The Dreaded Big Clean:
- bhaines18
- Dec 31, 2023
- 1 min read
So, happy New Year! It's a fresh new year and time for a fresh new start. That includes refreshing yourself and your home. But it's hard! It's hard to find the motivation to start. Words are easier than actions and the idea of the big clean can be overwhelming.
The thought of taking the Christmas tree down and starting the big clean is too much. It's easier to just put it off until tomorrow. One year I thought, I'll just do it tomorrow and then tomorrow came and I thought the exact same. Before I knew it, it was June and I still had my Christmas decorations up. But one day I thought enough is enough.
I would love to be one of those people who wake up everyday and love to clean. To be one of those people who keep their homes looking like show homes. It must be genetic, you either have the gene or you don't. Unfortunately I'm one of those people who don't have it. But mental health and dependents (like kids or pets) definitely play a part in having motivation too.
For me, the state or cleanliness of my home correlates with my mental health. Having a clean and tidy home helps me feel good and stable. Whereas, if my home is a mess my mental health is usually in a bad or unstable state. I've often heard people say "Tidy home, tidy mind" and I totally agree with that.
So here's how I tackle the dreaded big clean:
Arm yourself:
Gather all your cleaning supplies in one place, like in a bag for life. I usually make sure I have a nice-smelling multi-purpose antibacterial cleaner (like Method or Flash), my steam cleaner (filled with cold water and a cap of Zoflora), my hand-held hoover, some Minky cloths and microfibre cloths, fabric spray (like 1001 or Febreeze), polish, glass cleaner (like Astonish), my hoover, carpet freshener (like Glade), a duster, and my hoover.
Focus on one room at a time:
Looking at your house as one whole task can be scary and overwhelming. You're not going to get it all done in one day, so pick a room and focus on that as your task. Start by decluttering, then work from the ceiling down to the floor.
Take breaks:
Sometimes I can be in the mood to clean the chosen room with only a couple of coffee breaks. But on other days I struggle so I've started using timers. I set my Alexa or phone to a fifteen minute or twenty minute timer and I clean until I hear my timer ring. Then I set another timer for ten minutes and take a break until the timer rings. Then I repeat, and repeat, and repeat.
Find motivation:
It's hard to just get up and go. Sometimes you need to find the motivation. I find it in buying a nice-smelling cleaning product, reading some cleaning tips (I use Mrs Hinch's), or watch videos of people cleaning a room, or making a cleaning song playlist.
Lists:
Lists are either a saviour or a curse. Sometimes writing a list of tasks can be really helpful and motivational. But other times, it can just make things seem really overwhelming. I prefer to write a list of tasks after I've completed them. Ticking that tiny box fills me with a feeling of accomplishment and can also be really motivational to carry on.
Distractions:
Distractions can be good, but can also be bad. If I get distracted and sit down for too long I become frozen. It's like I can't move and I just sit and stare into space for hours and hours. But sometimes a little distraction can help, especially if you find cleaning boring. I find listening to music, or an audiobook, or even a podcast can really help me focus on the task and actually enjoy myself.
Routine:
After I finish a deep clean, I always vow to never let it get that bad again. But in a few months I find myself in the exact same position. So I created a few daily cleaning checklists. I don't always complete them but it helps if I have a spare moment.
I think I've rambled on enough, so happy cleaning!
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