Are you wondering how to get motivated to clean? You’re not alone. I’ve struggled as well.
The first 7 years of marriage and motherhood I let the dishes pile up on the kitchen counter all week long. The laundry basket was always full and I even had to resort to wearing dirty clothes some days!
I let weeks and months go by without dusting.
But I finally decided I didn’t want to live in a constant state of struggle. I had to find the motivation to clean my house.
I wanted to win this battle and break free from the burden that homemaking had become. Over the years, I’ve come to understand that there are a few key tips to get motivated to clean when you have no motivation to clean.
Why are you feeling unmotivated to clean?
There are a lot of reasons you aren’t motivated. In order to get motivated to clean, you have to understand why you aren’t motivated in the first place. That way you know what to do about it.
Overwhelmed
I realized I was unmotivated because it felt overwhelming. I didn’t know how to keep up with all the household cleaning tasks and I had no help.
Busy Season of Life
At other times, I’ve been in an extremely busy season of life. When I was working full time, I didn’t know how to balance work and homemaking.
As a new mother, I didn’t know how to maintain a clean home while also caring for my newborn.
No Energy to Clean
Other times I was sick or dealing with the death of a family member. At those times I simply lacked the energy to clean.
Maybe you can relate to one of these reasons, but you are ready to find your cleaning motivation.
Let’s break down simple things you can do today to get motivated to clean!
How to Get Motivated to Clean
1. Invest in yourself before you clean.
Whenever you’re lacking cleaning motivation, it’s usually because you haven’t taken care of yourself like you should.
There are two basic self care habits that will give you energy.
- Get enough sleep.
- Drink enough water.
As women, we are constantly taking care of everyone and everything around us. I like to use a pitcher of water as an example. Unless you you fill the pitcher up, you cannot pour water into the cups.
The same is true for you. If you don’t fill up your own self care pitcher and take care of yourself, you’ll have a very hard time filling up the cups of those around you.
If you have a hard time getting motivated to clean your house, ask yourself if you are making self care a priority.
- Are you taking a shower and getting dressed every day?
- Are you going to bed on time and getting enough sleep?
- Are you drinking enough water to stay hydrated?
- Are you getting movement in each day?
- Are you limiting your sugar intake?
2. Do an easy cleaning task first.
You may be putting off a cleaning task because it feels difficult and in your mind you think it will take a long time to complete.
Instead, think of a simple cleaning task you could do that doesn’t take a lot of effort but is still important. It could be something like putting your coffee mug in the dishwasher or wiping down the countertop.
When you start with something simple, it has a domino affect. Your mind and body are in motion which makes it easier to stay in motion, and it will be easier to take the next step.
3. Break down the cleaning tasks.
The answer to tackling an overwhelmingly messy or dirty house is to think about it in small sections rather than the whole mess.
EXAMPLE: CLEANING UP THE KITCHEN.
Maybe you need motivation to clean up the kitchen after dinner. Instead of focusing on the big picture, break it down and focus on one area at a time.
- First, make sure your capable family members clear their plates. Cuz Momma ain’t got time to do it all!
- Then put the leftover food away, and put all the dirty dishes near the sink and dishwasher.
- Next, load the dishwasher and/or hand wash any leftover dishes.
- Last, quickly wipe down the table and countertops and do a quick sweep of the floor.
Focusing on one step at a time makes cleaning feel easier.
If the entire house is a mess and you don’t know where to start, be sure to read this post: Housekeeping Schedule. Break up your cleaning chores into daily and weekly tasks.
DAILY CLEANING TASKS:
- One load of laundry
- Clean kitchen at night
- Sweep or vacuum when needed
- General tidy up
WEEKLY CLEANING TASKS:
- Clean bathrooms
- Dust
- Mop
- Wash bed sheets
- Vacuum
4. Visualize your clean house.
Some days no matter how small or big the cleaning task is, you still have a hard time finding the motivation to clean the house. On those days, think about the outcome. What will your space look like after it is clean?
Recently, my family had a super busy evening. After dinner, I only had to time to put the food away before we headed out the door. When we got back, the mess from dinner was waiting me, and I really, REALLY didn’t feel like cleaning it up.
So here’s how I got motivated to clean that night. I literally stood in my kitchen and looked around at the mess. However, instead of seeing the mess, I visualized my clean kitchen would look like.
I love waking up to a clean kitchen each morning. It’s one of the best feelings in the world! I love being able to make breakfast with cleared off countertops and knowing that I’ll have clean dishes to eat off of.
When you are trying to figure out how to get motivated to clean, visualize the clean space.
- Think about how you will feel.
- How you will enjoy being in the space?
- What it will smell like?
Once you know that your efforts will pay off in the end, you will be much more motivated to clean!
5. Understand WHY you are cleaning.
When you know the reason behind what you are doing it motivates you even more because you have a purpose. This is true about so many things in life and can definitely be applied to cleaning the house too.
Make a list of reasons why you do specific cleaning tasks. Think of a specific cleaning task that you have a hard time getting motivated to do. What are the reasons why you do it?
Here’s a personal example: Cleaning the shower. (anybody else struggle with this?!)
- my family uses it every day
- it’s for the health of my family
- it provides a clean place for my family to get ready every day
- it’s easier to clean when I clean it on a regular basis
Read the Purpose of Homemaking here.
Once you get over the mindset hurdle and just start cleaning, you’ll gain the motivation you need. The cleaning task that you are putting off probably isn’t even going to take that long to complete!
You can do this!
Once you put these tips into practice, you’ll find the motivation to clean the house on a regular basis. Remember no one just wakes up naturally motivated. It takes time and practice, but you can do it!
Find your cleaning inspiration.
What inspires you to clean? There may be a whole list of things you find inspiring.
Maybe you have a favorite YouTube channel that inspires you. You may be inspired by before and after photos. Or you may be inspired by a reward you give yourself after completing your cleaning tasks.
Find out what your cleaning inspiration is and use it to motivate yourself.
Watch this video for more cleaning motivation!
Get motivated to clean with the free Balanced Mom Checklist!
Pin it for later!
