When Cleaning Becomes Overwhelming

Cleaning overwhelm can suck the energy right out of you. Luckily for you, I went through a pretty severe case of cleaning overwhelm and came out of it with the ability to keep a clean house all the time even with a busy schedule.

If you feel stuck and find yourself googling, “my house is messy where do I start?” This is exactly where you start. I’m showing you not just how to clean your house but how to keep it clean.

You can have more time for your kids, more time for life, and more time for yourself. I’m going to help you figure out exactly how you can reclaim your life from cleaning overwhelm. First, you should know what your overwhelm triggers are.

Busy Schedule

A busy schedule is usually the first culprit in finding yourself in cleaning overwhelm. You work, you run your kids around, you make dinner, you run your errands. Before you know it your staring at your home wondering how it got so dirty without hardly spending any time in it.

It happens. Unfortunately you can’t always change your schedule. So you do the best you can yet you always feel like there is something else to clean, more laundry to do, dishes to be loaded. It’s a never ending cycle of feeling completely overwhelmed by the state of your home.

Family and Personal Obligations

You have a life though, at least we’d like to think we do. We have events with friends, concerts, movies to see, and after these relaxing fun events you arrive home and immediately feel stressed out because of how messy it is.

Home is supposed to be a place of welcome and relaxation. It’s the place where the pants come off and coffee flows freely. You are supposed to be at your peak relaxation and comfort levels in your home.

Except you’re not because your time at home is limited and you are spending all of it cleaning it. Why? So you can sleep in a clean home. I lived like that and I’m glad I don’t have to live like that anymore.

You don’t need to give up your life so you might have more time to enjoy your home during the waking hours. You should be able to enjoy your life and your time out and come home and enjoy your home without it being messy.

Exchanging Self Care To Clean

For those of us who don’t have a life, like me. We spend most of our time in our home, yet the kids, the husband, and the pets are always seemingly working against you in keeping your home clean.

So you sacrifice that 30 minutes to an hour after the kids are in bed to clean up the home. The time you normally spend reading, watching TV, or getting in some alone time with your husband.

That very important time when you finally feel like an adult and your life isn’t all about “Baby Shark,” or “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.” This time where you aren’t asked very important questions non stop. Or when you can just breathe because your climber of a child isn’t trying to climb and jump off every piece of furniture in the house.

You don’t need to sacrifice your much needed self care time in order to keep your house clean. Trust me, it’s not good for your mental or physical health. You need that time everyday.

The Problem With Just Cleaning A Messy House

Cleaning is never really finished. Just when you finish one project there is another, and this is where the overwhelm actually comes in.

This was the hardest concept for me to get as I started the long process of getting rid of cleaning overwhelm. It always felt like there was something else that needed to be cleaned. There was always another chore to do.

You see I knew how to clean a house and make it sparkle. However, when you have to do adult stuff like run errands, go out with friends, raise kids, and work a job suddenly the time you have to make your house sparkle disappears.

Sure I would get a room to sparkle, but my living room looking great while my kitchen looked like cluttered hell didn’t make me feel like my house was clean. At one point I tried to boycott cleaning my house entirely because I was that frustrated.

That lasted a day and then I spent the next two days off cleaning the entire house spotless. By the time the next weekend came around my house was trashed again and I just wanted to cry.

Why didn’t this come easily to me? If you feel the same way read on because I finally figured out how to make cleaning come naturally.

My House Is A Mess Where Do I Start?

The cycle of cleaning overwhelm is a nasty one to be in. While you see your child playing with blocks and desperately wanting to join in, you know you have to get that kitchen clean before you cook dinner.

It’s constantly feeling like you have no time. It’s going without sleep, self care, or spending time with your family because you can’t seem to relax in your home.

The good news is, you CAN STOP the cycle of cleaning overwhelm. You can get your home clean, keep it clean in less time, and even skip some of your daily chores while still having a clean home.

I know it’s possible because I did it and continue to do it. I did it when I worked 60 hour weeks while raising a toddler. I did it when I worked part time nights. I do it now as a work at home mom who is getting prepared to homeschool her preschooler.

It’s possible to stop cleaning overwhelm and regain control of your life. To feel at home in your home. To finally get time to play with your kids, relax with your husband, or read that book.

The steps are easy, but it does take a bit of time.

Clean Clutter First

The first step to getting rid of cleaning overwhelm is to declutter your home. Sounds easy but this process takes a bit of time. It can also take an emotional toll on you.

When I first started decluttering my home I ended up in tears over a crystal set that my grandma owned. I do not like cut crystal sets from the early 80s. I would never display this in my home, let alone actually use it.

Ultimately, I got rid of the set because someone out there might make new memories with this set and actually use it.

Decluttering does not have to be only keeping what you need, there are things we use that we don’t need but they make our lives easier. Decluttering is simply about only keeping what is useful to you on a regular basis that can’t be replaced with another more useful object.

Organize

Give everything a place and a home. When things have a place and a home it is much easier to keep your home clean.

Things get put back in their home because they actually have a home where they are most likely used, instead of somewhere else. If you have a basket specifically for your mail now you don’t end up with stacks of junk mail on your kitchen counter.

No more bill loss either because you needed that kitchen counter to cook dinner and moved the stack to a shelving unit in your living room and forgot you put it there.

Build Good Cleaning Habits

Cleaning habits are the glue that holds our homes together. Not just cleaning habits for you, but cleaning habits for your whole family. It’s not just your home, you aren’t the only one living there.

The most important cleaning habit is putting things away right after you use them. This habit will immediately change how much cleaner your home stays.

There are 11 good cleaning habits that take seconds to just a couple of minutes to complete each day. These 11 habits are what make it possible for me to always have a tidy home. Chores take less than 30 minutes a day because of these habits.

The most important part of these habits is that they make it possible for me to take a couple of days off from my chores and still have a clean and tidy home.

Create Your Own Cleaning Schedule

The final step in controlling cleaning overwhelm is to stop trying all the different cleaning schedules hoping one will work for you. The key is to create your own schedule based around your needs, desires, energy levels, schedule, and the layout of your home.

My clean home desires are different from yours, my energy levels peak and fall differently from you, we probably don’t have the same schedule or layout of home either. There is no way your cleaning schedule would work for me, or my specific cleaning schedule would work for you.

Reclaim Your Life And Clean Your Messy Home

Taking control over cleaning overwhelm is a process for sure and it won’t happen overnight. With guidance from someone who’s been through it though, you won’t feel alone. You’ll have step by step instructions for finally getting control over your clutter, organizing your home, building good cleaning habits, and creating the perfect for you cleaning schedule.

Related Posts:

Cleaning Motivation For A Messy Home - Cleaning Overwhelm In A Messy Home - How To Get Movitated To Clean

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