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How to Catch Up on Cleaning

Updated on September 1, 2014

Catching Up on Cleaning is Do-able

It is very easy to let messes get out of hand. When it does get to that point, working on cleaning the mess can be overwhelming. Read more in this article about catching up on cleaning. In this article, we will cover the whole house! For me, between unpacking and children, young and old, our apartment is always a mess. It seems like no matter what is done to keep the apartment clean, it always turns out to be a mess.

Comparing this to losing weight, you have to exercise more to burn more calories. The same with catching up on cleaning your house. You have to do more than just cleaning up the usual mess you make.

With that being said, it will take a lot of work to get your house back to the way it was. The biggest thing to remember is that you can't slack off. It's going to take work and it's more than likely not going to get done immediately. It will take time, energy, and determination to get your house back in order, but it is do-able.

Catching up on laundry takes a lot of time, but it's a great task to do while you're cleaning other rooms because you can walk away from it.
Catching up on laundry takes a lot of time, but it's a great task to do while you're cleaning other rooms because you can walk away from it. | Source

DISCLAIMER

When catching up on laundry, make sure you complete the 'laundry cycle' by washing, drying, folding, and putting away the clothes. This is to ensure they don't pile up in a clothes basket and end up on the ground again or lost.

Catching Up on Laundry

Laundry is the biggest chore in our apartment that never seems to end. The bigger the household is, the more laundry you have. Remember, once you have your laundry under control, it will be easy to just do one load a day.

Figure out how much laundry you usually do a week. For a small household, you may only need to do laundry once a week. For a bigger household, it may need to be done every day. Have you figured out how many times a week you have to do laundry? Okay, now take that number and add at least one load to it.

By just adding one load, you can slowly hack away at the pile of laundry that has just been sitting in your room, laundry room, where there is room forever now. If you are feeling adventurous, add another extra load. It doesn't matter how many extra loads you do, just do at least one extra load.

The great thing about laundry is that once you start, you can build up extreme momentum. While your laundry is in the washer and dryer, you can do other things to catch up around the house. Just remember to fold your laundry and put it away so it doesn't end up in the dirty laundry pile again.

Which is the hardest room to clean?

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Room by Room Cleaning

When catching up on cleaning, start with one room at a time. Start with the front of the house, where the front door is, and work your way back. Assess the room before you start and make a mental note of what needs to be done. Take your arsenal of garbage bags and cleaners with you.

Pick up all the trash first. Trash is easy to clean up and as soon as it's gone, the room will probably look a lot cleaner. After the trash is picked up, take out anything that doesn't belong in the room such as dishes, dirty laundry, and items that have been left in there. I usually bring out some big storage bins to put items in that don't belong in that room. My child has a day to go through the stuff and then the rest goes in the trash!

Once everything is out that doesn't belong, start putting away the rest of the things in their homes. This is the time to go through things as you come across it to see if you really want to keep it or donate it.

Lastly, vacuum, clean the windows, wipe down the tables, and make the room look pretty. By starting with one room at a time, you aren't over-stressing yourself and you can see the progress easily being made in that room.

Once that is done, move onto the next room! Maintaining is easier than actually cleaning. By comparison, when I was behind on cleaning, it took me almost 3 hours to clean my very small kitchen. The next day it only took me 5 minutes to clean.

When cleaning, take it one room at a time so you don't get overwhelmed.  Then it'll be easy to maintain.
When cleaning, take it one room at a time so you don't get overwhelmed. Then it'll be easy to maintain. | Source

Remember this when cleaning...

When you clean your house, it's going to take more than a day. Don't get discouraged if it seems like you aren't making much progress. The little tasks are what make up the big picture.

Staying Motivated While Cleaning

Staying motivated while cleaning can be tough. Here are a few ideas to keep yourself going while you're cleaning.

  1. Listen to music - Turn on some jams while you clean! Don't listen to slow and depressing songs. Listen to songs that make you want to dance and sing. Blast that music loud and proud! Sing along and dance to the music.
  2. Give yourself a prize - Pick something that you've always wanted and let that be your motivator while cleaning. When you've accomplished your cleaning, reward yourself with that prize!
  3. Set small goals - Seeing yourself accomplish your goals along the way of the ultimate goal is a great motivator. The more things you can cross off your list the more motivated you'll be to cross off more things! Write out a list and set smaller tasks within the main task.

Listening to music while you do housework is a great way to get into it!  Websites like Songza even have special playlists for cleaning.
Listening to music while you do housework is a great way to get into it! Websites like Songza even have special playlists for cleaning. | Source

Maintaining your Home

After you're done cleaning the rooms and doing the laundry, make sure you maintain the cleanliness by cleaning even when the room is a little messy.

The difference in cleaning is drastic and you're house or apartment will always look clean and smell fresh. A quick wipe of the counters, one load of laundry a day, and coming home to a clean home is a great (and easy) goal to reach for.

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