will to wash daily. If you have 4 plates per person, you’re going to use ALL of those before you clean them.
If you only have 1 dish per person, you’ll never have to clean more than that. You’ll be forced to wash them as you need them, but never have a chance to let them build up.
Doesn’t that life sound lovely? Only ever having enough dishes to fill your dishwasher once. Never having a mountain of dirty dishes that require three wash cycles? Imagine the free time you’d have. Imagine how much less time you would have to spend thinking about those dishes.
Cleaning gets so much easier when we have less to clean. The stress level goes down and confidence rises.
I can clean my house. It’s not too much. I am not overwhelmed.
I want you to be able to say those things, too.
I think you’re really going to love this podcast interview I did with Abby Haggard of The Fullness Show.
52: Declutter Your Space to Have More Time and Energy to Rock Your Mom-Life with Abby Haggard – Meant to Bloom: personal growth for hot mess moms
Use Purposeful Products.
I used to use a lot of dollar store cleaning products that were full of harsh chemicals that just didn’t work. The strong odors made my chore related headaches worse. These products’ power were not as potent as their smells and required a lot of elbow grease, which I just didn’t have. I was always frustrated.
A good friend finally convinced me to try essential oils for cleaning and that changed everything. The oils were far more potent and did an incredibly job at tackling these ancient messes that nothing else could touch.
The best part: they smelled better! Aromatherapy has some major impacts on our mood. Citrus oils have a mean cleaning punch to them, but they are also uplifting and energizing. The last thing I usually feel when cleaning is energized, but thanks to aromatherapy I was feeling it.
Get Into a Routine
Once you get your house clean, the worst feeling is letting it get out of control again. The best way to avoid this is to stay on top of it all, all the time and that doesn’t have to be a ton of work.
It takes some getting used to, but when you develop habits that help you clean as you go about your day, most of your chores will get done without much thought.
I always try to start a load of laundry before I pour myself a cup of coffee in the morning, this ensures that I will wash a load for the day and avoid piles of unwashed clothes that turn into a mountain of laundry to fold later. This one load I start in the morning I will dry around lunch time and fold before dinner. I either put it away before bed, or first thing the next morning while the kids are still asleep.
I also like to clear my kitchen counters and empty the sink every night while I pack my husband’s lunch and program the coffee maker for the morning. This way I get to walk into a clean kitchen in the morning with fresh coffee waiting for me, and there’s hardly a better feeling than that.
Because I know the kitchen will need to be cleaned up in the evening, it helps to motivate me to keep it clean throughout the day. One incredibly valuable thing my mother taught me was to “clean as I go” when I’m cooking. This means rinsing mixing bowls immediately after use and putting ingredients away as soon as I’m done with them. I avoid a huge intimidating mess at the end by doing this.
Know Your “Why.”
Motivation and mindset are huge players in this game. If you don’t know why you’re doing something, it can be pretty hard to find the strength to do it at times.
It helps to focus in on why having a clean home is important to you.
I like to keep a clean home so I can have guests over without stress, because my family deserves to not live in a stye, and because I know God has called me to at least have this area of life semi put together.
The Proverbs 31 woman is my role model for being the best wife, mother, and woman I possibly can be.
How Do I End the Hatred of Cleaning my House?
- Declutter your hot spots. For me this was laundry and dishes. Thoroughly go through your spaces and ask of every item “is this serving me?” If it’s causing you more stress than it’s relieving, get rid of it. If you have multiple appliances, pare it down to one of each type. (I traded in 3 different appliances for an Express Cooker, that’s a lot of freed up space in my cupboards!).
2. Rethink your products. Declutter and organize your cleaning tools and products. It does a lot for your motivation to get excited to use your cleaning supplies. Don’t be afraid to invest in a new broom if that’s what will help you.
If you’re interested in switching to oils for cleaning and aromatherapy, click here.
3. Create a routine to keep on track. Think about what things are nonnegotiable tasks that need done daily. List these things out and find specific times of day or other tasks that are done daily (like meal times) that you can connect these chores with.
4. Determine your motivation. Why is it important for you to have a clean home in the first place? Do you like to have company over? Does it make you feel more comfortable? Does it ease anxiety? Do you do it because your children and husband deserve it? Has God called you to have a clean home, to be hospitable at any moment?
My Secret Method to Regain Control of Your Home (when everything is a chaotic mess)
This season can seem so overwhelming, especially when the days are shorter, energy is lower and you’re expecting to see every member of the family during the same week. You rush around before the big event to get the living areas up to standard and you’re too exhausted to even enjoy the holidays.
How to Not Hate Housework – 3 Practical Tips to Almost Enjoy Cleaning
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How to Not Hate Housework Part 2 (more tips to make chores suck a little less)
House cleaning is part of our lives, but it doesn’t have to be a terrible experience every time. Let’s make it easier and a little more enjoyable.
For more posts like this, visit Home Care You Don’t Hate.
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