Cleaning

Morpheus

We kinda let our place go when I became ill back in 2024. Now that I’m feeling better, we’re trying to catch up on the cleaning. What are some of your best cleaning tips and best tips for staying on top of keeping your home clean?

Morpheus

This weekend, I cleaned the kitchen, bathroom and entry way. I’m taking a break right now and I’m going to clean the patio next.

SpicyNSweet

I clean REALLY efficiently after I garden🤣

SpicyNSweet

Ok I'll focus lol. I find cleaning in small spurts each day and staying on top of small messes before they get too big helps me a lot.

xandriarain

It’s been an uphill battle for me as well. I find that having company really helps. If I can have a visitor every week or two, then there’s a certain social pressure to keep up with the place but when I don’t have anyone over for a long time, I tend to notice it it gets worse. My place is gone into a bit of disarray over the past month and I have company coming over this weekend so I’m trying to get my act together as well.

great_pillow08

I honestly have a list of what needs to be cleaned weekly (bedsheets, towels, the bathroom, mop, vacuum), monthly (wash mattress pad, comforter, clean interior of the frig, general dusting), and biannually (dust the fan blades, ceilings, and wall corners, clean windows, wash curtains, defrost the freezer, etc.) It prevents me from forgetting anything and avoids the “overwhelm” of it!

AntiqueWpatina

I don't know if guys are allowed here...but being a bachelor, I did some of my "hard" cleaning this winter; fan blades done, long handled duster for ceiling corners, discarding/donating old clothing, shampoo what carpet I have discarding junk in my kitchen cabinets & old food stored. Started getting spring/summer wear out.

Loves2Spoon

If you can afford it, hire someone to do the upfront work. Then create a routine to maintain it. It takes a mental load off and gives you a clean slate, imo.

Carrie_Anne

I clean as I go. Every day, clean as I use things. I rarely leave the kitchen without cleaning what I just used. As I become more forgetful, I have to be sure I leave everything where I expect it to be. It stresses me out if I can’t find something. I seem to need order. Now that I’m staying again with family in Seoul, it’s fine because I know how they live. It’s so comfortable and fun here. I’m here indefinitely again I guess.

Morpheus

@Loves2Spoon

If you can afford it, hire someone to do the upfront work.

What do you mean by upfront work?

We did have a cleaning person for years. I think once we get everything back in order, I may hire a cleaning person again.

VAdude

The older I get, the less interested I am in cooking, cleaning, and laundry. Unfortunately, AI hasn't figured out a way to do any of those things, haha!

CuddleDuncan

I have not encountered anything in this world that is better value for money than a cleaner.

If circumstances do not permit, then do it as a team: plan a reward for when you're done, open all the windows as wide as they will go, and turn the music up.

Morpheus

Update: Kitchen, Bathroom, Entry Way and Patio and now clean. I did those first because I felt they would be the easiest. Living room, main bedroom and hallway closet are going to require some purging.

I like everyone’s input. Thanks for the great tips.

PrincessSummer

When I was down with my broken foot the last 2 months, we got really behind. Hired a crew for a deep clean to help us catch up, and now it feels doable to stay on top of it.

We did have to declutter for the crew to come through, but it was motivating knowing we had to have it done by a certain day 😅

cuddlefaery

Honestly, my biggest recommendation is to outsource when you can afford to - especially if there are health considerations.

I grew up in a hoarding household and struggle with my own clutter tendencies every time my mental or physical health ranks. I can usually maintain pretty well when I'm doing better, but coming back from a slip in routine is next to impossible for me without outside help.

A few tools I've learned to use over the years:

• break down larger tasks into absolutely, stupidly simple steps. You don't just "take out the garbage" - you empty a garbage can when you're in that room, have a designated spot to drop them near a door, then when you have the energy and are heading out the door anyway, you can take it outside. Don't just "clean your room" - start in one corner with anything you can reach from one seated position, sort trash/recycle/donate/put away. Once that corner is done, move over an arm's length and repeat. Or take a break.
• body doubling can go a long way. Having someone in the room with you doing their own thing while you do your tasks tricks your brain's motivation. If you can't have someone in person, talking on the phone or hanging out in a zoom call can work. There's even online support groups for body doubling hard tasks together.
• sometimes even just hiring someone to do the tasks that feel hardest for you once in awhile can go a long way. Absolutely hate doing laundry? Pay for a local cleaner to pick it up, wash, dry, and fold. Doing the yard work wear you out? Paying a gardener or neighbor kid to do some periodically clears a lot of mental space.
• deep cleaning a bathroom give you nightmares? Hiring a cleaning person to do an hour once a month can help motivate you to do the rest on your own.

Edit to add: can't afford to outsource? Try reaching out to local neighborhood groups on social media. Example: neighbors on Nextdoor or in a Buy Nothing group are often willing to pitch in time/tools/skills to help out.

Edit to add again: progress over perfection, always. 1% done is still more than 0%. Badly done is a mile ahead of never started.