It’s been a long day, all you want to do is curl up on the sofa in front of the TV and watch reruns of your favorite show…
Unfortunately, there’s a ton of laundry waiting to be folded on your sofa, there are dishes that need to be washed, and the rest of the house needs cleaning as well, so that means you’re going to have to postpone your Netflix binge session until after you clean up!
You sigh, and start picking clothes off the sofa, folding them one by one…
What if it didn’t have to be this way?
What if you stopped looking at cleaning as a chore that you have to get over with just so that you can move on to doing things that are actually fun and productive, without the weight of a messy house on your mind?
What if you looked at cleaning, not as something PRECEDING all the fun stuff you get to do, but AS one of the fun things you get to do?
We get that it may sound paradoxical and absurd, but cleaning CAN be fun, actually!
In fact, cleaning has even proven to be therapeutic! Do you ever get the random urge to deep-clean your kitchen, finish all the scrubbing and wiping down, walk out and observe your handiwork, and feel an instant sense of satisfaction? That’s the therapeutic properties of cleaning at work!
So, here are 5 ways how you can start enjoying your cleaning routine, instead of dreading it!
- Start Small, Don’t think big!
When you look at the house, you can seriously stress yourself at the amount of things that need to get done. Don’t overwhelm yourself by looking at the house as a whole. Piece away at the house room by room, and give yourself small daily or weekly achievable goals. You can even spend 10-15 minutes a day working a one room for the week, writing a list of priorities you want to complete the rooms and choosing 5-6 of them to do daily.
Here's one example of a 5 minute challenge Bedroom edition :
- Tidy bedside tables
- Pick up clothes on floor
- Tidy bed sheets
- Tidy shoes on rack
- Vacuum floor
- Open bedroom window, let in fresh air
Do you think you could do all that in 5 minutes? I think you can! Watch our Facebook space for more 5 minutes room challenges!
- Treat Cleaning as an Exercise
Ahh, exercise… and the ever-elusive motivation to get it done.
You know you have to spend time on cardio, running, and on the elliptical at the gym, and you’ve signed up for some ten or twenty newsletters on health and fitness at this point, but… you’re still not a regular at the gym.
And you still need your exercise.
Well, here’s how you can hit two birds with one stone: treat cleaning as a form of exercise!
Cleaning is actually a pretty great way to burn calories. In fact, depending on how intensive you’re cleaning routine is, you can burn as much as 150-250 calories per hour, just while you’re cleaning!
So, grab all your cleaning tools, move your body around as you vacuum as much of the floor as possible, mop the floors till they shine, scrub the windows and get in some good upper body work-outs while you’re doing it. Turn vacuuming into a time to lunges, working the legs and glutes! Got stairs? Don’t carry everything up or down the stairs. Move an item one at a time, and try to pick up the pace when going up to challenge your legs. Hold a squat position while wiping down the cupboards or stick finger marking off the wall or mirror.
- Turn Cleaning Into a Game
There’s nothing like some healthy competition to get things going!
If you live with housemates and you want to make sure everyone’s involved in the cleaning process, turn the whole thing into a game!
It ensures that no one slacks off, AND it ensures that everyone’s having fun!
Challenge your housemates or family members to see who can complete the most tasks in a certain period of time, and to see who can get things done most thoroughly. I like to turn everything into a game, have you seen my challenges? But the most important part is having a reward at the end. Can you load/unload the dishwasher in the time it takes for the kettle to boil? If you do, reward yourself with a cuppa!
Do you have a Roomba? Blu-tac a basket onto the Roomba and turn it into a sock matching basketball game. Each time you match a pair, try to score the socks into the basket. You can do this game in teams, with the winning team gets a chose their reward-maybe no sock matching for the month!
Be creative, include everyone, and have fun with chores!
- Dance and sing your way to clean!
There are several things that you can do everyday that increase your dopamine and serotonin levels, and coincidentally – one of them is cleaning! Cleaning and organizing your home and personal space can have a significant affect on these important hormone levels which has an unbelievable impact on your mood!
Now imagine incorporating other actions which also heighten these levels! Singing and dancing! Studies have shown that listening to music that one likes boosts the levels dopamine, while singing along with the music helps promote relaxation and reduces the cortisol levels.
According to researchers at the University of California Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, Berkeley, CA, dancing is fantastic for both your body and your mind because it causes the release of the very chemicals that are good for your brain: dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins.
Now combined these three together, and you have a mood boosting powerhouse that not only get your feeling great but make your house sparkling!
Reward yourself with an espresso delight and you have the ultimate cleaning experience that have your happy hormones buzzing.
Find your favourite song, dance like no one watching and start cleaning out your closet.
You will be the cleaning rock star like no other just like me.
- Get a Cleaning Buddy
You will be amazed how many of your friends may share that inner cleaning addiction. Once you get talking about the details that you may have OCD tendencies over and what details make you excited to have properly organized, you just may find you have someone to share these cleaning experiences with.
I love the days when I get to clean with another cleaner, to clean beside them share my before and after’s, singing along with them to karaoke songs and using my mop handle as a microphone while sharing the mic with my friend. There is honestly nothing like cleaning with someone who is excited about sharing the end results of hard work and the spotless finish. Check out me and my cleaning buddy!
I have always said, and will say it again- your home is the hardest place for you to clean, and I truly believe it is because you have so much personal attachment and distractions pop up so quickly. When you have a cleaning buddy, just like a gym buddy, they can help keep you on track and not get to stuck in the small, niggly stuff. They help keep you motivated and attack the bigger details, while putting the small stuff to the side. I like to clean with my friends, and we help each other attack the others houses. It is amazing how much we can get done. And the best part is going out for a cuppa or dinner as a reward for the day.
Lastly, there is a 6th option, which I think is an important one, especially for those who are very overwhelmed and have no motivation to get started – hire a cleaner. It is amazing when someone who has no personal attachment, has a good solid work routine, and give your home the perfect starting point that you need. I have cleaned for so many clients who just don’t know where to begin. The impact of one deep clean on a client’s emotional state is unbelievable. You can literally see the negative blocks break down, with their mood shifting to a positive and motivated state of mind. There is nothing more rewarding for a cleaner to experience this and I have been blessed to help hundreds of clients, incorporating my aromatherapy blends into the cleans to added support using the power of essential oils. This option is one of the most beneficial ways a client can help get started, and then their journey of cleaning happy can truly begin!
Want to book a fairy for a deep cleaning? Click the link below to send a request for deep cleaning now!
Happy Cleaning