Stop franticly cleaning up before mom comes over...

Are you having a hard time finding the motivation to clean? Whether that be your home, car, backpack, etc, there just never seems to be enough days in the week or hours in the day to get it all done. And let’s be honest, even if we do find the time, cleaning is not how most of us want to use up our free time. It’s not any fun! But I am going to share with you a few tips to keep your home and everything else a little cleaner on a regular bases so that next time your mom comes over you aren’t frantically cleaning up last minute. (And yes, we all have been there. Sorry mom!)

The dirty issue

It all starts somewhere and like I previously mentioned before it probably started with “not having enough time” or no motivation because “that’s not fun”. While this is true, everyone is busy and *most* people do not enjoy cleaning, but it still has to be done. So yes, I guess when it comes down to it (If you are anything like me) the biggest issue is laziness. Another issue is when you put it off again and again and again, it piles up and it is no longer a quick scrub and rinse, it’s now hours of soaking, bleaching, hands and knees scrubbing, and way too many dirty rags/paper towels. Instead of letting it all pile off and get even worse, if we would just take a few minutes to thoroughly clean the first time, it would never get to this point and become such a dreadful task.

The solution (cleaning solutions?)

Instead of letting it all build up (dust and greasy tend to do that), turn cleaning into a habit. Form daily, weekly, and monthly habits of cleaning so that there doesn’t come a time when it has been month on end the thought of cleaning becomes a daunting task. Daily goals could look something like this: after you cook clean the stove, microwave, and sink, after you shower rinse all the suds down the drain, guys rinse the sink when you shave, and ladies pick up your make-up when you are done. As far as weekly habits go, pick one day a week to get all the laundry done, floors vacuumed and swept, and disinfect the kitchen and bathrooms. Finding one day of the week that tends to be slower, whether that is a Thursday night before the weekend, a morning where you do not have to be at work/school as early, or even Saturday morning before the hustle and bustle of the day begins. And monthly habits, whatever day of the week you pick, choose one of the four during that month and do a little extra; dust the night stands, dressers, tv stands, etc. mop the floor, bleach the shower and toilet, wipe down the inside of the microwave, and Windex the mirrors. Everyone has different styles of cleaning and everyone’s schedule looks a little different, but one thing we all have in comment is these chores are things we all have to do. Because #adulting. These ideas may not fit your preference, and that is fine, but find what does and make it a habit. The more of a routine you get into the less of a dreadful task it becomes! Plus, by dividing these things up, you are making things easier on yourself and most importantly won’t have to put as much time nor effort into the 2nd worst responsibly we have as adults….(bills #1, cleaning #2).

Keeping the solution in tact

All of this is a lot easier said than done. It also seems a little humdrum right? But it helps, and it will make you feel not only cleaner but also more productive and put together. Nothing is better than to come home to a clean house know everything is already done and you can now sit on the couch for the rest of the evening. However, it is a never ending task. You have to keep up with it, and even though it once seemed like easy and obvious things that had to be done, you can lose motivation. But you have to find that motivational factor for yourself and apply it. Motivational factors can be things like rewards (I can always hear a Starbucks or sonic drink calling my name), the simple fear of the thought of having to spend extra time cleaning tomorrow, or maybe you’re like me and you get your motivation from watching those satisfying cleaning videos (if so go check out @gocleanco on social media. You’ll thank me later I promise). But either way, you have to find your motivation and work with it. I think we can all agree cleaning is no fun, but take some of these tips add in some of your own, and get to cleaning so you aren’t scrambling before your mom or other guests arrive. Be clean and stay #adulting! //MC